The Kitchen...

Oh this kitchen. So we aren't allowed to paint or take down the lovely wallpaper border (well, I'm sure the owners thought it was lovely...) so the changes we can make in the kitchen are very minimal. Still, I wanted to make it as ours as we could. Here's what it looked like the day we got back from Maine:

And here's a close-up of the wallpaper border. What is that thing? A monkey with too many appendages? A mutant lizard?  

  ANYWAYS! I cleared out all the junk, put out all our china, took off the shutters from the window, and cleaned a ton. The countertops were super nasty - just plain wood and you could feel stickiness from years of soaking up food.

Ew. So Tim was super amazing and sanded them and then put 5 coats of clear polyurethane. Now I'm not afraid to put food down on them. YAY!

So the "finished" kitchen is...

 Our lovely china, along with lots of wedding presents. And I love the flour and sugar being right at my finger tips and beside the super cute Carson platter from a new brother and sister-in-law (thanks Chris, Susan and Emma!!!).

The china I used to have came with me too because it's white and we could use it if we have a big crowd over for dinner. And it looks pretty. ;-)

Our cups look great in the other open cabinet and our new microwave and Keurig work great. Tim takes a coffee to work every morning in a Tervis Tumbler. ;-)

Above the refrigerator we have the china that Tim got on sale. He loves a deal. And the cups and bowls are a really great size.

A look at this whole side of the room. Above the stove we have a cute sign from Hobby Lobby (half-off, of course), and cute black canisters with C's on them from the wife of the minister who married us (thanks Donnie and Jane!). Actually, every single thing in this picture is a wedding gift. We are so blessed!!!

 In a kitchen you must have a clock and a calendar. And of course our calendar must be Chick-fil-A. ;-)

Under the cabinet was super dark because when you stood at the countertop, you blocked the only light source. I looked at lights at Lowe's and they were around $30 for an under-cabinet light. Thankfully, I decided to check Walmart first because this light was only $8. Yes, please! Two quick screws and I was in business!

A close-up of the sign over the stove. Don't you love it? =D

That's all I've got for now! A bedroom update is coming soon! As I type, Tim is putting up the new wall bedside lamps! Hooray!!! OH! And soon this living room will be a new color because this sky blue has gotta go! Here's my current opinion about the walls: