Spiffing up the Kitchen

Someday, we will totally renovate the kitchen. I think :) But that day is off in the very distant future, so in the meantime we've done some very affordable changes to improve the look and feel of the kitchen. I mean, we use this room many, many times a day, and its a hardworking part of our house. So it's worth the money to make the room a little more aesthetically pleasing, fresh and comfortable in the meantime.

I tend to want to wait to share rooms until they are 100% done. Which means that I dont really share them, because I struggle with saying that a room is done. Even once we've fixed things up, painted, brought in furniture, etc, there are always things that I want to tweak, fix up, improve, etc. One of my favorite blogs is the The Nesting Place, and her mantra of "It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful" has really been speaking to me lately. So in the spirit of un-perfection, here's what our kitchen looks like today. :)



Just kidding. That's what it looked like when we bought the house. It's so...woodsy, right? I've been slowly painting the cabinets, starting with all of the lower cabinets. My goal is to just get them painted, so I haven't worried about using super duper durable paints. I've just used what I have on hand - Kilz Primer and some white semi gloss paint. They look a million times better, in my personal opinion.



A few weekends ago, we replaced the cracked, peeling and very, very stained linoleum floor in here. We found stick on vinyl tiles that were made in long strips to look a bit like hardwood floors. We banged out removing the old floor, cleaning and patching the linoleum underneath and laying the new floor in a weekend. I was so proud of us. Now we're working on new baseboards, which, although only primed so far, are a significant improvement over the industrial vinyl "baseboards" that were there before.



Stick-on tiles aren't the most durable long term solution, but I love how much they improved this room in the short term. And I love that Keilana (and Javi) can crawl around on a nice, clean, pretty floor. Hello beautiful!




I've painted all the trim in here, and its made a big difference. We also had that big window replaced last summer, which is some of the best money we've ever spent. Having a window that does not leak and opens completely, with a screen? Now that's luxury living. :)

So obviously, next up is painting the upper cabinets. I'm excited to get that done, as it seems like each time that something gets painted, this room gets brighter and nicer. Still, even with only half the cabinets painted, I'm loving how much better everything looks.



We replaced the faucet last summer. It is the height of luxury: it's high enough to fit big pots under, pulls out to fill up things on the counter or rinse out the sink, and has a sprayer which I just discovered works wonders for cleaning chunks of food off of little baby bibs. I love it. And yes, those are snowflake Christmas lights still hanging in the window. ;)



There isn't a ton of counter space on this side of the kitchen, which is why I love the glass cooktop. It allows us just a little bit more space for cutting and prepping and chopping. Plus, it is hands down one of my favorite things to clean. I know, I'm weird. :)

This corner is quite cluttered right now. It's a hardworking part of the kitchen (although just about every corner is in this little kitchen) but it's also up out of reach of the kids, so those shelves and the top of the fridge get loaded with things that need to stay out of the reach of little fingers.



Most of our dry goods hang out on these shelves, along with the radio, some miscellaneous stuff, cook books, the sugary treats basket and a box of cereal that doesn't fit in the cabinet. Randomness. :) I'll address that all at some point. I think someday we are going to fill this wall with builtin shelves to maximize the storage on this side.



That crown molding is going to be a pain to paint. I actually asked Lover if it made sense to take it all down, and put up prepainted new crown. He assured me that it didn't. :) Someday we want to take out that tall cabinet, and the chimney that runs behind it, and widen that doorway to almost twice the size. That will hopefully help with the bottleneck that a 24inch doorway into the kitchen always creates.


So that's where we are with the kitchen. A new window and faucet, some clean, uncracked floors, and a lot of white paint. It's a significant improvement, wouldn't you agree?

This cake is the bomb {Tiramisu Layer Cake}

Do people still say "the bomb" anymore? Probably not. Oh well, I've never been trendy, and it's too late to start now! :) Perhaps this week, as you plan out what you will do for Easter, you are thinking about what to serve for dessert. And if you are, let me humbly suggest this masterpiece of a cake.  I found it on allrecipes.com, where I've found most of my favorite recipes by searching through their five star ratings.

I first made this delight a few years ago for Mother's Day, when tasked to bring "an amazing dessert". This cake delivered. My mother-in-law talked about it for months afterwards!

