Spruced up the little ugly kitchen!

Hi guys its been forever! As you may have remembered we bought a little fixer upper almost 2 years ago. Where does time go?!?!  We have been doing small things here and there ( mostly painting) but we recently semi completed the biggest project on the list. Drum rolls please ...... The KITCHEN! Let me give you a look at what it used to look like......

It was hideous ... right?! Ugly brown want to be cabinets and terrible green tile. There used to be a wall there on the left of the picture but I didn't get a before shot of that.

To save money "we" I use that term very loosely it was mostly the hubster he did everything, from start to finish (well still working on things as I type). I sold those hideous cabinets on CL for 100 bucks. One mans junk is always another mans treasure right? We bought this pretty 12 x24 tile at Home Depot and layed it out in a staggered pattern. We purchased our all wood cabinets from Timeless Kitchen Outlet in Orlando, FL. They were delivered for a small fee and came in boxes that Derek assembled and hung.

Here is a picture of all the tile floor finished and the cabinets almost completed before the granite came in.

Picking out granite almost reminded me of how hard it was to choose a stroller! Of course all the ones I liked were a zillion dollars but I kept focused and remembered this kitchen needed to apeal not just to me but the masses when it was time to sell. So we went with a Level I in Giallio Ornamental. We had it installed by one of our locally owned and operated granite yards.

I am happy with the way it turned out. We still have some finishing touches .. like trim work and picking out hardware. For now we are simply enjoying having a kitchen again.

What do you guys think of the new kitchen? 

Lucas goes to Preschool

School?! You may think isn't he only three? Yes he is! Lucas is a very smart little boy and for now my only child. I could feel the need for him wanting more playtime with other kids. Are weekly playdates with friends was just not cutting it anymore.

So after much thought and prayer we came to a decision. To enroll him in a highly recommended Pre-School nearby. He can go all the way up to Pre-K here if we decide. ( I have no idea what tomorrow will bring but for now this is working out fine for our family)

So it was time for this mama to let go and let her little boy spread his wings. He only goes two and half days a week but it enough to fill his little heart of new and exciting things weekly and gives us lots of time to do other activities together. (He goes to sleep alot faster these days)


And so his journey begins:

 His first day!

 

Here is his classroom and all eight classmates

Hard at PLAY 

Are you and your little one trying any new activities this school year? We love to hear what all of you are up to!

Lucas turns TWO

I remember walking into stores when I was pregnant and random strangers would strike up a conversation with me. One of the running themes was how quickly there children grew up. A stranger at Starbucks noticed my belly and with tears in his eyes and a tender tone spoke  to me how raising his children was the most amazing and life changing experience ever.

Another older gentlemen suggested I record his voice when he was small to playback and remember what his first words sounded like.

Like many things in life you don't fully grasp the concept until you personally live through the experience. The same is with all of the words spoken to me before I gave birth, I would just smile polietly and nod my head in agreement but I really had no clue what they spoke of.

NOW he is TWO and I get it!

One YEAR later .....

I think it's been almost a year since I've blogged! I have missed it so much, but thankfully I am back at it.  We are doing well, we have moved into a fixer upper that we hope to flip. For now it is HOME. I will share some pictures of the new place soon.

Boogie is THREE now and I can feel him at a crossroad as he grows into boyhood. It is incredible to watch a human being develop right before your eyes.

The weather has finally cool down a bit here in FL (It's not 90 something) so we are enjoying the outdoors more, Lucas loves to play in the dirt.

RED party play date

First of all I need to let you know it has been a crazy last few weeks. Why? We MOVED! Enough said on that subject. I am exhausted and trying to get my energy back up after a whirl wind last couple of weeks.

Lucas had a hard time the first week adjusting. He kept saying "Home Mom" ... it broke my heart. I don't know who had a harder time him or me. None the less we are all adjusting to our new "home".

Today my friend Maria threw a RED party play date! Is that not a fabulous idea? I thought so too! We had red play dough, red balloons, ladybug craft, fancy stuffed pasta shells and a yummy red velvet lady bug cupcake.

Boogie had a great time and so did all the other kids. Here is a few shots from the playdate group

Lucas freaked at the thought of eating a "BUG"! .. him squirming

Do you guys have any ideas for a fun themed play date? I am thinking about running with the color theme and having a BLUE play date .... I shall keep you posted

Pure Sweetness

So sorry I have been a little behind on blogging these last few weeks. There has been so much going on, mostly just keeping up with my little man most days.All of us stay at home mamas have moments when we say  "I am going to lose my mind! ". Today was a day full complete bliss, almost has a slap in the face to all those chaotic moments and times were I thought I couldn't do it anymore.

Every Tuesday we try and go to story time at our neighborhood library. I have to admit it has not been easy from the tantrums from not wanting to leave the house from the screams and tears because he does not want to be in the room where they are reading but instead he insists he wants to go and play at the train table instead.


I wanted him to get some social interaction with other adults and children of various ages and I hoped he would eventually warm up to the whole thing. Today was the day when it happened!

The moment I told him we were going to the library he was over joyed! Boogie was not shy as usual during story time instead he stood confidently and sang along with the Librarian  wheels on the bus go round and round, he payed attention to the librarian when she read all the books.

But what happened later was pure sweetness. My baby boy called out for one of his fellow story time friends for the very first time aloud .... almost as if he had known it all the while ... "Lauren!" he exclaimed!
He shared his trains with her, he moved out of the way for her to play on the train table - which has NEVER happened till today.

Then when it was time to leave which is usually when he will break out in tears, he looked over at Lauren and saw she was saying goodbye and then he said goodbye as well and was ready to go home. Outside he grabbed her hand and they held each other hands like any long time friends would do.

Pure sweetness was what I felt all over along with Donna Lauren's mom, we squeaked with enjoyment has we witnessed our children engaging on a deeper level.

No worries I pulled out my camera and snapped a few pictures to share with you all.

Have you and your LO had any tiny or huge milestones lately that you like to share? I love to hear them!

Summer Family Pictures

As I promised, I wanted to share a few more pictures from our summer family pictures. The shoot was at Honeymoon Island one of our favorite beaches here in Tampa Bay. 

We had a great time and I am glad we were able to get a few good shots of our ever so on the move toddler. 

Have a great weekend!