Without further ado...

So I promised on my other blog (http://benikeboutique.blogspot.com/) that I would post my kitchen soon.  And if I don't do it soon, well, who knows when I will get around to it! Now I realize that if you hadn't seen our kitchen prior to the fire, you won't notice the awesome transformation as much, but I'm sure you'll still be able to appreciate my gorgeous kitchen for what it is! :)

This is taken from standing in our dining room.  There used to be a wall separating the two rooms.  We removed it and replaced it with the breakfast bar just showing on the right side edge of this shot.  The walls are a light blue, because I love the flag.  So Red, White & Blue are the theme.  You can't see it here, but I also finally got that dishwasher installed! YAY! The glass doors at the other end will hopefully some day be home to my grandma's dishes.  She always told me that I could have them as soon as I had a place to store/show them.  And since I'm not the only one who wants them, I thought I would only take part of them, so everyone could enjoy them.  You can also see through the door into our entry way/laundry room.  Unfortunately, its not the prettiest of views here :)

This is just me trying to get the entire room into one shot without switching lenses.  I love love my kitchen.  I talked a lot about the range and microwave which are high end (for me) in this post on the other blog.  The fridge is also quite a feat! I knew I wanted this style, but to find one in black, in this style and that fit the space the cabinet guy allowed was a BIG challenge.  We ended up getting one brought down from the cities!



This is a great picture of the sink, amazing window and that dishwasher I was talking about! In the old kitchen we had cabinets all the way to the ceiling.  They seemed amazing when we bought the house, but I honestly never used them.  Now that I have that space to utilize this way, I wasn't sure what to do with it.  It's quickly filling up with glass pieces that I am collecting unintentionally. But I like it.  Of course, Miah's fire trucks have outgrown the curio cabinet and quickly over taking my kitchen shelves as well!

Another thing I love about my kitchen - TONS of cabinets and counter top space! Which gets used well!

 Finally! I have a pantry! Not my dream pantry by any means, but it is so great to have it, I sure won't complain! Its not that wide, but it is super deep, so it actually stores a lot of food!

I had to include this picture even though it isn't technically part of the kitchen.  It's a hand print Olivia and I made of her hand in December 2011.  It sits on the end of the breakfast bar by the phone.  I see it multiple times every day and I can't help but feel better when I look at it.  Every mother loves her children (I hope) but not every mother has had to go through what I have had to go through to be with her children.  My babies are my world and then some. This little hand reminds me of all the days I missed and how fleeting these little moments are.  You'd think that'd make me sad, and sometimes it does.  But it also makes me feel so much happiness I actually tear up.  Because I know how lucky I am to be here.  Life is more precious than any of us realize.