For the second day of our busy, busy week, I decided to tackle our kitchen. Lately it has been bothering me. The lack of storage space, plus too many things that we don't need, plus unfinished counter tops makes the kitchen one nonfunctional place. I like to feel inspired by the world around me and when in the kitchen, I always felt inhibited. Who wants to whip up a culinary masterpiece when you have no space to do so? 

Enter stage left our cleaning challenge and I was all over that space like fleas on a dirty dog. It was time to make some changes, clean out the old things that we never use, and bring out my cookbooks that have been packed away in a box. I also wanted to be more intentional about where I put things. This space needed to be really functional and organized in a way that allowed for easy access to things and plenty of prep space. 

Why don't we start by looking at some of the before pictures?

As you can see, the counter space was limited. Due to lack of cabinetry that fits tall small appliances, my mixer and coffee maker were out on the counter as well as all of my cooking utensils, paper towel holder, and a small basket where we put odds and ends produce.  All of this limited the space I used as prep area. 

So, I decided that my main goal would be to clean off some of the counter space and organize the open cabinetry--it was looking a bit cluttered. In the end, I ended up bringing down the white bookcase, that I was using beside my bed, to use as storage for some of those taller small appliances. This also enabled me to move my cooking utensils, have a place for my cookbooks and recipe box, and, bonus, it filled up the empty space nicely! Jonathan came home and wondered allowed why it has taken us so long to utilize the space. My thoughts exactly. Now for a bit of before and after side-by-side action for you. 

The kitchen feels so much more....open...if you ask me. I know it is hard to tell, but I also organized our pantry. Instead of having things all over the place, I have organized all the items into various categories. It will make finding something a breeze. Plus, I was able to get rid of old items and do a mental inventory of what I have. 

Here are the after pictures by themselves so you can get a closer look. Doesn't she (she? he?) look wonderful?! 

Now I'm ready to whip up a fantastic meal! Plus, with it being a rainy kind of day around here, I may just have to bake something yummy. I will keep you posted.

Oh and please come back tomorrow! Wait till you see the transformation I have for you. You might just pee a bit. I know I will...once its done that is ;) 

Geiger Cleaning Week: Day 1

As promised, here is our day one post of

   

Today, I will show you some of the yard work we did this past weekend--and let me tell you, things are looking pretty shnazy around here.

On Saturday, Jonathan and I had a majority of the day to work in the yard. Our goals were to:

        -clear out all of the garden beds
        -take out all of the bushes along the right side of our house
        -clean up the side yard tree
        -any general trimming or clearing that needed to be done

To give you an idea of what we started with, I will share with you some before pictures. But, first, I want to explain a few things. When we purchased this house, outside work was really the last thing on our priority list. We figured that we would get to it eventually and that is why we haven't done anything before now. Doing yard work at the end of the the summer may seem a bit counterproductive, but our goal is to clean everything up so that next year we can start off with a fresh slate.

Let me tell you, we had a lot of work on our hands. Both of our neighbors have told us multiple times that the yard has not been touched in "years." And I can attest to the fact, that this has got to be true. After working in our yard for 7ish hours on Saturday, we definitely need at least one more full day of work, if not two. The amount of dead leaves, rubbish, and overgrown bushes will never cease to amaze me. To be honest, I was a bit naive to believe that in one day, we could have everything cleaned up.

We did end up doing a bunch of things, but also decided to cut a few corners. In the interest of  time (and to contemplate if we want to keep them or not) we just cut back a majority of the bushes that surround the house. We will decide next year if they will be ripped out or not. We also worked on getting rid of all of the ivy that has overtaken our house. I will forever hate the stupid stuff. Why people plant it is beyond me. Lastly, we also took out the old lamppost that didn't work anymore and made sure to trim up a couple of trees that were starting to look worse for the wear.

Without further ado, here is our spruced up and clean yard!

Stay tuned tomorrow for our kitchen reveal! The Geiger Cleaning Week: Fall Edition is in full swing people!

Geiger Cleaning Week: Fall Edition

Welcome!!! This is the week where the carpenter and I prepare our house for winter and the weather that is to come. This is also the week where I finally clean out every square inch of our house. Let's just say, it's about time. It's time to get all of the stuff we have hanging around, put away in a permanent spot. The guestroom will be emptied out, the kitchen will be cleaned out, and everything will be sorted through to rid us of all the excess we have.

For some of you, this may be a bit repetitive--I love to organize and purge useless things. Yet, this has been a constant thing around here for a reason. We are still trying to figure out how to fit into 1,000 square feet. Definitely not the easiest thing. I'm not complaining, just adjusting :) 

So, this week, you guys will get a post everyday (instead of the three-posts-a-week thing we have been doing--dad Geiger, this is for you! haha). There will be a different "theme" each day. We will be tackling our guestroom, the gardens, our garage, the kitchen, and then there will be a post about the rest of the house in general.

Are you READY?!?! 

Prepare yourself, invite your friends, and let's get started--well tomorrow we will get started. 

See y'all then! 

Friday Pinspiration

Since I'm still getting back into the swing of things still, I figured today's post will involve a lot of fun Pinterest finds.

I told you this would happen.

So without further ado--here are some projects, rooms, and various other things that I have found to be pinspirational. Enjoy!

Source: marthamoments.blogspot.com via Christen on Pinterest

Source: betterafter.blogspot.com via Ensley on Pinterest

Source: lefrufrublog.blogspot.com via Candace & Shanon on Pinterest

Source: cottage-company.com via Kelleigh on Pinterest

Source: apaperaeroplane.tumblr.com via The West End on Pinterest

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Source: designformankind.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Source: poppytalk.blogspot.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

You Win Some, You Lose Some

It's fall right? 

