OUT WITH THE OLD, AND IN WITH THE NOT SO NEW

We've all heard the old adage, "out with the old, in with the new." But what happens when life gives you a big ole bag of some crusty old lemons and you're left with the task of making them new?  Do you give in and use those lemons to make a of vodka soda (guilty) or do you remember what your momma said and turn those crusty lemons into lemonade (add the vodka if you'd like :/)? ​

Y'all I had the perfect kitchen and I know it was perfect for me because it was my design.  I mean I had a blank slate and went from the ground up.  I picked the floors, the lighting, designed the cupboards, picked out a gigantic slab of quartz...I did it ALL.  That space was my sanctuary.  I know ladies usually love their master baths, but I'll be honest in saying that I hate taking baths.  I mean if you think about it, it's really a disgusting practice of sitting in your own filth for an extended period of time...yuck! So the kitchen is my retreat.  As and Army wife, I move a lot.  This is where I come home and feel at home.  It is where I spend most of my time and it is where I enjoy spending time.  I make meals for my family, I sip my coffee and read the good word, I help my boys with their homework.  It's my space, or it was my space.

ENTER God's funny sense of humor.  He sent me to a place with arguably the least design friendly kitchens on the planet.  Fort Hood, Texas and Military Housing.  Don't get me wrong, they are great and very functioning (notice I didn't say functional).  They have newer appliances and are clean, just not what I'd call my sanctuary space.  So here's where we get back to the lemons vs. lemonade and also where I did throw in that towel and make a cocktail...or two.  But at the end of the day I trust God had a plan and I know this is where He's brought me so, I decided to put on my big girl panties and deal with it.  It is a work in progress and I still have some big ideas for the space, but we are one step closer to sanctuary status and that's all right by me.  Here are a few of the things I've been working on.  ​

My coffee bar, in addition to being extremely functional and adding desperately needed storage, was the only thing I could think of that fit well on that wall.  I plan to paint the stand, which is a bottom to an antique hoosier.  ​

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These copper baskets are a great, trendy way to add some additional storage to your small kitchens and add a nice bit of texture to a otherwise bland space.

​This wreath is a simple way to push those hideous, government issued, vertical blinds to the side and still have a bit of privacy while letting in that sunshine and vitamin D.  And when you PCS again all you have to do is remove a command hook, slide the blinds over and walk away.  It doesn't get much easier than that.  ​

​Jennifer
thenotsomilitarywife.com

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