Hello Beautiful!

Welcome to my remodel!  We have been making some serious progress the last couple weeks, the best and most exciting being that I almost have a working, not to mention gorgeous, kitchen again.  All the many individual decisions I've been making over the last 3 months are coming together and looking exactly right.  I was able to take my idea of a dream kitchen and main floor and actually see it come out way better.  Phew!  What a relief that is.  Now I can admire it and know that I really wasn't crazy, our old out of date house did have the potential!  We are now in the finishing stage but still so far from being able to use our space.  There are a million things that have to be done and I can hardly stand it I'm so excited!

  In my last post, the walls were finally going up along with texture and paint.  As soon as that was done we moved on to hardwood floors and trim.   It went from this...

...to this

This my friends is the exciting part...when you get to see all your finishes in your very own space.  You can look at countertop slabs in the warehouse to your hearts content, but nothing can prepare you for how it will look in your home.  I'll admit that a lot of our original plans had to be altered because of one thing or another.  Remodeling an older home versus building a new one comes with many challenges.  We had to "think outside the box" on a lot of decisions and hope for the best.  Now, as I stand in the space and take it all in, I wonder what all the stress was about!  It looks amazing and feels completely functional for our family to live in.  I guess it's just our nature to worry and stress (or at least mine anyways!).

  This week we are doing a lot of electrical and plumbing finishing touches.  My faucets, toilet and sinks are being hooked up and under cabinet lighting along with my island pendants will be done today.  Next thing on the list is kitchen backsplash and fireplace grout.  Oh the joys of choosing grout (don't even get me started on that topic)!  Check back soon to see the finished product (and my feet up on the couch!).

~Trisha

2 weeks and Counting!

The countdown to regaining my sanity has begun!  We are in the home stretch of our massive main floor renovation.  We started in August and have been hacking away at this place to make it more functional, and of coarse beautiful, ever since.  I literally cannot believe that the holidays are sneaking up on me this year.  I usually begin my countdown to holiday festivities sometime in September.  This year I was completely bamboozled when November came.

We are still living only upstairs and really feeling crammed together.  It's just the bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs so we eat toaster oven meals on the floor and use our beds as our couch.  When we first moved completely upstairs, I filled the kids' rooms to overflowing with toys from our downstairs playroom so they wouldn't get bored during the renovation.  I also had to put all the cleaning and cooking things in my room.  So, as you can imagine we're pretty chalk full here!  I can't even begin to be motivated to take out any extra holiday decorations and start to put them up.  Not to scare you, but this is our dish washing center, aka my bathroom sink vanity.  Isn't it just wonderful?!

I try to remind myself that I was the one who pushed so hard to live here during the construction rather than spend some of our reno budget on living in temporary housing.  It makes me very happy to sleep in my own comfy bed every night.  There has been several occasions where we haven't had running water or electricity all day.  The key to making it through, is to embrace craziness and learn to be ok with being unorganized.  It has actually been a blessing in disguise to be here and be available to go downstairs and check the progress and see everything being installed.  Many of you who have done any type of remodel know that sometimes things don't get installed the way you'd like.  I appreciate being able to watch the work being done as it happens, rather than asking the workers to correct mistakes later.

Now as I see the light at the end of a very long tunnel, the pains of living through this are starting to fade.  I'm so excited to be finished by Thanksgiving and have a beautiful new space to use and share with family.  Sometimes I go downstairs and stand in my soon to be finished kitchen and just dream of standing there drinking coffee looking out at our gorgeous view or using my new appliances to bake cookies with my kids.  It will all be so amazing and so very much worth it.

~Trisha

Resources Close to Home

Shopping local is a concept on peoples minds these days.  Whether you are looking for used goods or brand new and shiny, chances are that there are plenty of local shops near you that can offer up just what you need.  I'm always excited when I come across a store that I never knew existed in my city.  Sometimes it can be tricky to find these (hidden) gems unless you are specifically told about them.  More and more people are getting more interested in reusing rather than consuming.  For those of you who live in the Seattle area, I've decided to share some of the places that I've wandered into and have found many treasures.

