Well, I'm not "totally" done, but I'm going to go ahead and show you my kitchen re-do.

I still have a big green monster in my kitchen that needs to be painted, but with all the fun Christmas stuff coming up to post about I wanted to first take you on a tour of my kitchen.

Today I'll show you the before and during and tomorrow
I'll be back with an in detail look of the after.

Here is my before.

I loved my kitchen with the wall paper,
but it was dated and worn out.
I really needed a change.
So, off came the paper and on went the paint.

After Paint

I decided to use a pretty, soft tan color called Beechnut.

Of course, after you paint you realize that your accessories
no longer work in that room LOL! The beauty is in the detail.

So, slowly, I've been adding the details that warm up this room.

It's really different now, but I truly love it.
(a new floor would be great, but it ain't gonna happen right now)

I can't wait to give you a tour of my kitchen tomorrow!

A friend shared this on face book this morning and I just had to share it, too!
It's GREAT!
Seriously, you NEED to watch this...

I wasn't going to post Halloween pictures until AFTER Halloween but...

these were just so cute I had to share:

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Here is Andrew in his homemade Mad Scientist costume

A lab coat from an uncle,

gloves and goggles from Papa,

spiky hair sprayed white and green =

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Cool costume for one cool kid!

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Jessica wanted to be a beauty queen for Halloween.

Personally I think she is a beauty EVERY day :)

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A princess crown sprayed black with added glitter

A borrowed dress from mom

An orange Miss Halloween Sash

The prettiest Halloween beauty queen EVER!

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Here is my special Super Girl, Kimberly!

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She picked this out herself and I think it fits her perfectly!

Most lovely super girl in the world.

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All aboard the Daniel Express!

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This boy LOVES choo-choo trains.

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A most perfect costume for a most perfect little boy :-)

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Even mom got in on the fun.

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This was my quick, cheap, last minute, homemade costume idea...

a basket of laundry.

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I bought a cheap laundry basket ($3) and cut out the bottom.

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I added (clean) laundry to fill in the basket and pined the items in so I wouldn't loose anything.

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I printed off a Tide label and taped it onto a small box.

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I added some straps to the basket to help it stay on .

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It was a HIT! All the moms loved it and everyone got a great big laugh out of it.

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Here is the best picture of all ...

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Oh yeah! The BEST part of Halloween is the

As I was "blog-hoping" I saw this cutie idea for fall, but now I can't remember where I saw it!
I'd love to give credit to who came up with this idea, so if you know, please tell me so I can link up to them.

Yesterday I spent the day freshening up my laundry room.

My neglected and forgotten space.

Making my home more welcoming.

It was past time to make her feel special ;)

BEFORE:
(I know, shameful)

AFTER:

BEFORE:
(she is SO embarrassed!)

AFTER:

I even added a small light to warm up the space.

Warm, cozy, welcoming, pretty...

Yes, I think my laundry room loves me again!

Wow! What a long weekend we had!

Is it Tuesday already?

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I totally forgot yesterday was Monday and I missed

"Dancing with the Stars".

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Bummer :(

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Oh well.....

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We spent the weekend shopping for a new (to us) van.

Our poor Windstar was on it's last leg.

I won't even try to tell you all that was wrong with it, but it really needs to be shot and put out of it's misery ;-)

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So, after looking and talking and searching, dear hubby and I made the decision and bought this:

A 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT

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As I was "resting" last night, I spent a little time in blog-land and I found these two great posts:

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A Soft Place to Land: Make your home more welcoming ~ Challenge #1

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The Nesting Place: 31 Days to a A Better Dressed Nest : Day 19 ~ Freshen a Forgotten Space

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My laundry room is the most used entry to my home.

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She has been neglected.

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She gets dumped on,

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trashed,

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un-appreciated.

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Today is the day I am going to make her feel loved!

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She is going to be "freshened" and then she will be ready to make my family (and guests) feel "welcome" as they enter .

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If I get brave, maybe I'll post Before and After pictures tomorrow :)