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Ellie and Addison

two islands and everyday pics

I SO appreciate you all!  Thank you to everyone who shared kitchen tips/opinions/advice.  I seriously read through the comments three times with a notepad in hand!  I think a few of you have talked me into adding a mini fridge in the island (great suggestion!).  Having two dishwashers was mentioned and that little feature has been in the plans since day one.  I’m all over it!  Some of you mentioned that you couldn’t picture the two island thing.  I have been doing a lot of research to figure out if I want to do this and I landed on this picture:

This is not at all what my kitchen will look like, but it does give you an idea of the two island concept.  This picture came with an article discussing why two islands like this are better than one large island when designing a big kitchen.  They basically pointed out all of the same things my cabinet guy mentioned.  Our kitchen is similar to this picture in that it is a big square shape with the stove behind the island and the main sink to one side and the fridge on the other.  These two islands are approximately the same size mine would be if I did two.  One would be for food prep with another sink and dishwasher (and maybe a mini fridge!?) while the other island would have bar stools and would be for eating/entertaining.  Picture these two islands connected to make one HUGE island.  That is the other option.  Just thought I’d share this picture in case anyone is a visual person like I am!  In fact, I’m such a visual person that designing this house on paper has been really hard for me.  We had a 3-D rendering done of the outside of the house and I was like “Oh!  Is that what it looks like!?  Kenny said “yeah – you designed it!  Didn’t you know what it would look like!?”  But unless I get a clear visual it’s hard for me to picture exactly how everything juts in and out.  So different than seeing it flat on paper.  Several of you have asked if I will share my floor plan.  Yes!  Of course!  I will share so much of this process with you that I bet by the time this house is built you will all be so sick of reading about it!  If you stick with me through it all that is!  I just want to wait a bit to post the floor plan because we are still making minor tweaks and changes.  There will be a lot more to share once our plans are final and have been approved by the city and we are breaking ground (hopefully sometime around July).  Right now we are dealing with boring stuff like city codes and the structural engineering (snore).  I can’t wait to get to the good stuff!  More kitchen layout meetings please!  :)

I didn’t have time this week to pull together a Fashion Friday post, but I bought some really cute stuff at Banana Republic!  Hoping to share it all next week.  For now here are some random recent pics…

A few from our Spring Break in Palm Springs:

We were always the first ones at the pool in the morning…

and the last ones at the pool in the evening.  We took a three hour break mid-day for Kole’s nap which worked out perfectly because that was when the pool was hopping with people.  We timed things just right so that we were almost alone in the pool most of the week.  Loved that!

Of course, I spent a great deal of my time not swimming, but chasing.  Kole swam a little, but seemed to prefer running around behind all of the lounge chairs in the dirt.  I was ok with it because I learned a long time ago what to expect when you travel with little ones.  Lower your expectations and you will have a fabulous time!  Remember:  It’s not a vacation.  It’s a family trip.  Jut viewing it that way makes a difference for me.  I wrote a post all about it a few years ago.  :)

And a few pics of our annual weekend walk.  We always let Kole out of the stroller for a bit….

and then the girls run ahead while one of us wrestles with Kole to get him back in the stroller. 

The girls had a trial run for their upcoming dance recital.  They had to go to dance class this week with full hair/make-up/costumes on.  It was the first time I’ve ever put make-up on them!  Kind of fun.  :)

Well.  Not so fun for Ellie.  She was SO not impressed.  She likes her dance (hip hop dance to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”) but  the costume was WAY too itchy (shock) and the make-up drove her crazy.  She couldn’t wait to come home and take it all off and get back in her pajamas.  
She wouldn’t even let me take more pictures.  Just the one above and then a nice “enough mom” pose.  
My little ballerina on the other hand…

was a TOTALLY different story.  What a ham!  She loves her dance.  Loves her costume.  (Who cares about comfort when you are wearing something so sparkly!?)  And especially loved the make-up.  So funny.  She was beyond excited for me to put it on her.  “And can you put some of that stuff on my eyes mom!?  The stuff that makes them colorful?  And can I have some lip gloss?  The sparkly kind!  And that black stuff on my eye lashes?  Do it just like yours mom!”  

Then I couldn’t get her away from the mirror.  :)
When we got to class they used her as an example because her bun was in the perfect spot on her head (high – not low).  It was her day to shine and she grinned ear to ear the entire class.  

I’m in trouble with this one.  
:)
Have a great weekend everyone!  
xoxo, Erin
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32 thoughts on “two islands and everyday pics

  1. Hi Erin, The girls look beautiful. How fun. Kole is all boy and getting so big. I love Palm Springs. I have been known to go there just to shop. I love the double Island idea. I think you would get so much more use out of two. Have fun with the plans. I love that part. Have a great weekend.
    Cathy.

  2. Okay!! Now I understand the 2 islands concept!! It was really hard to visualise! 2 islands looks great – Im seriously green with envy :) VERY excited to see the floor plans of this house, Judging by the kitchen layout… its going to be HUGE!! Plenty of room for you guys :) Keep sharing Erin – Loving it :)

  3. Thanks for sharing your pics. I’m a total visual person that really gives me an idea of what your kitchen will look like with the islands. Can I move in? I’ll do all the cookin’ Ha! Looks like you all had a fab time on vacay. Nice tips on what to expect with little ones. The girls look so cute in their costumes. I remember those days with my two with dance and competitive cheer. I see little Addison is your mini me just like my youngest daughter is mine, Aliya is 11 and still likes to wear my heels too :-) Have a great weekend Erin.

  4. I have never thought about it before but I LOVE the two islands! I am so excited to see this house progress-it’s going to be amazing!

    Beautiful girls too!!!