For salvaged goods check out these great options:

Second use

Earthwise

The ReStore -recycled paint too!
Pacific Northwest Timbers, LLC

Another great way to shop when something new is need is to support local shops.  A little Internet research can lead you to some of the best shops in town.

For home remodel needs check out these stores:

Rejuvination-lighting & house parts (started in Oregon/pacific northwest)
Seattle Lighting

Best Kitchen- Cabinet & granite supplies

Superior Cabinets

For used furniture, baby items, clothes, etc. check out:

Varagesale
OfferUp
Craigslist (of coarse!)

No matter what you are looking for, it is always fun to find a shop or individual close to home that has just what  you need.  I wish you luck on your shopping local journey and don't forget to share your favorite shops with me!

~Trisha

Then Came the Walls

Happy Fall!  Thanks for stopping by and welcome to my remodel.  We started off our project in August and have been working on the "guts" of our house (plumbing, ducting and electrical) ever since.  So many issues to correct and so many changes to our floor plan happening round here!  Let me just say that I had a pretty solid idea of how I wanted things to look when it's all said and done, but when my contractor started asking me where I wanted light switches and canned lights and such I was baffled.  Oh the hours I've spent researching crazy things like how to calculate the number of recessed lights needed.  My husband and I literally spent hours standing in our stripped down main floor staring at the walls trying to invasion what each little decision would actually look like when finished.  So many things to think of like functionality, usability and how it would look, that I seriously think I injured my brain thinking too hard.

Now with a lot more gray hairs on my head, we are finally getting to make the fun choices like countertop, flooring, cabinets ect.  Finding materials that we like in budget and that have the durability that we need for a family of 5 has been quite the challenge.  My kids have become very comfortable hanging out in warehouses while I check out quartz slabs.  They've begun to expect to hit up different home stores whenever we have a spare hour and therefore the whining has lessened (a bit).  The end cannot come fast enough for us so we are on a mission to finalize our decisions and sit back and let it all unfold.

Here is a little of what has been happening the last week or so.

french doors and windows are in!

fireplace has been installed

we have walls!

drywall and more drywall

ceilings!

Things are moving along and we're getting close to being able to start the countdown of when we can take back our home!  Don't forget to stop by again soon to see what happens next.

~Trisha

A Book In Review: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana

Hello everyone!  I hope you are enjoying the week and hopefully having some great fall weather.  If however you find yourself wondering what to do while you relax in the sunshine or snuggle up on the couch on a rainy day, boy do I have a fantastic idea!  Head down to your local library or bookstore and pick up The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon.

I recently took this book on vacation and finished the whole thing on the airplane.  It was incredibly well written and eye opening on what life has been like for women in Afghanistan.  It is a true account of one woman, her family and community as they fight, behind a veil, to survive when the Taliban take over Afghanistan.  I'm not quite sure what I thought life was like for the women of Afghanistan, but it certainly wasn't what I learned from this book.  Kamila's story is inspiring in so many ways, but most of all is the importance it places on building a better life within our own communities.  Sometimes the only people you can rely on are the ones you see every day.  Her family fought to provide food, safety and shelter for themselves when the men in their lives went in search of work in different countries or recruited, by force, by the Taliban.  Leaving the women on their own, they were forced to be creative in how they could make money to provide for their families without being detected by the Talib enforcers.

I was not disappointed in this book and hope that you will find it as inspiring and eye opening as I did.

~Trisha

Kitchen Creative

source

Happy fall to you!  I know it's been quite awhile since my last post, but I promise my time away has been well spent.  You might remember me mentioning that we are considering doing a large scale remodel to our 1967 home (check out this link for more info).  We are mostly focusing on the main floor of our 2-story home as that's where most of the problems and disfunction is.  We hired an architect and ended up with an amazing layout that knocked our socks off!  Now if only the rest of the process was so simple and easy to get done.  We have gone through a very slow loan process and have spent a great deal of time trying to find the right contractor to make our dreams a reality.

