:::half bath:::

We have a half bath downstairs that is such a lifesaver since it prevents guests from having to intrude in our living space upstairs. I know how blessed we are to have that extra 25 feet of space or so. It sits adjacent to the kitchen, on the way out to the garage. Since it is in the proximity of the kitchen, whatever I hated about the kitchen before also translate into this little cramp space.

I have been wanting to change it up for a long time now, but my hands were tied. You see, to make any significant change that would make any sort of difference to this space require that we also do something about the kitchen. The kitchen and the bath share the same floor space, along with the hideous old tiles.
I didn't want to re-tile this little space, because while I would love to have tiles in the bathroom, I always knew I wanted to extend the laminate wood to the kitchen. In doing that, why not extending the wood into the bathroom? So until we had enough funds to remodel the kitchen, I couldn't do anything about this little space.

So I thought, why not at least paint the wall? Well, unfortunately, I chose the wrong color for the wall, a deep blue (Behr Americana) that does not go well with the existing fixtures. The color became hideous and makes it more depressing whenever we go in there. It feels like we're in a parking lot for some reason.

I also hate the existing cabinet/sink combo in there. Like I said, the space is no more than 25 square feet, and the cabinet takes up way too much precious space. The toilet was a bit wobbly as well. At this point, this little space is a lost cause.

On top of everything else, it has this hideous medicine cabinet that should have never came out of the 1970s in the first place.

Everything about this space was wrong, to a point that neither I or hubby wants to do anything with it, as we know that the change was going to be in the near future along with the kitchen. So, with the kitchen renovation, we took the opportunity to also spruce up this little space of a gem so that we can actually love it! Out came all of the annoyances I described above, and replaced by everything new. Aside from the floor, we did everything ourselves. The floor was thrown in there along with the construction of the kitchen. Who are we to decline that just for an opportunity to say we had done it ourselves? Sometimes, you just gotta lose some to win some, and boy, is it a world of difference now.

[apartment therapy]

To leave you with a little teaser, this is the feel I'm going for. I have searched high and low for an inspiration picture, and I finally found it. Although our space is nowhere near as spacious as the picture, it is sort of the feel I was trying to achieve.

:::kitchen remodel: the reveal:::

Living without our kitchen, no matter how terrible it was, for a week was difficult. However, after 7 days of a lot of noise and a having strangers coming in and out of our house, I was ready to have our home back and the kitchen gadgets out of living room floor and back into the cabinets where they belong.

At the end of the day (day 7 to be exact), all the money and time spent was so worth it.

Before I present to you the after photo, here is a reminder of what the BEFORE looked like:


Here's the beautiful ever AFTER.

OMG, I can't tell you all how much in love I am with my new kitchen. It makes me feel very very happy passing through that chalkboard door every morning as I leave for work. No longer is it the bane of my existence. It is now my favorite room in the house, one that I enter not to cook but to admire it a little bit. Does that make me a dork?

Now here's the breakdown of the details:
1) The cabinets: The biggest change we did was ripping out the existing cabinets and replacing them with new real wood cherry-like cabinets. The old cabinets were dingy particle boards that had been worn down to the core. The previous owner had painted it white, which looks decent in pictures. The 25 year old hardwares had seen better days leading to doors that would not close.
Now we have beautiful cabinetry that is rich in color, though I had some hesitation before because of my biased love for white cabinets.

2) The appliances: We had mismatched and non-functioning appliances. Our fridge and dishwasher and sink were stainless steel. Our microwave was black and our stove and hood range were white.
We didn't have to spend a lot to get a cohesive look when it comes to appliances. Our white stove was replaced with a new stainless steel one. Joe is in love with it because it has a look of a double oven, because it has two independent operating parts. The hood range is now replaced by a microwave/hood range combination that is not only space conserving but also lends itself to a cohesive look without having to spend the extra money for two appliances. I've always been a fan of microwave/hood range combos, though others may feel differently.

3) The hardwares: When we moved in, the cabinets did not have knobs. As a temporary fix, we
raided Home Depot and clean out their day's supply of simple round knobs, made of brushed nickle. Our sink was old, but stainless steel. Our faucet was a dwarf chrome sorry excuse for a faucet.
Our new hardwares are sleek brushed nickle elongated bars that play up the faces of the cabinetry. I've always been a fan of these and long to one day be able to use them. That day has came. The best part about them? They are free as they are provided by the contractors. Score! Can't beat free, especially when they are the exact items that I've been wanting and they lend themselves to the overall "steel" look in the kitchen.

