Packing for Mommy & Toddler

Finally, the day is here! I leave for Iowa soon and I can't contain my excitement. I won't be pulling a Tom Cruise and be jumping on the couch or anything but I'm close ;). This will be Raleigh's first flight and first time meeting my family. I have heard some horrible baby plane stories and some awesome ones so we are hoping to come back with a thumbs up. It's just going to be me and her flying up and then driving back with my sister. So we are going to experience to types of travel and learn which is better for us.

My not so favorite part about trips is the packing. I think there are two kinds of people: the ones who love organizing, cleaning, and packing & the ones who do it because we have to, not because we enjoy it. Guess which one I am…here's a hint…my best friend helped me organize my new kitchen cabinets & my daughters dresser drawers…repeatedly. Whenever I pack for trips I always felt like I did good organizing my bag until I look at it 2 days into the trip and there's a massive pile of unfolded clothes that could hide a small child. This time I am determined to go all OCD on my suitcase so I won't be swamped with clothes. I have to pack for my mini and me though so now I will have double the amount to sift through. It has been a long time since I have flown so I had to catch up on the security guidelines, fluid restrictions, and now baby info.

My best friend Ashley is one of those organizing, cleaning, and packing people so she offered to help me pack. So here's how we packed for me and Raleigh to go on a 5 day trip.

First, make your list of needs for you:

• Clothes
• Dresses
• Jeans/Pants
• Tank Tops
• Tops/Sweater
• Undergarments/Socks
• Coat/Jacket/Hoodie
• Hat/Gloves/Scarf
• Swimsuit
• PJs
• Boots/Sneakers/etc...
• Toiletries
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Shaver
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Body wash/Soap
• Perfume
• Makeup
• Hairbrush/Hair Accessories
• Straightener/Curler
• Miscellaneous
• Camera/Charger/Memory Card
• Phone/Charger
• Lip Balm
• Sunglasses
• Book
• Wallet
• Credit/Debit Cards
• ID
• Paperwork if needed to travel

For toddler checked bag:

• Clothes
• Dress
• Jeans/Pants
• Tops/Onesie
• Jacket
• Socks
• Shoes
• Swimsuit/Swimmer diapers
• Toiletries
• Shampoo
• Body Wash/Soap
• Comb
• Hair Accessories

For Carry-on Diaper Bag:

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Kid Books
• Toys (no noisy toys please)
• Snacks (LOTS of snacks!)
• Tylenol
• Sippy Cup (no liquid in it until on flight!)
• Paci

Snacks: Animal crackers, puffs, welchs fruit gummies, Graham Os cereal, Raisins,

more Cereal, mini crackers

I also put my phone charger, camera, and wallet in the diaper bag so if my bag gets lost of anything then I will have the necessities. 

I got some awesome advice to put Raleigh's outfits into separate Ziploc bags and label for each day. That way I will know what matches and where they are instead of throwing everything out of my bag while trying to find a pair of pants. I also put all her bows, socks, and any accessories in the bags too. Since they are all Ziploc bags then they slid in perfectly next to each other in the side pocket of the duffel which left the big section for me. I want to take as little luggage with me as possible so, aside from her diaper backpack, I am not bringing a carry on bag to go in the upper compartment.

I am so nervous about the flight and then the long wait period after we get there. My mother doesn't arrive until 5 hours after we get there. We also have to wait for her so we can all ride together in the rental car. I have devised a plan to find an empty terminal and let her have free reign and run off some energy then grab some late lunch.

We are off at 8:30 this morning. Wish us luck. Keep updated on our on Instagram & Facebook.

Inspiring Kitchens

After working in my boring, standard building grade cabinets for over a year, I finally got off my butt and started getting my hands dirty. I just started the makeover but I am being optimistic that it will be everything I can hope for in this house. This is not my dream home or my forever home, but I am going to make it the way I want it until I get into my forever home. I have had a few people tell me "No! You shouldn't change it. They are nice." They might be nice for you but not in my eyes. If you have ever had the white counters then you know that they stain almost as soon as anything touches the surface. It's so frustrating that I can't get some stains out no matter how hard I try.

I knew wanted white to brighten up my kitchen and bring more cheer into the space. I also wanted to be able to decorate for every holiday easier and not have to worry about it not blending with the tan. So I went to the best inspirational websites on the Internet to find the perfect kitchen. Pinterest & Houzz were the best by far. They have a wide variety of colors, layouts, styles, and sizes. I decided since I HATE white counters but I want to brighten up the kitchen then I should go with white cabinets. Then contrast with black or rubbed bronze hardware so it will pop.

