To say that things have been busy at my house would be an understatement. I think it would be safe to say that I have too many irons in the fire right now. Even so, it’s high time that I gave you a little progress report and got you up to date on what’s going on here at the L & L house.
As you know, we are updating our kitchen and we are making progress, but it’s not very concrete right now — meaning I don’t have any progress pictures to show you. The only visual things I have to show for my work are a mood board (below), paint samples on my wall and an island that is now centered in my kitchen instead of off-set like it had been for 13 years!
The mood board shows you some of the choices we’ve made for the kitchen. The picture of the kitchen on the lower right of the mood board is from Willow Wisp Cottage — I am using it as inspiration for the overall appearance and feeling I’m trying to achieve. To see a full tour of her kitchen go here — it is beautiful!
After tons of research and lots of back and forth, we have decided to work with a kitchen designer to help us get some of the trickier things done. I will do a full post on all of the decisions we’ve made and explain my mood board a little further, but today, I’m just giving you a quick progress update.
While I’ve been doing all of my kitchen research, I’ve also been trying to accomplish a myriad of projects outside. Many are still in-progress (I’m building a fire-pit area, raised garden beds, and replacing dead shrubs) but my front porch is 95% complete so I’m sharing a peek today:
As you may recall, I created a mood board for this space awhile back (you can read about it here). I wanted to give it more pops of color than it had before.
The outdoor “wicker” settee is new and I made the throw pillows myself with fabric I ordered online.
I think the settee was such a great addition to the porch and gave us more seating, which I love. It also enabled me to move the little bistro table and chairs that resided in that spot around the corner.
This space sat mostly empty because it’s really not a functional area. It gets full-on western sun in the late afternoon and is really only usable in the morning. At one time, I had envisioned a potting bench here, but then decided this would be better. And, it will be easy to pull into the main space when we have a crowd of friends and/or family sitting on the porch.
Do you remember these shutters? I got from my sweet mother-in-law several months ago. They were unpainted and she thought I might enjoy fixing them up. Well, I finally decided on a color and got them finished. I painted them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint — the color is Chateau Grey. I adore this color!
I think I’ll hang something from them, like a wreath, a little sign or a metal star or something. For now, it’s a little bare on this side of the porch, but it’s a vast improvement already.
It’s a little bare on my porch swing, too, but given the fact that the kids love to swing on it, I don’t like putting a bunch of pillows there. They just end up on the ground and it makes me crazy! One pillow is enough for now.
I’m happy with my porch updates and the weather has been wonderful for sitting out here and enjoying the outdoors. It is a joy having such a wonderful space!
Finally, in this midst of all this chaos, I’ve embarked on a scary journey. I’ve given up sugar. Well, mostly.
People who know me well, know that I have a major sweet tooth. That gene was passed on to my daughter and things were getting a little out of control. We both loved sugar a little too much and my daughter was begging for treats so much it was crazy. (My husband and son don’t have this problem, by the way.) I happened to see an interview with a blogger who wrote a book about quitting sugar. I bought the book and have drastically reduced my sugar intake.
I am still eating fruit but have quit soft drinks, fruit juice, and sweets. I have also reduced my overall carb intake — exchanging sprouted wheat bread for regular bread, cutting out most crackers, etc. I’m eating a lot of protein and unprocessed foods and, so far so good! No more late day crashes or frequent headaches.
My daughter has cut out having a daily processed and/or sugary treat. She gets more fruits and vegetables in her lunches and snacks. Instead of a peanut butter and honey sandwich, she gets a turkey sandwich. She can still have candy and cake at parties or when a classmate brings a treat to school. She also gets a treat on the weekend. For her, it’s a reduction of sugar and learning how to make healthier choices. Even she says she is feeling better!
So, don’t be surprised if you start seeing more sugar-free treat recipes on the blog. I have tried a couple already — one was a major fail and the other is just okay. When I find winners, I will definitely share them! And, please share yours if you have any — I would love to hear about them!
I hope you all are having a wonderful Spring (or Fall depending upon where you live). Thank you so much for coming here even when my posts are fewer and further between. I look forward to sharing on a more regular basis soon!
Have a great day!
LOVE the porch. I can’t do mine just yet as it is still winter here in Colorado but I am really itching to get on with it but it will be at least another 3 weeks before we can use our porch. I would love to hear your ideas about giving up sugar. I try, I’ve given up diet soda and any drink with artifical flavors and aspertaine etc… I make my own tea and drink it without sugar but it is hard, really hard. Amazing how addictive sugar is and how as a society we have all become dependent on it! Keep us updated on your progress, I may just have to buy the book as well!
Thanks, Victoria!
I think I will do a post about giving up sugar soon. So far I’m 2 weeks in and am doing pretty well. The first day was the hardest for sure. The book is a good guideline but I will warn you that she has given up sugar entirely. She only eats 2 pieces of fruit per day and she is all natural. When I went to the grocery store to buy some ingredients, some of them are VERY expensive. I’m modifying things and am doing what works for me and I really think that’s the key to success. She has good suggestions and recommendations, though and I think it’s a worthwhile read, although I definitely won’t be using all of her recipes or following it word for word.
Hope you’re having a great day!
Julie
Your porch looks amazing, Julie. I love the colors and the plants. Let’s hope it’s not a million degrees this summer so you can enjoy it.
Your kitchen is going to be wonderful! I’ve stared at that rug you have in your inspiration photo many times. The colors are perfect!
