Blog Archives - Accidentally MJ

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Kitchen Light Installed & Tile Frustrations

4/29/2015

First the good news: Hubby got the kitchen ceiling light installed and it is much nicer than that old boob light!

It also plays well with the existing pendant lights, nice warm glow:

Now the bad news: Our local Lowes does not have our mosaic backsplash tile in stock. You may say, So what?? Just have them order it! HAHAHA! Don't I wish it was that easy! The problem is that the tile we chose is a "non-stock" item. What the hell is that?? They can't order it for us nor can they get it from another store for us. We would have to drive WAY out of our way to go purchase this tile from another store WITHOUT the guarantee that it would even be at the other store after we drove across the state for it. No way. Not doing it. Period.

Being the optimist I am, I thought, Well, shoot, why don't we just pick a different tile?? If we were gonna waste time and money going to get this tile, why don't we pick something nicer that is actually IN STOCK and spend that money on better tile?? (See how I twisted that logic there?) LOL... ;-)

Sooooo, that is the plan. Make a new plan! We will do some shopping together this time and choose something on the spot and purchase all we will need AT ONE TIME. Boom. Done.

I'll update you all on the new plan when the choices are made. Moving on!
Happy Wednesday Everyone! Stay safe all my B-more Peeps!
Cheers!
M J

Monday Boost

4/27/2015

It amazes me how fast we can be taken down a notch or two just when we think things are going so well. All I could do Saturday was rest my neck and hope for some relief. I came across this beautiful Lakota Prayer while trolling Pinterest and thought is was fitting:

Art Via Lindsay Ostrom
It really resonated with me and I love this artwork by Lindsay Ostrom.
Balance in all things is tough to come by, especially when you aren't truly paying attention. I will need to pay particular attention to the needs of my own body from here on out so I may avoid those lost days spent in pain.
I hope you all find some balance this week!
Cheers!
M J

Dining Room Chandelier Installed!

4/24/2015

Well, we managed to purchase and install the dining room chandelier last night! If you remember from previous posts, here is the old chandelier:

AND here is the new chandelier:

It casts a really nice glow on the dining area:

Next up will be installing the kitchen ceiling light. I think Hubby is on his own with that one since helping him with this chandelier last night is probably what caused a neck spasm for me this morning... Yay for muscle relaxers! ;-) LOL...
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Cheers!
M J

Kitchen/Dining Lighting

4/22/2015

I promised in my Kitchen Plans Part Deux post last week that I would show you the lighting choices for the Kitchen/Dining update. It was tough making a decision with all the choices out there, but it ultimately came down to price and coordination with our existing pendant lights. Here is one of the pendant lights off:

We love these shades, the only issue with them is that they look radically different when they are switched on:

The existing chandelier is just your regular ole' builder grade model with shades I bought to coordinate better with the pendants:

While it isn't the ugliest chandelier I've ever seen and I could probably DIY a cheap change to the thing, I really just want something more our style.
Of course, we also have the kitchen BOOB light to replace as well:

I scoured the web for more modern perhaps even Shaker style lighting and the choices seem to be endless. Lucky for me, we need to be cheap! ;-) Price narrows the choices down considerably... LOL... I found a great chandelier and semi-flush mount light that I just loved, but realized that they clashed with the pendants that we already loved. At the risk of going way too modern for our kitchen/dining area, I decided on the allen & roth Harpwell chandelier and flush mount lights from Lowes (pictures via Lowes website):

Hubby and I completely agreed that these fixtures with their tea-stained glass coordinate better with the existing pendants. The style is also just in that space between modern and Shaker that works for our area. AND the price is right. Just right! Goldilocks would be proud... :-) Now we just need to see if Lowes has them in stock or if we have to order them.
Moving right along this week! Hope you are all having a great Wednesday!
Cheers!
M J

Monday Boost

4/20/2015

GOOD MORNING!! Oh, sorry! Too loud, too early? ;-) I hope you are all having a good start to your day and that you got to enjoy your weekend.

We got to our spring planting this weekend and Hubby did the first grass (weed, DOH!) mowing of the season. He also had his first sneezing fit of the season... LOL... Oh well, he knows how to handle the seasonal allergies now. While the gardening can be a lot of work, we so enjoy making our little property pretty and inviting. We spend a lot of time outside from now until late fall, so a beautiful landscape makes us very happy!

While none of our property is perfect, we just go with it. I REALLY wanted to cover our concrete side porch and steps with decking and create a little seating area right off of the kitchen door, but no dice. Maybe someday! Instead, I jammed our beach umbrella into a planter and stuck a chair & side table under it right next to the concrete porch. Hey, it works and is a great spot to have my morning coffee when time permits...

