Just~One~Donna

It's absolutely true what is said about the snowball effect of home upgrades.  A little paint here turns into new paint everywhere.  Fix a broken tile here and soon whole floors need changing.  Well, that's what has been happening in my "Just One Donna" home.  Spring brought us a brand new kitchen and that kitchen makes everything else feel old and worn out. Not one to throw it all out with the bath water, so to speak, I have been working hard to find ways to update on a budget.  Freshening up doesn't mean you have to break your budget.   One room of focus has been the dining room which is adjacent to the kitchen.  It's a work in progress, but I've made a few changes to get some momentum going.  First, let's take a look at the before dining room.  You can see it is a very traditional dining room.  I love the traditional feel but wanted to add some more modern accents. Three things have changed.  The first and mos...

Three Steps to Creating a Kitchen Renovation Plan This post is the third in a series detailing my experience with my kitchen renovation.  Previously I wrote about accepting that a renovation is needed and the five questions to answer before starting a kitchen renovation project.  Once I had some clarity about what I wanted my new kitchen to look like, and I had established an overall target budget for the project, I needed to determine how to go from the "idea" to an actually finished kitchen. That meant I needed a "PLAN". 1. Sketch Your Dream Layout The first step of my plan was to complete a drawing of the layout I wanted for my kitchen.  This was easy for me because I didn't want to change very much about my existing layout.  I had lived with, and loved, my existing kitchen layout for many years.  That may be a reason I had resisted a kitchen renovation for so long.  The existing kitchen was working pretty well as it was. Kitchen Layout...

According to my astrological sign, I am a homebody and get comfort from my home.  Perhaps that is why whenever I think about tearing my home apart in a renovation I get a panic attack.  The thought of the impending disruption is certainly a reason to put those renovation thoughts on the back burner.  It's one thing to know that you want your kitchen renovated, but it's another to actually take the steps to get the work done. You mustn't delay updates to your home forever.  Short of moving there is no other way to address the wear and tear a family of four leaves on a home over time.  Let's face it, the kitchen takes a lot of abuse from the daily life of a family.  My experience with a family room addition several years ago left me greatly resistant to repeating those trials and tribulations. In that project, the three-month family room addition turned into six months of disruption, of which about four weeks were spent with the backside of our home complet...

When peach season arrives you may be looking for new ways to use your beautiful peaches.  Have you thought of making grilled peaches? This grilled peach dessert is so easy you'll want to make it over and over again.  Go ahead.  Peach season is short. Grilled Peaches with Caramel Ice Cream When I saw the beautiful, local peaches at the store this week I had to buy some.  The weather has been so hot that baking dessert in the oven was not what I wanted to do. I decided to grill my peaches for dessert.  This grilled peaches dessert was so quick and easy that I wanted to share it with you in time for your Labor Day barbecues. Grilled Peaches-The Simple Ingredients Grilled Peaches with Caramel Ice Cream Print Recipe Serves 4 2 firm, ripe peaches 2 Tablespoons brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 Tablespoons butter, melted Caramel ice cream Caramel sauce Whipped cream Directions Start 30-60 minutes before grilling.  Cut the peaches in half...