Kitchen Mini Makeover

While our ceilings were under construction, I seized the opportunity to make a few cosmetic updates in our kitchen. Gotta strike while the paint brush is hot, right? I'm always amazed at the difference a new paint color makes.

I had always wanted a red kitchen and loved the red for over 8 years. Now, I was ready for a change! We went with the same gray that the rest of our downstairs is. Everything has a nice continuous flow throughout our first floor now. 

Here's a look at the red before. It was a warm color and served us well. But, I love the gray and white now! It's so much lighter and open feeling. Hooray for gray! 

I picked out a new light fixture which makes a world of difference. There was a heavy 6-light chandelier before that overpowered the modest eat-in kitchen. 

I thought this clear glass cake-dish looking pendant was more fitting. It reminds me of a trifle dish! 

The color beneath the chair rail used to be beige. Now, it's crisp clean white. I added a little shelf with hooks (that was sitting in our basement) by the front door, with a message board above. I just love this little entry spot now. Especially with Marshall's little jackets hanging there. 

Another area of our kitchen that needed a major update was the *mirror* back splash. Yes, you read that right. Mirror, mirror on the wall. Literally. It was under the cabinets and behind the stove. Strange. I just couldn't look at it anymore. We considered doing tile or some other type of wall treatment, but the added expense and the thought of dealing with removing (breaking) mirrors, was too much for us with everything else going on. Enter: fancy contact paper. My friend Hilary did something similar in her kitchen and it inspired me to give it a try. I found a pattern on ETSY that I liked for under $20 and one roll was all I needed. It was fairly easy to measure, cut and apply. Done! I love that I can just wipe it clean and it was such an inexpensive quick fix!

 

I had fun designing and assembling a gallery wall where our wooden shelves used to be. Most items were things that I had. The wooden arrow is from my talented friend, Heather. I re-painted the "Welcome" sign and I added new things to the other frames. I found the "With God all things are possible" sign at Tuesday Morning, before the store closed in our area. The touches of gold, wood and white tie everything together. 

Last, but certainly not least, my favorite part was installing a new kitchen sink and faucet! Our old cast iron sink had many scratches (the kind that can't be cleaned, no mater how hard you scrub) and a few small chips from years of use. The two-handle faucet was leaking for a while and was difficult to clean. 

There also used to be a little wooden shelf coming out from the window sill that I needed gone. I convinced Jesse to rip it out for me, even if it left gaping hole. We took care of it. Ha! 

I really like our new single handle faucet with removable spray feature. It's so pretty, too! I was giddy about having this sink installed. It was my early Christmas present. It wasn't an easy job though. This was actually the THIRD sink I ordered. We originally wanted another cream colored sink to match the counter top, but that proved to be a bigger challenge than I imagined. One sink arrived cracked. Finally I ordered a black one, since the price was right, it was available in the style I wanted and it matches all of our appliances. Done. I gotta give Jesse extra thanks for the pain it was to remove the old sink and get this beauty in place. 

One final finishing touch, a new simple white window valance. Which was surprisingly difficult to find (from JCPenney. Thanks for the tip, Jess!). 

That's how we got a "new" kitchen on a tight budget with a few cosmetic updates. I couldn't be happier with the results! Our kitchen could really use a total overall, but that's not a project that we will be doing any time soon. For now, I'm so happy with these updates!

 

Smooth Ceiling Renovation, Part 3: After

It's finally time to reveal our beautiful new ceilings! (drum roll...) Tada! Crisp, white, non-stained, un-bumpy, smooth ceilings all around. I still look up and marvel at how nice it is. I can't express how much better and brighter and newer everything looks now! It feels like it was always this way (and should have been). 

Here's a comparison of the before and after.

Isn't it great? We are very happy with how it turned out and can't thank our friend, Jesse Wilson, of J. Wilson Construction enough for the time he spent working on it and helping us get through this massive project! 

We replaced the old iron wall sconces that had shades, with new simple brushed silver lights - which we discovered were on a dimmer switch. Bonus!

Here is another before and after comparison of the front play room. The light fixture was switched to match the one in the hall (similar style as before).