We have met with four different companies that range in their services and prices, of coarse.  You would not believe how expensive a remodel can be!  Okay, maybe most people can believe it, but I was obviously living in dreamland when it came to the budget.  That being said, I'm not giving up my endeavor to see this remodel through...thus begins the quest to save money without sacrificing what I really want.  That may sound pretty impossible but I'm pretty determined to make it happen.  The first thing we did was to decide on the general look & feel we want our space to have.  We live in the Pacific Northwest so we are surrounded by Craftsman style homes and want to incorporate that into the design.  We also love contemporary style touches here and there so a modern layout will be just the ticket!  Here is my kitchen inspiration board that will set the stage for the rest of the main floor design.

Our remodel won't be simple at all.  We will be going down to the studs on this one!  We have to completely change the layout and will basically start from scratch.  We have decided to rent a POD to move all our stuff into while the remodel takes place and continue living upstairs in the midst of the craziness.  I did a little researching on how to live through a major remodel and have gleaned some pretty good tricks.  No matter what, it will be stressful and will take a lot of work and patience to see it through.  We have moved a bunch of toys upstairs to the kids rooms so they can fight off boredom (our playroom was downstairs before) and have set up a mini kitchen area in our master bedroom sitting room.  Luckily my in-laws live in the same neighborhood so I can do laundry and use their oven when needed.

So, lets do this!  After 5 years of waiting, hoping and dreaming we are ready to begin.  

Part 1: DEMO

good-bye wall and hello kitchen!

surprise!  no insulation in any exterior wall

We were definitely surprised to find out we didn't have any insulation in our exterior walls.  No wonder I've been so cold during the winter!  Along with some unpleasant discoveries also came some good ones.  We were expecting to replace all our plumbing to the upstairs and found out we didn't need to do that (money saved!).  It's pretty crazy to see our home in this state but really exciting to see all the potential.  So now that this is really happening, I can go ahead and let myself be excited!  Check back soon to see our progress.  Things are changing by the minute.

~Trisha

The Whole No Sugar Thang

 Recently my husband and I decided to do the Whole30 challenge.  We did this with much apprehension as we have heard stories of it's difficulty from those who finished it.  What is the Whole30 you ask?  Basically it's a 30 day cleanse to help get rid of unhealthy cravings, get your metabolism on track and heal any digestive issues you may have.  It primarily focuses on giving up sugar (say what?), grains, dairy and processed foods.  We try to eat a mostly grain free lifestyle (learn more about grain free here) so I didn't think it would be that much different to take on the Whole30.  Well, I was just a smidge wrong.  After starting, we quickly realized just how much sugar was in our daily diet!  From sauces and dressings to coffee creamer and desserts, we gave it all up (even the grain free approved versions like honey and agave).  I decided to make my own salad dressings, marinades and mayo and skip every little thing that had any amount of sugar in it except whole fruit.

In the beginning I was all motivation...let's do this!  After all, we were counting down to our tropical vacation in Cancun, Mexico and very motivated to be bathing suit ready.  After the first week, which wasn't bad (just a lot of time spent looking at food labels), my energy level started to crash.  I felt sluggish, exhausted and generally unmotivated to do much.  We call this the withdrawal stage.  I continued with the program and kept up my normal workout routine and pushed onward. By the end of that week, I started to feel my energy coming back.  My head felt clear and my digestive system felt great!  I was starting to see inches come off my waist and thighs and a few pounds as well!  I still had some serious longings for certain foods, namely popcorn (my favorite snack!), but overall was motivated by how good I felt.

The hardest part of this challenge for me was all the cooking I had to do.  Since most convenient food items are filled with ingredients that aren't Whole30 friendly, I had to continue making things from scratch.  I was not only spending a lot more time making fresh sauces and dressings but I was also running out of steam with meal options.  Let's just say we ate a lot of burgers the last week or so!  I would recommend creating a meal plan ahead of time and make sure you have some key ingredients on hand to avoid the making dinner blues.

