More Before and After Photos (and a prize to win!)

Okay, we've been busy overhauling the downstairs.

Before you read this post, please know I am in a chatty mood and plan to include LOTS of unnecessary detail. (Kevin, you might as well just go back to work.)

First job, give away the pub table. Here is Kevin in the back of a pickup truck (where many people fall to their death) along with the table, delivering it to its recipient.

If you can tell me in the comment box who we gave the table to, I will give/send you a prize!

Next job, say goodbye to the choppy living room/formal dining room combo.

This is the well-known "room that never gets used" - POINTLESS! And when we did have company a few times in the past two months, the table here was too squishy.

And here was our more-utilized "family room":

Sadly, I didn't think to take the "before" photo until after we'd started rearranging. The above photo is kind of dark, but it shows our green recliner in the center of the room, but it used to stand off to the left. And the nook to the right of the fireplace held our television. Just use your imagination.

Here are the rearrangements:

Ahhhhhhh! Lots of space. Way more room for company, parties, Bible studies, and kids to run around.

And the new improved dining area:

You can't see, but the buffet is off to the left, and the china cabinet looks okay on a diagonal (it won't fit flat against the wall and I was worried about how it would turn out). The toy basket and the play kitchen are also residing in the dining room. Kevin wants it all moved to either the loft or the living room, but I like it back here in the busy area, away from what you see when you walk in the front door. It is a debate we maintained all of yesterday. Stay tuned to see who wins (remember that I spend WAY more time in this house and do the bulk of the cleaning and tidying...)

With the removal of the pub table, we have a giant free space at the bottom of the stairs, flowing out the sliding glass door and between the living room and dining room. I think it's glorious. It also gave us a lot of room to shift the "portable" island.

Before the shift, we had about 30 inches between the oven and the island:

This is also a dark photo, but that's the oven on the right. It was a crowded space.

Here is the new island position:

Once again, ahhhhhhhhh! More room for cooking and more room for hauling in grocery bags and piling them everywhere. Also, more room for kitchen help! (WHERE is my kitchen help?)

We are LOVING our new configuration. I love it, Kevin loves it, and the kids love it. They were excited to wake up yesterday morning and see all the changes. And I'm excited to enjoy them!