Let us know how the sugar thing goes. My husband and I were just talking about reducing carbs to try and not be so sleepy in the afternoons. I’m just a cake loving girl though…don’t know that I have enough discipline to do what you’re doing.
Stacey, I’m a cookie and cake-loving girl too. The first day was the hardest. With each day my cravings are reduced and I’m finding that the key is to having alternatives to grab when you start craving sweets. I’m also telling myself that I will be able to have “regular” treats again occasionally…I’m just doing a major reduction at the start to get past wanting treats all the time. We’ll see how it goes. I’ve never gone this long without having some kind of sugary food each day. I would always grab a handful of M & Ms, a cookie or some other sweet thing in the afternoon as a little pick-me-up. It’s hard, but if I can do it, I think anyone can!! 🙂
The kitchen mood board looks lovely! We are re-doing our kitchen now, and I’ve been blogging about it quite a bit, too. I love how the porch turned out! Chateau grey is one of my favorite ASCP colors, although I’ve yet to use it in my home. Weird, huh?
Good luck on your sugar-less life! I’ve found I personally do not do well when I completely cut something out. It makes me feel deprived and unhappy. Maybe I’m just weak! 🙂 I feel more like your daughter in that I prefer to cut back on things and save them for special occasions instead of daily necessities.
I quit sugar 20 years ago. At this point I can watch someone else eat dessert and even make it myself and it’s just not a problem. To be able to forgo it easily like that, he best thing is to tell yourself that you just can’t ever have it. After time it gets a lot easier. My kids are in their 20s now but for several years I took them off refined sugar completely when they were kids. They didn’t even get treats at school parties. I gave the teacher fruit leather for those times. They never complained and still don’t. After a few weeks, they began to eat their dinner completely and learned to enjoy vegetables and whole grains. It’s been good for all of us. I used to make peanut butter balls as a treat for them. I used powdered milk, old-fashioned oats, peanut butter and a little concentrated apple juice. I would roll them sometimes in in unsweetened coconut. They loved them. I make refined sugarfree and flour free black bean brownies for myself now using dates and concentrated apple juice for sweetener. They can still be a problem for me sometimes so they would be a good treat for special occasions. If you’re interested, I can give you the recipe. I also have a recipe for a pumpkin cheesecake that is refined sugarfree and flour free but has lots of calories so it’s another special occasion recipe. Let me know if you want the recipes.
Cindy, It’s great to hear your experience with quitting sugar. It is hard, but I’m also amazed at how much easier it gets each day. I would love to get your recipes! YOu can email me at Thanks so much and I look forward to giving them a try!
Love your porch and can’t wait to see your kitchen.
I have given up a good deal of my sugar over the past few years; first was sodas and I was so addicted to them! That was tough. I no longer have sugar in my coffee and it’s amazing how much our palate “adjusts” to these changes if we give it a chance. No sweets in the house and I will only eat it if at a party or a “special” dinner of some sort. Gave mine up mainly because my other half is battling cancer and in all the research we’ve done, it’s evidently very difficult for cancer to “survive” in our bodies without sugar. Cancer feeds on sugar! That’s enough to make me want to reduce the amount significantly. We have also given up processed foods – nothing in a can or box. Whole food and fresh food is more expensive but if you think about it, it’s still cheaper than doctor bills and meds 😉 So, bottom line, you are doing the right thing for yourself and your famly by reducing or eliminating sugar and processed food wherever you can! Congrats!
Thanks for the helping me feel even better about my effort to be sugar free! I am feeling better each day and that really helps me keep chugging away. I love hearing everyone’s stories about how they’re taking charge of their health — it’s so great! I hope your other half is beating cancer and is doing well. Peace to you!
Julie
Julie,
Did you know that sugar breaks down collagen, which speeds up wrinkling? I am also try to cut out carbs and sugar.
love your posts.
Ann
Ann,
There are just so many reasons to cut out and/or reduce sugar in our diets! Seems like I’m hearing some new fact every day that makes it an obvious choice to eliminate as much as we can. I just heard a cardiologist saying that he believes sugar is the real reason for heart disease…not high fat foods! Good luck in your quest for healthy eating! And, thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Julie
Been wondering how things were progressing! The porch is looking good, nice and colourful. Can’t wait to see the kitchen.
I wish things were progressing more quickly, Pauline! It’s taking awhile to get some of the plans worked out so they fit our budget. We’re almost ready to start getting some real work done and I can’t wait! 🙂
I love the porch and the fabric you chose for your swing and bench. I can’t wait for the kitchen reveal! Keep up the good work
I just love your porch updates! The fabrics are so pretty!!! I’ll have to look into the book. Having what appears to be an out of control sweet tooth lately leaves me needing an intervention! I need to get started with it especially for those afternoon daily headaches! ~Christy
Thanks, Christy!
I gave up sugar almost completely (including fruit) for about 2 weeks. I felt so much more energetic and clear-headed. And, the afternoon headaches really did go away! It was hard keeping it up and I started bringing fruits back in. I really missed my morning orange juice and had some one morning to discover it was way too sweet for me in the morning, so I am now drinking tea instead. It’s a process to give it up and it is challenging for sure. I have had some sweets here and there (when a parent brought home-baked chocolate chip cookies to the soccer party, for example) but I have dramatically cut my sugar intake and am making healthier snacking choices. It really is amazing how good I feel! You can do it if you put your mind to it! 🙂