Back on Track with Renovations

With hubby back in Ontario for roughly a week, home renovations were put on hold. But glad to have him back safe & sound. And now that youngest darling son is now living in New Brunswick for a new phase of ATC training, I now have 2 of my 3 kids close by. It won't be long term but hey I'll take what I can get.
Oh and here's a couple of better views of my now pretty much completed kitchen reno.

Can't believe it actually happened but I'm glad to report that as of Monday ALL of the snow has melted from my yard both back and front. There is still snow to be seen, mostly in shaded areas and in parking lots where it was pushed together by the snow plows. So have been spending time outdoors cleaning up the yard. But have had to back off thanks to my chronic back issues. My house used to back up against a golf driving range which no longer exists; now I have a new phase of subdivision being built which is a work in progress. But I still have the sign to prove there was once a golf driving range next door! Fore!

Now that hubby is back downstairs bath reno is back on track. New tub has been delivered and is awaiting installation. It will be great to have a second bathroom  for guests and easy access to a bathroom when working outdoors. Perhaps you can't see it clearly but I did remove lots of glue & tile from the floor when hubby was away! 

Kitchen Lighting & YAY kitchen is almost done!

So one thing we brought with us from our old house was our Ikea candelabra which we had hanging in the dining room. It didn't cost us a whole lot of money when we bought it eons ago but I always loved it. We often dined by candlelight on special occasions like Christmas or New Year's & even Easter. It was a piece I loved & wanted to incorporate into our new house.Only thing with it was that it was powered by candle light only and we needed an electric element to make it work in our new space. Using an existing fixture from the new house (pictured below) & retrofitting it into our candelabra plus a little black spray paint, we got exactly the look we were going for. And yeah it has LED bulbs instead of old fashioned energy inefficient ones! 

Light Fixture After

Light Fixture Before 

Not the best pic but this is the existing fixture that came with the house. We took the inner part of this fixture and fitted it into our candelabra after spraying it with a black matte paint.

Another item we brought was our pot rack. Stained it to match the open wood shelves & added some lighting to it. The metal containers on the light fixtures are actually plant pots also from Ikea, We also had these lying around waiting for a purpose so all in all lighting was not a big expense in our kitchen renovation.

Subway tiles have all been grouted now with a light gray grout. New kitchen window is trimmed, painted & now has a ledge. Just a few more minor things to do (sealing the grout, touch up painting, electrical outlet covers) and YAY the kitchen is done! Can't wait for spring so we can take it outside! 

Chilly Easter Monday morning & New Stuff

Woke up to a chilly -12 degrees on this lovely sunny Easter Monday morning. Happy & excited to once again own a barbecue. Notice it's covered with a light dusting of snow already & we haven't even used it yet. 

One of the joys of moving to a new place is getting to go shopping around for some new things. Since we did move long distance we did leave a bunch of stuff behind, well we didn't exactly leave it behind but we either sold it, gave it away, donated it or eventually tossed it out. Would have been too costly to bring it all with us. So yeah it's kind of been fun getting some brand new stuff. Just gotta be careful not to get carried away; need to stick to our renovating budget so we can make all our other plans work. 

Kitchen Reno is moving right along. Tiling done; just need to grout. And here's some new shelving above my coffee station! Hey it works for me! And by the way gonna get some snow tomorrow!

Kitchen Reno Update, Boychoir, Penny L outing & Dreaming of a White Easter

Sometimes, just sometimes, it's nice to wake up and have nowheres to go! Stores are closed as is most everything else & although I could have gone to the gym, decided on a day off since I already went 3 days this week. So today was a day to go nowheres except for a short neighbourhood first ever walk with Penny Lane.
Although we didn't really go anywhere doesn't mean we weren't busy. Plenty of projects on the go & kitchen reno continues. A new kitchen window was installed today, remaining upper shelves were hung & we added some under shelf lighting. We're really loving the look although it may not be a look for everyone!

Received some free passes to an advance movie screening of Boychoir. Loved, loved, loved  the movie and not just saying that cause I got to go for free. It was a feel good kind of movie; a much needed uplifting kind of movie! Especially after this long hard winter!

I'm dreaming of a white Easter
not like the ones I used to know
where the treetops glisten
and children listen
to hear the bunny in the snow
I'm dreaming of a white Easter
with every Easter card I don't write
May your days be spring like & bright
And may all your Easter's be not white...

Happy Easter Everyone!

 

So as we speak, well I speak you listen, hubby is out there once again with the snow blower. Yeah we got another dumping of snow, started yesterday morning, continued throughout the day and well into the night. May have carried on all night as far as I know.  Seems like this winter is like "the song that never ends and yes it goes on and on my friend..." 

Ah well looks like the snowing & blowing have ended and at least now the sun is shining. 

So we did end up choosing a classic white subway tile for the kitchen back splash. Had to go with something simple since the counter has a fairly busy pattern. Tiles & shelves are a work in progress; here's a sneak peek. By the way hubby is loving the nearby lumberyard  (Hefler Lumber) picked up all the rough lumber for the shelving from there. I haven't been yet but I'm sure he will be a regular at this place. 

On another note, while we were out getting tiles for the kitchen back splash, spotted these Boston Ferns that were on sale. Had to have me one as I believed I had the perfect spot for one of them, well at least I hope it is the perfect spot. Always wanted one but never had the ideal spot for one. A plant hanger was already in place so that must mean something don't ya think? 

Yes backyard looking like it's a Perfect Winter Wonderland once again!

One of my first contesting prizes that arrived at my new address from Bell Lifestyle products. Love it when I go to my community postal box and find a key in my box to unlock an even bigger box. You know it means that there is something bigger waiting inside. Kind of like unlocking a treasure box, well at least for me it is! Hoping this new address brings me lots of small treasures!

Kitchen Reno & Contesting

Kitchen Reno is moving right along. Hubby is currently tiling the black spash (photos coming soon) and here is one of the open shelves that he built & installed. Putting the microwave on the shelf frees up a little more space for other stuff. Similar shelving will be installed above the bottom built ins on the other side. On the far left is the pantry door painted in the same exact colour as the base cabinets. Looks more blue/grey here in this pic does it not and not a bright blue? Well that is what the cupboards actually look like! 

Took a break from the Home Reno Scene and attended a Home Show today. Great place to get ideas & get the creative part of your brain flowing!

 Best part was I got the tickets for free by winning them in a contest. My Deep Dark Contesting side is not something I have shared with you on this blog yet, but it is definitely a big part of who I am. Yes I am a Contesting addict/junkie. and I enter tons of contests. Sometimes I win and sadly mostly I don't win. Have had a few big wins over the years but generally win a lot of small stuff, like these home show tickets. But when you're spending money on renovations every little bit helps at least in my books. And if you haven't figured it out by now I have a frugal side too! But that is a story for another day...