4) Countertop: The previous owner had replaced what apparently was butcher block countertops with granite. Unfortunately, it was low grade with a rather poor seal that absorb a lot of water! Not to mention, it was a grey/salmon/pink combination that didn't bother me too much but apparently bother the heck out of Joe. That had to go.
Oh the countertops. How I love our new countertops. From the multicolored and somewhat feminine surface to a sleek black that is the apple of my eyes, and Joe's too I might add. While we had very limited choices on our cabinet, as discussed here, we were presented with such a wide range of granite choices. Fortunately, we always knew exactly what we want: something traditional yet modern and something timeless. So, we decided on galaxy black, which had very little specks or veins. A simple yet elegantly sleek black that keeps on shining.

5) The floor: Gosh, how I hate the floor before. It was a dingy old school tile held together by grout that had turned dark over the year. If we had changed this kitchen out without changing the floor, I don't think it would have made an ounce of difference. We had always knew that in budgeting for the kitchen, we would have to include in the budget the cost to replace the floor. Thankfully, the old floor doesn't have to be ripped out. Instead, the wood can just go straight on top of the existing tile, saving us a ton of work and money.

The existing floor in the adjacent living room already had laminate wood that I love. Therefore, to save additional cost, we went out in search of the existing wood to extend right into the kitchen. Unfortunately, we were informed that they were discontinued. Thankfully after much searching, we were able to find a really really good match (if not perfectly) online and informed our contractor of it. They somehow were able to leveraged what we found (though they may not have used the company we found) and purchased it with our approval of color. This really was a luck of the draw, which I am forever thankful for. The last thing I needed was to take up the existing living room floor, nor do I want to re-tile. Both route would have been much more expensive and time consuming.

Now that the big things are done, we still have a bit of things left to do, which we will tackle on our own:

• install white subway tiles as backsplash
• change out the existing flourescent light fixture with pot lights/pendant lights over the peninsula/or flush mount lights.
• paint the baseboard
• remodel the adjacent half bath (which we will tackle first from this list)
  

That should do it.

:::baking brownie: week 13:::

The 13th week was pretty uneventful.

SYMPTOMS: True to its name, this is the beginning of the honeymoon stage. The symptoms that had plagued me during my first trimester instantly gone away. No longer do I dread dinner because of an onset of a wave of nausea. Unfortunately, the symptoms are replaced by other symptoms, but primarily constipation. So, I try to load up on fiber, and say a lot of prayers for some relief. I supposed that this is one of those unpleasant times of pregnancy, among other things.

BABY BUMP BLISS:

MOVEMENT: At the end of the week, while I was getting ready one day, I felt a really weird pop feeling in my tummy. It didn't hurt, it didn't feel uncomfortable, it's just simply a pop. I read somewhere that around this time, at this early in the pregnancy, some mommies-to-be start feeling flutters or pops as a sign of baby movements. I'm not entirely sure if it was the baby, or simply normal gas. Either way, no actual movement yet.

FOOD FANS: Although my cravings continue to be on the fresher side like the previous week, I'm specifically enjoying apples, sour green ones at that. They are hard and crunchy, with a hint of tart that is heaven when dipped in salt. Joe thinks it's so weird that I prefer salt over say caramel or peanut butter. Hell, I'm pregnant, and I can crave whatever I feel like.

WEIGHT GAINS: This week, I hover around 125.5 to 128 lbs, depending on the time of day. Naturally, it's on the lower range in the morning and higher range at night. I try to gauge my weight more on the morning side and there had been no significant movement on the weight scale (not even a pound).

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: This week, I finally opened the maternity belly band that were gifted to me by a friend. With my waist getting much thicker, I can no longer zip up my regular pants let alone button them. This is where the belly band is a God-send.

[walmart]

You just zip your pants up to the point where you can't anymore, or where you're comfortable, and leave the rest open. Slide this little belly band on and it not only keeps your pants up, but it makes for a smooth transition (if you know what I mean) and no one is the wiser. At 13th week, I'm at the point where I still can zip but the buttons and the hook can no longer come together. With this little baby, it looks like I'm wearing a tank top underneath my shirt. What's even better is that it gives me so much more breathing room, and although it is tight, it is really really comfortable that you don't even notice that it's there. Granted, you'd probably have to get the right size in order for that to be true. Since I'm still very early, the smallest size works just fine for my frame.

