Take a Picture, It Will Last Longer

Last week, my super awesome cousin-in-law was sick for a few days and posted pictures on Instagram of how bad her house got when she wasn't able to keep up with housework. All of you can probably relate. Something comes up, even just for one day, even if you aren't actually in your house that much, and somehow, things just fall apart.

Chaos rules where children dare to tread.

I was inspired by her honesty and keepin-it-realness and decided to snap shots of my house on my phone yesterday. It had been a couple days since I'd cleaned anything. With church on Sunday and then helping my mom paint on Monday, by Tuesday, things were pretty bad. Keep in mind, this isn't even close to the worst it's ever been. Morning sickness house is much, much, MUCH worse. And during the school year, it never seems to get out of this state.

My biggest problems, besides the three children who leave stuff everywhere, are obviously laundry and dishes. The dishes I have no excuse for. The laundry is a constant problem, because our bedrooms are pretty small and there's not really a convenient way to corral it all. Everything always ends up in a big pile in the hallway.

Well, after shooting these, I was inspired to get cracking, because nothing pleases me more than "After" pictures. I worked all day and got things super clean. Lots of scrubbing, vacuuming, laundering, and putting away. It took me all day just to do the first floor, but it felt really good when it was done.

Some parts of my house never look clean, regardless of what I do, like the kitchen counters and the shower. But, I've noticed that when we update things, I'm much more inclined to keep it clean. I'm just imagining how nice that will be when the kitchen and bath get done, hopefully next year. I'm going to be freaking Martha Stewart.

Anyway, today, I was able to tackle some yard projects because everything on the main floor was basically done. So that's awesome. 

It's a wonderful feeling to have a presentable house, even though it's quite fleeting. 

PS: I realize that this is as close as I've gotten to having a home tour on here. How pitiful.

Color in the Kitchen

Now that she's retired, my mom makes me come over and  help her paint things in her house. I don't really mind though. I kinda like painting furniture. And walls. And countertops. In fact, the only horrid, horrid painting I've done so far is the paneled walls in the attic, which still aren't done. Anyway, my point is, usually, painting is a quick, cheap way to make old things look fabulous.

Plus, you always have to obey your mother. Well, at least my mother. Because if you don't, she'll pin you to the floor. Seriously. Even at 65.

We're due for more painting soon, so I wanted to throw my kitchen chairs into the mix. They're to the point where they need a fresh coat simply because of child-related wear and tear, and I thought it would be fun to do some color instead of my regularly scheduled creamy colored.

Two of my chairs are being banished to the basement. I have three chairs that look like the one closest to the camera in this photo and they're pretty sturdy, so I'm going to use them. One is still the original brown faux wood. Our kitchen has changed a lot since this photo, but the wall color, blinds and artwork are the same.

I've narrowed down the color to yellow, turquoise or blue, or green.

So, I haven't narrowed it down at all, really.

Here's some pinspiration: 

Via

Via

Via

Via

Via

Honestly, I'm loving the green, maybe a shade just a tad less bold though. But I also really like yellow and turquoise and I've used them in the living room which connects to the kitchen. I'm trying to imagine what each color chair would look like after our kitchen gets a total revamp next year, which may include white walls and a gray tile floor. My decision will affect what color the cabinets go too. I was thinking a blue-gray or just straight up gray for the cabinets. So, in this scenario, yellow is probably the best (or least likely to be changed when we remodel).

So, any suggestions? What's your favorite?