Month: August 2017

AROUND HERE: AUGUST 2017

Around here, we have been..

ENJOYING the last bits of summer vacation.  Our volunteer fire department has a unique benefit of providing each of the firefighters and their families a 2 week stay in one of four cabins privately owned by the fire department relief association.  It is a wonderful benefit that our family looks forward to each year as the final summer celebration. Camp fires and canoe rides are daily occurrences and our relaxed eating schedule means that there is plenty of yummy ice cream.

PREPARING for school to start.  The kids all helped pick out supplies and their new school tennis shoes.  {D} has already started football practice and was very excited to get all the cool gear necessary. {K} had an orientation with her kindergarten teacher and was happy to learn that she has black hair, just like her.  The boys aren’t quite as enthusiastic to be back hitting the books already, but are excited to see their friends and meet their teachers.  And {M}, who is starting preschool, has no idea what to think.  We feel blessed that all of the kids will be in the same school building and will be able to see each other throughout the day.  That connection is sure to be a comfort to the girls in particular, as they are learning what school is all about.

PRACTICING patience.  Craig’s knee surgery was just over a week ago and the healing process has been much slower than we had anticipated.  It is tough for him to lay around and rely on other people for help with basic tasks.  We are trying to remember that it was a major surgery.  For those of you who don’t know, the doctors removed a piece of his hamstring to recreate a new ACL, which Craig had completely torn.  They also repaired two meniscus tears.  Looking ahead, we realize that physical therapy, icing and leg elevation, plus the fancy new leg brace he was given, are now just part of our everyday lives for the next 6-8 weeks.

As always, our weekly review ‘mini vlogs’ are available on our family YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY.  Lots of bonus photos and videos you may want to check out!

TAKING SMALL STEPS

I’m still in full out research mode around here these days – trying to figure out the best way to organize my content so that this website and blog are easy to navigate and the site seems consistent with my vision, and consistent with everything else I am putting out on social media to ‘market’ the website.

And because I tend to use images/visuals to understand how things work, I thought it might be helpful to share my current thoughts on how this will be accomplished.

As you can see, the ARROW HILL COTTAGE site will continue to be the main landing place – with two sub-branches: Arrow Hill STUDIO and Arrow Hill FAMILY

  • Arrow Hill COTTAGE:
    • The main focus of the blog is to discuss and teach home design & decorating ideas, and parallel these ideas with how we are designing (and eventually building) our cottage.  There will also be posts about the sub-branch topics, but they won’t come up quite as frequently.
    • Some post ideas include: tutorials on using free design software, simple DIY projects, tips on how to arrange furniture, organizational techniques, inspirational home images, our house design (and eventually build!)  and more!
    • There are public ‘social media’ / browser links to each of the following:
  • Arrow Hill STUDIO:
    • As mentioned in this post, the studio is all about the art I create.  Eventually, when I open the Etsy shop, it will be linked near the top of the website.
    • There is a separate Instagram account for the studio, where I will post about the new designs I am working on, and which products are available.  (IG link here)
  • Arrow Hill FAMILY:
    • I was finding that I really love to write and share about our beautiful family, yet that was never my initial intention for this website.  Of course, they will be making cameo appearances on the blog, specifically in the ‘Around Here’ feature that will happen near the end of each month.
    • For those of you who want to know more about us and our daily lives, you can follow us:
      • on YouTube (public). A separate YouTube account has been created here – This is where we will add all family related videos (including moving over the ones we have already created).  Having the separate YouTube channel for family videos means that the Arrow Hill Cottage YouTube channel, which will feature only DIY & tutorial type videos, can be kept consistent with the website.
      • on Instagram (private).  Craig and I will both be posting to this IG account, which is intended for friends and family.  You can request to join/ follow here.  Though the family will still show up on occasion on the public Arrow Hill Cottage IG site, we are going to be able to dive in deep on our private page – posting details about things like… Craig’s knee surgery which is coming up soon!

Hopefully these little updates won’t be too confusing.  I feel like they will really help me keep my vision focused and still allow me to post about a variety of things.

We are still busy making some website changes as well, which will hopefully go live in a week or two. Oh, and the busy factor is really ramping up around here these days, with school just around the corner. I wouldn’t be surprised if posts are less frequent over the coming weeks – just so you know!

