Kitchen Update

I'm coming out of blog hibernation today to share our kitchen update.  I don't think I can really call it a "remodel" since we only replaced some aesthetic items, but then again, I don't know the rules of terminology.

It took about 3 months and was finally completed a week ago.  I learned a LOT during this process (for example, TRUST your contractor).  There were various setbacks like the weather (yes, we started during a winter storm), miscommunication, things on backorder, etc., in addition to me trying to subcontract out every.little.thing.

I set out to replace the counter tops, add a backsplash, and replace the cabinet hardware.  We also replaced the sink and faucet, added a window sill, and tweaked a few other small things.  Now trust me when I say, it's in no way styled or accessorized or anything like that.  No.  Go to Pinterest for that.  I need space for all our real-life clutter, ha!

First - Inspiration pics:

This is where I started.  I could start to envision the dark cabinets with contrasting lighter counter tops, in a layout that was similar to our kitchen.

I loved this sink and knew after ripping out the old granite composite sink, I wanted another one!

Our overall goal was to brighten the space up a bit and not make it feel so heavy and dark.  I really felt like I was in a cave with the old black granite counter tops.  We knew from the start we would NOT be replacing nor painting the cabinets.  Even though right now, I'd love some white cabinets, the cost and project could not be justified.  So we worked with what we had and we even ended up re-using most of the black granite in other spaces in the house.

Here's the dark before:

Definitely, by NO means, a bad kitchen!  But just not my style.

NOTE: Those little tiny T-shaped pulls are on EVERY.SINGLE. CABINET. AND. DRAWER. in the entire house.  They flip all around and are just a pain to deal with, let alone, look at.

And my happy after:

I am really pleased with the final result!  Since this is a newer home, there was no need to gut the space.  But since it was a newer home someone ELSE had built, some of the color choices of things weren't my favorite.

I still need to paint the walls, but since the main floor is open concept, I can't get by with "just painting the kitchen", as the walls go on and on into other rooms with no defining stopping point. I 'm also considering a window treatment (commitment!!) and maybe some new counter stools.  SHHH - Don't tell my husband that last part.

The River White granite has reddish brown flecks in it that pick up the cherry tone of our cabinets.  The herringbone pattern of the beveled subway back splash tiles are clean, but add interest without competing with other elements.  We opted not to install an exhaust hood because it got to be too much of a headache.  And you don't even need one, who knew?!  Would it be nice to not have my glass pendants have grease splatters on them from the cook top?  Sure.  But trust me when I tell you there was no easy solution.  That "hood" vs. "No hood" was the debate that held up most of the project from even getting off the ground.

I feel so blessed to be able to cook and bake and just hang out in this space!  It's truly the center of our home and where I spend 80% of my time.  I love it!

Claire is 7 Months!

Our little Claire Bear turned 7 months old week before last.  Yikes, I'm falling behind on these and I swore I wouldn't with the 3rd little baby!  Such is life.

She posed like this for probably 10 shots!

Her first little tooth on the bottom is fully through now, and she's working on a second.  She is LOVING her baby purees, and of course, still her bottles.  She grabs anything and everything she can get her hands on.

Enjoying our family date night at the Reds game

Naps still aren't the greatest, but I can usually get 1.5-2 hours out of her in the morning.  Night time sleep is decent, she goes down around 7:30pm and sleeps til about 6 am.  Lifechanging for all of us!  She LOVES bath time.  

With big sis in matching dresses.  Both girls lost their hair bows within 5 minutes of arriving.

 She LOVES to be in on the action and gets ticked if we leave her in one spot too long.  She is usually pretty content to be pushed in the stroller, even if we are just doing hot laps up and down the sidewalk that wraps around the front of our house for 124th time.  She's wearing 9-12 month clothing (some stuff even 12-18 month, what?!?) and it seems as quick as I buy her something new, she outgrows it.  Seriously, this child is growing at lightning speed.

Getting passed around the Reds game.

How we roll to survive Cantputmedownitis

She's pretty easy to please and such a sweet heart!  We love her like crazy!

Missing Out

FOMO.  Isn't that the acronym all the kids are using these days for Fear Of Missing Out?

My first week at the new job is coming to an end and YAY! We all survived!  I will say I have a WHOLE NEW respect for full-time working Moms.  How do you do it???  While I'm only going to be working part-time, I had to be there full-time (plus some) this week.  That means the homefront is in a sorry state and I will be catching up this weekend.  All while the husband is on call and we try to attend an anniversary party.

I'll be honest:  I almost felt guilty at how much I am LOVING being back in the hospital environment.  It's been a reality check to see what I remember and how things have changed since I've been out of the game.

