Budget DIY Kitchen Redo - Final Part, Backsplash, Walls and Appliances

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

If you've been following my Budget DIY Kitchen Redo and have read Part 1, you'll remember the 90's style oak kitchen cabinets were painted and glazed. Then, in Part 2, the cabinet hardware was installed, and beadboard wallpaper was installed on the sides of the cabinets and breakfast bar. Finally, the countertops were painted to look like granite.

The copper backsplash tile I mentioned in Part 1 arrived while we were on vacation. When we came home, I opened the box and decided not to use them. Next to the bronze and stainless steel, I just felt there were too many metals in the room. I decided to use some of the leftover beadboard wallpaper instead, which was also painted and glazed to match the cabinets. I am pleased with how it looks!

We also painted the walls a very light, sage green. The color is subtle and has a very relaxed feel. We carried the light sage green into the adjoining breakfast nook, after removing the old wallpaper border. I have decided I'm going to install the beadboard wallpaper in the breakfast nook in the near future. I will also add chair rail moulding above it.





Our appliances are getting older, and we had planned to replace them only when they stop working. The dishwasher and microwave were the first to go. We replaced them with stainless steel ones. When the stove and refrigerator die, they'll also be replaced with stainless steel appliances.

In the interim, I decided to try painting the old appliances to look like stainless steel. I ordered Thomas' Liquid Stainless Steel appliance paint online, which as made by the same company that makes the granite countertop paint I used. I followed the directions on the instructional DVD that came with the kit. I think they came out nice. While they're probably not as shiny as the stainless steel dishwasher, since they're not side by side, it really isn't noticeable.












Well, that's completes my Budget DIY kitchen redo. I spent approximately $250.00 on it. It did take some time to complete, but I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks to Susan of Between Naps on the Porch, for hosting Metamorphosis Monday, and Cheri of It's So Very Cheri for hosting The Knock Off Knock Out Party. Be sure to visit their blogs for great ideas and for links to other participant entries.

Back-to-School Organization

For many, this time of year is filled with the usual turmoil associated with getting the children settled back in school. During this time of transition, there can be many forms to fill out and notices that come home. Getting back into the routine of doing homework can also be difficult for children. Things can get pretty hectic, especially if you have more than one child. I have a simple solution to help you organize everything.

First, buy one of those inexpensive hanging closet organizers for each child. We bought ours at Ikea for $6.99. Then, find a closet that is conveniently located near the door, make some room, if necessary, and hang the organizers in it. (If you don’t have a closet to use, a freestanding, pole-type coat rack is a good alternative.) Label each organizer with the child’s name. Help your children label the compartments by subject. They can store their books and homework for each subject in the compartments. Save a compartment at the top to use for all the notices that come home, and train your child to place any school correspondence there when he/she comes home from school each day.

To keep mornings stress free, place lunchboxes or lunch money in the top compartment, along with the paperwork that needs to be brought back to school. Store wear-to-school coats or sweaters next to the organizer.

For homeschooling families like ours, the closet organizers are also wonderful for storing textbooks and school supplies. Each compartment can be used for a subject and can easily store a textbook, a folder for storing papers, a notebook and any supplies necessary for that subject.

Good organization eliminates unnecessary stress. It also teaches children great habits that will last a lifetime.

Thanks for stopping by!

Crock Pot Wednesdays: Chicken Tetrazzini

Ingredients:

• 1 -2 lb. boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenders
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1/3 cup cooking sherry (optional)
• 1 pkg. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• dash crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Spray the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cut boneless chicken into small chunks and place in crock pot.
   
3. Add sliced mushrooms and diced red bell pepper.
   
4. Mix all the other ingredients together and pour over chicken chunks, mushrooms and green pepper. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
   
5. Serve over cooked angel hair pasta or rice. It's great served with fresh green beans.

Enjoy!





Thanks to Debbie at Dining with Debbie for hosting Crock Pot Wednesday. Be sure to visit Debbie's blog to find more tasty crock pot recipes.

Beer Can Chicken

I know it sounds kind of strange. My husband and I saw this on the Food Network. We both love rotisserie chicken but don't have a rotisserie skewer on our grill. This idea looked like the next best thing to it, and I couldn't wait to try it out. Unfortunately, I didn't copy down the recipe, so I had to make up my own. Here's how I made it. (Since I'm not a beer lover, it's nice that it is sold by the can.)

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 can of beer
  

Rub Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Remove the gizzards from the inside of the chicken, then rinse the cavity thoroughly with cold water.
   
2. Mix all the ingredients for the rub together in a small bowl, then rub it on the outside of the chicken.
3. Remove the top of the beer can with a can opener. Pour out some of the beer, so that it's about 3/4 full. Set the beer can in a small pan, then set the chicken on top of it, so that the beer can is in the cavity. (If you don't use a pan, you'll have a fire in your grill from the chicken fat dripping into the flame.)
   
4. Place the pan on a gas grill that has been preheated to medium; cook for about 1 1/2 hours.
   

This chicken comes out so tender! It is delicious served with fresh vegetables from the garden.

Enjoy!

Thanks to Jen of Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for hosting Tasty Tuesday, Lisa of Blessed with Grace for hosting Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, and Cole of All the Small Stuff for hosting Tuesdays at the Table. Be sure to visit their blogs, where you'll find links to some tasty recipes!