I heard that you can wear your regular clothes with the help of this little baby until 20th week. Since I'm not planning to spend a ton of money on maternity clothes, especially at this stage of pregnancy, I'm riding a couple of these babies until the threads fall off and get my money's worth. So far so good.

:::kitchen remodel: the inpirations:::

[YHL]

I gotta preface the detail breakdown that I have always been in love with white kitchens. I think they are airy and open and absolutely gorgeous. I had my heart set on a white kitchen. Unfortunately, because we were going to do this for cheap but not to sacrifice quality, we went with a local contractor who had very limited selections of cabinets. They do not have white cabinets. WHAT! O_O

We actually went to them around May of 2009 to do an initial consultation but walked out without looking back because they didn't have white cabinets. Combining that with a depleted saving account because of our wedding did not afford us to pursue the renovation further...until we found out we were pregnant.

My despise towards my kitchen grew as the days pass and I simply could not live with it anymore. So, we went back to the same contractor for a second look, because after all, they did quote us at a really good price the last time. We even spoke to Joe's dad who is a general contractor in New Jersey and he even said that that was a good price. Everyone we spoke to thought it was a good deal. Joe finally convinced me. After a few months of aggressive saving, we were at a comfortable position to deplete our saving again. It was the right time.

So, before I committed to any contract, I went out on a search to find inspirational photos of what my kitchen will look like. Key word: look. As in, what is the overall feeling that my kitchen will set off when you just give it a glance.

We were limited on two things:
1) The color choices for cabinets
2) The kitchen floor color because the one thing we absolutely have to do is to extend the current wood floor from the living room into the kitchen.

Since the wood floor is already an orange color, I would have definitely preferred white cabinets even more. Since that was not an option, I was going to make the next possible choice. I knew we can't get the cabinets to match the floor, and I wouldn't want to anyways because that'll just look weird. Though I was browsing through pages and pages of pictures on flickr, I found my inspiration where else but a daily blog I follow, Bower Power.

[Bower Power]

Don't look too shabby, right? Yea, I didn't think so either. What's great is that these people even did it themselves, for a great price I might add.

So, armed with my inspiration in mind, we went and pick out our finishes, for a similar look.

I gotta say, this girl is a girl after my own heart, because I always knew I wanted black granite with not a whole lot of veins, if any at all (as I think that make it a bit dated) and tiled subway tiles for backsplash. It's amazing how I used this inspiration for the floor and cabinetry combination, but actually, the kitchen itself had a lot of elements I had already previously chosen, which all the more a plus to really gauge how our kitchen would look at the end of the day.

I love the blog world and the resources it provides.

:::mommy fears:::

Since I'm a first time mommy-to-be, it is natural that I spend quite a bit of time reading about the whole process. During my first trimester, while I'm waiting for my baby bump to arrive, I concentrated on the ins and outs of the pregnancy process. Naturally, this is the better part of the entire process. I mean, what's so hard about awaiting for the bump that would eventually make you grow out of your clothes and having to buy more. I mean, more shopping? Sign me off for more of that!

Then as the pregnancy progresses, and the bloggers that I followed began to slowly give birth and recount their birthing stories, OMG, the horrific birthing stories, I start to freak out just a LITTLE!

One of my biggest fears is becoming a little bit more of a reality as the D-date approaches. Granted it is still very far away, but when you're going through it, 6 months can either be a lifetime away, or it can mind as well come tomorrow, depending on the day.

What's my biggest fear? How I am going to get this baby, who will be between 6-8lbs, out of my body through a 10cm portal. The detailed recount of the contractions, the dilation, the pain, the epidural, the pushing, the possible complications and eventual C-sections that'll come with it, etc. All are done in very graphic recount of the what is supposedly the best day of their lives! O_O My God, if they go through all that and it is the best day of their lives, I don't want to walk in their shoes and go through the worst day.

The only thing I can ask myself is why I did this to myself. It's a little late now. Unfortunately, nobody care to listen to my concerns and dismiss them carelessly to the typical responses:

• "if so and so can do it, you can do it"
• "women have done this since the beginning of time"
• "it's gotta be done one way or another"

The fact of the matter is that all of the above is true, but the anticipation is killing me. Killing me to the point that I'm starting not to be able to enjoy the pregnancy as I'm plagued by the anticipation of the pain the horror. Maybe I should stop reading for a while until I'm a little more advanced in my pregnancy. That way I can enjoy this honeymoon stage I call 2nd trimester.