This cake has all of the elements to be a blockbuster success: mascarpone cheese, coffee, Kahlua, heavy cream, more Kahlua... so very, very good. :)



I'm not a food blogger, so I didn't do that cool step-by-step picture thing. I've tried that before, but I always forget after step 6 or 7, throw it all together, and then barely remember to take a photo of the final product. So. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients: (don't be scared by the long list. A lot of the items are repeated. Also? This is one of the recipes where you shouldn't skimp or substitute. Go with the good stuff.)

CAKE:
1 (18.25 ounce) package moist white cake
1 tsp. instant coffee powder
1/4 c. brewed coffee (I use French vanilla coffee for this and it's divine.)
1 Tbsp. Kahlua

FILLING:
1 (8oz) container of mascarpone cheese
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
2 Tbsp. Kahlua

FROSTING:
2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. confectioner's sugar
2 Tbsp. Kahlua

GARNISH:
2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 (1 oz)square of semi sweetened chocolate.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 9 inch cake pans.


2. Prepare your cake mix according to the directions. Divide 2/3 of the batter between 2 pans, and then stir the instant coffee into the remaining batter. Pour into last pan.


3. Bake in oven for about 20-25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack until completely cool. Combine your brewed coffee and 1 Tbsp of the Kahlua, set aside.


4. For the filling: In a small bowl, with mixer on low, combine mascarpone, 1/2 c. confec. sugar and 2 Tbsp. of Kahlua; beat just until it gets smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.


5. For the Frosting: In a medium bowl, beat cream, 1/4 c. of confec. sugar and 2 Tbsp of Kahlua with mixer on med-high until stiff. This will take about 10 minutes. Fold 1/2 cup of this cream mixture into the filling.


6. To assemble: Place one plain layer cake on a plate. Poke holes in cake with a skewer, about an inch apart. Pour one third of the reserved coffee mixture over cake, then spread with half the filling mixture. Top with coffee flavored cake, repeat holes and pour another third of the coffee mixture over this layer. Spread with remaining filling. Top with remaining cake layer, poke holes, pour rest of coffee mixture over the top. Spread top and sides of cake with frosting. Place cocoa in a sieve and lightly dust the top of the cake. Shave chocolate square into curls and garnish top of cake. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

I know it seems like a lot of work. It will take a while, but if you make the filling and the frosting while the cakes are baking, it really cuts down on the length of time. And because you can't taste something through a computer screen, you'll just have to trust me that it's that good. Worth the time and the extra ingredients. I am now considering making this on Saturday for our family brunch. :)



 

Friday Favs Vol. 20

Here's a few of the things that have caught my eye or my heart this week. Hope you enjoy them too!

**This adaptation of I Corinthians 13 for mothers had me in tears almost instantly.

**I'm making this Thai Chicken Stir Fry tonight for my in-laws. It looks delicious, I'll let you know if it turns out well!

**I've had Laura Story's Blessings on repeat this week.

** I loved this interview that Erin did with her elderly neighbor on mothering in the 1950's.

**And lastly, this Mother Theresa quote has been convicting me quite a bit lately.

A Thousand Sleepless Nights

what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near? 

It's been a long time since I have consistently slept through the night. I'm nearing a thousand nights, literally. Javi  is two and half, and there was a brief period of about six months between when he started sleeping through the night, and I got pregnant again, where I was actually getting a full, comfortable night's sleep. Keilana teased a bit with a few full night's sleep about a week ago, but has since had some really rough nights where she is up over and over and over. The kind of nights where she just wants her mama.

And it's hard. I love sleep. I've always hated being woken up in the mornings, by anyone. When I was a teenager I bought myself an alarm clock because I would be furious with my dad every morning when he came in my room to wake me up. I absolutely adore that feeling of waking up slowly, to the morning light, in the quiet and stillness of the early hours.

But that's pretty near impossible with two little ones. Most nights are a combination of intense work to get them to sleep, then several wake up calls from little Keilana, usually a bout of early morning insomnia (I'm so tired! Why aren't I sleeping? The kids are sleeping!) and then desperate morning sleep up until I hear the banging or crying begin again.

 

I said all that to get to my point. When I get enough sleep, I find it easy to be a mama. I'm patient with my kids, consistent with discipline, willing to put the necessary work into the day. I have the mental space and the energy to listen to Lover's work stories, and even to invest in my friends. I pretty much rock. Easy peasy. But if there's one thing that I've learned over the last three years, it's that parenting is not supposed to be easy. Two years ago, almost to the day, I read this and posted it on Facebook:

Parenting is so difficult because God is making it purposefully impossible. Why??? So that it is always SLANTED TOWARD JESUS. Keeping us near Him. Keeping us in prayer and constantly crying out to Him. -Rare and Beautiful Treasures

This morning, driving home from Wegmans with the kiddos in the back, Laura Story's Blessings came on the radio. (Which is not surprising, because it was K-Love. Sorry, inside joke) Every time I hear this song, it takes me to task. The idea that God allows trials, hard times, difficulties in our lives, because he wants to bless us.

