Faux Subway Tile Back Splash and Kitchen/Dining updates

So, our kitchen is slowly being redone.  We have been working on little projects here and there and it's coming along.  It's nearly impossible with a hubs who works full time, I babysit and spray paint things, we have 4 heathens and a plethora of other things going on, to completely tear apart our kitchen for the sake of aesthetics.   Slow and steady wins the race for us.  Plus, I lack funds to go much faster. Keepin' it real.

I am dying to have a subway tile back splash.  It will happen, but not until spring break.  So, I started out by painting the wall white.  It was already so much brighter.  I was going to patiently wait for subway tile.

One wild hair up my ass and a sharpie later and I drew on my subway tile.  I have had some people over and they went, "Hey you got subway tile, then I say nope just paint and a sharpie marker!! Plus Mr. TSL put up/made some shelves for the kitchen :)

Before we moved in:

                                Currently:

-ripped out the nasty ass crapet (yep tile looking disgustingly filthy carpet)
-painted the subfloor (temporary)
-moved the cabinets up and added a shelf underneath
-took out the cabinet above the sink and replaced with shelves
-put in above stove microwave
-changed all the appliances to black that we scored sweet deals on and/or got from craigslist
-took out weird pergola top off island and straightened the island.
-replaced the light with barn lights from upstairs
-replaced faucet
-painted walls, trim, pantry doors and shutter door medicine cabinet.


Now on to the dining room, the view from the kitchen when we moved in:

and now:

more dining room pics and some simple fall decorating:

my i will survive planter....i gently ease plants to their death, so i was hoping for a planter that encouraged survival!

xoxo

Halloween: The Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, 2, & 1/2

Here's the kids' Halloween Costumes!!

-Make your life beautiful!!

Happy Halloween and Happy Anniversary!

Yep, today is mine and Mr. TSL's 9th anniversary!  woohoo!! :)  Happy Anniversary baby!

A few years ago, we dressed up with our friends as the crew from Scooby Doo.

The next year we added more friends and we were Gilligan's Island.

So much fun!

Our decorations for this year were minimal, but still fun!

This is where the Nate Berkus Knock Off rug lives now!!

Sweet Strawberry!

We used pumpkin seeds as seeds for her Strawberry costume!

Silly Candy Corn

Audrey is a bumblebee, I will add pictures of her tomorrow!  She is sleeping off some crabbyness right now!

-Make your life beautiful!

Candy Corn Toes and Pumpkin Cupcakes

I saw these on Pinterest and had to try them!

I did my toes though :)  I can't seem to like painting my fingernails.  They just chip and piss me off.  I do ALWAYS have my toes painted though!

Plus, today I made pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream frosting.....to die for delicious!!

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Frosting

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl

4 eggs (at room temperature)

1 can pumpkin (15 oz)

1 c sugar

1 c brown sugar

1 c oil

mix all above ingredients and fold in dry ingredients

pour into muffin tins (I use muffin cups too.)  fill 2/3 full.

bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (I do 25 minutes)

Maple Cream Frosting

8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)

3 tbsp butter (at room temperature)

1/4 tsp maple extract (it's like vanilla and located near it at the store)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 c powdered sugar

mix all ingredients except powdered sugar, fold in powdered sugar 

allow cupcakes to cool before frosting....unless you're like me then wait until they are warm and not hot :)  

These are so good you will thank me for introducing them to you or curses me for doing so....yum!

  

I think I originally got the recipe from House Beautiful! :)

-Make your life beautiful!