Show Me the Money

We had a leak in the kitchen a couple of months ago so decided to upgrade the vinyl tile to ceramic tile with the insurance money.  Which made us realize that we'd love a new kitchen island that had electricity.  Which made us realize that if all that other stuff was new, the cheesy eighties faux wood laminate would scream ugly at us everyday.  Which made us notice how yucky the builder grade cabinets were...

So now we're redecorating the kitchen.  Thankfully, Henry is in preschool with the kid of a builder who is loaning us all of his subcontractor info.  He says he doesn't want to work for us as even in a down economy, money is easier to make than good friends.  (What wise friends we have...)  I say redecorating rather than remodeling because the contractor who came today said it is only remodeling if you change the floor plan.  We aren't.  And thankfully, we already bought a new fridge and dishwasher when we moved in and the old oven still works well.  (Like I use it all that often anyhow...)

And so now, we are having a GIANT yard sale.  The yard sale was to finance the adoption lawyer, but we've  found one who will work for a third of what we'd budgeted.  (Shout out to a sorority sister in the Richmond area who adopted last year and has a lawyer husband!!!  Zeta is forever...Ha.)  Now the yard sale is to finance the kitchen.  Which is, admittedly, a huge undertaking.  But...if you've been to our house you'll know that the kitchen is both literally and figuratively the heart of our home.  As in each room in the downstairs is connected to it somehow and you can see the kitchen through the foyer as soon as you open the front door.  And the kitchen island is where we color, eat lunch and breakfast, dump mail, play playdough, and carve pumpkins.


In addition to the yard sale, I've also begun listing pretty much anything that doesn't move on craigslist.  In three hours, I've gotten 2 bites for an Ikea Wardrobe (that is in great shape just is too big for where we have it and we really don't need it in this house) and Henry's old Bugaboo Stroller.  Should these 2 hits pan out...We'll be $300 closer to our dream kitchen. Which should buy us a drawer. Or maybe a lazy susan corner cabinet.  Or 6 square feet of granite countertop...

Pray for me during all of this.  Looking at countertops and tile and all that, while fun, is scary.  Such commitment.  I feel like this is the most adult situation I've ever been placed in.  The most costly decisions I've ever had to make.  Sure, falling in love with Sloan when he lived 2000 miles away, was unemployed, and was living with his grandmother was a risk.  But really, God made that decision for me and I simply followed His lead.  (It also helped that I assumed Sloan's job status and living situation was a sign that he was independently wealthy...HA HA HA!)  And certainly, both IVF and adoption were costly to our both our hearts and bank accounts, but once again, we were in love with our children long before we met them and so the decision was easy.  And it is not to say that I don't believe God cares about our kitchen, it is just that I'm pretty certain he gave me a fully functioning brain for a reason and intends for me to use it.  And I'm never going to be in love with tile.  Which, I suppose, is a pretty good thing.

So if you are in the Midlothian area on April 10th from 8-12, stop on buy La Casa de Phillips.  We've got end tables, a queen size bed, toys, floor heaters, and a bunch of other crap you know you can't live without.  Bring cash.  Lots of it.