New Kitchen Pendant Light

I have lived in this house for 17 years–the most I have lived anywhere in my life, people–and have finally replaced the ugly “chandelier” that hung here with this teak wood beauty.  Since we were doing a partial upgrade on my kitchen (finally!), this was one thing I was replacing for sure. I needed something “a little bit Country and a little bit Rock & Roll”, plus it needed to coordinate with the brushed nickel finishes we already had in the kitchen.  And we got new laminate flooring, so it ties both together and contrasts really well with the maple Shaker style cabinets, white subway tile backsplash, and the new white quartz countertops. Here’s a fun thing that happened about a month ago. My 8 year-old grandson noticed that the design was the same as the metal base on my living room lamp.  That was completely by accident, but yay for me.  And isn’t he smart for pointing that out?

 

White Subway Tile Backsplash

For all those Fixer Upper fans out there, I have finally replaced my earth tones travertine backsplash in my kitchen to subway tile. You cannot even believe how much this brightens my kitchen, and that was one of the main reasons for the upgrade.  Plus, with the new flooring and island, the flow from the kitchen to the living room is so much better.  We actually replaced the kitchen tile, carpet in the living room, and a different tile in the entryway with one laminate flooring that looks amazing.  So, back to the backsplash…I am indeed a huge fan of Chip & Joanna Gaines and their kitchen. I had no idea what my actual style was but this is getting me closer to that “ahhhhh…” feeling in my home that I am trying to achieve. Our Tudor home does not lend itself to a full-on modern farmhouse style, but I can make some adjustments here and there.  Bonus: do you know how much easier it is to clean these tiles than travertine and some dry wall?

 

“Eat Here. It’s Cheap and Homemade”

Yes it is.  I picked up this sign from Target one day and I just love it.  One of my sisters has the same sign in her kitchen and we didn’t even do that on purpose.  The colors are a little retro, which I like.  I just wish the arrow was pointing to the right instead of the left because where I had to hang this is right by the door that leads to the garage.  You do NOT want to eat in my garage. No.

 

Lime Mound Spirea

I had a different favorite to share but the pictures weren’t turning out very well, so I just walked outside and saw these plants, smiled, and said yes you are my faves. These plants are in a couple of beds around our house.  You can’t see it now, but soon there will be these pretty light purple blooms nestled among the lime green foliage.  Oh so pretty.