Tuesday, September 1, 2009

A new school year

Tomorrow is the first day of school, and we are ready and set! Our son is heading off to middle school and so our days will start about 45 minutes earlier now. For now I am walking him and his friend to the bus stop, because it's way down the next street...he rather wishes I wouldn't though! :) I'll be honest~ it really isn't that I want to walk to the bus stop at 7:30 (I'd rather not) but have you heard that recent story of that girl who was kidnapped at age 11 and what has happened to her these past 18 years? Oh, I am SO going to walk him tomorrow, and the next day. And the next...until I feel comfortable with it, which with any luck, will be just in time for college, LOL! No, I am joking about that last part...I have told him it could be a week, a month, a year...Anyway...




Here is a little home improvement update: In the picture you can see our new counters, just a little! I am really happy with them, and they make the kitchen look SO much better! I am putting up beaded board everywhere in our kitchen and dining room, and it is going to take a while because I am still learning as I go. I love the feeling of serious girl-power I get every time I use that table saw, or maybe it's just adrenaline from the sheer terror of what could happen... I don't know, but it makes me feel like I can do anything...as long as I am really careful and don't cut off any fingers! :) I bought Benjamin Moore paint for our cabinets, because it is very durable, unlike what we used before. I bought it in a satin sheen, which is similar to a semi-gloss in other paint brands, and first tried it out on the shelves I am painting for our closet. I noticed it showed all of my brush strokes and was really unhappy with the way it looked. I know it's a high quality paint, but I was ready to throw it under the bus, so to speak. I thought I'd try out their eggshell and see if it was easier to work with, because usually the flatter the sheen, the more forgiving it is! I love it, but not necessarily for my cabinets. They said the satin would hold up better for cabinetry, and I think they're right. They told me to add this conditioning stuff to it so that it would help hide the brush strokes, so we'll see tomorrow what happens. Have any of you used Benjamin Moore paint and what do you think of it? Just curious...I got this new "Shortcut" paint brush at BM that I love~ it has a much smaller handle for holding it, and I think it will be wonderful for painting those tight spaces in my cabinets, without the handle getting in the way.




I also have been sorting through our bath towels, and realized I wasn't going to be able to put off purchasing new ones for our hall bath any longer! But I have a secret weapon, and it's called Marshall's! They have great prices on towels there, and I found this set with two hand towels, wash cloths, and bath towels for 20 dollars, which is a pretty good deal. Two of those sets will do for now, and my family will be much happier! :) If you need towels right now, this is a good place to go! :)


When I get a little further with our kitchen I will be sure to show you more "progress pictures"...I want to get a lot of the beaded board done before I show you the counters so you can see more progress and less ugliness! :)

I hope you are having a great week! :) Have a blessed night, you all!

9 comments:

Lauren said...

I love Marshall's!! (And TJ MAxx, and Ross, if you have them.)

I've never used BM paint - we usually stick with Behr from Home Depot. It has never let us down!

Have fun hanging b-board and painting! :)

Odette Bautista Mikolai said...

yes jenni, i have seen the news on TV and it's shocking it had taken 18 years. i don't have words for the wife who tolerated this horrible act, but i hope she too has to suffer the consequence.
you are doing right, as a parent we just can't take things for granted. we live in a strange time, we have to be on guard always.
xoxoxoxo

About Southern Belle said...

Those look like nice towels. I just went to Marshall's last week and got a few really neat items too!

Good luck with the beadboard...

jen said...

Looks like you have been really busy!! Our kids start school next Tuesday. I still have to finish up some school shopping.

I buy towels from TJ Max and I love them!!

As for the paint...I have never used Benjamine Moore, but I heard that conditioner works wonders and makes the paint much easier to work with.

Can't wait to see that kitchen. I'm so excited for you!!

Jen

the undomesticated wife said...

I love those stores, too. You can always find something for a good price!

Jeni said...

Those kinds of stores are the bomb!

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

Listen, my daughter is 17 and I still drive her and pick her up from school! There are honestly so many crazy people out there that you never know when or where something is going to happen. So my feeling is better safe than sorry!

The counters look nice. I usually always use BM and that's what I used on my kitchen cabinets too. It's expensive but I think worth it in certain situations.

Manuela

Montee said...

I understand you wanting to walk your son to the bus stop. When my children rode the bus, we were lucky that the bus stopped on the corner right next to our house. Still, I stood on my porch until they got on that bus and I watched out for the other children, too. Your son doesn't have it so bad. When my son was younger and we were traveling to meet my husband during his baseball season (me, my daughter and son traveling alone) I made my son go into the women's bathroom with us. He would get so irritated, but then I made him watch an epeisode of Oprah where she was talking about a boy who went to the bathroom at a park, his aunt stood outside and still the boy was murdered in that bathroom. My son no longer complained. Another good place to get those towel sets for $20.00 is Home Goods.

Anonymous said...

I can't blame you for wanting to make sure he makes it on the bus ok. There are a lot of weirdos out there. Your kitchen sounds like it is coming right along!