Here are the few kitchens that were closer to my size and had all the features I loved.

via A Country Farmhouse

I loved these shelves! Beautiful open shelving is so nice to have to break up all the cabinets in kitchens. Sometimes I see kitchens and feel like the cabinets suck you in because they are EVERYWHERE, so this was a nice way to store pretty items and not just shove them in another cabinet.

via Shabby Love

This kitchen has a shabby chic feel to it with all the distressed wood everywhere. She also did some open shelves above the stove & pallet cabinet. I like all the grain scoops, graters, and knick knacks around the kitchen because it brings more of a homey, country feel to the space. Check out the adorable small dinette set, perfect for breakfast with my munchkin.

via This and That

This kitchen in the before stages definitely reminds me of my kitchen. The white counters made me so angry because they stain as soon as anything touches them. I have had a few yelling matches with that super absorbent white devil when my hubby would leave a mess. I also like beadboard backsplash that she used to give the space more texture. This kitchen gives me a better idea into what mine will look like because of the white appliances too.

via Keeping it Cozy

This kitchen is definitely cozy. It is almost like a dream kitchen for me. I loved everything about it: cabinets, counters, plank walls, built-in fridge, beadboard ceiling, etc… I think we are one in the same. They did a beautiful renovating this kitchen from outdated to cozy country, and all on a budget!

These are all my favorite kitchens that kept me driven to making my space all it can be. I am on my way and hopefully can make it look as good as theirs. Wish me luck. 

Which is your favorite kitchen? Let me know in the comments. :D

Kitchen Cabinet Makeover-Part 2

Ready, set, finish!

I am so excited to be done with the cabinets. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. After researching for months about the best way to do your own white cabinets, I can finally say the cabinets are done! Yes, of course I do have the countertops to still do too but the cabinets were what I was really scared about. Here are the final steps to finishing up your marvelous new cabinets with pretty reused hardware. 

Supplies:

• Latex Enamel Paint- $25
• Mini roller and pan- $3
• Great quality brush- $14
• Rustoleum spray paint of your choosing- $6

I let all the primer set for a day then we went over the cabinet frames with the white paint we got from Lowe's. We decided to get the enamel latex paint in ultra white. After talking to the guy at the paint desk about the options for oil-based paint or enamel latex, we concluded it was the better choice. The enamel latex has barely any/if no smell at all, easy to get off your hands, dries quickly, amazing coverage, and rock hard. After the first coat I was convinced that the man at Lowe's was an angel. I wasn't high off fumes like the oil-based primer and I saw my kitchen coming to life. 

We used the same technique as the primer; brush on paint then roll over gently with mini roller. I would also recommend trying to go with the grain as much as possible. By the time we finished, the first ones we did were already dry. We decided to do another coat because it looked spotty from the foam roller and plus another coat couldn't hurt. It turned out beautifully after the second coat, and I'm not just saying that because we were drinking wine at the same time. ;)

I have always loved the oil-rubbed bronze look of hardware against the stark white on cabinets. It's such a bold contrast that catches your eye. So it was a no brainer on what color to do the hardware in. Since I am on a tight tight budget for the kitchen then I am putting off buying new pulls for later *tear*. That won't stop me from making a trip down the beloved spray paint aisle at Lowe's though. After searching through the hundreds of colors on the shelf, I see it…Rustoleum Metallic oil rubbed bronze. My heart skipped a beat or two. It was like a light was spotlighting it with angels singing (or maybe the paint guy singing) behind me.

 While the cabinet doors were still curing from the primer, I set up a space to spray paint my hardware. I scrubbed all the nasty grime that had been setting in since the house was built in 1998 then patted dry and got to work. Pumpkins were my handy helpers today. They held the kraft paper down while I went crazy with the spray paint. This was my first time using the fancy spray trigger. I usually go old school with the tiny press down nozzle. This was sooooo much easier, plus it was the only style this color came in so I had no choice. It dried within minutes and I didn't have to be super careful with the hardware after it dried. I usually feel like I would mess them up, kind of like when you get a manicure and you awkwardly get your card out to pay because you don't want to mess up the nails.  Anywho, I was more than pleased with the look of the new hardware.

Ugly, mismatched brass & silver hardware...

