Kitchen update/Playroom update/Shopping trip

So today I didn't even lay a finger on a paint brush, which somehow makes me feel like I didn't get anything accomplished, although I'm tired enough to feel that maybe I did.

Today instead of painting, the boys and I went shopping to Home Depot, Target, and Lowes.  At Home Depot we bought this spiffy new mat for the laundry room...

I think the cream color goes great with the Pale Wheat on the walls, and the black goes great with the doors.  PLUS, it is anti-fatigue.. so if for some reason I just REALLY want to spend 5+ hours in this little room standing on this mat, I should be good to go.  :)

At Home Depot we also bought a new welcome mat for the front stoop, and 2 planters.  I'll show those in a bit.

Our mission at Target was to find a pair of these...

Curtains

to match the pair we'd bought almost a year ago for our apartment after we sold our house in Austin.   My plan was to put these in the playroom since they do an awesome job at blocking out the heat, and that room isn't shaded like the rest of the upstairs.

We were in luck.. they still carried them, and at still the GREAT price.  Thermal panels for under $10... wow!

We ended up picking up 3 panels.  Two for the boys' bedroom, which isn't yet painted.. and one for the front window in the playroom.  We also bought rods, metal tie backs (I'm assuming that is what they're called, haha) , and sheet sets for the boys' beds that should be arriving in the next week.

The playroom with furniture:   This isn't exactly what I'd envisioned for our storage needs.   Everything in here, we previously owned.  I was REALLY wanting a new 6ftx6ft Bookshelf from Ikea to replace to little shelves we currently have... but, at almost $300 for the solid wood version, it just wasn't in our budget. 

Ignore the patches of white near the ceiling.   My FIL did some sheetrock repair for us, and I haven't repaired the stripes yet.

Here it is:

Anyway, the bookshelf isn't entirely organized, and the suitcase on top is still full of teaching supplies, but I'll get there.

Kitchen

First coat of paint on the cabinets.. using this nifty sucker.  (Done yesterday!)

I bought this at Lowes,.. it is a roller with a dense nap, specifically made for cabinets and doors.  It worked great!

First coat:

and, our flower project (the boys picked out the flowers)