Why Blog?

I've been struggling getting this blog started after my 2013 New Years Resolution to start posting once a month.  I think the hesitation is because I don't feel like I have anything interesting to write about.  I decided to brain storm about why i want want to blog and to layout some ideas for some topics to write about.

Why blog?

1) For me.  I want to start documenting my life.  It would be nice to go back and be able to read and see pictures of big events or daily life.  There are so many things I forget about.  Also i think it would help me start and finish projects giving myself more of a deadline.
2) For my family. It would be nice to have a small bit of income from a blog to help with family finances.   
3) For others.  I would like to share with others things that i like or am interested in.  Maybe something that might help someone else - even in a small way.

What kinds of blogs do i read on a daily basis?

I have about 25 blogs in my reader.  I wish i could remember how i came upon most of these blogs because sometimes that path is interesting to me.  I don't put just any blog in my reader.  I usually only put one there if i run across it from Pinterest or another blogger and i find myself reading many posts and coming back to it several times.  A certain picture on Pinterest might spark my interest or maybe the writer is someone like me or working on a similar project that i am.  I also like blogs like Young House Love that have tons of resources and post everyday. I can almost set my watch to the daily 9am posts by John and Sherry. 

Most blogs i enjoy reading have a good mix of home decor, diy and family.  Some i read because of the beautiful photography.  Others i read because of the family stories and updates.

Blog post ideas

I started a list in my phone of blog topics that come to me once in a while.  This list will by no means happen quickly but I can go back and reference and change as time goes on.

1) Kitchen follow up.  The first and only post on this blog is the before pictures of my kitchen over a year ago.  Oops!
2) Kitchen paint colors.  Next step is to paint the kitchen so i need to explore paint colors.
3) My desk.  I bought a new desk recently and would like to post about styling it.
4) This week in history.  This is my idea for a weekly series about what websites i was looking at during the week. It would be as simple as looking in my browser history and highlighting some things i looked at during the week.
5) Lighting options.  My house needs new light fixtures inside and out.
6) Blogs i read and how i got to know them.

Kitchen on Moving Day

Hello! I am going to start this blog with some inspiration for my kitchen update and we shall go from there.  I'm sure things with be pretty rough as far as the writing, photos and layouts, but ya gotta start somewhere, right?

Here is our very brown kitchen on moving day back in 2008.  Our kitchen is actually very large for the size of our house.  The cabinets are oak with a heavy wood grain.  The counter tops are laminate made to look like butcher block.  Oh and there is the lovely trash compactor that needs to go!

The microwave never worked so that has been replaced.  The dishwasher is relatively new so that will stay intil it breaks.

The refrigerator is in pretty good shape although the ice maker always jams so i have to stick my hand in there to un-jam it.  We will be replacing it with a stainless steel side-by-side.  Also the little corner cabinet to the left of the fridge is the center "hub" of our house.  We always dump our keys, phones, purse, receipts there.  The top cabinet we use as a medicine cabinet.

Our range is decent but I can't stand the electric coils cooktop.  We will be replacing this with a glass top electric range in black and stainless.  One thing i love about this area is the hood.  It is vented with white lights and also has some red heat lamps.  Those metal grates fold down for a little rack to keep your food warm under the red lights.  Almost like my own little restaurant!  That backsplash is super ugly.  I'm thinking white subway tile.

This is a little planning desk type area to the right of the stove.  I like this area because there is a huge drawer and cabinet underneath.  The only weird thing are the two long cabinet doors that actually flip down.  I'm not really sure what they were intended for but I keep my recipe binder and some cooking magazines in there.

I'm really looking forward to painting the cabinets white and putting in new countertops and backsplash.  Stay tuned for my inspiration photos.