Again, thank you for all the support.  I am enjoying walking down this path, one small step at a time.

WEEK 1 {WHOLE30 INSPIRED RECIPES FOR FAMILIES}

You guys… this is it!  The final week in the 4 week meal rotation!  And, it is very possible that I’ve saved the best for last.  If you haven’t checked out the other weeks yet, find them here:  Week 2, Week 3, Week 4

Let’s dig in.

Links to printable menu and recipes below + descriptions and some photos after

WEEK 1 MENU

PRINTABLE WEEK 1 RECIPES

{Monday}

Kid’s Choice

We call this the ‘kid’s choice’ night, because Craig has fire department meetings every Monday evening and eats at the fire station.  The kids will usually ask for spaghetti or PB&J.  Typically I will eat a salad or leftovers from a previous meal.

{Tuesday}

Chicken & Steak Fajitas + pineapple, avocado slices, black beans

Continuing with the ‘Taco Tuesday’ theme, but wanting to add in a bit of variety, we have fajitas every other week.  The beauty of fajitas is that they can easily be eaten without tortillas for a healthier option.  Just mix the meat and veggies together and top with some beans and avocado slices and you’ve got yourself a tasty and filling meal.

{Wednesday}

Grain Free Italian Meatballs + mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus, cheese

Hands down this is the favorite recipe of all 4 weeks for both my husband and the kids.  I agree with them that it is delicious, but the Cashew Chicken (week 4) still gets my vote!  Craig and I both have a vested interest in this meal because we worked so hard to perfect the meatball consistency & ingredients.  Though based on a recipe I found on the internet, it has now become ‘ours’.  As a parent, I have to say I am pretty satisfied with the amount of veggies that we are able to ‘hide’ in the meatballs.  Even our kids who say they don’t like mushrooms eat these up and ask for more. Try this recipe.  Just do it.

{Thursday}

Baked Chicken (OR) Almond Crusted Fish + whole grain noodles, yellow squash

Both of these options are light yet filling.  When you get to a meal on the rotation that has two choices, simply choose which you are craving most at that moment in time.  I’ll admit that the chicken dish gets chosen over the fish most often, but both are so yummy.

{Friday}

Oven Baked Ham + roasted garlic green beans, apple slices

This meal is proof that you don’t need to work hard to prepare a healthy and filling meal.  Though generally apples are thought of as snacks, they pair perfectly with ham and serve as a super easy side!  Cooking up a large ham on Week 1 of the rotation means that the leftovers can be cubed and frozen for use in future recipes – saving even more time in the kitchen.  Score!

{Saturday}

Lunch: Big Salads (adults) / Chicken Nuggets (kids)

Our Saturdays are usually pretty busy, so we keep the afternoon meal simple and the same each week.  Our ‘big salads’ consist of romaine lettuce and maybe some spinach, topped with a variety of veggies + chunks of chicken or ham and maybe a bit of blue cheese crumbles.  We love the Newman’s Own Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing.

Dinner: Grilled hamburgers (no buns) + french fries, pickles, orange slices

This meal doesn’t need a lot of discussion.  We have been going ‘bunless’ around here for a few months now, and nobody even asks about them anymore.  You can make your own french fries from potatoes if you’re feeling ambitious. I’m usually not.

{Sunday}

Lunch:  Gas House Eggs + bacon, blueberries & bananas

I admit that I had never heard of these before I met Craig, but they have become a family favorite and needed to stay on the rotation.  We have one meal per week that is more carb-heavy, and this is one of them!

Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers + cauliflower rice, strawberries

Once, when I purchased groceries for this week of meals, I had the cashier ask me “What are you going to do with all of those green peppers?”  I don’t know what she was expecting my answer would be, or why she even cared… but we only plan to EAT the food we buy.  Some people are surprised to hear that each and every one of our five kids enjoy eating peppers.  I know that they aren’t typically considered a kid friendly food, and I certainly wasn’t digging them when I was younger.  But this recipe is just so much fun.  Everyone gets their own green pepper ‘bowl’ filled with delicious chicken.  What’s not to love?

 

For those of you interested in simplifying your grocery shopping for these specific recipes, just click on the link below for a complete shopping list which includes everything you will need to make this week of healthy meals for your family.

