A KITCHEN IS A FAMILY'S BEST FRIEND...

They say that a kitchen is the heart of the home but, I like to call ours our best friend. Our kitchen provides us with quality time as a family. It allows us to cook and bake with one another, talk about the ups and downs of our day, play a game of Uno, paint a masterpiece with our girls, run around the island while having a water gun fight and of course enjoy a meal as a family. The kitchen is the special place where we come together to enjoy good food, conversation and each other day in and day out.

First let me say that this is a pretty large kitchen. One that I never in a million years thought I would ever be able to have. I value this kitchen and this home because I know how hard my husband and I have worked to be able to provide our children with such a beautiful place to live and grow. This home is the third home we have owned. The homes that we owned before this served as stepping stones to this forever home.  It's funny because we buy houses, fix them up and once it's complete we sell it. It's like I feel like I completed a project and we are on to the next.  When perspective buyers would walk through our home they would always ask if I was an interior designer and my response was always, "that is my dream job but unfortunately I am not". We  always strive to move up and do better for ourselves. We have worked hard, saved and made sacrifices in order to provide a beautiful home, town and community for our girls to grow up in.  The journey of fixing up homes and selling them is what lead us to this majestic house.

This kitchen provides a mix of old and new. I love to pair new pieces with old worn pieces because it provides balance to the home. The eat in kitchen features a wooden table with two long benches.Two gray chairs complete the look of the design.White and gray window panels hang on either side of the sliding glass doors which lead to our patio and deck area.

 When we first moved into this home two years ago I pictured a table just like this. I saw tables that were similar to this one in pricey furniture stores. The price was way more then what we could afford. I drove around to about twenty different little mom and pop furniture stores hoping to find a more affordable alternative to the look I wanted but, unfortunately I had little luck. One day I had to go to a local Target to pick up small odds and ends. As soon as I walked in I saw this table. They were using it as a display for Fall dinnerware. When I asked one of the sales associates how much the table was they responded with, "I'm sorry but it is not for sale." I was so disappointed. I finally found what I had been picturing and searching for all along and it wasn't available for purchase. I could not just give up since that is not in my nature. I had the store manager called to the front of the store. We spoke and after a few minutes of convincing her she allowed me to purchase the set for only 200 dollars! I was so excited that my determination and frugal ways paid off.

Over the table we hung a chrome orb chandelier. My husband hung all of the light fixtures for me that you see in the kitchen. We swagged the chandelier chain since the electrical outlet wasn't centered over the table. The chrome chandelier is balanced with two over sized glass jar pendant lights over the breakfast bar and a smaller version over the kitchen sink. I found these lights on Amazon at a discounted rate on Cyber Monday. I saved up for about two years for these lights.  You see some people spend their money on nice clothes or vacations. I save my money for things like light fixtures or wall decor. As I said before, design is the food for my soul.

The counter tops feature carrera marble. I have always loved the look of carrera. It is very susceptible to scratches and stains but I kind of like that it looks a little worn. It shows that this house is lived in and isn't a museum where every thing is perfect. 

The back splash that we used was a 4x8 white glass tile in a brick pattern. The cabinets have a weathered white wash look to them. Most people like the shaker gloss white cabinets but I prefer the weathered look to the crisp white cabinets any day.

Four wooden round stools serve as seating by the breakfast bar. My girls have fun spinning each other

 around in circles while trying to do their homework. Sometimes they see how fast they can crawl across the stools and pretend that if they fall off alligators will get them. They always seem to amuse me as I watch their imaginations at work.

Weathered signs that say EAT with candles and a wooden shelf hang on my walls. The bird cage houses our little guy Tweeter. My husband bought the cage and bird on Craigslist after he visited my aunt's home where she to had a bird that he fell in love with. I came home one day from work and there was my husband, the bird and the white cage. I was upset at first because we already have 3 kids, 2 dogs, and a home that requires a lot of work and I couldn't imagine one more thing on my plate. He promised that he would take care of the bird and he has kept his promise ever since. He feeds, cleans and even bathes his bird. Tweeter is his best friend since he is one of the few creatures in our house that has testosterone. My husband always jokes and says that he has a wife, three girls and a female dog. He had to make sure that at least his bird was boy. But all kidding aside Freddy, the girls and I really love our Tweeter boy. Freddy taught him how to whistle at you when you walk by his cage which is great if you need a boost of confidence. 

All in all our kitchen is lived in, loved and taken care of. The refrigerator serves as a feature for all of girls art work.  Pictures of the family can be found on either side or the frig. Most people that post pictures of their home make sure that counters are cleared and refrigerators are cleaned but I am proud of the creations that my girls make and the memories that we share in this home.  The supplements on the counter reminds me of my husband when he is working or at the gym. All of these little things that one would find messy are my small everyday treasures. They are constant reminders of how lucky I am to have a family and a home that is lived in, loved and taken care of which in turn takes care of us. Just as a best friend should.