Coffee Bar and Kitchen Accessories

I've always admired coffee bars, but thought I really didn't need one for my kitchen. I still don't, but they sure are cute!



I installed Photoshop and got excited with the text and frames.

I have a glass container next to my Keurig for more kcups. My husband and I have to keep ours separated since he drinks decaf. That would make both of our mornings miserable if we grabbed the wrong one.




I went to Anthropologie for the sole purpose of buying the orange topped spice jar, but I could not resist buying a few more things.




And a few kitchen towels...





I'm thinking about adding more spice jars for ground cinnamon and chocolate. I love it with a bit of whipped cream in the fall. If you have a coffee bar, what do you keep in yours?

Breakfast Room Reveal

 Last week I mentioned that I was considering this chair to go with my new breakfast table.



As you can see, I wasted no time bringing them home!




This is such a different look for me, but I've admired French bistro chairs for several years. I wasn't quite sure if I liked them with the rest of my décor since they are a bit rustic. I've been giving them the sideways look as I walk to the kitchen for a week and I finally decided they are going to stay.




I decided to get four chairs instead of five because it seemed a bit crowded when I had five of the black chairs in here. If all five of us sit down at once we can just use the dining room table or have one or two kids sit at the breakfast bar.


My old candle looked a little lonely on this new table so I added a few things. I might as well decorate for fall since it will be here before you know it. I decided on a gold runner because it's a good transition between the seasons.




I'd love to hang curtains on the breakfast room window eventually because I love as many fabrics as possible in a breakfast room, but I need to coordinate them with the living room windows. That means it will be a while. ;)

Just for a recap, this is how it looked last week.




And now...



Comparing the two pictures is what really made me decide to keep these chairs even though they are out of my comfort zone. Doesn't it just feel cozier?

Since I have a great room I needed to make sure this space matches the style of my living room and kitchen. Surprisingly, it fits right in. I tried to take pictures, but every time I turned around there was someone in the way since it was Saturday. Note to self, only take pictures during the week when everyone is gone!

Here are pictures of each space together. You can see how the warm tone of the chair goes great with the bamboo shades, fireplace, and burlap pillow.







Perfect!

Cottage Breakfast Room

I've been searching for a new table and chairs for my breakfast room for several months. You may have noticed my black table with the mahogany top. This is the best picture I have of it.



It's always been too big for this space, but it was the smallest table I could find that would fit our family of five at the time. Not only was the size wrong, but the chairs have become really unstable and the finish has taken a beating. My kids are a bit older so I'm ready for a better quality table, but accidents happen daily around this house. It can't be so expensive that I will have a heart attack if it gets damaged. I really took my time and casually looked around the last few months. I also pinned several images for inspiration and I was surprised I'm leaning toward a cottage style since I just finished my transitional master bedroom. Here are some of my favorites.






I love the upholstered seats and rugs, but it's not really feasible with kids. I also like mixing the finishes of the tables and chairs. After searching for a reasonable priced round table, I found Pier 1 has the best selection. If you pick it up at the store there is no delivery charge and it took less than a week to come in after placing my order.


I decided on the Ronan pedestal extension table instead, which is a bit more expensive. It's an off-white, which is perfect since my kitchen cabinets are not bright white. Here it is with the leaf in it, which is too big for my breakfast room. It's nice to have the option to make it bigger in case we need the room or we move to a home with a bigger breakfast room. Don't worry, I'm not planning on moving. Remodeling this house has exhausted me!




Here it is in my breakfast room!



I was surprised to find that I could comfortably fit five chairs around it. I initially planned on just putting four chairs with it, which isn't a big deal since we rarely sit down as a family at the same time. My husband and I prefer to wait for the kids to finish eating before we sit down so we can have peace and semi-quiet. But, when my kindergartner came home from school he counted the chairs and counted the people in our family on his little hands and looked really confused. After a moment, he wanted to know where his oldest brother is going to sit, lol. I pulled another chair up to the table to make him feel better.

I'm leaning towards these chairs from World Market.




I love the French bistro style chairs, but these are the only ones I've seen without a woven seat. We've had woven seats and they do not hold up with kids. These are extremely popular though and were sold out when I went to the store last week, but I just received a phone call last night that they are back in stock. I've got to make a decision fast before they sell out again. I hope to have an update for you soon!

Five Easy Steps to An Organized Kitchen

I have organized and reorganized my kitchen cabinets too many times to count. Some areas stay organized and some are back to a chaotic mess within weeks. After almost ten years in this home, I've finally realized why and I've narrowed down kitchen organization to five simple rules.



1. Don't stack items you use regularly.




Instead of stacking items on top of each other, use a shelf to maximize space. This cabinet holds small kitchen appliances and has stayed looking just like this for the past two years.

I took this same concept and repeated it with the rest of my small appliances. I stole the other white shelf from my island cabinet and now it holds a tray I haven't used in years. I put smaller items and appliance accessories in it. Rarely used items, like my breadmaker, sits in the back.