GROCERY LIST WEEK 1

Remember, this is a reverse shopping list – if you already have the item in your kitchen, just cross it off!

And there you have it!  4 weeks of healthy, family friendly meals!  If some of these recipes appeal to you more than others, consider adding some of your own family favorites to the mix and making your own rotation / coordinating shopping lists.  I promise you, once you try it you will never want to go back to the aimless grocery store wandering. Less time in the grocery store and kitchen means MORE time to do other fun things!

Happy Cooking & Shopping everyone!

 

PS:  See those cute little buttons below this post?  Go ahead and click on them to share with a friend who might find this information useful!

INTRODUCING THE ‘AROUND HERE’ BLOG FEATURE

As my last post eluded to, I am currently doing a lot of research and soul searching – trying to figure out what direction this blog & website is headed.  When I started out, the plan was to make it mostly about our house design. But every house has a family, and mine is with me every.single.day (at least in the summer), and so I was finding it easiest to do quick posts about US or posts about things that WE were doing.

But now, when I look back on my first 75 days of blogging, I’m seeing that there hasn’t been a lot of talk about Arrow Hill Cottage at all!  That fact makes me a bit sad, and has me longing to sharpen my focus.

We are keenly aware that quite a few/ probably most of our followers up to this point are friends and family who know us well, and love to see images and videos of the things we are up to.  And so although I will be trying to focus more on home design aspects, I am also planning to keep up some family blogging to a lesser extent.

Each Monday, you will still be able to log into YouTube and get a little recap of the previous week.  Such as this video compilation, which includes tons of rainy day fun!

 

If you don’t subscribe to our family YouTube channel yet, we recommend you do so – because I won’t be making posts about each video we upload!  We have all our videos organized into playlists for convenience of finding the content that you want to watch.  As of right now, we have playlists for Family Home Videos, Arthrogryposis/AMC related videos and of course, our Weekly Photo Vlog.

On the blog, I plan to do one big recap near the end of each month or beginning of the next.  This feature will be titled ‘AROUND HERE’ and will chronicle all that our family has been up to in that corresponding month (school starting, holidays, birthdays, eventually even house building!)  If you click on the ‘AROUND HERE’ tab on the top of the website, you can access FAMILY ONLY posts through the ‘our adventures‘ menu and learn more about our HOME DESIGN & BUILDING through the ‘our home‘ menu.

Again, thanks so much for taking this journey with us!

PS:  Planning on making the last post about our weekly meal rotation tomorrow, and after that the FOCUS will begin!

SATURDAY SKETCHBOOK: DIRECTION

Ok. I know.  It’s not a sketch, but it’s what has been on my mind a lot lately.

I won’t go into much detail besides simply saying that I can sense this blog is starting to head in a direction that I never intended it to take…so I am going to be working over the next weeks/months to try to steer it back in line with my initial vision.  The Saturday Sketchbook feature will likely still continue on, but may not happen quite as frequently, so that I share sketches I truly want to instead of scrambling to get something together just to ‘check’ the box.

Craig is my default technology person, and will be helping me make some modifications to the website layout as well, but keep in mind that we are both very new to this, and learning as we go.  There are sure to be some hiccups along the way!  (If you are an email subscriber you will have already experienced one! ha!)

On my letter board this week I have this quote:

And it is so, so true.  I’m really looking forward to what this blog and website could turn into, but it scares me at the same time.  I need to place those fears to the side and just put one foot in front of the other to make this a space that truly represents what I want to share. At the end of the day, I need to remember that the journey is just as beautiful as the destination itself.

Thanks for walking it with me.

 

WEEK 4 {WHOLE30 INSPIRED RECIPES FOR FAMILIES}

Who is ready for more tasty meals?

If you missed the other recipe posts in this series, you can find them here

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

We are now up to Week 4 on the meal rotation – and it is full of family friendly meals that are not only easy to make but healthy!

Links to printable menu and recipes below + descriptions and some photos after

WEEK 4 MENU

PRINTABLE WEEK 4 RECIPES

{Monday}

Kid’s Choice

We call this the ‘kid’s choice’ night, because Craig has fire department meetings every Monday evening and eats at the fire station.  The kids will usually ask for spaghetti or PB&J.  Typically I will eat a salad or leftovers from a previous meal.

