Early Christmas

We got our first Christmas present (and most likely, our best) early from Tyler's parents. I have been so excited about it and couldn't wait to tell you about it!

I love updating houses, our first was a fixer-upper and when we came to our current house it wasn't as much so but still needed some cosmetic work. However, I hate the long process! I wish I could do every individual project within a weekend, but it doesn't always happen that way and when it drags out.....I get frustrated and overwhelmed. I was anxious about the upcoming update.......

When we first moved into our house our kitchen looked pretty dated, wouldn't you say??........

The cabinets were in good shape but the wood was not working. Not to mention the top piece that closed it all in. The counters were new and a good neutral color. Stove was ooold and worked half the time. AND the floor was terrible, terrible!

So we got some new appliances and did a faux paint job on the cabinets & after taking the top piece off (sorry I do not know what this is called) and changing the hardware this is what it looked like.....

Better but those floors looked yellower, in person, up against the new cabinets.

Our plans for those floors were new hardwood but we couldn't find any pre-finished to match our hardwoods throughout the house. The price to stain and finish hardwood to match was just about double so we were going to have to save up. But leave it to those in-laws that love to get you what-you-need rather than clothes you don't like or gift cards. For Christmas we got hardwood floors in our kitchen to match our house!

Here is Garyn helping daddy & Poppa lay the unfinished floors...........

Now here is the stressful part, the floors were laid on the weekend and then refinished on the following Fri, Sat, and Sunday. We couldn't walk on it once refinishing started and had everything out in Garyn's playroom from Thursday until Tuesday. The smell kept us out of the entire house, though! Yeah, the smell of the staining & polyurethane that weekend kicked us out. But Oh My how it was worth it all!!! They are just beautiful!! {And here is the plastic that kept us, i.e. Garyn and Gus (cat), out........}

Total view......

WOW! I just love it!! I can't get used to it yet! It just makes the cabinets and appliances pop....ooohhh I am so happy. Go up and look at that first pic and compare......isn't it amazing the difference! Sorry I am biased, but I hadn't realized since it was a slow change, but man it has made a difference. I also noticed the lighting is different which is the work of my own handy man, Tyler, who put 4 (oh what are they called??) round spot lights in the ceiling. You would think I would have more of the lingo down, but its just my poor memory!

Here are some pics from Garyn's snow day of the year! I looked back through pics and realized it has snowed just one time each year since his birth, so this may have been his only chance to play in it. He really wasn't fond of it. He actually told me one day this week out of the blue, "Mommy, I don't like it snow." We were not talking about snow or looking at these pics, he just randomly said that.

I hope to get another blog in before Christmas, but in case I don't.....Merry Christmas!!