Picking a name for the blog was probably the most difficult thing to do to get started. I feel like I’m starting a little late in the game, so every name was already taken. If the “.com” wasn’t taken, then the Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram was. I knew I either wanted the name to have something to do with the beach or Ginger. I used name generators, I asked my family, I made lists, I looked at everything I could think of that might give me some inspiration. Every time I thought I was on to a good name, I would check and it would be taken.
Have I drawn this out enough? 🙂 Would you like to know why Ginger? Ginger is my husband’s nickname for me…I guess because it sounds a lot like Jen. The Just For Fun part is simply because this blog is just for fun, and I don’t want to lose sight of that. So, there you have it…the reason behind the name of Ginger Just For Fun.
Do you usually give presents to all your coworkers? Or more specifically the ones that you work most closely with? We usually do, and I struggle every year trying to figure out what to get without breaking the bank and still having it be something they will enjoy. Here are a few things I have received over the years, and I use them all.
I carry this one in my purse every day. I actually liked it so much I ended up buying for stocking stuffers as well. It has come in handy a time or two….maybe even to open a mayo packet that was impossible! (Don’t worry I hadn’t used the scissors on anything else)
I must admit I have not actually used this one yet, although I do own it and keep intending to. I love the idea of it since I use some essential oils anyway.
We wanted the bar stools to fit under the raised portion of the island. We found these at Pier1, but here are some similar ones: Winsome 94089 Satori Stool, 29″, Walnut
So happy we chose the contrasting island. We think it really ties the whole kitchen together.
Just a couple more features to point out. The appliance garage keeps the counter a little more tidy. Several of our drawers have pull outs which is super handy. The spice cabinet was a must. It keeps things so much more organized. We have an outlet above the cabinets just in case we want to decorate with anything that needs plugged in. Speaking of plugging things in, I am typing this at our island. Not only do we use it a lot when we’re preparing food, but it is usually where we do any work at home so we made sure to have plenty of outlets.
Backsplash includes subway tile in almond gloss, mosaic accent with stone and glass.
I know I said it in the first post, but it’s worth repeating….patience is key. We started planning the remodel in August, began the demo in February of the following year, and the project wrapped up at the beginning of May. It was so worth it though, take your time, hire a contractor with a good team, and go with the flow – there will be things that come up that weren’t expected. And have fun!!
Picking up where we left off. We got back from spring break, and walked in to this beautiful new floor. We went with an engineered hardwood by Anderson with mixed width planks, in cabrillo gold.
It was so exciting to come home from work every day and see the progress that was being made. We chose to go with Waypoint cabinets. The perimeter cabinets are cherry chocolate glaze, and the island is the painted maple hazelnut glaze. Don’t they sound delicious? 😉
Appliances! Whirlpool was what we chose to go with, and 2 1/2 years later we’re still happy with that decision.
One of the most important things we wanted in the new kitchen was somewhere to drop our coats, backpacks, keys…all that stuff you use on a daily basis. We ended up going with this cubby since we don’t have a mud room area, and this is where we all come in to the house.
Up next, the final reveal complete with all the finishing touches including backsplash and lighting fixtures.
We completely remodeled our kitchen about 2 1/2 years ago. There was a lot of planning and picking out of finishes before hand. We don’t plan on doing this again for a vvveeerryyy long time, so we wanted to make sure everything was just how we wanted it. We hired a contractor who also had a designer working with their team. Here are some before pictures:
My least favorite thing?…that light! I could only see a chipmunk every time I looked at it!
Who is that girl standing around, playing on her phone?
The demo was something we felt like we could take on ourselves though. We started with taking the upper cabinets down. This was really pretty simple…just remove the screws and make sure you’re ready to catch that cabinet. Up next…bottom cabinets. The hardest thing about that was the counter top. A good sawzall was really helpful. We did salvage as much as we could. What we or our other family members didn’t use elsewhere, we donated to our local Habitat for Humanity.
Our family room is connected to our kitchen, so we had to move everything out during the remodel. The refrigerator, microwave, and crock pot went to the dining room for the next few months. That was okay for the first week or so, but it does start to get old fast. Patience is key! 🙂
The dining room/temporary kitchen. Oh my! Um..and there I am again doing nothing but messing around on my phone. I promise I really worked!
The bulkhead ( my other least favorite part of the old kitchen) was next to get demo’d. This wasn’t terrible either, that sawzall came in handy again. Luckily, there was nothing but a return air vent to deal with.
Terrick wanted to “help” too.Return air vent. Simple re-route to the other side of that half wall.
Electrical and dry wall were finished next, and then it was our turn again. We thought this would be the easiest part…nope! The flooring was that peel and stick vinyl, and sticky was an understatement. As soon as the floor was up, we had to hurry and paint as we were leaving for spring break and our new flooring was getting installed while we were gone.
My first blog post! I can hardly believe it. Anyone who knows me, knows that this is totally out of character for me. I am not one to share a lot on my personal Facebook or take a lot of pictures of myself, but I recently started following some other bloggers and thought why not? It seems like so much fun! I love to write, I love to shop, I love watching home improvement shows and re-doing things in our house, so if I can share those things with you and give you some inspiration then it will be a win, win for both of us. I also love to travel and always keep a journal on our trips, which is so fun to go back a couple years later and be reminded of what we did. I still plan on keeping that journal, but now I’ll just share it on the blog, too. I hope you’ll follow along and have some fun!
] over the island, and under cabinet lighting.
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