{Tuesday}

Tacos + watermelon and salsa with chips

When we started meal planning, Craig was quick to point out that he could ‘eat tacos every night’, and that would be fine with him.  We negotiated and came up with Taco Tuesday instead (though we rotate every other week from tacos to fajitas, and we switch up the sides).  Either way, it is a family favorite night.

{Wednesday}

Pork Chops + seasoned potato wedges, applesauce and cheese

The simple marinade can be left to soak on the chops for anywhere from 1-24 hours.  The longer it sits, the richer the flavor.  These are perfect either grilled or pan fried and are complimented so well with the seasoned potatoes and applesauce!

{Thursday}

Cashew Chicken + cauliflower rice and strawberries

If you try even ONE recipe from these 4 weeks, let it be the Cashew Chicken.  Truly.  The flavor is so amazing and the recipe is ‘dump and heat’ easy.

{Friday}

Zoodle Greek Salad (OR) Tuna Salad

Both of these salads have a clean, crisp taste that is perfect for hot summer nights – no side dishes necessary!  Make up a big batch and store in individual containers for quick & fresh lunches throughout the busy work week.  Pictured above is the Zoodle Greek Salad.

{Saturday}

Lunch: Big Salads (adults) / chicken nuggets (kids)

Our Saturdays are usually pretty busy, so we keep the afternoon meal simple and the same each week.  Our ‘big salads’ consist of romaine lettuce and maybe some spinach, topped with a variety of veggies + chunks of chicken and maybe a bit of crumbled blue cheese on top. We love the Newman’s Own Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing to pull it all together.

Dinner:  Grilled Brats + tater tots and grapes

Another easy grilling meal.  There are a ton of healthy brat & sausage options to choose from these days.

{Sunday}

Lunch: Waffles + eggs and ‘monkey salad’

This meal is the ‘cheater’ for the week.  We just did not have the heart to tell the kids that we would never be having waffles, pancakes or french toast – and so we have a big syrupy ‘dough meal’ once every 4 weeks, and it is magical.  The eggs and simple ‘monkey salad’ balance it all out.

Dinner: Choice of Soup (chicken wild rice, potato bacon, golden cauliflower) + fresh bread

You just can’t go wrong with soup.  At the beginning of Week #4, we choose which of these three soups we would like to eat.  They are all Whole30 compliant and all equally good in their own unique way.  Pictured is the Golden Cauliflower variety.  Add some fresh bread or simple sandwiches, if you desire.

 

For those of you interested in simplifying your grocery shopping for these specific recipes, just click on the link below for a complete shopping list which includes everything you will need to make this week of healthy meals for your family.

GROCERY LIST WEEK 4

And remember, this is a reverse shopping list – if you already have the item in your kitchen, just cross it off!

Next week I will finish up this series with Week #1 recipes!  Happy cooking everyone!

In the meantime, see those cute little buttons below this post?  Go ahead and click on them to share with a friend who might find this information useful!

DOLCH SIGHT WORD FLASH CARDS – FUN READING ACTIVITY!

Summer is nearing it’s end *sigh* and around here I have been nudging the kids ever so slightly back into the academic direction. The girls, of course, have been busy getting the basics down before their school debut.  {M} will be in Preschool 2 mornings per week and {K} will start half day Kindergarten.  They have been easily persuaded and seem to enjoy the special learning time we have together.  The latest activity we have been working on is letter flash cards, and they almost have recognition of all the letters in the alphabet.  Yay!

The boys though?  Well, they would rather be outside riding their bikes through mud puddles than reading a book.  I get it, I really do.  Summer is a fleeting moment, and you need to squeeze out every second of enjoyment you can!

Regardless though, we definitely do not want them to lose all the skills their teachers worked so hard to give them during the past school year.  {L} especially is in that formative ‘learning to read’ phase, and had mastered a series of entry level reader type books at the end of Kindergarten.  We were given a sight word list at his last teacher’s conference – a list of all the words he should know/recognize.  And though a great resource for us, {L} has had no interest in sitting down with the list.  He actually doesn’t care to sit down with a BOOK either, unless someone else is reading it to him.  I think he gets overwhelmed by all the words he ‘might not’ know.

So, I went into mama research mode.  How could I help him fine tune his reading in a fun and engaging way?

