Ana's Big Day, cont...

Ana's 1st Day of Pre-School!

Our super big baby girl, so happy to finally go to school...

Yep, I let her get a character backpack. And so the relinquishing of control begins...

My baby girls...

Settling in all on her own...

And of course we can't forget the eco-chic snack bag :)...

She did amazingly well. Went right in like the independent little one that she is. Me? I lost it. Not until 5 minutes after Maddie and I left but I did. It wasn't pretty, people. I did the ugly cry. The noonecanunderstandmewhileI'mblubbering cry. Not my proudest moment but hey, I earned it.

There was a bonafide photo shoot happenin' here before we left so more pictures to come!

Tough

Being a mom is tough.

Being surrounded by fits and "no"s and "she hit me"s and "mine"s is tough.

Being mistaken for a jungle gym and getting a finger in the eye or a foot to the cheek almost daily is tough.

Having to keep your cool when your two little wonders decide that doing the exact opposite of what you tell them would be hilarious is tough.

And hearing your two-year-old tell you to leave her alone for the first time is really, really tough.

And then your 3-year-old writes her name all by herself for the first time.

And your 2-year-old goes on the potty for the first time.

And you get to lay in bed with your two little girls reading story after story while they hold hands and the 3-year-old rubs your head and whispers "I'm the happiest girl in the world, Mommy."

Then it becomes a whole lot of easy and you wonder what you were ever complaining about.

DIY Day - Our Kitchen Island!

I've been busy! I know I keep promising updates but really, I really have been busy making this house of our a home we're beginning to totally *heart*. It's comin', it's comin'!

BUT for now...here's a DIY for DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land!

Before...

After...

I painted it red, added a butcher block top, some corbels (I think that's what those are called, right??), a hook for a towel, and some beadboard to go with the "new" cabinets.

I bought the island from World Market for $120 because it was the last one (and the display). I bought the butcher block top from Ikea for $89. The paint was $8, and the corbels were $3 a piece. The beadboard was left over from the kitchen reno so the total for my new island.........$223. A little pricey for my frugal tastes but it's the PERFECT size for our kitchen and will serve it's purpose of housing some little cookie-bakin' hands well :).

Chit Chattin' with Ana

As I'm putting her to bed tonight Ana puts her sweet little hands on my face...

Ana: Oh Mommy, you're such a sweet girl to me. I think I'll keep you.

Heart. Melting. And then it continues...

Ana: Mommy, should we keep Daddy too?

Mama: I think so.

Ana: And Maddie? I think we'll keep her too.

Mama: Ok, baby.

Ana: Mommy, are you going to keep me?

Mama: I'm going to keep you forever.

I LOVE this kid.

Chit Chattin' with Ana

RIGHT after having a snack...

Ana: Mommy, can I have a snack?

Mama: No. You just had one.

Ana: But I'm hungry. Can I please have another one?

Mama: No.

Ana: Whyyyyyyyyyy?????

Mama: Because you can't just keep eating snacks all day long.

Ana: Why can't I eat snacks all day long?

Mama: Because if you eat constantly you'll get chubby.

Ana: But Mommy, I want to be chubby, just like you.

Oh. Boy.

Details, Details, Details!

Oh my gosh! You guys like it! You really, really LIKE it!!! Ok, I'm not usually an all "bring on the compliments and keep 'em coming" kinda girl. But I worked so hard on this kitchen that I have to admit reading you comments has me giddy.

Ok, enough about me :). On to the details! I know there are a lot of tutorials out there on painting cabinets (where do you think I learned!?) so I won't go into that...unless you want me to, then totally!

To be honest, I used to H.A.T.E. white kitchens. Seriously. Whenever I saw white cabinets I would wonder if the people didn't have a choice. Then I took up reading decorating blogs and was bombarded (you know what I'm talking about!) with images of white kitchens and I FELL IN LOVE. So every morning I'd come down stairs and cringe at my dark cabinets, cursing them for being so blah. I know it wasn't their fault. After all, I PICKED them just 2.5 short years ago. But it was time for change. So after a month of trying to convince the Mr. and showing him ENDLESS pictures of gorgeous white kitchens he finally gave the green light.

First thing on the agenda, choose a paint color. I didn't want bright white so I went with Bear's Powdered Snow. Now that it's done I honestly think I could've stood to go even a little creamier but I'm happy.

Then came the little details because it's ALL about the details.

I put beadboard on the sides on the cabinets to make them look more finished.

I thought it would add some architechtural intrest to add height to one of the cabinets. The one over the microwave seemed to make the most sense. And I was right. This is one of my favorite parts! No more straight line. It looks grander, if just a little, don't ya think?

Then we added the crown...

My $25 Kohler sink and $100 super fabulous faucet...

My totally redone island (details of which I'm saving for a DIY partay!)...

Then there was the little detail of cutting out two of the door panels and replacing them with glass. This did force me to paint the inside of the cabinets which was kind of a drag but I threw some beadboard in there and whalla!


And mayhaps my very favorite detail...the little "feet" on the bottom of each cabinet. I painted the toe kicks a dark color to kinda "hide" them. I luuurve this!!! I don't know how I ever lived without these before. I feel like these little "feet" take the cabinets from "eh" to totally charming.

Thanks so much again for stopping by and leaving me those super awesome comments!!! They're totally encouraging and mean a TON.

Next up, pics and details from my "brand new" living room!

xoxo