At last we hit the 31st day!  Celebration time!  I promised myself a celebratory meal on this day as something to look forward to.  I had gluten-free coffee cake in the morning with a vanilla americano and popcorn after dinner.  It was delicious!  But the challenge didn't end there...call us crazy but we decided that since there were 18 days left until our vacation, we would just continue the Whole30 up til the day we left.  These 18 days were the absolute hardest for me.  My energy and performance at the gym started to go downhill and I was generally cranky at how much time I was spending in the kitchen.  I wouldn't (and neither would the creators of this cleanse) recommend eating this way for more than 30 days...for your sanity if nothing else!

All in all, I am so glad we did this challenge and felt so great about how my body was working (and looking) at the end of it.  I no longer looked or felt bloated after meals.  Now I am very sensitive to sugar now and have decided to permanently limit it in my daily diet.  I lost a total of 5 pounds and a lot of inches and feel like I've finally crossed over the plateau I was stuck on at the gym.  If you decide to give the Whole30 a go, let me know how you like it!

~T

A Book in Review: My Story by Elizabeth Smart

  Hello and happy Monday to you all!  It is such a gloriously sunny day here in the Seattle area.  Spring has arrived and has brought warmer temps and blue skies.  It has been so refreshing to get outdoors and breath in the still crisp air and feel the warm sunshine on my face.  We are so used to gray skies and rain here, that whenever the sun shines Washingtonians practically rush outside to soak it in while it lasts!

  One of my favorite things to do is read.  It is so relaxing and inspiring to step into another world for a moment and experience what others have written about.  When I find a book that catches my attention or imagination I simply devour it in just a couple days.  My latest read was no exception.  My wonderfully thoughtful neighbor brought me a couple books to read that she found exceptional.  The first book I read was My Story, Elizabeth Smart with Chris Stewart.

  A lot of people remember back to the time that every news network was covering the story of the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart.  Thankfully, her story has a happy ending and she decided to write about it.  The book is incredibly well written and the story hard to read (in a good way).  No one wants to think about what she went through during her 9 months of captivity but it's written in such a way that gives the reader a clear picture without being overzealous in the details.  I really appreciated that and admired the way she told her story.  Throughout her entire ordeal, she never lost faith in her God and even shares some of the miracles He sent her way at the very moment she needed them most.  Her family is such an inspiration to me as well as the way she has chosen to live after her rescue.  If you are looking for an inspirational read I highly recommend this book.  Hopefully it will uplift you as much as it has done for me.

~Trisha

Let the Vacation Countdown Commence!

Happy (almost) Spring!  Everywhere I turn spring is beginning to make an appearance.  I absolutely love watching the cherry trees blossom and all the trees sprouting new leaves.  The longer days make for more time to enjoy the outdoors now that the sun has made it's reappearance.  Of coarse, anyone who is familiar with the weather here in the great Pacific Northwest also knows that springtime brings plenty of rain and cloudy days (i.e.-still kind of stuck indoors).  That is exactly why my husband and I always plan a tropical vacation right about now. 

The last 4yrs we've been going to either Cabo San Lucas or Cancun Mexico where you can find warm weather year round and beautiful scenery.  Cabo is by far our favorite spot because it's only about a 3-1/2hr plane ride from Seattle.  It also has a beautiful combination of desert landscape with a tropical vibe.  I'm talking palm trees, soft sandy beaches on the Pacific ocean set against a backdrop of gorgeous desert style mountains.  Cancun is no less beautiful with it's white sand beaches, lush vegetation and sparkling Caribbean sea.  The only downside to Cancun for us is the looonnng plane ride with 1 or more stops and the expensive price tag to go with it.  We always feel like we should stay at least 8-9 days in Cancun since it basically takes an entire day of travel to get there.

