I’ve been dreading posting pictures of the kitchen because there’s only so much you can do with a kitchen that really, really needs a sledgehammer as opposed to a can of paint.  I didn’t even bother to paint it - just didn’t seem like anything would help.  Looking at the pictures I took, it doesn’t look that bad.  You can’t see the stained weird beige countertops or the kitchen sink that is permanently stained and chipped.  The oven, affectionally called “EZ Bake” because of its diminutive size, works great but looks like something from the Jetsons.  The stovetop is cool in a retro way but takes up tons of space.  Whoever decided to add cabinetry to the side of the kitchen had the right idea but not enough money to buy matching ones, so it looks like a Pinto you see driving down the road, farting smoke from the tailpipe, one red door and one primed trunk.  My kitchen is a Pinto.  Yep, I said it. 

Before:

After.  Not a fan of clutter.  At all.  Though it’s hard not to have a very small kitchen look uncluttered.  I did the best I could, and succeeded to some extent due to Nicole’s awesome suggestion to move this bizarre bar thingy stored in the family room into the kitchen. It doubles as a bookshelf, margarita glass holder, coffee maker and microwave stand.  In honor of Nicole’s great idea, I have their framed housewarming gift (a picture of Nicole and Dan) on top of the microwave. 

I had a hard time with the family room.  Most of it was mental, because that is the room the camel crickets loved.  When I first moved in, I couldn’t walk in there without having them spring out of the corners.  I spent at least 30 minutes a day sucking them up trying to not simultaneously shriek/barf with the Dyson.  Because I had a creepy feeling every time I went in there, it took me awhile to clean it out and decorate. I finally pulled down the pheasant curtains and hardware, cleaned up the walls, hung pictures and draperies, and made sure all the cricket bodies had been removed. 

Before:

Once we moved the bar thingy (seen in the second picture) into the kitchen, the room really opened up. I decided to split it in half, and dedicated half the room to the girls and all of their stuff, and the other half to me.  I’ve been using it as a place to read and occasionally stare off into space.  The couch is also excellent for conversations and tears if you need to do a little crying. 

The laundry room was nothing special and still isn’t, but I did use the huge closet thingy as a pantry.  Not convenient in the slightest, but still allows me to buy in bulk.

Before:

And now:

I repurposed a clothing rack from a trade show into a drying rack:

That is all.  I am tired!  I’m also home.