Kitchen Reveal

I never, ever realized how difficult it would be to live in a home while it's undergoing remodeling. Now add a 9-1/2 month old + two [crazy] dogs into the mix... talk about a rude-awakening. The place we called home was a construction-zone for three weeks straight; everything piled-up in our living room. While I thought we'd surely never survive, we did (insert violin music here).

I grabbed this before-before picture of the kitchen from when it was for sale back in 2011. This is how it looked when we purchased the home - salmon colored cabinets and all (barf). Luckily for us (trying to stay positive here), the previous owners decided to take with them all the door knobs and light fixtures, so this faded gold handle you see here was one of the very few left behind... and later ended up in the garbage, in case you were wondering. 

This is our kitchen before the actual remodel took place. Fresh coat of paint, new microwave & dishwasher, breakfast area light fixture and door knobs were added (and the excessive amount of fake, dusty plants - is that still a thing?).

Let the remodel begin! We were beyond thrilled to say good-bye to the super-white-counters-that-show-every-single-crumb. :)

And this is pretty much how we lived for three weeks. Including lots of ordered-in pizza + wine in solo cups. #classy

This is our kitchen now! It underwent a complete face lift - from paint to tile, and I could not be happier. I love how clean and bright the white cabinets and back-splash make the kitchen appear, while the granite just pulls everything together (and hides those little messes). Cleaning dishes just got a whole lot better.

Dinner Party

It's been about a month since we had our kitchen remodeled (post coming soon!), so what better way to celebrate than by having our best friends over for dinner!? It's been a while since we hosted any type of party at our place, so I was really looking forward to having everyone over.

As usual, I decide on the menu and my personal chef husband executes it. :) Have I mentioned how thankful I am for him?? Anyways, this get together I thought a family-style dinner on the patio would be perfect.

We ended up going with homemade lasagna, tossed Italian salad, garlic bread, and root beer floats for dessert (which were a total hit).

First time to cook homemade lasagna, and he totally nailed it.

The weather was perfect, a bit chilly, but nothing a fire pit couldn't solve. I had way too much fun planning, setting up the patio table & chairs, and spicing everything up with some fall flowers and themed table cloth. It was such a great evening. Even if we ended staying up until 4:00 a.m. :)

I can't wait to host the next party... which looks like it'll be our handsome little guy's first birthday. Where did the time go?!