You Can't Take the Hobbs Out of the Ghetto...

But you CAN take the ghetto out of the Hobbs. That's the new 2008 motto around here. Since home values have taken quite a hit and we don't really want to move anyway, we've decided it's time to make our house more homey for the next couple of years. This year, our tax refund is going to fixing all the broken, half-done, or just ignored projects around the house. For once there are no other pressing bills, no big family trips, etc, so it will be nice to actually finish a few things around here.

First up is finishing phase three of the kitchen makeover. Travis painted our china hutch black and I sewed up a new curtain. We love the new look. I've still got to make a roman shade for the over-the-sink window and then we'll buy our new counter top at Home Depot. We're just getting a stock laminate. They have one that matches the new look and will hopefully match up with our budget.

Ooohh, aaaaahhhh!

Seriously, do I live here?

I didn't foresee the silk border at the bottom of the curtains shredding like crazy while I sewed. By the time they were finished, I had lost a full inch of length, making my curtains too short! I hemmed and hawed, then came up with a perfect solution: bigger curtain rings! I bought the biggest ones Joann's had and ta-da! The perfect length curtain. Also, check out my inverted box pleats! So cute!

So Erica and I shopped around like crazy last week looking for kitchen accessories. I bought stuff, returned stuff, obsessed, and debated over what to put on either side of the china hutch. We visited zillions of stores, talked ourselves into and out of various plates, platters, pictures, and iron-scrolly things. Nothing was right. So finally tonight I found something that would work at Kirkland's. I brought them home and hung them up while Travis fought our ongoing toilet battle (that's a whole other post). I called Travis to see what he thought. He comes in, looks hopeful and says "yeah, those look good." I hear a hesitance in his voice. He assures me that he really likes them and then adds: "It looks really nice, it's like we live in a banquet hall." What? A banquet hall? Apparently in Idaho (no offense Idaho readers), the pinnacle of cool home decor is the banquet hall, but where I come from, banquet hall equals musty, dusty elk's lodge! Travis assured me that this was his highest kitchen-decor related compliment and says he likes the new look a lot. I accept his nod of approval and try to put the whole tacky maroon/pink wallpaper images out of my head.

Thank you Kirkland's. I can sleep tonight, knowing my walls aren't blank.

Sweet! Is that a Freecycle breadmaker I see on your counter?
Bring on Sarah's breadmaker rolls!

This is much better than our ugly old microwave that used to be here.

Next on the project list is the most ghetto part of our house: the basement. New carpet, new paint, and maybe even a new couch!!