Finally!!

I decided to get into the fall spirit and do a bit of decorating. We are on a tight budget right now, so I wanted to gussy things up without spending a lot of money. Dollar Tree to the rescue! I always love Dollar Tree as a resource for decorative items on a budget. 

As I was walking around, I spotted these paper doilies  and came up with the idea of putting them all together and creating a runner. For three dollars, a half hour, and some tape I had on hand, I figured I could create a great piece. I was inspired by this runner by Ashley Ann and thought that I may be able to recreate. 

My first attempted involved layering them. I would overlap them and just sort of put them together at random. Whatever I thought would look good. Well, I ended up getting rid of that. It was too...cluttered.

Then I decided to put them together with more space in between them. It turned out better and I put it on our buffet and proceeded to accessorize. 

 I went around the house collecting a bunch of things that I thought would work for a fall-ish feel. I gathered a few accent jars I had on had, a bunch of candles, some fall decorations from last year, a bag of split peas, a bag of popcorn, and some decorative squash that I picked up from a local produce stand.

Then I just started layering them on the buffet and worked with things until I had them the way that I wanted. I also kept in mind that I didn't need to use everything on the buffet because I wanted to put some stuff on our coffee table in the living room too. The result was satisfactory enough. I wasn't sure how I liked the runner that I had made, but I decided to live with it for a day and then decide.

In the basket I crinkled up some paper and then layered the decorative gourds on top. I followed that by putting the two scarecrows, that I had, in the back. A set of Fiesta salt and pepper shakers made the perfect compliment to the pitcher on the other side of the buffet.  Then to top the grouping off I used a mason jar, split peas, popcorn, and a candle to create a fun decorative piece.

On the opposite side, I used a large glass vase I had leftover from our wedding and a small votive, to do the same decorative element I used with the mason jar. I decided to move the pitcher with flowers from its spot in the living room, because the colors worked well with the overall scheme I had going on. I also decided to utilized the 'fall' decoration I had purchased from Christmas Tree Shops on this end as well.

It all came together in the end. The colors from my mom's picture, that hangs above our buffet, and all the colors of the adjoining rooms seem to compliment everything nicely.

Then in the living room I decided to do a small arrangement and I used some more doilies, a wood chicken (left behind from the previous owners of our house), a couple of glass votives, a decorative tray, and a pumpkin I had on hand from last year.

The goal was to do something simple, but fun. I attached the doilies to the bottom of the tray, with tape. Then I layered in the chicken and candles. The pumpkin went on the bottom shelf. I also love how the baskets I have holding our magazines, are made with chicken wire. In the end, there was an overall country theme that I didn't plan for!  :)

This is where I was originally planning on ending the post, but after living with the doilies for a day, I decided that I wasn't a huge fan. So, I removed them from the buffet and this is what it looks like now.

I like it a lot better... I think. Oh! I forgot to mention that I also put our ipod and its speakers back on the buffet. Function is way more important than beauty, around here. 

So, what do you think? Do you like the display better with the doily runner? or without? Honestly, I'm not 100% convinced either way. I'm thinking that I might try to make a new runner with just the sunflowers or the leaves and see if I like that better. Some input would be greatly appreciated :)

Vacation

IIIII'MMMM BBBBAAAACCCCCK!!! :D

I have been itching to let my fingers dance across the keyboard and create a post for you guys. But I have to pull back the reigns and remember that a week of vacation means that there is a week in which absolutely NO home improvements happened.

Whoa there horsey!

Sure, I could come up with a bunch on Pinspiration for you, but I feel like there will be plenty of that in the future. So, instead, I'm going to just post a bunch of fun pictures from our trip and allow you to ogle while I come up with a fantastic post for Wednesday.

Without any further excuse making, here are some photos I took, and ones that I stole from my cousin'a instagram, of our week in LA, CA. Enjoy.

Upon arriving in CA,  we visited Jonathan's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. It was great to spend time with them! It has been way too long between visits. So, once we landed in Burbank, Jonathan and I hoped in our rent-a-car and drove to their house to spend a few days.

We did a lot of talking, eating, and the boys played video games a majority of the time. But here are a few highlights for ya.

The third day there, we decided to walk around Oakley Headquarters. The building was really neat and a lot of fun to explore.  

Uncle Jun Jun helped Casen try on sunglasses. We didn't buy anything, but instead watched a bunch of people race on the big outdoor dirt track that they have for RC cars. 

 Then the morning we were to leave, we went out to breakfast together and made sure to take lots of photos. 

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After spending time with them, we spent time with my side of the family. We went to an observatory in Griffith Park, CA where we were able to also get a good view of the infamous 'Hollywood' sign. 

We also spent a lot of time eating--it's sort of what my family does. 

This is the only picture I took of our visit to Venice beach. Other than this dog, which I found hilarious, I wouldn't recommend it. Venice was interesting, just not my thing. But I would highly recommend Santa Monica--a lot cleaner and more my style. 

My dad is on the right, my uncle on the left. I still mix them up at times. Oh and have I mentioned that my husband is a twin too? --yea, I'm in trouble. 

A compilation of the whole week. We celebrated my mom's 50th while we were together!! It was awesome. 

I have to say, it was a wonderful week spent enjoying family time. We drove all over the LA area, spent hours in traffic, talked, laughed, ate lots of frozen yogurt, had In and Out Burger, and made many memories together.  I am so thankful that God has blessed me with them and I cannot wait to spend time together, again. I just wish we all lived closer to one another.