The Kitchen.....

I am not crazy about cooking. Seriously. It's one of my least favorite things to do - but I do enjoy it more when we have a crowd - isn't that strange? I've got a few picky eaters in the house but when you've got people over who enjoy eating what you cook, then it's a pleasure and not a chore.

But I LOVE to bake! Sweet muffins on a Saturday morning. Ooey Gooey Cinnamon rolls lulling you down the stairs on Sunday. That's more ME! All about the baked goods!

The kitchen is open to our sitting room (previous post) and as with any other room in my house it was an opportunity for decorating!

Let me give you a little tour....

The butcher block that makes it so convenient to pour yourself a glass of milk to go with those baked goods!

Over here is a glass front cabinet that stores my "pretty" dishes or as my 4 year old calls it "Show & Tell". Doesn't matter that I have to stoop down to the cabinet below to get our "everyday" dishes but as long as I have something nice to look at then I can deal with the back problems this causes....;)

To further enhance my "pretty view" -I lined the back of the cabinet with a subtle fruit & bird toile wallpaper. It makes the dishes stand out a bit more and it appears that I have more than I really do! another wink! ;)

Uh Oh! Do you spy another Rooster lamp...? Don't you just love HomeGoods!?......

Then to address the looming space above the cabinets (but I was the only one in the house to think this) I think I have made the most of the soffet..no Wasted decorating space in this house!

An old painting that I carried from room to room for months trying to find just the right spot for...how about above the pantry door?! I enjoy looking at when I am lounging on the couch in the adjacent room...and I do like to lounge!

A pretty antique platter above the stove.... it's mounted with a plate hanger attached with wire to a nail that I hammered into the cabinet -my hubby wasn't too happy with that part! - then I used that poster putty on the backside so it doesn't shift all around.

An iron bull's head that my kids get a kick out of!

I wish I had some exotic story about him being from a French Boucherie' as an advertising sign... but (sigh)... no... He was originally a towel rack with a huge ring through his nose! I would have used him in his original condition but I don't have wall space by the kitchen sink. So we hacksawed off the metal ring and I puttied up his rather large nose holes and dabbed on some paint. So now can I "fib" about his origins?

A little transferware here and there.....

And my sweet hubby brought me back those copper pots from a trip...Now he's finally getting the real me after 12 years of marriage!

The nook that my husband and I spent one loooonnng weekend building benches for....(can you say marriage counseling?)

Had to throw in my favorite pillow - there is a hen & chicks one down at the other side of the bench - the kids know NOT to wipe their grubby fingers on these! Still working on the husband...;)

And finally back around to the sitting room....

Oh! one more thing before you go - How many of you have stainless steel refrigerators? Then you know you can't attach any little notes or cute magnets to it right?




Well I applied a couple coats of magnetic paint & then chalkboard paint to the other side of the fridge cabinet (gasp! I know I had reservations at first too!) to make a sort of message center. Had my husband install some trim around it and I painted it to match the cabinets.

It looks like it was always there... I get a little more organization and the four year old usually doodles up the lower half and leaves us little masterpieces!

Well, I think that about concludes the tour - Now I've got some Baking to do! See you next time!

65 Years of Wedded Bliss!

Tonight we celebrated my Grandparents 65th Wedding Anniversary!

A few months ago I posted a prayer request. My 90 year old Grandfather, whom we call "Poppy" had fallen and broken his hip. After surgery and a very long stay in a rehab center he has been home for awhile now and doing well. He can't walk without a walker but he still has his sense of humor and my dear Grandmother, "Granny" has been taking good care of him. He will be 91 in January and "Granny" will be 90 next June.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening of them telling stories about the good ole' days and the ups & downs of married life. One involving my Grandmother throwing a glass baby bottle at my Grandfather's head when he once proclaimed "just because YOU had a baby doesn't mean I have to stay home" . Needless to say he didn't get to go out that night and I don't think he ever tried that again!