Budget DIY Kitchen Redo - Part 2, Beadboard and Countertops

If you've been following my Budget DIY Kitchen Redo and have read Part 1, you'll remember the 90's style oak kitchen cabinets have already been painted and glazed.

Not long after the cabinets were finished, the oil rubbed bronze cabinet hardware arrived. I found it on eBay. The handles were only$1.39 each, and the knobs were $1.03 each. I would have spent three times as much if I bought them locally!

The Beadboard

breakfast bar before

The lower part of the breakfast bar and cabinets were very plain, so I ordered some paintable beadboard wallpaper and applied it to the sides of the breakfast bar and lower cabinets. It was prepasted and was very easy to work with.  I truly love this stuff!  You can buy it here.

After the beadboard wallpaper was installed, I attached the two corbels ($10.00 for the pair on eBay) to the front of the breakfast bar with Liquid Nails adhesive. I then added quarter-round trim to the top edge of the beadboard, to give it a finished look. I also filled in the cracks on the breakfast bar and around the corbels with caulk. Everything was then painted and glazed to match the cabinets. What a difference, as you can see in the photo.

The Countertops

countertops before

I wasn't crazy about the laminate countertops with the faux oak trim, pictured above. Since granite was definitely not in our budget, I thought about painting them. I searched online and found Giani Granite Countertop Paint . The photos of the finished painted countertops looked great on the company website, so I ordered the Sicilian Sand™ granite painting kit for $39.95.

countertops after applying the primer

The kit came with an instructional DVD, which I watched a couple of times before I began the process, which was actually really fun to do. First, I taped off the surrounding areas to protect them from paint splattering. Next, I cleaned the countertops with a degreaser and allowed them to dry. Then, I applied the primer and allowed it to dry according to the directions. Once the primer was dry, I began the painting process, which involved applying three colors of paint in a specific order using a sea sponge. The final step of the process is to apply two coats of the sealer. After the paint was dry, I applied one coat of sealer and allowed it to dry overnight before I applied the final coat.

countertops after

I was amazed at the result! It definitely has given the countertops the look of granite, which you can see in the closeup photo on the right.

I'm currently working on the walls and the backsplash and will be posting pictures here when I am done.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks to Susan of Between Naps on the Porch, for hosting Metamorphosis Monday, Cheri of It's So Very Cheri for hosting The Knock Off Knock Out Party and Kimba of A Soft Place to Land for hosting DIY Thursday. Be sure to visit their blogs for great ideas and for links to other participant entries.

A Little R&R

I'm taking a break from blogging and my kitchen redo for a little R&R. I'm looking forward to having my morning coffee while looking at this amazing view of Lake Memphremagog.

When I return, I plan to share the rest of the kitchen projects, as well as some out & about blogs from our trip.

See you soon!

Family Traditions

My husband and I have always enjoyed spending quality time with our children while, hopefully, building family memories that will last their lifetime.

That's my husband and two children in the photo to the left. It was taken at Epcot Center last March. It was our son's 25th birthday, and we celebrated with a family trip to Florida.

The following are a few of our family traditions.

Pizza Night

Friday night is pizza night at our house, and we have fun making Mediterranean Pizza together! I usually make the crust, and everyone pitches in adding the cheese and toppings. It's a great way to relax and spend family time together at the end of the work/school week.

Marathon Monopoly Games

When our son comes home from school for a visit, our family loves to play Monopoly. Let's just say that my son and I are both extremely competitive when we play, and some of our family games have lasted for hours. We also have fond memories of playing by candlelight when the power went out once during a snowstorm.

Mother/Daughter Spa Night

My husband plays sports one night a week, so while he is out doing that, my daughter and I enjoy having a mother/daughter spa night. In preparation for our spa night, we usually visit our local Christmas Tree shop, to stock up on inexpensive pedicure and manicure supplies, facial masks and other spa pleasures. After that, we make a quick trip to the grocery store to grab some some yummy snacks and a movie at Red Box.

Once we're home, we change into our lounge pants and tee shirts. We give ourselves manicures and pedicures, while watching movies, favorite television shows, or just catching up on things that have happened during the week. It's a great to spend time together and to feel pampered.

Fall Trip to Mt. Wachusett

Every Columbus Day, we enjoy packing a picnic lunch and driving to Mt. Wachusett for the day. Once we are there, we ride the ski lift, so we can get a good view of the beautiful fall foliage. You can see the view from the lift in the photo to the left. We also go apple picking at nearby orchards and visit a few country gift shops in the area.

We have many other holiday traditions, but I'm going to save those for Marie's Celebrating Holiday Traditions in October.

After-Dinner Scripture Reading

Of course, the most important family tradition we have at our house is reading scripture after dinner. Whoever sets the table makes sure the Bible is out on the table. When we have finished eating, my husband usually reads a few verses, and we each take a turn sharing what the verses mean to us. It only takes a few minutes a day to teach our children about God and His Word.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thanks to Marie, of Emma Calls Me Mama, for hosting Celebrating Day-to-Day Traditions. Be sure to visit Marie's blog, to read about her traditions and for links to other participant entries.