My Kitchen

I have a good-sized kitchen.  Plenty of counter space, an area for a table, and lots of cabinet space.  I even have some empty cabinets.  Gasp!

A nice big pantry behind those closet doors.

It's been a great kitchen. 

However, when we moved in ten years ago, Scott said, "Those countertops need to go."  And ten years later, here they still are.  They are ok, but not awesome.  You can't see it in the picture, but they are not really white.  Kind of off-white, with a little basket-weave pattern in them.  Yep.  Basket-weave.  And the little peninsula area?  Every few weeks, I have to take that drawer out and tighten the screws that hold the peninsula in place. It's always a little wobbly.

And this is the worst part of my kitchen.  When we bought the house, there were brass plates with white knobs for hardware.  I thought I would just remove the plates and replace the knobs.  Well, the cabinets were stained with the plates in place (seriously!) and so there is unfinished, different colored wood where the plates were.  So I had to replace all the plates when I replaced the knobs.  Not so bad.  The problem is, they don't stay in place.  This is how they look on a frequent basis.  Whenever we have company, I walk around the kitchen straightening plates before they arrive. 

So, the plates are going.  Along with the countertops and sink.  The cabinets are being painted white, the countertops will be a darker granite and I am having a huge farmhouse sink installed.  I can't wait!   Pictures will be forthcoming.

What About Bob?

I was going to title this post, "RIP, Bob," but I thought some people might be a tad alarmed.  This post is not about my dad (who is doing just fine), but about something else named Bob.

Our back entryway has been a complete and utter mess for quite some time.  We all have too many coats, too many shoes and boots and nowhere to put them.  I don't have a mud room, just this little back entry area that leads into a laundry room/half bathroom.

At one point, I bought this piece of furniture from a friend who bought it at an auction.  Her husband did not approve, so she offered it to me (and my awesome husband always approves of what I do) and I bought it.  Thought it would fit perfectly.  It didn't, but we kept it for several years anyway.

We never knew what to call it.  The kids would ask, "Where is such and such?" and I would say, "On that thing that I bought at the CCS auction in the back entryway..."  We decided a shorter name was in order, so Maggie said, "What about Bob?"  And so Bob it was.

Bob took up way too much room and didn't offer very convenient storage.  Bob also half-blocked the door to the laundry room and a few weeks ago, I'd had enough of Bob.

So, we loaded him into Scott's truck and took him to Public Market - a store here where you can sell stuff on consignment.  Upon loading him into the truck, Bob broke in half, but we took him anyway.  The guy at Public Market thought he could put Bob back together and sell him for a hundred bucks.

And now, my back entry looks like this.  Ahhhh.  I told Scott there was enough room back there for me to dance.  He was confused as to why I would want to do that.  Totally beside the point.  I just could, that's all.

I even organized the closet.

And hung a boatload of hooks.

I also painted, not sure I'm loving the color, but I am waiting until all of the renovations in our kitchen are done before I fully decide. I found a spot for the bench Jake made for me, and am thinking about hanging my spigot hooks under my chalkboard.  A friend gave this to me for my birthday and I love it!  Just not quite sure where to put it, but it will probably end up there so I can hang some colorful purses or something there.  I feel like this space needs a little shot of color.  We'll see...

How'd He Do That?

This is where we spotted our cat, Max, recently.

Thundering Drums and Whirlpools

Jake and Maggie had a piano recital recently.  Both played their songs by memory.  Jake's piece was called "Thundering Drums."  He did awesome; and only looked like he might vomit, he never did.  (He takes after his mother in the nervousness department, apparently.)

Maggie played "Whirlpools" also by memory and wasn't quite as nervous.  She did a great job as well.

After the recital, I realized that I held my breath pretty much the entire time they played.  I also felt like I might vomit.  I thought when I was done with recitals, I would be done feeling that way.  Guess I'll feel that way until they're done with recitals.  Geesh.

Beyond Playdough...

I recently gave away all of our playdough toys.  I was a little sad; it means my babies are growing up.  I asked them if it was ok, hoping a little bit for some argument, just to be able to tell myself, "see, they're still little!!" but no such luck.  They didn't care a bit.

But, they still like to create and recently discovered modeling clay.  A little like playdough...

So they spent a recent morning/afternoon creating fabulous things.

Dinosaurs, palm trees, even a nest complete with a dinosaur egg.

I hope they never grow up completely...

Happy Birthday, Scott!

He doesn't look 40 does he?  (That's because he's not.  He's 39.) 

Happy Birthday to the best dad and husband! We love you.

My Mission

I made a New Year's resolution that I would clean out my house this year.  I have never lived in one place this long...is that weird?

As of this summer, we will have lived here 10 years.  T-E-N, all in the same house.  And I have accumulated way too much stuff.  We've been doing a garage sale every year and I make sure I go through the kids' clothes and toys periodically, but still, things have piled up.

I had sort of been putting it off, but then I watched a show on HGTV that made me almost physically sick.  (It wasn't "Hoarders" although that show gives me nightmares...) It was called "Selling Spelling Manor."  Candy Spelling took cameras on a tour of her mega-thousand square foot home and all of the STUFF she has collected over the years.  Her attic alone was 17,000 square feet and was FULL.  I don't ever want to be like that.

So, it's all getting sorted, organized and gotten rid of.  Each painful drawer and closet at a time.  I am giving myself the entire year; because I'm going to need it.

I started with my office.  But every time I clean another area out, stuff gets piled in my office, so I have a feeling that my office will get reorganized multiple times.

The other night I cleaned out a smallish desk I have in my kitchen.  Took me FOUR HOURS.  And I did not lollygag.  It was ridiculous.  I filled an entire trash bag and another bag with stuff for Goodwill.  It looks no different from the outside, but every time I look at it now, I am happy, because I know if I open the front, it won't be an avalanche.  And I will be able to find my stamps.

I am going to reorganize my office again today and find spots for a few things that I took out of my kitchen desk, and then it's on to the rest of my kitchen.  Hopefully I will get that finished up in February, because some big changes are afoot in there...

To Fill A Shelf...

I am the Room Mom for Maggie's class this year, which means I get to figure out something her class can donate for our annual auction.

When we redid Maggie's room, we no longer had room for a shelf that Scott and I made out of an antique door.  I also had a chair in our basement that really served no purpose.  So....I thought, and thought, and thought a little bit longer.  Could the kids help paint it?  (Disaster loomed in my imagination...) Then this popped into my head, "It's like a little ready-made reading nook, without any books."  Aha! 

So I asked each family to donate new copies of their favorite book/books/series, whatever.  It has been so much fun to see what people are coming up with.

So far, this is what I have:
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
The Action Bible (it's a comic book bible - cool!)
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
If I Could Keep You Little by Marianne Richmond
Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Somewhere More Holy by Tony Woodleif
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

And that's only from 6 families!!  I will take some before and after pictures of the furniture; I've already made the curtain (yes, the cool antique door shelf has a window with a curtain - the curtain rod is an old bent hanger) and recovered the chair cushions in some funky fabric.  I can't wait to see it all pulled together.

What books would you recommend?  Any favorites from childhood or that you've read to your kids?