This year we are heading back to Cancun to stay at our friend's timeshare resort villa del palmar Cancun.  The first time we vacationed there it wasn't yet completed so we are very excited to see it with all the amenities available.  With just 30 days to go I can practically feel the ocean breeze!  To sweeten this deal, we are going kid free!  We are so very blessed to have family that help us out so we can have some relaxing time together.

Usually when we take a tropical vacation, we plant ourselves at our resort and don't step off the property until check-out time!  The great thing about villa resorts are the many included activities like kayaking and beach volleyball.  Combine that with amazing food and drinks by the pool and I'm all set!  If we do decide to take a day excursion, we usually opt for a boat tour of some kind.  The location of this resort is perfect for a day trip to the beautiful island of Isla Mujeres for some snorkeling.  I know I basically sound like I'm trying to sell you a membership to this vacation club (what with all the hype!), but I'm really just relishing in the fact that I'll be enjoying this most beautiful part of the world very soon!

Where are your travels taking you this year?

~Trisha

Home Reno on the Brain

Just like many of you, I have become immersed in all the wonderful images on home renovation that the web (namely Pinterest & Houzz) has to offer.  I also really enjoy following along with some of my favorite blogs as they dive into home renovation projects big & small.

When my husband and I purchased our 1967 dearly beloved (wink, wink) house four years ago, we did so with the plan that we would renovate the lower level of this 2-story home before moving in.  Due to some loan issues, that plan was pretty much crushed.  And so we moved into a home that reminded me of the 60's everywhere I turned.  Since the day we moved in I have immersed myself in multiple projects to try and make this house feel more like our home.  The one thing we have not been able to do is change the floor plan to make it more functional for a young family.  Our home has a lot of walls, lowered ceilings and cramped hallways with every room feeling closed off to the others.  Our dream was to basically tear down every wall we could to open it up.  After living here these four years, we have come to realize that while we still want an open concept home, we are more willing to keep some walls and use some common sense on the layout.  All along I was only interested in turning our old home into one that felt like the new construction home we last lived in.  Now however I see that it will be much better if we just work with some of the funky things we can't change about our house and emphasize some of the things we love.

Before

Before

Before

Trying to revamp an old house is tricky, let me tell you.  I have played around with so many re-designs and nothing every felt quite right or had the wow factor and flow I was hoping for.  So after all these years we decided to hire and architect to get us out of our slump and impress us with new & fresh ways of looking at our space.  Hiring an architect can be a bit of an investment (they don't come cheap!) but we are more than glad we did.  We now have an amazing floor plan that opens up our layout and provides all the functionality and more importantly the wow factor I was hoping for.  I strongly recommend to anyone facing this type of frustration to look into bringing in some help with this process.

So now that we have a killer floor plan, we must decide if we can actually afford to make these changes now.  After talking with a couple contractors about all the changes we want to make, we've decided to phase it out.  Phase one is basically the entire downstairs (kitchen, family room, office, laundry & 1/2 bath) except our bonus room, finishes & new appliances in our laundry room and our covered patio outside.  Those will have to be phase 2 and maybe 3.  So now the fun part, the part I'm really good at...filling every spare minute with research on just what finishes I want my house to have.  It's just absolute torture (ya right!) looking at all the beautiful kitchens and baths out there.  The real hard part is actually narrowing things down and making decisions...I love them all, how can I possibly choose?!  Here are some of my favorite spaces.  Once we get closer to pushing the start button on this reno I will put together a style board so you can see our plans and choices on finishes.

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

I can hardly wait until we get the green light to make these dreams a reality.  Until then, you will find me shoulder deep in research on home remodeling, kitchen & bath design and of coarse hunting for deals & discounts.

~Trisha

Sweet Treats without the Cheats

Happy Valentines everybody!  If you haven't already, today is the day to show the people in your life just how much you love them.  If you can't do it today when can you, right?  I usually don't make a huge fuss on Valentine's and we try to avoid going out because of the crowds, but my kiddos sure love to celebrate it!  Handing out Valentine's s at school parties is the reason we've been counting down to Friday this week.