Regarding the guilt, I"ll give an example:  We have a ton of education to complete online.  They offered us the option of doing it at work, while getting paid for it, OR at home on our own (unpaid).  My new co-worker said she preferred doing it at home so she could do other things.  I was like "Heck NO!  I'm going to sit at work, put the headphones on, kick back, and enjoy the solitude!"  Is that so wrong? ;-)  I mean, nobody asking me for a snack, nobody crying, nobody hurting another one...aaahhhh!

Anyway, I'm so lucky to have a sitter who loves my kiddos so much.  She's been taking them out on fun adventures and sending me pics like these:

Claire is eating like a champ now!!

A picnic at Sawyer Point on the Ohio River!

I'm also lucky to have my husband and MIL.  They are my village people.   One of my biggest concerns about returning to work was the fear of missing out.  What if I miss Claire's first steps?  What if one of them gets hurt and nobody can make them feel better except Mommy?  I am comforted by the fact that they are in good hands while I'm away.

I know my kids are only little once (as my sister keeps reminding me), but I am enjoying this change of routine for one week.  I'm so happy things have fallen into place where I won't be missing out on too much, yet I'll still have time to be ME, in an adult, professional environment where I'm not just somebody's mommy.

I'm looking forward to my days off with them, taking them to the zoo, the pool at the Y, the river, the ball games, the parks, and all the fun summer outdoor stuff we can do.  It's almost like I needed this break so I could appreciate my time with them even more.

I finally feel like I'm getting some much needed balance back in my life.


PS:  For those of you that reached out to me about the Thrive samples, thank you!! I'm working on getting back to each of you!  I've had such an amazing response on here, FB and word of mouth.  I guess a lot of people are tired of feeling so tired!!

The Best Thing

Aright, I'm about to tell you all about my newest obsession.  You've maybe heard of it.

I resisted, rolled my eyes at yet ANOTHER person trying to sell me something.  I won't tell you it's magic, but I will tell you it's CHANGED. MY. LIFE. in less than a week.  After 2 days, I jumped in & ordered.

Have you heard of Thrive?  It's marketed as a nutritional supplement that gives you energy.  Yes, it has caffeine in it (from different sources, all natural).  It also has lots of vitamins, minerals, and probiotics.

The reason I finally listened to one of my old co-workers from my days at the Mayo Clinic is because I was desperate to not be so tired any more.  I was sick of being tired and sick of complaining about it.  I couldn't get anything accomplished when the kids finally did go to bed and frankly, I was NO fun to be around. I know exhaustion comes with the territory with 3 kids under 4, but holy smokes.  I was in a bad way and I couldn't figure out how to fix it.

So I asked for a few days' worth of samples figuring I had nothing to lose.  I'm so glad I was curious enough to try it.

Here's how it works -- and this is the best part -- it's SO easy.  3 Steps.  Easier than anything I've ever tried before in my life.  You wake up and take one pill.  You wait 20-30 minutes (hop in the shower, check your email, whatever) and drink the shake mix.  Then you slap apply the patch on a lean part of your body (ankle, forearm, bicep, lower back, etc)  DONE.  You go on about your regular life the rest of the day, take over the world, and just repeat the next morning.

This. Is. AMAZING.  I am the energizer bunny.  I don't nap. (I take that back, I did try to nap one day just to see if I could.  Like, I needed to make sure I still had my magic powers of being able to fall asleep on command, lol!)  I QUIT coffee (which is awesome because it saves me approximately 300 calories of creamer).  I have sipped on it out of pure habit while I started my new job this week.  I stay up in the evenings, instead of collapsing like before, because I'm getting shi* done.

I get up before the kids and I DON'T want to cry into my pillow out of sheer exhaustion. I'm no longer in a mental fog and my eyes don't burn.

It provides appetite control and I've lost a few pounds already by not shoveling every mound of food I come across into my dome.  I'm NOT saying this replaces clean eating and exercise, but it gives you the mental and physical energy to accomplish those things - and more!!

Now, if you are nursing or pregnant, it's probably not for you.  Even though the makers say it's natural products, etc., I would never be comfortable exposing a baby to the caffeine and some of the herbals.  But when you're done with that... and you can barely slug through your day?  THRIVE.  For realz.

Message me if you are interested in a sample pack (find me on FB or by email at tammy(dot)jutzi(at)gmail(dot)com.)  I'm awaiting my first shipment of samples and already have most of them sold!  But you best believe I"ll be ordering more IMMED.

Or if you just wanna stalk the website to do more research (which I did for about a month, ha!), go here: https://tkremer800k.le-vel.com/Login

I wouldn't be sharing this if I wasn't feeling so awesome, no lie.  Nothing I've ever tried before comes even close to this.

And I promise not to turn into that person that's blowing up your FB, Insta and blog feeds about Thrive.  But I do love telling people about how great it makes me feel.  It's truly giving me my life back.