Another story that had us all laughing,was of them on their Honeymoon to Niagra Falls, when my Grandfather had awoken to the shadow of a man looming over the bed. He jumped up to defend his bride and tackled the "man" to the floor only to discover that he had defeated his coat hanging on the coat rack!

Yes, there have been many ups & downs in this couple's life but they are an inspiration to us and I see many similarities within my own marriage - except I haven't had to throw any baby bottles! But I only hope that my husband and I will make it to our 65th!

Please help us wish these Love Birds many more years of married bliss!

Welcome Changes!

I am constantly changing things in my rooms, I add or subtract, decide the curtain rods need to be hung higher, find a new piece that I can't live without (well, in the moment with my heart pounding upon discovering a new treasure, I convince myself this is true!) that I can't keep any current pictures of the house. The rooms change daily. My husband is so used to this that he no longer notices. Still not sure if that's good or bad....

I've also found that if you take pictures of your rooms, you can see what works or not - things you might not ordinarily notice. I have caught things from seriously crooked pictures to cob webs dangling in the corners and nothing spurs on a cleaning spree like taking pictures for all to see! ;)


So here are a few recent pictures - things may or may not look the same in there tomorrow, but I think it keeps it interesting!

(Mommy didn't buy a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch this year, no siree - she was too busy digging through the gourd bins trying to find just the right ones for the mantle!)

Can you believe "HE" was a $15 clearance section find at Homegoods?! He had a small crack which I wood puttied (sp?) up and dabbed on some paint! I think he was regularly priced around $80. This was one treasure I was proud to show my husband - "Look honey, he was on sale!"

Struck gold again at Homegoods...this heavy wood carved table was $149. I still think that was a great deal! (you should have heard me rambling off like an auctioneer the reasons WHY this was such a good steal to my husband when I was trying to convince him to unload it from the car!)

That little corner of the room needed something ...so I found this little cabinet and thought it was perfect! .. and the bonus was that I could fill it with little treasures that were scattered all over the house...nice & tidy. Makes perfect sense to me....

My husband still hasn't noticed this and it's been several months now. I've learned to be self sufficient at hanging pictures, cabinets & curtain rods!

I retired my former rooster lamp when I found this dressed up version in a store closing sale. He's a little more "glammy" and the size and shape compliments the lamp on the other side of the room (see pic with little cabinet, if you don't take my word for it! ;)

And that concludes the tour of the sitting room - next week it might look different. I'm crossing my fingers that my Hubby never notices! :)

A Little Project....

I know I have been promising this for a while but with Halloween, a few family birthdays, parent/teacher conferences, Oh and the FLU!.. have kept me otherwise engaged. It had also been so long I'm ashamed to admit that I had forgotten how to post! But on to the project...

In our dining room, there was this empty corner behind a wingback chair, I tried a palm tree (may he rest in peace), then a tall floor lamp but still this corner kept nagging at me, this HUGE empty space was just calling out for something....and I always welcome a decorating opportunity! Sadly, my husband doesn't share the same enthusiasim....

So I found myself at Lowe's and inspiration struck!!

I purchased two sets of plain bifold doors - think they were around $34 a set. Made my way over to the wood molding section and picked up some trim...

Then I had to sweet talk my husband and promise him the moon (i.e no omelets for dinner for a month!) to get him to "offer" his assistance. I have not yet mastered the miter saw or the nail gun...For those of you who know how, I am impressed! But for me, I had to beg!

So I sprayed the doors flat black, installed some raised, paintable wallpaper and got my handy husband to cut & nail the trim on...

Then onto the fun part! Painting, "golding" and then "antiquing" it to make it look old - this still confuses my husband ....

And....Ta Da!.....

And I never miss an opportunity to display plates!! :)

It was a bit labor intensive but it was just what that corner needed. Well, in my opinion anyway! Hope this will inspire you to try this out, the options are limitless and I am already scoping out the house to see if I can fit another one in.

This room has also had a few mini makeovers recently.....

I changed the rods from black iron to thicker "wood" ones and used rings.

And I recently acquired a new obsession (I have many!) - Majolica!

That's it for now! I'll be posting again real soon...I promise! :)