The stores are loaded with treat of all kinds that are designed to crush any healthy New Year's resolution in one fell swoop (or multiple handfuls!).  This year my hubby bought me some pre-made dark chocolate covered strawberries & champagne...everything I always wanted.  I don't feel too bad about splurging on these.  I have been seeing some amazing grain free Valentine's recipes on many different blogs that I can't wait to try.  I love having healthier choices sitting on my counter so I didn't find myself digging through my kids goody bags in desperation.  I don't like the guilt (and gut pain) that comes after indulging in too many highly processed treats.  So here are some great alternatives if you find yourself in the baking mood (if not just try chocolate covered fruit...simple & quick).

Strawberry Donuts- Against all Grain

Frozen Banana Bites- Elana's Pantry

Chocolate Raspberry Bonbons- Elana's Pantry

And let us not forget Valentine's dinner options.  Honestly, I usually like to have marinated steak with mushrooms in wine sauce & roasted veggies.  Some of my favorite recipes to use can be found on my  Pinterest page.  This year I have been attacked by a head cold and left without much sense of taste or smell, so soup is on my menu.  Whatever it is that you choose to make or eat, I hope you have an incredible & festive Valentine's Day.

~Trisha

Simple Fixin

Hello everyone!  It has been way too long since I've last posted...oh how I've missed the blogosphere!  January has taking me by storm and I'm just now starting to feel like I've got the hang of it.  Back to school, off the Christmas high and trying to live everyday life a little less hectic and a little more healthy.  Whew, maybe I need a vacation!

One thing I've been trying to focus on is getting some random projects done around my house.  I am a huge fan of Pinterest and have pinned so many amazing ideas that I intend to put to use around the house.  One such idea was transforming my outdated gold heater vents.  I live in a mostly original 1967 house that is in need of a lot of tender loving care.  I absolutely love it when I stumble across such an easy update project that won't cost a ton of money.

So here's what I did.  I took all my heater vents (mine are in the floor in each room of the house) and laid them outside on a piece of scrap cardboard.  After giving them a good brushing, I simply spray painted them bronze.  After they dried I popped them back into place and wa-la...instant update for under $5 (cost of one can of spray paint)!

Pretty simply, right?  I love it when that happens.  I really love quick & simple changes that make my home feel more updated and give it a clean look, especially when my project list includes a lot of time consuming and expensive updates.  Want to see more ideas on fixin up your home?  Visit my Pinterest page.

~Trisha

New Year, New Motivation

Welcome to 2014 everyone!  A brand new year to create wonderful memories and fill with amazing experiences.  I'm not really one for new year's resolutions but I'm always up for reevaluating my goals and lifestyle.  I try to make healthier choices each year and make sure I'm living in the moment every day.  One of my major goals this year is to stop and smell the roses…or kids…I mean spend more time with the kids!  I absolutely love being a SAHM (stay at home mom) but I must admit that I've filled my days with endless chores, responsibilities & projects that have a way of taking over any play or fun time I used to spend with my kiddos.  I now have 2 kids in full-time school so with that comes all the wonders of tons of homework and after school activities.  However, I have realized that I've allowed said activities to over-run my life and steal away my precious time.  Now that I've had this mini revelation I have decided to try and scale back on activities and not put so much emphasis on my daily to-do's.  I'm sure this is much more easily said than done but….here goes!  Today happens to be the first day back to school (and reality) so I've made sure to put snuggle time on the couch with my daughter top priority.  I was tempted to say the ever popular "maybe later" so I could start on the mound of laundry staring me down.  Instead, I looked into my daughters beautiful eyes and heard her sweet request to spend some quality time with her mama.  Isn't this part of why I wanted to stay home with my kids?  So I don't have to miss these fleeting opportunities?  Why yes it is.  Ah snuggle time…nothing better.  All too soon my daughter will be off to full-time school and I will have to wait all day for snuggle time, so I'm treasuring what I have now…and it's great!  What are your goals for this new year?

~Trisha