The living room and kitchen have LED recessed lighting, which are all on dimmers. The amount of light and the quality is amazing now. We can actually SEE what we're doing in the kitchen. Like chopping vegetables and not feeling like I'm in the dark. It makes SUCH a difference! I wasn't sure if we needed as many lights as we were planning on, but it was totally worth it! I don't regret any of them.

 

And last, but certainly not least, a new light fixture for our eat-in kitchen. I selected this pretty glass beauty at Home Depot and it's just right for this spot. Doesn't it look like a trifle bowl or an upside down cake stand? Perfectly fitting. The old chandelier was so bulky for such a small space and trying to keep 6 light bulbs always lit was annoying. I love the simplicity of the new light. 

This gives you a sneak peek at my mini kitchen makeover (no more red). More to come on that, soon!

I now have such an appreciation for ceilings and the work it takes to make them look good. Andrew and I survived another major home project and Marshall made it through his first one! It took two solid weeks of work, and then additional days of finishing up loose ends. Definitely memorable, and in the end, worth all the mess and inconvenience. I'm so thankful for my "new home", because cosmetically, it feels like we got a new first floor.

Smooth Ceiling Renovation Part 2: During

The hardest part of any major renovation is the "during" stage. This one was definitely a HUGE challenge for us. It probably would have been a better idea for us to not be living here while the work was in progress, but we managed to be out of the house during the day and make due by living out of our office and upstairs bedrooms in the evenings. However. The. Dust. All. The. Dust. I'm still finding areas that I know I've cleaned, multiple times, but the dust is still settling, months later. 

Basically, we had to move everything out of our house (downstairs) as if we were moving out. But we weren't moving. We considered renting a POD, but the cost outweighed the benefit for us. Somehow, all of our stuff went into the basement, garage, bedrooms, and where ever we could find a place for it. "Moving out" only to move back in was pretty annoying, I gotta be honest.  

Then, it was demo day. I didn't even take photos of the worst of it. There was plastic covering the windows and doors and a layer of dust and debris literally everywhere we stepped. The goal was to quickly get in and get out of the house each day. 

As you can see, the old ceiling has been removed, exposing the wood beams and old insulation. One major benefit was replacing the insulation and adding new insulation where it was lacking. Oh. And there was a dead bees nest in our kitchen. That was FOUR FEET LONG. So. Yeah. I'm glad I wasn't there to see that! I'm praying the bees don't somehow find their way back in.

Our skylight has always been a great source of natural light in our otherwise dark living area. But when it was all opened up, it was evident how "wonky" it was, not framed symmetrically or correctly. We decided to have it re-framed, creating straighter lines, and actually taking up less surface area in the ceiling.

At last! New drywall going up. The rooms started to take shape again. Just the sight of this was enough to give me faith that it would all be worth it.  

There was a LOT of mud and a TON of sanding that needed to take place. And then more mud. And more sanding. There were areas of our ceiling that were sloped and had difficult seams. But Jesse did a really great job blending everything as much as possible and making it as smooth as it could be.

And then new lighting. Oh, sweet, glorious lighting! I've never been so excited about lighting in my entire life. Andrew and I were both thrilled about this part. Here's a sneak peak at our LED recessed lighting and my new kitchen fixture. Isn't it pretty? 

That's a much condensed look at the work in progress. I assure you, it wasn't this neat and tidy until it got toward the end of the two weeks. Andrew and I both did our share of sweeping, dusting, and scrubbing the floors on our hands and knees. He also worked into the night, many nights, to paint, re-paint and touch up all of the walls. Once again, he is my painting hero! It's amazing we're still married after all the painting I've made him he's done in our home. 

Stay tuned for the big reveal!

Smooth Ceiling Renovation Part 1: Before

Last winter, we had significant damage to the ceilings in our main living area, from ice damming and leaks (even though our roof is very new). In fact, the week that Marshall was born and we brought him home from the hospital is when the ceilings started leaking. Perfect timing, right?

Eventually the snow melted and the leaks dried, but we were left with ugly discolored spots scattered throughout the first floor, areas that were cracked and bowing and it just looked really terrible. It had to be fixed. No way around it. Fixing it meant that all of the ceilings (except for the bathroom and office) needed to be replaced. Which involved a full ceiling tear off, spanning multiple rooms. Um. Yeah. The sky ceiling was literally going to be falling.