2. Make it easy to get items out of the cabinet.

The white shelf above used to be in my island for bakeware. I stacked cookie sheets and cutting boards on top and baking pans underneath. Not only did stacking the cookie sheets and cutting boards create a mess, but I could not get them out because of the center cabinet beam. I had to find the right one, slide it out from underneath the other pans, and then turn it sideways to avoid the beam. I ended up putting a ton of nicks in the center beam that way.



I decided to use my saucepan lid holder so the cookie sheets can slide right out. I also don't have to stack them on top of each other any longer. Behind the center beam I stacked items I don't use often, like my Tupperware cupcake holder and springform pans.


3. Store items with the lids on.






I had a saucepan lid holder (that now holds the cutting boards and cookie sheets), but I never actually used it. Also, when the lids were separated I had to go through each one to find the correct one. What a pain!

Some may find an upper cabinet a strange place to hold saucepans, but it is so much better than having them in a deep base cabinet. I used to take out the pans in the front to reach the ones in the back. When I unloaded the dishwasher I just threw them in the bottom cabinet and shut it hard so they would stay. I know I'm not the only one that has done this!

The deep corner base cabinet now holds my bakeware. Lesser used items are in the back (actually never used items, lol). I use the three glass pans on top the most so I made sure I can slide those in and out easily. The shelf above (not pictured) holds my fry pans in the same way.




The other deep base cabinet in the corner holds serving ware I don't use often, which is why they are stacked. The holiday serving pieces are stacked together on the right. I didn't even know I owned some of these things!




More bakeware that is not stacked (minus the measuring cups) because I use them often. These are in an upper cabinet for easy reaching, too.




Outdoor serverware




4. Collate smaller items into bins.



Medicines are stored in one bin. I've had this one for years and only go through it when it gets full to throw out old meds. The only problems I had with this is when the band-aids would get loose and collect at the bottom.

I decided to put them in a separate container with the antibiotic ointment. Now, I can take this box to where the injured person is sitting. It's actually a pencil box I bought at Wal-Mart for less than a dollar. I have another box like it for batteries that you can see in the picture above.




Another bin holds things we use often-outdoor things, measuring tape, matches, super glue, pool stuff.




5. Stack lesser used items and store them in the top or back of the cabinets.



I have two sets of china on the upper shelves. In case you're wondering, all of those loose papers are recipes I printed out from the internet. If they're good I transfer them to a card in the recipe box. I obviously have a lot of recipes I need to try!

Everyone has different items and sized kitchens, but just following these few rules has helped me get and stay organized. The best part is you don't need to buy expensive organization items. All of mine were bought at Wal-Mart. Feel free to share your best tips!

A Mini Summer Vacation

This has been a weird summer. I haven't gotten much accomplished, but I've been busier than ever. I've been slacking on my housekeeping, rarely going to the gym, blogging only once a week, barely making it out the door to work, not doing my normal DIY projects, etc. I still can't figure out why I'm constantly moving and not getting anything done. My kids are being entertained via Xbox and it's been making me feel really guilty. I also didn't want to send them back to school without some sort of summer vacation.

On Friday, I planned a spur of the moment trip to San Antonio. We decided to spend Saturday afternoon at Natural Bridge and Caverns and all day Sunday at Sea World. My kids had mixed feelings since we usually go to Six Flags Fiesta Texas and The Alamo every year. They have a strange fascination with The Alamo and can tell you all about it-who was there, the date, how many people fought and were killed, where Jim Bowie and William Travis are buried, etc. It's different, but I'm weirdly proud. I was never interested myself, but seeing it through their eyes makes me see it in an entirely different light. I swear I'm turning into a boy sometimes! Sea World and some caves sounded so boring in comparison to roller coasters and imagined gun battles. Thankfully, they were pleasantly surprised by the roller coasters at Sea World and how immense these caves really are.

Natural Bridge and Caverns









Excuse the terrible cellphone pics! In my hurry out the door I completely forgot my camera. The kids thought the caves were going to be small like Huck Finn's island at Disney World, lol. My older son said, "This is so cool!" Yes, it is!

We headed down to The Riverwalk that night for dinner.



It really is an awesome place, but the crowds and parking are a nightmare. We've been here enough that I really don't feel the need to come down here every time we visit. I'd rather stay a little further out by the parks. We always stay at the same place because we can get a two bedroom suite with a living room, but one day I'd like to stay at The Hyatt Hill Country Resort. This is why!












There's a golf course, spa, sandy beach, lazy river, marshmallow roasting, surfing (yes, surfing), etc. Maybe next time?

We didn't spend much time at our hotel though since we got up early on Sunday for a full day at Sea World.




I might have gotten a little carried away with the "fun frames" on the Sea World app.



I think some back to school haircuts need to be on the agenda this week after looking at this pic, lol.

Take note of where we're sitting...






This is right before we got completely soaked by Shamu. My older two sons thought it was awesome. My five year old was not thrilled at all. He walked around the park all day saying,"I don't like Shamu. He got me all wet." The boy can hold a grudge because this morning when I told him he needed to take a shower since he smelled like Shamu water, I heard him mutter under his breath, "stupid whale." Hahaha! Don't worry, he had a good time. Actually, we all had a great time. I think one night getaways are perfect because there's no vacation fatigue, and very little packing and unpacking to do. We're going to have to do this more often. Now, it's back to reality, aka housework!