Kitchen Renovation Update

 Well... A lot has happened around here in the last 11-12 months. It is honestly too much to tell in one post. I'm sure it would exhaust all of us. 
So, I will start from right here, and fill you in when appropriate. Sound good? Good!

 The tiny house renovation has slowly moved forward, sometimes at a shockingly fast speed. Other times it is like pouring molasses in January.
Yesterday was a big day though. We painted the kitchen! 
This poor kitchen has been the most used room since moving in, in September 2014, and sadly it was left for one of the very last rooms.  

 The last room will be the utility room. It has been the most used room since we moved in. Also, it is the most cluttered. It holds everything from the other rooms that are being worked on. This house is also very void of closets...so it holds a lot of stuff. Even though we have a lot less belongings than most Americans...there is still more than we need. 

See that blue? We mixed it ourselves!

Now, onto the kitchen!

 See that ceiling above my head? The husband did that! We helped.
We helped him while he burned the boards. Our job as to put out the fires when they started on the wood. Then we helped hold it in place while he sanded. Lastly he coated them in a stain.
We are very happy with how it turned out.
The wood ceiling was a big improvement over the unfinished drywall and the light bulbs that dangled out of the recessed lighting holes for about 2.5 years. 

Now, onto the paint. 

We do all of this with cash. We live completely debt free. It is a great way to live.(More on that in another post) However, it means being patient and having a budget and a plan and we also choose to pinch all of the pennies! 

On that note, I feel the need to tell you that this color we used...was our own color mixing.
We had some light blue left from the dining room, about half of a gallon. We wanted a blue for the kitchen, just not the same blue. We were feeling especially budget mindful when we went paint shopping on Saturday. We did not need a full gallon to do the kitchen and the thought of buying another full gallon to only use half...just wasn't something we were wanting to do.

We use the slightly more expensive paint, the one that is better for your health. Low fumes, won't damage your lungs. Etc. Also, it is a bit more expensive. Ouch. It is worth it for the knowledge that we know our kids(Especially the asthma ones) aren't breathing the fumes. 

The hubs decided to just get a couple other sample colors to add to it. He is pretty good at mixing paint colors, so I went along with it.

I'm really glad we did it!

We purchased two sample containers. It was the good brand that we like.
One was a sea foam green, the other was a dark blue, almost navy. I never would have picked up the navy, for fear of making it too dark.

However, clearly the husband knew what he was doing.

It turned out great! 

I said a little prayer over the bucket before starting. I asked for enough paint to finish the kitchen...and... a bit left, for touch ups, would be a nice bonus..provided He was feeling generous! 

Well...my friends, there was more than enough paint to paint the entire kitchen. Plus it filled one of the sample containers to the point of overflowing!
What a great blessing!

The kitchen is now painted a beautiful, original, shade of blue for $7!

The husband also worked on the trim yesterday. All of the windows and doors are now trimmed. Next is the wainscotting.  Once he is finished putting it up..then it will be my turn to paint, paint paint.
The dining room paneling took over 12 hours, spread over 2 days. It was exhausting, but so worth it!

All of the trials of this little house have always been more than worth the work. The literal blood, sweat and tears poured into this 100 year old cottage in the woods has been life changing for us. 
  
The uphill struggles we have faced in this house and along our journey to become debt free were not easy. But they also tried, changed and formed us. There is much more taking place in this house than just renovating a house. So much more than making a house a home.

God has changed us here...

I'll be back soon to continue the updates on the family, the tiny house and our homeschool life. 
It is ever changing and it is good. :)

~ Blessings~

Lyndsay