Kitchen Remodel!

Well, its been a while, but we are FINALLY finished remodeling our kitchen!! It has been a long process, and it feels so good to be done. I am excited how it turned out, and even more so about how little I spent! I did the ENTIRE kitchen for under $850!

Onto the pictures! First I will show some "before" pictures. The kitchen had been updated a few years ago, but I was excited to make it "mine."

So here is my kitchen about a month ago.

Onto the pictures of the process. First I had to recruit some helpers. This one was quick to volunteer :)
Next, I started my countertops. We were on a tight budget and couldn't afford new ones, so I decided to experiment. I used a product called giani to paint them. Click Here to go to their website. So far I have been VERY happy with the results. We had a bit of a glitch along the way with a defect in one of their products, but they were quick to fix the problem, and refund my money, so I did my countertops for free. Even if I did pay, it would have only been $50. So the paint really looks like granite, and lasts as long as regular countertops.

First, I primed with the included black primer.

Next, I sponged on the color like the instructions said.

Then I put the sealer on.

After the counter tops were finished , we covered them with plastic and began working on a tile back splash. It took a bit to get the hang of it, but it was pretty easy!

Devry was in charge of cutting the tiles. He did a GREAT job!
And of course Payton continued to help out tons :)

I really am happy with our choice of back splash. Best part, the entire thing only cost $100!

The next part was definitely the most difficult, and time consuming. Painting the cupboards. Once again, we couldn't afford to do anything else, so the long process of priming and painting every inch was our option. We went with White, so it took a few coats to cover the brown.

There are tons of things we did that I didn't post pictures for. Painted the walls, replaced the sink and faucet, new knobs, hinges and handles, new glass in 3 doors, new chair rail, crown molding, baseboards, door frames. It was amazing to me how much time all of the little things took!

And Finally, the finished product!!

I still have some decorating to do, but I am really happy with the results! I picked pretty neutral colors since we are trying to sell our house.
We budgeted $1000 to remodel the kitchen, and I am so excited that I stayed under it!
Did I mention I am SO glad to be done! On to the next project :)

week 1

I officially starting training this week. Although I have been running for a few weeks, I decided to count this week as "week 1" since its when I am starting to keep track and plan out my runs.
On monday I ran 2 miles, pretty easy. Then on tuesday I ran 2 miles in intervals (2 mins fast pace: 1 min jog). That was hard. I don't know why, but I really struggled that day. Then on Wednesday I did a short 1.5 mile run with Payton in my jogger. I took a break on Thursday and Friday since I worked, then did my "long" run today. I did 3.5 miles. And it felt GREAT! I felt like I could have easily kept going. I also did Zumba once this week.
I learned a few things.
1. I hate my jogger. It doesn't have a swivel wheel on front, and is so awkward to run with. I want a BOB really bad. Maybe I can convince Devry it's a necessity :)
2. The interval run is hard for me, but I can tell it really helps with endurance.
3. I love my new running shoes! I bought them about a month ago from Teton Running and am so happy with them! They are brooks Defyance. I normally get shin splints from running, and I haven't yet with these new shoes.
4. I am feeling really good! Especially after running today, I feel like I really CAN do this. I see myself improving each time I run, and I am starting to look forward to running.

Next week my plan is to run 2 miles monday, 2 mile intervals tuesday, rest wednesday and thursday, then 1.5 miles friday, and 4 miles Saturday. I am going to also do Zumba on monday and tuesday.

Running

I am going to run a half marathon this August. I'm scared to death because I am horribly out of shape with running, but I have 15 weeks to train and I WILL do it!
The weather is finally cooperating and I have run 3 times this week. I can run 3-4 miles without getting tired or sore, so I think its an ok place to start. Next week I want to bump it up to 5 miles.
My dilemma is trying to stick to a routine. Shift work makes that impossible. I work 3 nights a week, and they are ALWAYS different. For example, this week I work monday, friday, saturday. Then next week Sunday, wednesday, thursday. Then monday, tuesday thursday. You get the picture. So saying I will run every monday, wednesday, thursday and Saturday (like my training schedule suggests) is not going to work. I know...tons of people work as much as I do and still workout on the days they work. I have learned that the only people who really understand what it is like to work full time nights with a child is those who do it. The only thing I can compare it to is when you pull an all nighter to finish an assignment...but that assignment involves you being on your feet for 10 of the 12 hours you are working on it, and also being responsible in part for the life of another person. Then you have to be semi coherent the next day because you are in charge of taking care of something (in my case, my child). And then repeat that 3 nights a week. Sometimes back to back, which means I work 2 or 3 12 hour shifts on 2-4 hours of sleep in between. So yeah....going running goes to the bottom of my priority list. Functioning is really my only priority.
So I am going to try my best. And my training schedule will be random. Some weeks I will run 4 times, others it may only be 2. I will try to fit in a long run at some point each week.

The half marathon I have decided to run is the Mesa Falls one.
http://mesafallsmarathon.com/

I'm a horrible running partner...because all I really want to do is listen to my i-pod, but if anyone in the Rexburg area wants to train with me, and maybe even run the half with me, let me know! And anyone not in this area, if you want to train with me from a distance I'd love to hear about it! Moral support!

I am going to try to track my progress by blogging. So sorry for the boring "running" posts that you will all get to read over the next 3 1/2 months. Thanks for the support!

We are still here!

I haven't posted in a while, mostly because we have been so busy! We are working on remodeling our kitchen, which will hopefully be done this week. I am loving how it is turning out! I will post pictures soon.
We are both busy working, and Payton is busy being 21 months! This crazy guy just GO GO GO's! He is learning so much all the time. I love hearing him talk! He says so many words, and is starting to say little sentences. He came up to me today (while I was dozing on the couch after working), and says in a very demanding voice"mom, get up!" Then added "pleasssse" in such a sweet voice. I had to laugh.
I will post more soon, when my kitchen is done and I have a bit of time :)