Remodel Update

So my cabinets are almost done, but we still need the granite to come in. We decided on White Springs, a pretty white with grays, reds, and creams. I can't wait until it comes in! Also, we got a sprinkler system put in and we will get sod very soon.

A picture of our yard as of now

My friend's mom actually had to drop me off from practice and I was like "Yeah, my house is the one without any grass." I thought it was funny, but probably not.

Moving on, the Kitchen cabinets are a gorgeous cream with a rope and crown molding. We have about an 8 foot java cherry colored island, smack dab in the middle of the place where we knocked down the wall that was there before. Now we have a column that matches our molding.

Eeek! Ignore the junk on the island.

The cabinets and island are covered in cardboard for some reason. The bricks surrounding the island are the bricks we will use for the floor.

Some pictures of the molding in our entry way and surrounding this general floor

We are having some trouble choosing wallpaper. We decided on this option because the suede paint my mother had in a camel color from Ralph Lauren was discontinued. We added on to the wall of our entry way, adding a huge white space of wall.

In addition to all of this, we have decided on brick floor in the kitchen in a herring bone pattern. We have it, all that needs to happen now is have it put in.

Hi,I'm McKenzie and I'm Addicted to Sweets

You know how I planned on eating healthier? Well I still don't have a kitchen and my eating habits are not improving. For a while I was having Starbucks everyday, cheese, candies, and lately DQ Blizzards. And I do realize that it's comfort food season and I should feel free to eat this way in my young age, and it's like the saying goes- Y.O.L.O. but to me it means I should be working harder to always eat healthy, and not just sometimes, or certain seasons. But the funny thing is, even though I've been eating this way and limiting my workout routine, I haven't gained any weight that I can see (I don't use a scale for certain reasons). I'm not as happy as I am perplexed. You think I would have gotten my "Just desserts" but not at all. In fact I'm gaining muscle in my abdomen. My hypothesis is that I have not been eating enough calories now or that I wasn't eating enough before (which I highly doubt). But right here and right now I will make a pact that I will try and eat healthier, or at least eat the healthiest of what I'm limited to in my situation. I'm down to a pack of pita bread, olives, labneh, cheerios, and hummus. Not a whole lot of options, wouldn't you agree? I'm thinking of trying my hardest to urge my mother to go grocery shopping instead of doing her usual take out or restaurant routine, but I'm always trying so hard to get her to become fit. The thing is though, my obsession with fitness is hurting our relationship.

Blogs I Love

I'm Addicted to Blogs

Hello! Long time no post, and it may be due to the fact that I have had a lot of school work, rowing, and family time, but it may also be because I have been reading so many blogs, and I do apologize sincerely to anyone who was looking forward to a post *crickets chirp*.  I thought about making this post when I was reading some blogs and I decided that I could share my inspiration. This post doesn't include pictures and that is boring to some people (especially me) and you have been warned. I will have lists below in no particular order (I don't think I could chose my favorite blogs, they are all so wonderful and informative!).

The Blogs

These are the blogs that I read for inspiration in organization and style (to an extent). The majority of them may also be referred to as mom blogs, but I find them to be best for organization tips.

• A favorite blog of mine, deliciously organized, is written by Carlee Scanlon, and she is just as the blog states; deliciously organized! She has a great taste in decor and style and gives me so much inspiration for things I would like to do in my house, because let's face it, i'm way more organized than most people I know (my mom). She has a lot of fashion and life posts (she makes me want a leopard jacket). Read her blog at: http://deliciouslyorganized.blogspot.com/ 
• Probably my all time favorite blog would have to be IHeart Organizing. The blog is written by Jen,a mother and a fantastic organizer. I love all of her DIYs, reviews, product suggestions, and she has welcomed me to so many other fantastic blogs just like hers! She's so creative and inspirational, please check her blog out at: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/
• This blogger is practical mother who is very inspirational and has encouraged me to organize all of my childhood memories that I need to let go of, without having to let go of them entirely. I'll admit, I'm a recovering pack rat. I especially love her "Organize your paper party" posts and her product recommendations, I lust after a Mom Agenda, and I'm far from being a mother. Read her blog at: http://spaceforlivingos.com/
• I love the blog Buttoned Up. It is a very easy blog to navigate through and the format is cute, something I look for first in a blog (because nobody wants to go back to 2004 with generic tiny formats that are hard to navigate). I really find her downloadable checklists to be extremely helpful. The posts are helpful and straight to the point, overall easy to love in a blog. Read the blog at: http://getbuttonedup.com
• I love the blog Simple Organized Living by a woman named Andrea. It is full of things that I love and that are compatible with my family's lifestyle. She also is remodeling herself so we're basically one in the same. She inspired me to post about remodeling. But I do have to say that I don't care for her home page because you have to open any articles you want to read. I acknowledge that some people like that but I don't. Read her blog at: http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/
• I absolutely adore Charon from the blog Tidy Mom. Her photo clarity is nice, she posts a variety if topics recipes and tips, and she seems like she's just what her blog says: a tidy mom. Also I think she may very well enjoy fall as much as I do. Read her blog at: http://tidymom.net/
• My re-purposed life has many interesting DIY projects that are simple and practical, as well a creative! Read this blog at: http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/
• The blog Keeper of the Home is a really good blog for moms and DIY lovers and Christians. There's a variety of different posts. This is a blog directed towards crafty moms. Read the blog at: http://www.keeperofthehome.org/
• The blog Unclutterer is really helpful for anyone really.It gives tips for better living and It helps you to be productive however you can, manage time, and make life totally easy for you. Read the blog at: http://unclutterer.com/
• Organized Families is by a mother who shows you how to figure out how to organize your life. I don't necessarily like the layout of this blog but it is very helpful. Read at: http://organizedfamilies.com/