My head was spinning and my blood pressure rose just thinking about the idea of tearing down the ceilings and the utter mess and upheaval that would come along with it! Not to mention the fact that Marshall and I are home every day. Where would we go? What would we do? How long would this take? Could we still live here through a renovation of this magnitude? How much would it cost? Who would do the work? Can't we just move instead? All valid questions. 

Thankfully, our insurance would cover a large portion of the cost. We contacted our friend and contractor, Jesse, of J. Wilson Construction, and he assessed the project and we worked out the timing and details. Jesse helped us when we gutted and remodeled our first floor bathroom, which was another large project. Andrew would be able to help with the ceiling demolition, painting and cleanup. 

Here are images of the main living room, play room and hallway before. Notice the large skylight that was odd-shaped. The stucco-style texture was everywhere.

As you can see, we had old textured (and uneven) ceilings and not the greatest lighting. Our home was built in the 1950's and renovations had been done over the years by previous homeowners. We didn't love the way the ceilings looked, but transitioning to smooth ceilings wasn't a project that we would have ever taken on, had we not been "forced" to. It was always something we thought would be a nice update.

I had to keep thinking of it as a blessing in disguise. The opportunity to have brand new smooth ceilings would look a million times better than what we had. It was the process of getting to the "after" and living through the messiest renovation I could have imaged, that was the challenge! 

Here are pictures of the kitchen. Our red kitchen. Spoiler alert: our kitchen isn't red anymore! I included photos of the kitchen sink, because, well, everything including the kitchen sink was effected (pun totally intended). Also notice the existing mirror back splash. That's right, mirrors decorated our kitchen under cabinet and stove area. After living with it for over 9 years, it had to go! It shouldn't have been there in the first place. 

So. The plan was to start work in November, two weeks before Thanksgiving, AND have it done in time for me to HOST Thanksgiving. In true Ohl fashion, there's nothing like an upcoming holiday and house guests to spur a major home renovation! I wish I were joking. Somehow we managed to complete the majority of the work on time! 

In part 2 I will show you the work-in-progress images and tell you how we survived. Stay tuned! 




 

 

Love

Free Printable

As February, the month of love, nears to a close, I have been studying the topic of love. Valentines Day has come and gone, but what do I really know and understand about love? More importantly, how well do I actually live out love? The Bible has a lot to say about love, and I have a lot to learn. Something as elementary as love, seems like a no-brainer, at times. We love our family, our spouse, our kids, our friends. I love Jesus, and He is the greatest example of real love, in all of history. There is so much more to it than that.

1 Corinthians 13 is known as "the love chapter". It's probably the most popular passage quoted and read at weddings. But do we really grasp the magnitude of what those 13 verses tell us? It's not just a recipe for a happy marriage. It's a recipe for life. At the end of every day, what it all boils down to, is how well I loved, or didn't love. Whatever I do, no matter how good my intentions are, if it's done without love, I might as well have not done it at all. 

1 Corinthians 13 is a pretty amazing list of what love is and isn't. Immediately I realize how much my heart needs to adhere to this list more closely. 

Love suffers long and is kind. 

Love does not envy.

Love does not parade itself. 

Is not puffed up.

Does not behave rudely. 

Does not seek its own. 

Is not provoked. 

Thinks no evil. 

Does not rejoice in iniquity (sin), but rejoices in the truth. 

Bears all things.

Believes all things.

Hopes all things.

Endures all things. 

Love never fails. 

Never fails. It almost seems like an impossible standard to live up to. In fact, it is an impossible standard to live up to - on our own. Have you ever read 1 Corinthians 13 and thought to yourself, I'm going to do that! That's how I want to be! Or am I the only one? And then, less than an hour later, you find yourself snapping at your husband over something trivial, or selfishly thinking about what YOU want, or just behaving less-than-lovely? Why are we so quick to forget? I don't know about you, but for me, love doesn't always come naturally. I often feel like it shouldn't be so difficult, but my heart is filled with selfishness and thoughts of me, me, me. Self. Pride.

