imagining

No pictures today.

Rather, I invite you to use your imagination. It's what I do when I can't seem to wait ANY LONGER for our new kitchen to be up & running .

I close my eyes and imagine an antique general store counter, re-vamped into a kitchen island. It will have a re-purposed slab of black slate on top. In its earlier life, this slate was a chalk-board in the old Madrid School. Teachers would write homework assignments upon it. Naughty students would copy "I will not bring my pet mouse to class and terrorize the girls with it" one hundred times. The writing would get messier and tipsier as the sentences progressed.

That's my imagination working overtime.

Take a deep breath and picture this: maple cabinetry with a butternut stain, custom made by our favorite cabinet-maker. He's our favorite because he's the only one we know. Plus, I like his wife a lot.

These amazing cabinets will be built in this simple style. But even better, they will actually OPEN and CLOSE, which is a trick my present cabinets have yet to master. Actually, some of the existing doors do open, but in a willy-nilly style; as in when ones' head is in the way because one is chopping walnuts and one is not anticipating a cabinet door which is redolent of a hamster cage swinging open and hitting one in the ear.

Just saying, is all. Not really complaining; just saying.

Back to imagining. How about this? A double-bowl corian sink that has a river view.....with a sprayer that doesn't have a tricky handle which sticks and then sprays the next unfortunate soul who turns the tap on. This happened numerous times until we figured out that the present sprayer was a tool of the devil. Or at least the tool of #1 Son who angelically does the dishes very late at night after everyone has gone to bed but then forgets that mom will fill the coffee pot with cold tap water the next morning when she is barely awake.

Hey, how about this? A countertop that is not made of two-inch tiles that need to be scrubbed when flour and then egg white and then powdered sugar is strewn upon it. A countertop that does not illicit unintentional outbursts of mirth from people who see it for the first time. (although, truth be told, a few friends with retro-taste have actually liked the Moroccan blue...and when one calls it "Moroccan blue", I almost like it.)

(Almost.)

I will go on imagining in this way, for therapy's sake. And when the new, extremely improved, sanity-saving, user-friendly, temper-tantrum -free, budget-blowing kitchen is DONE,

I will be forced to start imagining another project.

progress

The check list for the back wing goes something like this:

wiring? done.
insulation? done.
office & guest room sheet-rock hung? done.

12' pieces of sheet-rock hung? done.
phone conferences about next week's trip to the Dominican Republic? done.

Hubby has been full steam ahead on the home-front project. Here, he looks over all his accounting & bills for the next few weeks. On Tuesday, he and his best buddy fly to the DR for another series of adventures.

When he comes home, he will hit the ground running, so to speak. A few short weeks later, we have the kitchen installation scheduled! All must be ready by then.....

It's been an exciting winter here at our old stone home!

the back wing

The back wing is getting some big attention today and for the next few weeks. As declared by our G.C. and Lord of the Manor: "Let's git 'er done."

Here he is, in all his contractor-glory.
This is the Loft.
I'm not sure why we needed a Loft. But we do. So we will have one.

Up in the Loft, one can think lofty thoughts. There will be an extra bed. Maybe some exercise equipment. And way-cool built-in bookshelves. Oh, and a great view of the river -compliments of the windows the guys installed at the peak.

Please do not feed the monkeys. They are on a strict diet of grilled ham & cheese sandwiches, chips, and juice.

If this monkey behaves himself -and also finishes the wiring on the back wall -he may receive a fistful of jam thumbprint cookies.

The Lady of the Manor is very excited to see things shaping up!

dining room dreams

I spent some sweet time at the little yellow house around the corner last evening.

While dawdling a little one with wispy red hair on my knees, I laughed uproariously with three other kiddies as we watched a Winnie the Pooh video. The part when Pooh gets his big bottom stuck in Rabbit's front door sent us into a tizzy, with kids rolling over the couch while holding their stomachs in hilarity.

I had forgotten how much I love love love Winnie the Pooh. And hiney-humor is all the more over-the-top when shared with people under the age of 7.

After tucking the pajama-ed darlings into their beds, (and after a few gentle shush-es from the responsible adult in charge)- I settled into a comfy spot with a quilt and a few magazines. I haven't looked into a magazine since last year.

haha.

Here are a few things that excited me:

-the paint in this room
(click on to slide #3 for the best view)

-these frames displayed against a very similar color

-this chandelier. Our long harvest table would require two of them, though!

When I spotted that shade of paint on those pages, my eyes were entranced. It is the exacto-mundo shade that adorns the (future) dining room at our old stone home. Back in June, I was not sure if it was a keeper. But now that I am completely sold on it, I see it everywhere.

Friend #7 says she "discovered" it, although she hasn't yet been able to dig up the copyright FOR A COLOR.