I looked online and discovered the Dolch Word List – which essentially is a collection of the most frequently used words in children’s literature.  It consists of 220 (non-noun) words. There is a separate list of 95 popular nouns. The Dolch Word List was originally compiled in the 1930’s, but still remains relevant today.  How is that for stay power?

With this collection of words, I set to work.  I developed a series of flash cards – color coded by grade level.

Then I sat down with {L} and laid out a few words – ones I knew he was familiar with – to make a sentence.  He read the sentence, looked up at me, and smiled.  Success!  I realized that if I made {L} sentences out of the words he already KNEW he would be less intimidated by reading, and we could slowly add in words to make the sentences more challenging.

He calls this new activity his ‘Reading Game’ and asks for it at least once per day.  Sometimes he helps me make up silly sentences such as ‘Go jump in the little bed and eat a ball.’  Boys will be boys, even when they are reading!

Go ahead and print off these cards and give them a try!  They are divided by level, so you can print only the words you need.  As each level is mastered, print off the next set!  I recommend you print them on white card stock paper for durability.  If you have a big bunch of kiddos that might benefit, maybe even consider lamination.

The 95 noun flashcards can be accessed here

I also compiled a quick list/reference of all the words included on the cards.

It can be used to track progress of which words have been mastered.  I saw some cute tips on Pinterest regarding word flashcards, such as punching holes in one corner and using a binder ring to keep them organized into three categories – 1.) words I know, 2.) words I’m working on, 3.) words I will learn.  A fun way to keep them all organized and keep your child motivated!

If you found this post helpful, remember to click on the buttons below to share it!

Happy Reading!

ARTHROGRYPOSIS ADAPTATIONS – PLAYGROUND PART 2

Last week we began a lifelong journey. Our girl, home three months, had her first evaluation in the United States to begin a specialized treatment plan for her arthrogryposis.  We visited the Shriner’s Hospital closest to our home, about 2 1/2 hours away.  Shriner’s is a leading expert on orthopedic conditions , and specifically treat children from birth to age 18.  We had heard great things about them preceding our visit, and all were justified.  This place is amazing!

It was wonderful to sit down and talk with doctors who are familiar with this condition.  Because it is fairly rare, many doctors have never treated someone who has arthrogryposis.  They knew just what questions to ask, what x-rays to take.  They taught us what to keep an eye out for, and what to stop worrying about.

Generally speaking, all of the experts were in agreement.  Our daughter is amazing.  Through her six years, she has developed many techniques that work best for her own body.  She has adapted beautifully.  Considering she had essentially NO treatment for the first 5 years of her life (typically babies born with AMC will begin casting and intervention just a few weeks after birth), and the fact that she has been walking for less than a year, they were quite pleased with her range of motion and muscle strength.

There were a few surprises too, however.  It appears {K} has a slight bit of curve in her upper spine, the start of scoliosis perhaps.  The pediatric orthopedist mentioned that nearly 25% of arthrogryposis patients will develop scoliosis over time, simply because of the way their bodies compensate for alignment differences.  It is possible that this curve developed for {K} before she had her hip surgeries, and perhaps now that her hips are in alignment her spine will remain stable.  We are following a wait and see approach.

She was able to pick a toy for being so patient during X-rays.  It was no surprise that she chose something Hello Kitty related – girl loves her some Hello Kitty!  The puzzle was a great distraction for her while waiting.  Win-win!

The specialists also noted that her left wrist may merit some intervention.  It is currently mostly locked in a downward position, but she has amazing grip with that hand.  They feel that by unlocking that wrist she would have an easier time with self care tasks, such as dressing and grooming.    They sent us home with a hand brace/splint that they recommended she wear at night and for short periods during the day, to help stretch the wrist ligaments.  On our next visit, six months from now, we will meet with a hand specialist who will talk us through some options for the future.

{K} was fitted for some new AFOs (ankle foot orthotics) since her feet are growing and her toes are creeping over the edge of her old set.  She was pumped that they let her pick out her own color and pattern for the new set, and chose a butterfly option.  We will go back in a few weeks, once they are made, to try them on and do a final fitting before bringing them home.

Most of all we are just so, so happy that {K} will be able to start school this Fall with no limitations and no surgeries on the horizon.  A chance to be just like all the other little kids in her kindergarten class. The ability to have fun and play at recess, just like everyone else.  She has already mastered the ladder/slide combo!

