Friday, December 30, 2016

Home Sweet Home


Hello, Dear Friends, in my last post I promised 
to share some photos of my son, Dustin and wife, Jen's 
home remodel. 

Dustin is my youngest and he married Jen in 
2014. Together they bought a 'fixer-upper', built
in the 1980's that had never been updated. 

Over the last two years they have worked and saved 
to remodel their dream home and although they are 
not completely finished (are homes ever really done?), 
I wanted to share with you their most recent project, 
the downstairs, especially the kitchen! 

Here, their fur-baby, Lucky relaxes by the fireplace, 
which was just updated with a new mantel. 


They are faithful Seahawks' fans and invited friends and family
over for their annual Seahawks' party and to see 
the results of their hard work in home improvement. 


Of course the house sported Seahawks' colored 
Christmas lights, too! :)


Here is the 'before and after' of the kitchen. 
Quite a difference, don't you think? 

Let's take a closer look........


So light and bright now! 

No more black appliances......

*****
"Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest;
Home-keeping hearts are happiest"
- Henry W. Longfellow -


Jen is an excellent cook (and Dustin has a few
signature dishes of his own), so a serious stove 
was first on the list. 

Marble subway tiles and quartz counters are 
easy to keep clean. 


*****
"I do not understand how anyone can live without
one small place of enchantment to turn to"
- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings -


*****
"Home, the spot of earth supremely blest,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest"
- Robert Montgomery -


Floating shelves and new windows keep things airy and light. 



These were the old windows. 


A deep farmhouse sink is handy for large pots and pans. 


A floating island is perfect for serving, 
food prep and unloading groceries. 

The flooring is new and matches the beams overhead. 


This was the old flooring......very nice, but 
the new floor looks so beautiful. All the trim 
was replaced, too. 


A built-in coffee maker keeps counters 
free from clutter. 


This area in-between the kitchen and dining area
 was changed, too.......
(Photo from DIL, Erica's baby shower in 2015)



Now it looks like this, with a built-in wine cooler
and fridge. 


They collect snowmen :)


Love these.....


The buffet in its new place beside the table. 
You can see the new French door at the end
of the table.
The wine cooler and bar area is just to the right.
They also added recessed lighting in the ceiling. 


Jen's artwork :)


The wall between the dining area and living room was 
opened up and framed in with rustic timbers.

On their list - a new dining set.
This one is from Dustin's bachelor days :)


A new bench by the door. 


Cuteness! 


The new mantel. 
A stocking for Lucky, too :)
They white-washed the old red brick. 


This was the old mantel. 
(During my DIL, Erica's baby shower in 2015)


*****
"Happiness grows at our own firesides, 
and is not to be picked in strangers' gardens"
- Douglas Jerrold -


New window and trim. 

All the windows were original to the house
and were no longer energy efficient. 


Of course, this is a Seahawks' party, so everyone is
appropriately dressed, including this little '12th man' - 
baby grandson, Gavin.  


Right down to the booties which he 
is busily kicking off! 


Uncle Dustin built a kid's fort in the garage,
which Grandpa and little Ethan are checking out. 

He's such a fun Uncle!
There's even Christmas lights draped over it!




Time to eat! 
Homemade chili, meatballs, corn muffins, and lots of nibbles! 

xoxo

So glad you could join our party! 

xoxo



An Irish Blessing for the New Year
*****
May you always have walls for winds,
a roof for the rain,
tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you,
those you love near you,
and all that your heart might desire.
*****
Happy New Year,
Dear Friends!
xoxo

33 comments:

  1. That is a wonderful kitchen...they did a beautiful job putting it together! I love all of their choices! Gorgeous before and after! Happy New Year

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Karen: Wow, what a difference they have made. I love their kitchen and am a big fan of the white cupboards. Their home is lovely and happy to see they have a kitty to complete it. Your grands are so sweet. Christmas was made even better with them, I'm sure. Hope you are feeling much better now.

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  3. Gaven sure is precious! And I love football too...maybe a different team though! heehee! The house is beautiful and I know they are proud of the kitchen. I love that they added a lot of personal touches to it...the lanterns sure are fun! I have one hanging over my table right now. Happy New year!

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  4. Thanks Mom for the shout out! What a year it was. I learned all that handy work from Dad and Grandpa. Go Hawks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, I so enjoyed the party ... it was great seeing all the wonderful photo's.

    Their house looks beautiful and their kitchen looks great ...
    Lovely to see little Gavin and Ethan too

    A happy and Healthy New Year to you and yours

    All the best Jan

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  6. Karen, I love all the white in the new kitchen. It makes it look so much bigger and brighter. And the built in coffee maker - wow!

