thanks to Martha…

…i now have a brighter and lighter house! i’m loving the Martha Stewart Bedford Grey that we used in our kitchen. i think it freshens things up a ton!!

wanna see?

(its not 100% complete, but since i have no idea when i’ll get more funds to complete it, i figured i’d just go ahead and show it to you!)

i didn’t really think through that i was going to have to change out all my accessories too, since all of them had red accents…so i did some reconfiguring around the house and moved the kiddos profiles into the kitchen. we also gave the table and chairs a fresh coat of black semi-gloss paint, so they’ll wipe down easier. (i put two coats of polyurethane on the table top for added protection against little forks being used as drumsticks.) we did away with the old cushions…and i kinda like how crisp it is with nothing on the chairs! however, bella did NOT want her booster seat back in the house, so she is officially sitting in a chair like a “big girl” and she thinks she’s so cool!!
i bought white curtains to replace the black and white houndstooth, but ended up really liking our old ones more! so we just hung the rod higher, hung them from rings and i took off the yellow ribbon stripe that was on them, to give them a new look.
we created a little “art nook” under the chalkboard wall (who’s frame i painted white), so the kiddos have easy access to all their supplies, with baskets for homework and projects.
Canaan takes after his momma, cause the second i brought home those glass jars and started putting those art supplies in them, he started running through the house, taking different baskets and buckets and telling me about all of the collections he wants to organize…all the while proclaiming how much he loves organizing!! does a momma’s heart good to hear that!!

here are some of the other ideas i have running through my head to complete the kitchen. problem is, they all take time and money, neither of which i presently have, so they’ll have to wait!

its amazing how much of a change a simple painted room makes in our house. we are delighted with the paint choice (which does not happen very often on the first try!) and are excited to have a new crisp and clean feeling to our kitchen.

we are off again this weekend for a fun little trip with some friends, where jake gets to perform a wedding ceremony, so see you in a few!

PS: someone asked what the verse was on our chalkboard from a few posts back. it was from The Message, Colossians 4:2, and said, “Pray diligently, Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude.” we typically try to put up a verse that we feel like our family needs to be reminded of for a period of time. that was a good one, but we’ve since changed it to 1 John 4:4 “For the Spirit that is in you is far stronger than anything in the world!” also from The Message…Praise God that this is true!!!