Beautiful, perfect oil-rubbed bronze hardware…i took an after picture but it has mysteriously disappeared like most things in this house.

We did 2 coats of paint on the frames & doors, I definitely recommend doing it during the days so you can see everything better. Unfortunately, because of work and family I did not get to paint during the day so I did have to go back and fix little spots. The contrast between the white & bronze hardware is beautiful. It makes my kitchen feel bigger and brighter which is what I was going for so SCORE! I still have to put the bead board wallpaper on the side of the cabinets facing the sink, but I am tired of cabinets right now so I might do that in a few weeks. Also that patch where the old cabinet was above the fridge needs a coat of paint. Eye sore ALERT!

I LOVE THEM! 

Check out the before & first few steps here!

Next stop is the countertops. I am starting to get my handy tutorials and lists out for the butcherblock counters. They will go with my island well too. My favorite project is actually going to be my white plank wall that will be the main attraction in the kitchen. I have already moved a few things around to get everything ready. The hubby will actually be helping with this project. YAY! I feel like the hardest project is done, i hope. 

Coming soon to a kitchen near...me:

Plank wall with shelves

Butcherblock counters

Beadboard cabinet sides

Shelves above fridge

I will post the pictures and links that inspired me to get off my butt to makeover my kitchen. I won't stop there though, the laundry room & master bath are already being measured, planned, and drawen out.

Oh, and Raleigh found my camera charger yesterday so now I won't have scratchy, grainy pictures anymore. Sorry.

DIY Kitchen Cabinet Makeover on a Budget-Part 1

Happy November (i know I'm a few days late)!

I'm so excited for November because for Thanksgiving me and Miss Raleigh are going on a road trip to Iowa to see my family. I haven't seen my grandparents and extended family in 4 years. It's crazy how the time flies. We are leaving at night so little Raleigh can sleep the whole way plus a lot less traffic going through cities…not that there is ever traffic in Iowa but maybe Illinois or Missouri.

Anywho, if any of you know me then you know that I am a bad procrastinator and easily forgetful. I have been hoarding pictures on Pinterest and my Iphone of white kitchen cabinets and butcher block counters. After months of reading tutorial after tutorial and making lots of lists (I kept losing them. Did I mention that I was forgetful?) I finally got off butt and got to work. Ignore the messy kitchen part please. Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day.

First, as your taking the doors off, make sure you label the doors and frame so you know where they go when you're done.

No more cabinet doors! AHHH

I knew I needed a sander but thought I would try a stripper for the cabinet doors then sand the frames. I had heard good things about gel strippers but the one I got just did not do the trick unless you really glopped it on there, plus it took at least 30 minutes til you could touch it. It was very messy too. So on the next trip to Lowes to try something else, I got TuffStrip and it worked wonders! It's in an easy spray can. It says wait no more than 10 mins, I found it worked best around 7-8 minutes after applying. I sprayed all the doors and scraped off all the varnish. I had to get down to the wood so the paint wouldn't chip off. See the difference?

That was the easy part. Next came sanding the cabinet frames, which did take longer since you gotta workout from climbing counter to get to the top of the cabinets. Side Note: I recommend connecting your vacuum to the sander. It cuts down on the dust big time and also lets you see what you're doing. It also took a little longer since I had to work on these while Raleigh played in her room because someone is a nosey rosey. She is always wanting to get near the machine that is making the loud noise. Usually it's the opposite with kids, oh well. I have my future vacuumed.

Once everything was sanded down, we made our trip to Lowe's for primer and supplies. I researched on the best primer to use. Oil-based or Latex? I ended up choosing oil-based because of the hard finish. I didn't know how strong the smell would be, but WOW it is strong. Definitely open up all your windows and get some fans. A little goes a loooong way. I didn't even use 1/4 of our gallon.

Supplies for Priming:

• 1-2 quarts Primer-$7.50
• Mini roller & mini pan- $3
• Good quality brush-$7

 It only took me about 1-1 1/2 hr to do my whole kitchen. I used the brush first and put alot of primer on then almost immediately went over it with the high density roller so it wouldn't get any lines. It dries fairly quickly, but I did hear from several sites to let the primer cure for at least 24 hrs. No problem here because I wanted to get the smell out before painting. 

Painting step is going to happen this week. Come back and check it out. I am also going to replace and/or spray paint the current hardware, still debating on that one. 

Update-Part 2