    Have a great weekend!

  5. Your girls are so precious! I really like the 2 island idea now that I can visualize what that would look like. I will definitely stick with you throughout all the planning – I can’t wait to see with all the ideas you come up with!

  6. Thanks everyone!

    Heidi – LOVE the Something’s Gotta a Give kitchen! It was one of the inspiration pictures for mine. :)

    (and I’m sure so many other kitchens!)

  7. Oh so cute!! We have my daughter’s recital coming up in June and they most certainly would NOT be using her hair as an example if her MOMMY did it!!! I will be outsourcing that task! Very cute girls!

  8. Hi Erin,
    Great photos, and I love the kitchen with two islands, seems more user/family friendly :) Every time you do a post like this about your kids it always surprises me how similar our kids are. My oldest daughter (9) loves to be comfy and could care less about “girly” stuff like makeup, my middle daughter (7) is a total girly girl with her motto being the more pink and sparkles the better and my youngest (4) is my little man and keeps me on my toes constantly (although he has settled a lot in the last year or so)Anyways, love your blog so keep up the good work :)

  9. Wow, I bet you’ll be able to have lots of room in that house to make a fabulous year supply food storage room! lol What an awesome kitchen that will be. It’ll be too long of a wait to finally see it!
    Dani

  10. Your blog has now officially become my favorite! I just love how relaxing and easy going it is. Keep up the great work.

  11. Hi Erin, Love your thought of “family trip” verses “vacation”. It is totally right. More than once I have thought that in theory family vacation sounds great, in reality not so much. It’s a great perspective. The kitchen ideas sound very exciting. Have a great weekend.
    Cathy

  12. So fun hearing all about your plans.

    You had asked us about warming drawers…I use mine ALL the time. As in probably every other day even though my two kids are in college. Before that, I used it daily.

    It is also great for the holidays because believe it or not, for Thanksgiving, I sometimes max out my 2 ovens, but can cook ahead and hold in the warming drawer.

    Also, your home sounds like it will be in a price range where people will expect to find a warming drawer, heaven forbid you should ever decide to sell. We had a home 7 years ago with a completely remodeled kitchen but it didn’t have a drawer. We were selling because even though we had “intended” to be there for a LONG time, we had the opportunity to get our dream house in our dream location. One thing people commented on was the lack of the WD.

    I know you say you aren’t much of a cook, but when I make a big batch of pancakes, I just put the cooked ones in there until I am all done with the whole batch and then can serve them all warm.

    My WD has several heat settings, but also has a Moist/Dry setting and I really like that feature. The moist keeps moist dishes from drying out – just like it says.

    I seriously would sacrifice a lot of things before I would go without a warming drawer in another house. It just takes stress out of life.

    Just my 2 cents!

    PS – Your girls are darling in their costumes…

  13. Love that Ellie is so not impressed and Addison is all over it! My two girls to a tee! Can’t wait to see YOUR kitchen…it sounds amazing!

  14. Your palm springs resort looks like a lot of fun! Do you mind telling us which resort it is? And I loooovvvvve that kitchen pic! What a dream to design your own kitchen! So beautiful! I can’t wait to see!

  15. Okay, I would SO do the two-island thing. With a huge kitchen like that? Oh yea, I would. And I can just see that gorgeous kitchen all in white. WOW it’s going to look amazing.

  16. In a really big kitchen a single island becomes a continent you have to constantly get around one way or another. Definitely go with two smaller ones.

    That said, I know you don’t cook but as a kitchen designer who loves to cook I can see some fundamental flaws in your appliance placement just from your description.

    If you want a kitchen that will ultimately be a focal area in your home and you want it to function with the least amount of effort on your part you have to seriously consider the functionality of the design and not each element on its own merit.

    I suggest you post your kitchen floor plan on the kitchen forum over at http://www.gardenweb.com where you will get tons of excellent, if sometimes conflicting advice. It’s all free so no harm, no gain but you will be 100 times happier with a kitchen that COOKS as well as looks.

    Can’t wait to see how your home progresses.

  17. I think two islands make much more sense. I read an article about a kitchen redo and the wife talked about how the island was too big. If you have the room I think two is the way to go. We take many family trips to the Palm Springs area. Can you share where you stayed? We’ve stayed at various resorts in the Indian Wells area but haven’t been to the one you pictured. It looks very cool. Thanks!

  18. Love, love the pics of the girls! They are too funny! I love how different they are in so many ways, and so alike in others. It makes me wonder what El will be like as a teenager, one of those anti makeup girls next to her dolled up little sister?? It will be funny to see how she comes around to things. Tell them they look BEAUTIFUL!

    I do like the layout you showed of the 2 islands. That totally makes sense in a kitchen that big and with that shape. That never would have worked for my kitchen because it’s rectangular, so my huge rectangle island is perfect for me. But I do love that idea of having one for food prep with the little sink, just think how nice that would be for prepping salads and fruits and veggies!

  19. my hubby and i are going to palm springs to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. i would have preferred hawaii but you know :) anyways, where did you stay?? the place looks great!

  20. Did anyone mention trash compactor? How about double ovens, one being a combo oven/microwave so it does both? While you’re talking about doubles in design, double dryers help too. Oh and if you have taller ceilings, always go with the taller moldings. 5″ trim on a 10 ft ceiling looks weaker than 7″. Just my advice. Don’t forget to put overhead lights in your closets. We forgot them on our house in the kids’ closets. dumb dumb us… Oh and prewire for future projects.

  21. Wow what a nice looking resort you guys stayed at in Palm Springs. Where did you guys stay at? My husband and I like to go to Palm Springs occasionally and I’d love to check out that place!

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