When I started thinking about the topic of God's love and reading more about it, I kept running into the same verses, in random places, in the same week. Coincidence? Not likely. I always know when God is trying to press something on my heart when the same themes keep showing up, over and over. I love when that happens.

One of those examples is 1 Corinthians 13:12, "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." This verse has always seemed a little unclear to me. But it makes complete sense. The light bulb went off in my head. My whole why-can't-I-just-be-more-loving way of thinking is for a reason. When we look in a mirror, we only see part of the picture and portions of our reflection. It's a pretty close representation of reality, but it's not a real, living, breathing, thing. The love that we experience here on earth, as wonderful and inspiring as it may be, or as disappointing and flawed as it may be, is only a dim reflection of the magnitude of God's perfect, all-encompassing, overpowering, beautiful, true love. Even our best efforts to "love better" will always fall short. But not God's love. The way he designed real love, never fails. Never. 

1 John 4:8 says, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." I think the first Bible verse I ever learned as a child was, "God is love." So simple, yet so profound. God IS love. Love IS God. We will never be capable of fully loving the way that God intended, until we are in Heaven, with Him, face to face. For now, He's given us just a glimpse of what love is about, and shown us the greatest Gift of love, through Jesus Christ, His Son.

So, what can I do now to be a more loving person? 1 Corinthians 13 is an excellent guide. We should cling to these love attributes and strive to live them out in everything we do. Bearing, believing, hoping and enduring all things. ALL things. Will we fail? Of course. Will we mess up and be unloving at times? Yes. Will envy and selfishness creep in, sooner than we'd like? Unfortunately, so. BUT, we serve the God of the universe who created love and who IS love, and HE never fails. Ever. It's only through HIM can we learn what love is, and try to reflect His love to the world around us. 

Next time you catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror, remember that we are reflecting His love. And one day, we will see the whole beautiful picture and feel love like we've never known. 

You're welcome to save and share the free "Love Never Fails" printable above. 

Thursday Thoughts

My heart is heavy as I sit here, thinking about the chaotic state that our world is in. If you're living on this planet, how can you not be affected by the events taking place, and that have been taking place, for years and years (and from the beginning on time)? It doesn't seem right that I'm enjoying a salad while my baby naps peacefully, while others are fleeing their homes for their very lives, not knowing where they will end up or if they'll even have food today. 

My mind has a difficult time reconciling the injustice of it all. The sadness. The pain. The gravity of loss. The total fear. The reality of evil. What can we do? It feels wrong to turn on the TV and relax, while so many don't even have a bed to sleep in. I look at my young son. He is clothed and warm, safe from harm. He has toys and books. He knows how loved he is. Far too many children don't have any of those things. 

I was deeply impacted by this photographers project documenting where refugee children are forced to sleep. Regardless of your opinion on the issue, the stories are real. The children are real. No one should have to live like this. I read every single one. My heart breaking over and over. 

There are hurting people as well as evil doers all over this Earth. We live in a fallen world. Sin is here. I keep reminding myself that the story isn't over. This is just part of a much bigger plan. God's design for mankind isn't finished. This world was not created to be our permanent home. There is hope. Jesus is the answer!

I've been really enjoying SheReadsTruth.com and have been so encouraged by their Bible reading plans and devotions for women. I haven't been going in any particular order but I'm currently going through Philippians. Today's reading was just what I needed, reminding me that I am a citizen of Heaven, not Earth. With all of the plagues of evil and chaos, Romans 16:20 gave me hope, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen." Our God is the God of peace. And one day, soon, He will put an end to Satan and every form of evil. What a glorious day that will be! 

The only answer I have to the "What can we do?" question is to pray. Pray for the people who are displaced. Who are hurting. Lost. Forsaken. Pray for the orphans and widows. Pray for those trapped in the horrors of sex trafficing. Pray for the mothers pondering abortions and pray for those willing to provide abortions. Pray for the homeless, the hungry, the broken. Pray for those with addictions. Pray for those plotting harm and carrying out wickedness. Most of all, pray that every lost soul would find Jesus Christ. He is the true hope and the answer for this world. 

And, love your loved ones. Hug your spouse, your children and your family, tighter. They are a gift. And every day you get to spend with them is a gift.