Kitchen Update (With Pictures)

I am posting this mainly for my mom, who isn't feeling well, and wanted to see what I've been doing the last few days. I've been telling her how motivated we've been to get some long undone things done to update the house this week, so we can really enjoy the Christmas seasonal events next week...more decorating, making cookies, cutting down our tree this weekend, a concert, finishing the gifts we are making, and sending out our cards. 

I told the family that I am NOT decorating like crazy with pretty things all put on top of dust and grime, so we have been having a great time (really!) teaming up and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...not to mention moving doors, fixing knobs and piano benches, painting shelves, moving furniture, putting up wall paper, and more...singing Christmas carols all the day long.

This door is the first big change. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier. This door used to be between the parlor and the dining room. The other day it struck me that a door would be ideal for keeping Boo out of trouble (as in messing with the water in the sink, climbing on the counters, raiding the fridge), but where could I get a door without paying an arm and a leg for one? Tada! The parlor...maybe??

We measured the door by the parlor and found it fit, so I moved the hinges and the door lock plate, and now we have a wonderful door to keep Boo from getting into whatever he wants to. I was able to LOCK the door while I painted today and it was almost comical to see the forlorn faces plastered against the glass panes. But I WAS actually able to paint, and before that would not have been possible, unless after nine pm. I like painting much more at four pm.

Oh, and I also moved the highboy from one side of the door to the other so I could move the piano into the dining room from the parlor. That will make room for the tree, and actually, I am finding that the kids play it more with the piano in the room they walk through all the time. That's a bonus! All my special needlepoint and cross stitch pictures aren't up on the wall where they are supposed to be yet (we took them all down months ago when we evacuated for the hurricane and I never got them back up), but that is on the list for tomorrow.

The next big change is the addition of "wall paper" as a backsplash behind the sink counter. I say "wall paper" in quotes because it is actually contact paper and only cost about five dollars a roll. Nice! Ladybug helped me pick it out to use on the shelves under the cabinets, and when I got home I realized how well the colors went with the cabinets and the wall, and thought maybe it could finish off the look of the wall which used to be light yellow, and not too clean anymore. Now it is nice and crisp, easy to wipe off, and kind of retro.

Further examination of this area will reveal the fact that I finally got a board set above the cupboards so that I can display items up on top. I am not sure I love what I have up there now, but it is better than the harum-scarum dusty baskets I had there before. I am thinking I will get the milk glass vases out of my china cabinet and put them up there instead. I don't need clear glass AND milk glass vases, so maybe I will find someone who needs vases to pass them on to. They are pretty.

If you'd ever been in my kitchen previously, you would also notice that the small spice and display shelves above the stove and sink that I added are FINALLY painted. Yay!!! They've been unpainted since I added them and stood out like a sore thumb. The pot and pot lid rack still needs painting...that is on my list.

Lastly, I tossed a bunch of jars I'd saved into the recycle bin (though I have so many, you can hardly tell), and moved the cookbooks from the top shelf down lower so I could actually use them. All my perishables are in jars since we live in the country and mice are not a rarity in the winter. Fortunately, our indoor cat likes catching mice (she wasn't old enough last winter to be of any use), so I am hoping there won't be any issue with that this year. Is that too much information? Just being real here. Mice like warm places, and our house is warm, and homey. I like living here...I can understand why they would like to, as well! 

In any case, that's the tour of the updated kitchen, Mom. I hope you like it!!

Blessings,

Heather