Backsplash in the Kitchen

Before After

So the backsplash in the kitchen caused alot of mental anguish, figuring out what you want and then figure the height was hard also. I started looking at tile down at our local Home Depot. I came home with a 12x12 sheet of 2x2 individual tiles, 6x6 tiles of the color and texture I liked. I figured different patterns but wanted to look some more. I checked another local dealer on subway tiles in beige natural stone. Then Tile for Less, Lowe's and then back to H.D. for more selection. I had to come up with 17 inches in height..I could do 6x6 three high and cut off an inch. It just looked like it needed a design or interest, so I finally came up with a 6x6 on the bottom, then a bar, then 2x2's, another bar and then finally a 6x6 on top. It looked good and honestly I was tired of trying to find something to fit. They all had a selection of pieces of 4 or 5 inches of different tile with different colors but they were the wrong color (I like black but not in the kitchen). So then I went down and purchased 74 6x6's, 36 bars, 8 sheets of 2x2's plus mastik, sealer and grout. We started in laying the tile around noon and didn't finish until around 6, it was alot of work but excited at the same time to see it taking shape. Now that I have done it I would do things alittle differently but we all learn things by doing them.

Scott was off Thurs so we grouted all of it and broke the small trowel and made a trip to H.D. again (their profits should be good this month:))

We waited till Sunday to make sure it was all dry before applying the sealer to all of it, we done 2 coats to make sure no stains (like spaghetti sauce) would stain it.

It is exactly what I wanted it to look like. I really liked the glass tile but figured in a few yrs the look will be outdated and this will stay in style much longer.

The New Wood Floor

So the kitchen is mostly done, we have a few things to do for now to complete it except for the recessed lights and the other cabinets we decided to go on the other side of the kitchen that will come later on down the road when money replenishes itself. I thought I would share some of the new things we done in the kitchen each post and then at the end of the posts I'll show you the whole picture (by then it should be completed).

First of all we decided not to put the island back in like we use to have. The decision came after we took the cabinets out to put the new ones in. For a few days it was so open and more space then we ever had and discovered we really liked the openness of it all. Then the night before we were to put in the cabinets Scott asked which way I wanted the cabinets to go in and we decided to do the open concept (which I am so glad we did every day since).

So when we put in the new wood flooring it even made the area even seem bigger. It has held up so well with all our daily living and stills looks great. The floor made the cabinets even stand out and made the kitchen even seem richer and warm.

Memories of being a mom

On Mother's Day I reflected on my life as a mom, grandma and wife. Being a mom has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. I remember my daughters as babies learning to crawl, walk and talk. There were the many field trips I went on with them in grade school.
Watching them dress up for Halloween and parade through town for school, then later me and Scott would take turns staying home handing out treats while the other one took them through the neighborhood.
There were the many Christmas's eve parties that we would have at our house for family and friends. Which I hope made many memories for all that attended. I hope I instilled memories for the girls to remember as I do reflect on some special times I had growing up and Christmas's with my siblings, parents and grandparents.
I remember the time Shauna announced to me that her friends were coming over that day to her birthday party....that was a surprise party for me to find out about... but I hurried and threw one together and she had lots of fun. Which I can still picture to this day.
They can make me cry ...like the time Kimberly touched my heart when we were at SeaWorld and she touched one of the dolphins for the first time and the expression on her face when she touched his skin and could see up close his eyes looking at her. She loved dolphins and had a collection of them in her bedroom along with her dolphin bedspread and pillow.
I remember the first time I seen each of them dressed up in a formal dress getting ready to go to the school dance. They looked so grown up with their hair all done up with their formal dresses which made them look like princesses.
Then there were all the dance performances me and their dad went and watched, I can truly honestly say we only missed a few through all those years. They started when they were 6 or 7 years old dancing for Jazz In It...then later on in their years they made Sha-Ronns (which was such a honor that they followed in my footsteps) watching them grow into beautiful dancers was as beautiful as their dances. One of the highlights we'll all remember will be when they became National Champions for drill team in California, we weren't expected them to win lst, being the first time they had ever been there, plus the other talented drill teams were performing out of this world. Like Disneyland says "They make Dreams Come True".
Camping is been a part of our lives, from boating, fishing, 4-wheeling, snowmobiling...to spend many summers camping in Idaho. Including a few years ago, when a bear decided to come to our place and visit us (which I say we had a few guardian angels with us that night), the girls riding a little 3 wheeler non stop to when they grew up and drive big 4 wheelers now.
We even go to Las Vegas and all stay in our fifthwheel trailer for the weekend for all the excitement of one of the Nascar races that comes out here in the west. This year we had a new comer....Landon had a blast having all of our friends make a fuss over him:)
Being a grandma is one of those blessings that comes from God that can make you feel about as special as you can feel. I am even more blessed then most is that I get to spend most of the week with him babysitting while mom and dad go to work. Watching him grow up and do something new every day puts a smile on my face and I can't wait to tell mom, dad, Aunt Shauna, or grandpa when they come home. We spoil him just like we did the girls, he has already went boating when he was 3 months old, went camping, hunting with mom and dad, and in February went to the Nascar race. Watching him learn to sit up, crawl and now walking is amazing to me to experience as a grandma:)
There is so many more memories that I have been blessed with that I would run out of space and bore everyone to mention all but God has blessed me as a mom and grandma and I will try not to take it for granted anytime. Thank you Kimberly and Shauna for making me proud to be your mom and to love you every moment of my life.

Other memories:
Shauna being in pageants
Kimberly getting married
Looking out the kitchen window to see Kimberly on the top rail of the swing set
Shauna graduating from Dixie State College
Shauna asleep in the toy box
Kimberly having the door open to the motorhome and watching the road while we were going down the road.
Shauna having the time of her life at the demolition derby's (having a mud race barefoot while wearing a tiara)
The morning Kimberly delivered Landon with the storm Hurricane force, Scott delayed in traffic and the joyous time he came into this family/world.
Shauna graduating from her Surgerical Tech program.