Kitchen Demo: Part 2

Well, everything is gone! The old closet, the cabinets, the counter tops, the appliances, the bad tile on the wall, and even the floor! Demo day stunk! My dad and brothers forgot to hang tarps during the first hour which resulted in my entire home filling up with a plaster smoke. I'm talking the entire house! My room, my sons room, the living room, EVERY room!!! As soon as I realized what had happened I made them stop and hang a tarp and I quickly ran all around the house trying to open all the windows! In doing this I put the palm of my hand through a window! Yes people, I apparently have super human strength. Along with the broken window, some drapes got cracked. At this point I had to drive my little man over to grandma's house and race home to clean so we could continue to live in my house during the remodel. In an effort to vent, I called Lindsay and she actually offered to come over and clean with me!! Who does that?! So me and Lindsay wore awesome face masks and washed floors, wiped down couches, dusted tables, and cleaned off toys. I am so thankful I did not have to do that alone!!
My dad came back the day after and built the frame for the new closet next to the front door.
Next step, new electric ran and dry wall hung. To be continued....

Kitchen Demo: Part 1

The demolition on my kitchen has become all consuming and since I'm going through it, you are too! For starters, I'd like to show you how the kitchen has looked since we have lived here. I'm sure a few things stand out right from the start. We have no dishwasher, there is a closet protruding into the center of the kitchen, the cabinets are 50 years old, there is no pantry, the oven is CRAZY small and the stove is nowhere near the oven. Weird right?
We made it work for as long as we could! I was fine washing dishes everyday, but with a new baby on the way (which means lots of bottle washing) it's time for a change. The closet needs to go for sure! If it wasn't there it would really open the kitchen up! As far as the cabinets go, there are maddening! They all open on their own and some mornings I come downstairs and they will all be open. Yes, this could be helpful if I was looking for something, but mostly it's annoying and I bump into them a lot. They need to go!
The pantry missing was it's own problem. We used the lazy susan cabinet for our cans and put a book shelf against the closet wall for extra pantry storage. This helped, but looked awful!
Last but not least, the oven. We actually had to buy small pans for it a few years ago because all of the standard cooking pans would not fit. Needless to say I've never cooked a turkey here!

So it's time for it all to go! I mean everything!
Let's see how fashionable I can be while there is debris all around my house....

Kristin Hassan's Fashion Show

I have to admit, this was my first fashion show so i had no idea what to expect. I was beyond blown away! It was a solo fashion show for Kristin Hassan's spring 2010 line and came complete with camera crews, a DJ, complimentary wine and flavored waters, and gift bags! It was held on Michigan Ave. in the mall right next to Bloomingdale's. When it came time to view the collection we all went into the store that was set up for a runway show and this is were the real fun took place. The collection is outstanding! Dresses, tanks, shorts, rompers and skirts all made of fun prints with modern twists on some staple pieces that should be in every ones closets this spring/summer! She is running a promotion now that saves you 20% when you enter SAVE20 at checkout. You can shop the collection here.

Yoga Class

My husband and I joined a stress management yoga class at the park district a few weeks ago. It is amazing! We do get into some pose work and stretching, but mostly it focuses on breathing techniques and meditation.
When I say breathing techniques I mean breathing so deeply and sometimes fast you feel like you might pass out followed by a body and head buzz! It's crazy and outstanding at the same time! I can't even explain to you how relaxing that hour is (and all hours following the class)! I think it is very important for everyone to find an outlet that works for them to reduce the stresses of everyday life! Let's be honest, too much stress can age you quickly (not to mention cause serious health problems) and no one needs that!

How to: Fishtail braid (click here)

Questions answered!

My blog follower Linda asked: "how do u do fishtail braids??? can u do a tutorial/youtube demo?"

Here you go! Hope this helps!