Apparently, it takes at least a thousand sleepless nights for me to know that God is near. Parenting is so hard for me. I've never been a "kid person" I wasn't the girl cuddling the babies, jumping at the chance to babysit for friends. I never had that "ache" to have kids. I love deep, meaningful talks with adults, a clean house and independence. Oh, and sleeping.

But as it turns out, God is a "kid person." Jesus was always looking for the children, welcoming them to him, using them as illustrations. He talks about how they will inherit the kingdom of God. The Psalmist says that children are a heritage from the Lord. He says the parent who has many is...happy.

God forgive my prideful and arrogant ways, thinking that I wasn't a "kid person". Because if I truly want to be like you, and I do, then I need to love children the way you do. And if it takes a thousand more sleepless nights, then that's what  I need.  Show me how to love them like you do, help me to see what you see.

Soften my hard and angry heart, resentful of yet another interruption, another night with little sleep. Show me how to be the mother you want me to be, regardless of the rest I've gotten. Open my eyes to the treasures that my children are, and how you have blessed me. Give me the patience and the strength for today and especially for tonight.

 

A Day in the Life {March 2014}

I thought it would be fun to document a typical day around here. I'm sure when I look back at this post in a year or two that I'll love remembering what life was like with two little ones! So here's our day, which was actually last Monday. 

7:00am I wake up slowly, a luxury that doesn't happen often around here. The kids are magically still asleep, and Lover is breathing deeply next to me. I lay there in bed, pray a little, think through what we have on the docket for today, and snuggle with Lover. He goes to shower and I hang out in bed for a few more minutes, until I remember that I need to make Lover's lunch today. So I throw on my robe and head downstairs.

7:30am Lover leaves for work and the kids are STILL asleep! I make myself a cup of tea and go over the plan for the week and work on dinner ideas and make a list for Walmart later this morning. I'm drinking in this unexpected quiet time.

7:55am I hear both kids stirring, so I head upstairs. I open Javi's door, he's curled up next to the heater vent by the door just like every morning. At least this morning he's not banging his head on the wall. (A very common occurrence) We go into Keilana's room, she's just transitioning to her floor bed and has started sleeping through the night. Hallelujah! She's hungry though, so I nurse her, then change and dress both kids and we head downstairs.

8:35am Breakfast is served, we're keeping it simple with frosted shredded wheat, bananas and oatmeal for Keilana. I try mashing up bananas and mixing her oatmeal in with that, but still have no success getting her to eat her oatmeal. Oh well, we'll keep trying.

With breakfast done and Javi playing happily with his toys, I see my chance for a shower. I put Keilana in the jumper and run upstairs for a short, all business shower. I'm very efficient, since my mantra these days is "a toddler left to himself brings his mother to tears." Its amazing the amount of mess a 2yr old can get into in ten minutes by himself.

I'm clean and decent, so I go back downstairs, get KK who is now fussing, and bring her up with me while I do my makeup and hair. Javi joins us, and proceeds to climb into my bed (which I just made) and pretend sleep while I finish getting ready. He also tries to eat my chapstick. KK is still fussing, so I decide that she needs a nap before we go to Walmart today.

9:45am Keilana is down for a nap, and Javi pretends to sleep in his room (where he is allowed to have his binkies.) I convince him to come downstairs with me, and we spend some time reading and going over Brain Quest flashcards that my aunt bought for him. I try to do something intentional with Javi during Keilana's morning nap, and these cards have been great. He loses interest after about fifteen minutes, and goes off to play while I clean up from breakfast and finish my grocery list.

10:25am Keilana is up early from her nap, so I pack everyone up and load us all into the van. Javi at first refuses his jacket, which I allow, but then decides he DOES want the jacket, and he wants it zipped up and with the hood on too. He runs out the door yelling "binkie in seat!" (he's also allowed a binkie in the car)

10:45am We wander the aisles of Walmart for the dozen random things that we  need or are out of. Walmart takes way too long, as always. We stop at Wendy's on our way home for cheeseburgers and scarf them down when we get home.