Things are still blooming out around the yard. A few bushes and plants didn't survive the horrible winter. Nothing about our yard is perfect, but it is US and that is what matters, right? Who needs that perfectly manicured lawn the neighbors have anyway...
What is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.
- Anna Quindlen
We've all worked long and hard becoming ourselves, no need to be like anyone else. Comparison is the thief of joy, after all.
Be yourself. DO YOU. I promise you will be much, much happier.
Happy Monday and have a great week!
Cheers!
M J

Kitchen Plans Part Deux

4/17/2015

Thank you all for your input on the Kitchen Plans and Indecisions! Seems like the favorite is Choice #2:

The paint color is a bit blown out in that photo, but it is a crisp, celedon green in real life. It looks great with the cherry cabinets and with this mosaic tile. It will freshen up the kitchen/dining area nicely. We may also be using another color in this family to paint the living room and hallway, but one thing at a time, right? Next up is deciding when we will start the work. There is a great new product that allows you to tile without mortar and you can grout in the same day. We will be trying that out as well. Oh the excitement! :-)
Next week, I'll update you on possible lighting choices. Getting real sick of the old-style chandelier in the dining room and the ceiling boob light in the kitchen... Hehe...
Happy Friday! Have a great weekend Everyone!
Cheers!
M J

Kitchen Plans and Indecisions...

4/15/2015

Indecisions indeed... Do you know how overwhelmed you feel when you walk into the big box stores and there are 50 gajillion choices for EVERYTHING? Yeah, you know it. I can hear your hearts speeding up just thinking about it... Well, Saturday I took myself to Lowes to find a mosaic backsplash tile that would work with our existing cabinets and quartz countertop. HOLY INDECISION BATMAN! Waaayyyy too many choices. I cannot even tell you how much time I wasted looking at tile. The one saving grace was that I had my paint chips with me.
Let's start with how the kitchen looks now:

Yes, that is a black painted backsplash. It's cool, it's edgy, it hides splatter like nobody's business and most importantly, it matches the bordering-on-super-ugly-quartz countertop. Sigh. Sometimes we work with what we have, right?
Here is a closer shot of said countertop:

Don't get me wrong, this countertop is absolutely no maintenance. It stays. So do the cherry cabinets. No matter how much I would LOVE to paint the uppers a beautiful cream color and leave the lowers cherry, the Hubby is not havin' it... :-) The compromise is a new backsplash, hardware, and paint on the walls. Eventually, there will be a new chandelier and kitchen ceiling light as well, I'll show you those another time.
Here are the two choices I narrowed down to:

We are having a tough time deciding, but I am partial to Choice #2 with the beautiful green through it and Hubby is partial to the sparkly glass tile in Choice #1. They are both ok, but I keep thinking Choice #1 is just too busy for the eye. AND the hardware choice I made looks awesome with Choice #2:

Just to give you another piece to the puzzle, here is a shot of one of our three pendant lights already in the kitchen:

To me, it just seems like Choice #2 was made for this kitchen... But I may be biased... ;-)
Let me know what ya'll think!
Happy Wednesday Everyone! The week is almost half over...
Cheers!
M J

Monday Boost

4/13/2015

It always strikes me when someone is so bent on seeing the bad or the worst in every. single. thing. I often wonder if people who are so pessimistic just do not have the will to try to see the possibilities in their world. Happily, I am mostly surrounded by very optimistic, positive people. This does not mean that these people haven't had their share of tragedy, no. This simply means that they are strong enough to move forward without dwelling on said tragedy...
Optimism is an intellectual choice.
- Diana Schneider
Being optimistic, being happy is a choice you always have in your power to make. Take the steps you need to make it happen.
Happy Monday!
Cheers!
M J

Couple Project - Fused Glass Fish

4/9/2015

A few weeks ago, Hubby, Niecey and I went to one of those paint your own pottery places and had a fun time painting some pieces. Well, Niecey and I had fun, but Hubby just wasn't too into the whole painting thing. However, they also do glass fusing and slumping there, which piqued his interest. The next day, He and I went in so he could work on a glass fish mosaic that he had in mind. I wound up helping him with it and we had a great time collaborating on colors and shapes:

We were so excited to see how he turned out! Hubby picked him up and we gave him a prime spot on the mantel:

I placed him a nice, heavy brass stand and he fits right in with the lamp lighting him from behind. This was such a relaxing, affordable project for us, we may have to do it again!
I hope you are all having a great week!
Cheers!
M J

Monday Boost

4/6/2015

What a beautiful day we have been having today! Hubby had the day off and we got to spend some time together walking around our little town taking pictures...

The daffodils were bowing their heads as if grateful for the warm spring sunshine...
Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart.
- Zig Ziglar
We had a smile for everyone today and grateful hearts for many other reasons.
We hope you all had a wonderful weekend with family and friends. I am grateful for you all!
Cheers!
M J