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Again with the amazing grip – am I right?!?  The hanging on the bar before going down the slide?  All her idea.  This girl will move mountains!

YOU SAY GOOD MORNING

Every night as I tuck {K} into bed, she says to me ‘You say good morning’- not so much a question as a statement. A fact. I am quick to answer ‘Yes.  I will say ‘good morning!’  It is a little way that she reminds herself that even though she is closing her eyes now, when she opens them her family will STILL be there.  Precious words from a child newly home and still learning what family is all about.

This past week found us in many waiting rooms.  Waiting to see specialists who would begin evaluations for what will be years of care.  She has already been through so much, and will continue to be faced with many challenges. More on that tomorrow.

After the appointments we were able to meet up with some very special people who knew our daughter long before we did.  The incredible family who fostered her while she was living in China (and coincidentally live only a couple hours away from us now!) and the sweet doctor from Shanghai who lobbied to get {K} the care she needed, the care she deserved. These people are so, so special to us and there will never be enough thank you’s to properly acknowledge how grateful we are that they stepped up for our girl, saw her worth, and were willing to fight for her. The fact that we were able to break bread together and see everything come full circle is nothing short of an orchestration by God Himself.  We are so blessed.

We were a bit worried though, that seeing these people from her past may set her back a bit – confuse her.  Worried that all of the doctor’s appointments might scare her and cause her to lose trust in us.  But God showed us, once again, that he is making beauty from ashes.  Through it all {K} held strong, she looked to us for reassurance, she leaned on us for comfort, and really seemed to understand that we were going through it all WITH her, FOR her. She understood that at the end of the day we were going to bring her home and back into that same bed in the evening, where we would tuck her in and she could once again say ‘You say good morning’. Our bond is getting stronger.

 

A reminder, if you ever want to catch up on what our family is up to – you can check out our family YouTube channel!

SATURDAY SKETCHBOOK: THE KITCHEN

With all of the posts lately regarding food, I have been dreaming of a bright beautiful kitchen to cook in!  So today I sat down and sketched out some ideas.  They are by no means refined, but hopefully they can help you all visualize what we are planning.

First, a quick floor plan.  As discussed in THIS post,  the kitchen is located in a very convenient spot on the main level.  It has direct access to the dining room and is just a short walk from the mudroom which will connect to an attached garage.  It also is within view from the front entry – which means I will need to be extra diligent about making sure it stays clean!  And in order to keep it clean and organized, the layout and function of the kitchen itself will need to be spot on.

Here is what we have so far

From the front entry you would be looking into the kitchen from the bottom of this floor plan sketch, and would see the three large windows above the sink as a focal point.  That sink is something that we are all SUPER excited about – a cast iron original farmhouse sink that was taken out of the farmhouse we are currently living in years and years ago, salvaged from the woods by us, and stored in Craig’s parents shed.  It is a ‘one basin’ design with a built in dish drain, and refinished it will look SO great!

The three main stations (oven, fridge, and sink) are arranged in a triangular fashion – a technique referred to as the ‘work triangle’.  I can imagine that corner of the island that falls within the triangle will be a great drop zone to bridge the gap between the three zones.  I am playing around with the idea of using a microwave drawer on that end of the island as well, but haven’t fully decided on that.

Near the fridge I am planning an entire row of pantry cabinets, with the upper cabinets stretching all the way to the counter.  I want to keep the look really clean, and was thinking that the large doors could be telescoping (slide in and out of the way) to reveal a spot for a coffee machine and toaster.

On the other main wall will be the range/oven station.  Again, I am playing around with the idea of bringing the cabinets straight down tot he counter to keep things clean.  The left cabinet I can imagine housing spices and cooking oils, and the right cabinet might be the perfect spot for the dishes to be stored.

In the middle of all the action will sit the crowning jewel of the kitchen, the island.  It may have a different finish than the rest of the cabinets and perhaps a butcher block island.  I haven’t thought through all of the details yet, but I do know that at 3’0″ wide x 7’0″ long it will be large enough for all five kids to sit at!

Just for fun, I made another sketch of the kitchen – kind of looking at it from above.  I think it shows the layout pretty well.

If you want a better idea of what types of colors and finishes (and organization tips) we are considering utilizing in our kitchen, go check out the Pinterest board HERE!