Command Center

Yesterday I shared with you my new summer bucket list.  What I didn't mention was that the magnetic board that is housing the bucket list is actually part of a bigger overhaul in our kitchen.  In place of what used to be some cork boards, there is now this:

Those magnetic boards are actually cookie sheets that I spray painted to match our decor.  used one for the summer bucket list magnets and the other for a little note pad, calendar, and whatever else we may need to post in the kitchen.  I also moved my dry-erase to-do list over into that corner as well.  I'm liking the cleaned up look...our cork boards had become pretty cluttered with baby announcements and random papers, so I'm hoping this new system stays a bit cleaner (although I do feel bad not displaying the baby announcements any more...what do you all do with those?  Is it rude not to put them out somewhere?)

I've also been busy making a couple other small changes in our kitchen.  I added this little print that I made in Photoshop:

And this happy plant...it came in a regular pot, but I wanted it to be a bit prettier so I mod podged on some fabric over the pot.

yeah, that is a baby gate in front of our sink...
that's to keep Chipper from walking on our kitchen counters

These minor updates are certainly helping our kitchen feel a bit better, but it still has a ways to go.  See, I loved our kitchen when we first moved in...and still do love the major parts of it, but there are a couple problem areas that I just can't seem to conquer.  Like this awkward spot in between 2 sets of cabinets:

I'm thinking open shelving, but I need Josh to get on board for that to happen

And this pretty big blank space in between the kitchen and dining room.  Obviously, the current art is not quite the proper scale, so we need something larger.  Any ideas?

And the kitchen still needs an island/rug in the middle...and probably some new counter tops as well, but I'm pretty sure those larger projects will have to be put on hold for quite a bit.  So, basically, my small updates will have to suffice!