Retirement. Whenever I think about that far off day, I picture this fabulous lady.
Perfectly styled hair, glorious caftan, perpetual drink in hand. Living atop a high rise someplace warm and tropical. It will be a bit like my freshman year of college except both saggier and more stylish.
All of which is only possible if we make wise financial decisions now--like not going into debt for a kitchen remodel.
I mentioned that we opted to keep the existing cabinets in our new-old kitchen. When it came time to choose the appliances, we decided to wait until Sears offered its Family & Friends sale at the end of August.
Besides getting the discounted prices from the sale, we made our purchase online through Ebates, where you get paid to shop. There was a double cash back promo at the time so we earned six percent back on the purchase, or about $72. Ebates is an affiliate program so when you sign up and make a purchase through this link, I receive a referral bonus. You can earn the same when you tell your friends and family!
We also used the Shop Your Way rewards program at Sears to earn points toward another purchase (like a refrigerator in a few weeks). That helped us get back an additional $350.
And all of it was purchased on my husband's credit card. He earns miles with his card so just maybe we can start scouting Florida high rises when the snow starts blowing this winter.
Hahaha!!! It's not actually fall. I walked out of my house today into the steamiest summer day of the year. But the kids went back to school this week so there's that.
I didn't get around the virtual world as much as I would have liked this week, but here are a few things that penetrated my orbital lobes.
1. Kitchen Before & After
I have kitchens on the brain since we are working on our own, but did you see the one that Sherry posted this week??? The dark cherry befores are here and sources here. The deal on that sub-zero fridge, the different paint colors, and the lighting and hardware all blow me away. As well as the fact that the homeowners did the work themselves. That sounds familiar...
2. Table and chairs
Classes at our local university (my alma mater) have resumed for fall semester, and this batch of tables is for sale in the Surplus Store. I think one of these tables would look amazing with a set of wishbone chairs. The chartreuse one is from Design Within Reach and the green is from Amazon. The chartreuse is hard to resist except that it costs $855 and has a 12-14 week shipping window. You could buy seven of the Amazon chairs for that price... The table, though, is a steal at $55.
3. Use What You Have Makeover
Did you wonder all weekend what color Elizabeth was going to paint her wicker console table?? The answer has been revealed! And so has her amazing new office. I love that she chose to use only what she already to make this room a bright and cheerful place to work!
4. Can You Feel the Heat??
I love my hair stylist (in fact, he was my #3 on my gratitude challenge list today), but he is in demand. So, about the time I was wishing a Drybar would open here in my city, an amazing new business was launched. It's called Heat Blow Dry and Boutique and is located just down the street from my house. Do you hear the angels singing?!? Getting a blow-out before the weekend or at the start of a new week is a perfect way to make life so much easier. Anyhoo, they have been open about a month and are hosting a Grand Opening Celebration on Wednesday, September 10 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Locals should definitely check it out!
5. Flower Craft
I don't tend to think of myself as crafty. After all I can't sew and I can't knit, despite several friends patiently teaching me again and again. I'm finding it hard to do any crafting. (Did you read this to the tune of Barry Manilow's Can't Smile Without You??). But I think I could handle this cute flower craft from Jones Design Company. It looks easy and I like that it's a great way to use up all the gorgeous catalogs I'm not going to buy anything from.
Happy weekend!
Nothing beats clean. You'll never see a room in House Beautiful with dirty windows or cobwebs in the corners. On film sets there are production assistants whose sole job is to polish a single window for eight hours.
On the other hand, you can have a room full of old furniture, mismatched pieces, and no "real" art on the walls that feels like the most welcoming place in the world simply by being clean.
The best part of all? Clean is FREE!
My mind is constantly racing four steps ahead of where I should be. It's like my brain has too many tabs open. Which helps me get a lot done, but is also tiring. To enjoy life more, I've been trying to embrace mindfulness. Being at one with the moment in a mindful way is how I define zen. And to be able to do that, I engage my five senses through some activity.
Cleaning has turned out to be a pretty good activity for mindfulness. While I am washing dishes, sweeping the floor, folding laundry, or making a bed, that's all I do. I pay attention to just what's in front of me. Most jobs don't take that long and I find I'm better able to surrender myself to them when I set a time limit. So I fill the sink with hot, soapy water and submerge my hands in the bubbles. There's a rhythm to it, and it is its own reward. A gift I can give to myself over and over.
I think it's nice to have routines that become more like rituals. Could cleaning ever be sacred time for you?
If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have seen lots of photos over Labor Day weekend of our kitchen coming apart.
The very first thing we had to do, though, was develop a budget. Our initial hopes were to work with a local architect who would design a new footprint for the space and manage the contractors. But then reality set in. That plan would have entailed a longer timeline and thousands of dollars more. It would have been totally worth it in the right house and situation. I cannot stress that point enough and am happy to put locals in touch with him. But for us and our house, we have a different plan.
A big HUGE part of that plan involves keeping the wood cabinets that are already there.
The cabinets are original to the house, which was built in 1957.
They fit the mid-century modern vibe of the house, but can swing more glam...
Or more worldly.
I love that our cabinets have smooth fronts. Although I haven't ruled out adding hardware. Fingertip pulls or long stainless bars are both appealing.
This kitchen design mixes wood cabinets and blonde floors like our house.
My dreams of polished concrete are probably up in smoke (like a lot of my cooking!)
So what do you think? Could you live with a wood kitchen? Besides being happy that we will save a lot of money and possibly a few trees, I'm excited to have something rather unique.