    I've been having troubles with blogger so I've moved to WordPress. I'm enjoying putting a creative writing spin on things. I hope that you will visit sometime.

    https://coffeethymeinthebigwoods.com

    Happy New Year!

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  7. They are an adorable couple! i love the changes they have made and that kitchen is gorgeous! I can't wait to remodel my 1960's kitchen!!! :-) Have a very happy, healthy New Year!!!

    Blessings,
    Jill

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  8. Your son and daughter-in-law are so cute and they have done an amazing job on the kitchen! Love that farmhouse sink!

    Thank you for the lovely comment that you left. It made my heart happy:) have a happy New Year, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a bright and beautiful space for creating delicious food and memories for years to come. Your children did a great job on the reno. Happy New Year!

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  10. It looks like a show house. A lot if hard work no doubt, beautiful.x

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  11. Dear Karen,
    what a lovely and sweet home, thank you for all those wodnerful pictures!
    Wishing you and all your loved ones a very Happy and heatlhy New Year, my dear friend!
    Sending Love and hugs and blessings,
    Claudia xo

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  12. Hi Karen, what an absolutely beautiful home, they did a wonderful job. They are such a cute couple!

    Happy New Year to you and your family!!

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  13. What a lovely home, Karen! The kitchen looks gorgeous. Thank you for sharing!
    Wishing you and yours a very happy new year! xx

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  14. What a beautiful job they did, the new kitchen is just wonderful. They did a fantastic job.

    Looks like a good party was had by all.

    Happy 2017 ~ FlowerLady

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  15. Best wishes to you and Rambling Man in the new year!

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  16. Hi Karen....
    Lovely job in that kitchen! Very nice...indeed!
    All the best to you and your family in 2017....
    Let's put 2016 to rest!
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow, gorgeous remodel in the kitchen! Did they do the work themselves? Looks like a fun party.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi AnnMarie - they did some of the work alongside hired help. Thanks so much for your sweet visits. Hugs xo Karen

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  18. The kitchen looks so fantastic! Happy New Year!

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  19. What a beautiful home!! They really have made it so very lovely! Happy New Year!

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  20. Your kids have done a wonderful job on their home, I really love everything!! I would love to do a remodel on our kitchen, but I don't know if that will happen anytime soon.
    Wishing you a fabulous New Year!!

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  21. That is a darling house. Gorgeous kitchen. Happy New Year!

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  22. Hi Karen, I love all the renovations your son and his wife have made. The kitchen is beautiful and I really like the new mantel on the fireplace. It's all very lovely. Happy new year wishes to you and your family. Blessings, Pam

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  23. Aren't all the renovations wonderful?! I just love what they've done to the kitchen and how bright and cheery it is now. Thanks for sharing their fabulous home with us, Karen. Happy New Year blessings to you! xo

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  24. I hope you had a lovely Christmas !!
    Happy New Year !!

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  25. Such a lovely and light kitchen - well done, looks adorable!
    And your grandson Gavin is so sweet - So happy for your your son and his wife - And for you, Karen, for having a lovely family!
    Wishing you a happy and joyous New Year,
    Enjoy the moments with your loved ones - and the beautiful garden and view over Mt. Rainier!
    Lots of love from
    Nina

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  26. Hola amiga querida ,, espero que hayas tenido unas lindas fiestas y este 2017 que recién comienza llegue lleno de bendiciones para ti y tus seres queridos
    Cariños

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  27. Dear Karen,

    Your Son and wife must be thrilled with their renovations - the transformation of the kitchen is wonderful. Great that you were able to get together with family and spend a special time.
    Happy New Year to you and your family and best wishes for a wonderful 2017. thanks for your friendship and all you share
    hugs
    Carolyn

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  28. Wow, such an impressive transformation, it really does look wonderful. Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year, hope 2017 brings you all everything you are wishing for.

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  29. What a lovely change! They truly have an eye for design. Wishing you a most wonderful New year!

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  30. What a beautiful & fresh home they have. I love the kitchen! Happy New year!

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  31. This is an amazing kitchen! Looks very bright and modern. Happy new year to you and your whole family!

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  32. I missed this post, and am late in typing that I wish you a Happy New Year as well, Karen. The house updates are lovely, and I enjoyed seeing them. We are Seahawks fans as well, but have missed watching some of their games this year. I'm glad you and yours have faithfully cheered them on :) xx

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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