Some things that happened this week

Some things that happened this week.

So I painted my nails with an LA colors Color Craze nail polish in Mega Wat, a very light pearlescent pinkish nude. It was a very cheap nailpolish, and while the first coat doesn't look that opaque, you can build the color well. To top that, I poured glitter onto my nails and then rolled the tips in any excess glitter, creating glittery tips (but not uniform, I will try that another time). Last I put a few coats of clear nailpolish over it all to seal the glitter and the polish itself. It's a very pretty and girly nail design, and very easy.

Don't mind my no makeup face (like literally I had just woken up but my mom said my hair looked good), but I went out Friday night to see the rowing movie Backwards with a large amount of my citie's rowing community. They gave out prizes in a raffle, but sadly I didn't win (actually a girl that used to be on our team won, but I won't get into that). It was really fun and it was a cute movie, though I admit it was heavy on the cliches.

Well that really wasn't that long of a post, but thank you for reading!

Brick House

Hello yet again! Today has been somewhat hectic. I had to take 3 tests in a row. Math is really not my strong point though so I don't think I got a good grade on my chapter test because I didn't do 3 questions because class had ended. I did well on the quiz I guess (noo results from that yet). I did get a 93 on my English test because I missed one question.

So today when I got picked up from school my mom and grandmother had this massive (and very heavy!) sample of these bricks for our floor in the kitchen. They aren't going to be in this pattern (more diagonal I think?) and maybe not this color, but it's progress.

However, we are getting our garage doors put in very soon and I'm so excited!

You see those? Those, unfortunately, happen to be the shameful (and also very painful to look at) garage doors that we currently have (we have 2 sides). But our new doors are really pretty, and unlike these, they don't look like they're made from an old RV.

The clouds were so pretty today and it also sun showered this morning. The weather has been so nice unlike my first day of school when we got flooded (no exaggeration) ( But, because I'm classy I didn't take off my shoes).

I rocked my Sperrys today like I do most days (AKA I don't own enough shoes). Well, thanks for reading this and have a nice day!

9-24-12

Today was a nice day, despite a quarrel between a family member and missing breakfast so I wouldn't miss the bus. This morning at school there was a massive spider web. I wanted to get a decent picture of it, but alas the web was out of the sun's way and it was difficult attempting to take a picture.

As you might be able to tell (if you squint) it was a rather large spider web. People kept joking about tearing it down and shoving each other into it, and I disapprove.

I got a lot of nature shots with my camera (I use a Fujifilm Finepix JX) and some turned out better than others.

When I got home from the bus stop I was greeted by some gorgeous butterflies. I'm not sure what type they are, but they remind me of the Painted Ladies I hatched in 1st grade. I think you should prepare for the spam.

I think this is one my sister took. One of my favorites, if not my favorite.

I could only get one picture of one of the butterflies flying and it turned out blurry.

What's going on with home renovations?
Most of what we have gotten done is the kitchen which is still completely bare, but we are making major changes!
We are:
-Remodeling the kitchen
-Remodeling the bathrooms
-Installing new garage doors
-Etc.

This is the progress so far on kitchen/living room. As you can see there was some hideous wallpaper in the kitchen. And we have a new TV cabinet my aunt gave us because her's is too small.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this! Have a wonderful day!

What I've Been Up To - Welcome to My Blog

Hello there! I am McKenzie, a high school student with aspirations to do grand things. Follow my blog while I tell about current events in my life, and in the world, give organization, fitness, and health tips, and write about many other topics. Right now my house is currently being remodeled and I will often discuss that. Follow me in my journey to becoming a better student, more organized, crafty, and artistic while sharing makeup and fashion tips too!