Anyway. I have the proper accoutrements to accompany this perfect shade of blue/green/gray. An old manila envelope in my dresser drawer contains some treasure: breathlessly beautiful old black-and-white photos of Hubby's father as a child. Click here for details.

Won't they look wonderful in the dining room?

Christmas in our old stone home

The strains of voices lifted in song resounded throughout our old stone house this week. Our church's Christmas Eve choir met for a thorough rehearsal on December 23.

Ana baked a berry pie for a friend. I love that she bakes pie. How very old-fashioned! She even bought the ingredients with her own hard-earned cash.

My favorite part about this pie is the holly berry cut-out decorating the crust. I also like that she dons an apron -a hand-crafted one!- to work in the kitchen. What a girl.

We celebrated our first Christmas in our old stone home with a lovely breakfast: French Toast and Fruit Salad.

It wasn't a fancy, over-the-top celebration. Mostly simple. Only a few extra faces graced our table, but they were especially dear faces.

Who needs a new kitchen to be radiantly happy? Not this housefrau.
Dark blue tiles (which need to be sanitized daily) and cabinets that swing open without notice don't keep me from sharin' the love.

The food love, that is.

Christmas Eve only gets better with a cup of fresh coffee. Caffeine is not an issue when one is staying up late to wrap presents anyway. Think of it as a gift-wrapping stimulant.

We open one gift each before turning in for the night & dreaming sweet dreams. Visions of sugar-plums are nice, too. But we like gifts we can really use -like t-shirts that say funny things.

I am not sure how this photo came about, but a certain boy better have put my reading glasses BACK where he found them.

Grandma Jean basks in the glow of the Christmas tree. We love the fact that she lives downstairs; only a few descending steps away.

It as been a treat to celebrate such a special time in our new/old home. We look forward to many happy times here.

Merry Christmas to friends near & far!

the kitchen begins to take shape

This masked man did the awful deed.

He and one of his constant cohorts (Mr. Thomas Q.) ripped down the back kitchen wall yesterday.

In order to prepare for this major demo, they installed a temporary wall between the old kitchen and the new addition. This wall is well insulated, and will serve as a mud room of sorts as the new kitchen is installed. Also, this wall eliminates the need to heat the entire unfinished back wing of the house.

Smart thinking, says the Lady of the Manor -who is eager as a beaver to have a new kitchen.
Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas for the next 22 years, says the Lord of the Manor -who is covered in dust and only wants a fresh cup of coffee and a balanced checkbook.

His needs are so simple, while mine are complex because they involve reclaimed slate, an antique general store counter which serves as an island, and recessed shaker-style cabinetry which you can't buy at Home Depot or Lowes.

Oh. And a bay window over the kitchen sink so I can watch the fishies play in the river while I scrub pots and pans.

The far window is where the main sink will be. The fridge has a new home: it will be framed in.
To the right of the fridge will be a door leading into the screened porch.

Imagine that blue tiled peninsula at the bottom of the sea. It will not be lonely, as my camera awaits it there. Also imagine -in its place- the antique step-back cupboard that I found with the help of a good friend.


Here is the wall opposite the kitchen sink and river view. Under that rectangular window will be the baking center: reclaimed slate set a few inches lower than a standard countertop, easy for rolling cookies, shaping bread, and mixing by hand. Where the white garbage pail sits will be the double ovens. To the right of them will be a large yellow cupboard which will serve as a pantry.

Between the bucket & mop and the baking center will be the island. It will not be a tropical island, but other than that it will be perfect. It will also not have sand, which gets into everything. So in that way, it is better than a tropical island.

I get goofy and giddy when things are going my way.

Now I must put away the computer and pick up where I left off with that mop.
Cheers!

little happenings

Please disregard the clutter and focus on the candlelit mantel, please.

I have never been the possessor of a real fireplace before. The last two homes sported wood-stoves. Do not try displaying a candle near a wood-stove.

It's been tried.

Anyway, Hubby was triumphant this afternoon when we tested to new insert and IT WORKED.
We have had all sorts of trouble getting an updraft from the flue, which dictated a higher chimney pipe.

We were so very blessed to have a few extra hands on deck yesterday, so now we have the tallest, skinniest stove-pipe in town. I hope Santa has been following that low-fat diet Mrs. Claus has him on.The bridge crew is not satisfied with completing the bridge (it opened last Friday when I was out-of-town!). They insist on pulling into my temporary driveway and shooting straw all over the place.

Luke mouthed "Hi Nancy" as he held this hose like a machine gun and proceeded to make it snow hay.

Yesterday was the second of December and some crazy lady decided to take her kayak out for a spin. Up the river and past the railroad bridge....one last big hoo-rah before the Long Winter.

Now her kayak is sleeping in the barn, resting up for more water adventures in the spring.