Kayla-P's Profile

We have a pass-thru in our kitchen that is not an interior window like that, exactly, but I found a pretty stained glass window panel at an antique store and my husband hung in in the opening:

http://normalroom.com/displayimage.php?pid=1246&fullsize=1

I guess that would require the windows to be removed from the openings, though...I wonder how involved that is?

Thank you for this!! I really want to take better pics with my phone so I signed up.

I think your gallery wall is really creative! And your tub looks great!

I like the colors and love the artwork. The whole place looks fun and funky. And it looks REAL. Like real people with a real budget decorated it.

I agree with many of the suggestions above. I'm a distance runner on hiatus due to injury, and the mom of a son who has to watch what he eats due to inheriting the obesity gene on both sides of the family. So here are my tips:
- Exercise is KEY. A leisurely stroll is nice and better than nothing, but you need to get your heart rate up and keep it there for a while. Try to do it every day. I find classes at a gym helpful because they're a no-brainer. Show up, do an hour of spinning, there's your cardio. Or an hour of Body Pump, and you've done an hour of strength training.
- Portion control is also very important!! I never used to worry about my portions because I burned off everything I ate. However, now that I'm not running, and helping my son with his food choices and portion sizes, I'm doing a lot of measuring and it is eye-opening to see what really constitutes a serving size. Ten tortilla chips is a serving and is about 130 calories, for example. But who stops at ten tortilla chips? No one, unless they have a sense of how many calories they are taking in.
- Eliminate or reduce as much white food as possible. Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta. Don't overdo the whole grains either.
- Don't drink your calories.
- Low fat is not always the way to go. Fat and protein help keep you full.
- Don't deprive yourself but make your indulgences really count. My son will decide that instead of eating ring pops and drinking soda at the swim meet, he'd rather hold out for a Nutella doughnut from the local bakery. He's learning which treats are worth it and which are not, and learning to really savor them when he gets them.

This kind of low-budget creativity inspires me more than high end appliances or countertops ever do. Thank you for sharing your charming kitchen!!

I don't hate the makeover, but I too really liked the cabinets in the before picture. I would have gotten rid of that wall of paneling behind the stove in order to make the cabinets the focus. I'd have put new hardware on the cabinets and replaced the appliances. I think the original cabinets had a lot of potential.

The cat is a perfect accessory for your kitchen!

I'm so envious of your huge window, though I know it eats up a lot of wall space. And I love your backsplash!