Noon We videochat with my parents almost every Monday once they get home. They email me that they're home, so we log on and chat with them for a bit. The kids are ridiculously loud throughout the call, so we mostly talk in snippets here and there. Javi shows Yayo and Yaya his trains, talks on the phone with them, and licks the back of his chair. Pretty typical! Keilana fusses a little, pours on the charm for the camera, and then plays on the floor for most of the call. I change diapers, try to talk in coherent sentences, keep tabs on what Javi's doing, oh, and try to eat some lunch while I'm at it.

12:50pm We say our goodbyes and Javi hangs up on my parents in the middle of a sentence. I grab Keilana and get Javi heading up the stairs for naptime. Keilana is more than ready since she had such a short nap this morning. She may be asleep before I've finished settling her in her swing. I change Javi's diaper, read him Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and go over Quiet Time Rules before I leave his room. His struggle to hold up the right amount of fingers for rules 1, 2 and 3 always makes both of us laugh.

1:20pm The next two hours go by in a blur. They're always my busiest hours of the day, but also my quietest. I spend some time reading and praying, then work on selecting pictures to print for family and notes for this post. My goal is to have time to work on a painting for Keilana's room, so I work as efficiently as I can, although I do my best not to rush through my devotions.

3:30pm I'm done with devotions and the computer work that needed to happen today. I pull out the stuff for the painting and get started, getting in the zone but keeping an ear out for Keilana. Sure enough, she's up within about fifteen minutes. I bring her downstairs and get her engaged in some toys, and try to work on the painting a little more. I really like how it's coming out, but it's taking a long time.

4:00pm Javi's up, and comes downstairs. He sees me still painting, pulls a chair over and tries to "help." I rescue the canvas and let him play with the paints still on the plates for a few minutes. Once everything is cleaned up we go back into the living room, where Javi watches Thomas the Train, Keilana practices crawling, and I start the first few chapters of Bossypants, a book I've been looking forward to reading for forever. It's really vulgar though, so I don't make it past the fourth chapter. That's annoying.

5:00pm Its almost time for Lover to get home, so I make sure the house is somewhat picked up and we're ready to head out. Our Sams Club membership expires today, and we're buying two twin mattresses for a project in the basement. We'll grab some pizza there too (and call it dinner :)

5:30pm We wander the aisles of Sam's Club for a while, and Javi has a blast checking out one of the sheds that's all set up in the club. Keilana takes everything in from her perch in the carseat, and once again refuses any food. We let her chew on a pizza crust which makes her super happy and Lover and I chat about our day so far. Javi is in seventh heaven when we let him ride on the cart with the mattresses, and "help" load them into the van. It takes a little finagling, but we manage to get both mattresses, both carseats and all four of us safely in the van to head home. Stow and Go seating rocks! We stop on the way home to pick up the photos I ordered earlier.

7:00pm Lover unloads the kids and the mattresses while I step outside to make a quick phone call about the workshop I'm teaching next weekend. Javi spots me and runs out with me, sans coat or shoes, and proceeds to have the time of his life. We run up and down the sidewalks and he throws snow at me and laughs hysterically.

7:45pm My neck and back have been aching and bothering me all day, so I draw a scalding hot bath with epsom salts and soak for about half an hour while Lover plays with the kids and they watch Doctor Who. I browse blogs, check my email and mostly just relax.

8:20pm I can hear KK crying and know that she's ready for her nap/bedtime, so I finish up my bath and we round up the kids and head upstairs. I change and nurse KK and put her to sleep while Lover gets Javi into PJs and has him brush his teeth. I make it into Javi's room in time for a Bible story and prayer time, and then it's lights out for Javi.
8:45pm Lover and I head back downstairs, breathe a sigh of relief that both kids are in bed (although we hear Javi banging for a while), and cuddle up on the couch to watch some shows. I eat one of the cheese danishes we bought at Sams Club (Lover steals a few bites) while we watch one of our favorite shows, the Good Wife, and a new show called Crisis that has been very interesting so far.

10:00pm Keilana shows no signs of waking, so we head up to bed. I go in to Javi's room and put him in bed, since he's fallen asleep next to the heater vent, under the rug like it's a blanket. Totally normal. I do a jigsaw puzzle on my tablet while I get ready, I just discovered this app and I love it. Once in bed we chat for a few more minutes, and then roll over to get some much needed shut eye. It's been a great day with few tantrums and we got a lot done, so I'm pretty happy. I sleep like the dead until Keilana wakes up around 2am. Bummer for not sleeping through the night tonight!