I thought a tour of my kitchen would be appropriate before I completely change it with another small renovation to get it updated. Well, the first few pics are going to show you my kitchen before. In real life I am ready to start doing the long awaited paint process, but I am trying to decide if it would be easier to paint the cabinets first, then the walls or vice versa.  Notice the vent hood over the stove because down below you'll see we took it out. You can notice the ebony stained cabinets too, because pretty soon they will be a different color. I may buy new hardware too. Ok I know I am gong too, my current handles are underwhelming. Say goodbye to the wall color between the upper and lower cabinets. A new backsplash has been installed. I call these changes stage 1.  A easy and fairly quick way for do it yourselfer's to update the kitchen without spending a ton of money. We raised the cabinet above the stove to accommodate a new microwave vent hood combo. We took......

Taking a tour of my kitchen for Christmas is when the holiday season gets real for me. This is the heart of every home, and mine is no exception. Every year I get a tad better at balancing decor with function, especially when adding touches of  Old Saint Nick. Take a good look please because it is my hope, plan and wish; that these cabinets and kitchen get a new look during the coming winter months. I am talking new molding, new colors and a new vent hood. Plus that backsplash I have been needing. I have a tray next to the kitchen sink that holds the my dish soap, sponge, and scrubbers.  In case you have never seen a tour of my kitchen, I utilize bathroom accessories in my kitchen, I like using them much better then anything else I have tried over the years. The tray is actually supposed to be used with two square serving bowls, but sadly those walked off years ago. So I repurposed the tray for my sink area. On the opposite side of the sink I have started using a bathroom hand......

Christmas Decor in the Kitchen |  It's time to celebrate Christmas with a tour of my kitchen. The workhouse of any house.  Since there is always a blonde barefoot in this kitchen making something, I kept is simple with the decor. But in other ways I went over the top. Literally. The white icy garland on the chandelier is always my favorite. So I repeated it again this year. While taking photos I had a little photo bomber. Ok he isn't so little. But it is ironic almost every dog we have usually matches our decor.  I tried to nudge him into another room with treats but he wouldn't budge. He found a nice warm floor to nap on and wasn't interested in his master needing that spot for her tripod.  The dishware cabinet got a new makeover with more colorful glassware. Plus a little greenery.  I did some rearranging in the butlers pantry too. I brought out the red stemware and my metallic holiday dishes. It's still functional though for us. The large white mason jars hol......