Gramma dot died December 29, 2008 age 95

My Gramma Dot died. She was my only living Grandmother. My mother's mother.

She was my golfing, knitting, cooking, peanut butter cookie making, "chinning", Episcopal church going Grandma and I will miss her.

playing around with the idea of a pot rack

I have wanted a pot rack in my kitchen my whole adult life. During our remodel I played around with this one. It is so useful for the pans I use daily. It frees up a lot of cabinet space.

When all the countertops are in and everything is basically done I will mount this again.

I can easily reach the pans and it is very sturdy because we were able to affix it to the studs in the wall.

some more photos of our kitchen remodel

Here are some more pictures of the kitchen changes so far. New overhead lighting and we are waiting for under-cabinet lights. I cannot believe how much better the light is in the kitchen already. New microwave (no more "ghetto" microwave as Katie, Emily and John called it) and a new stove.

We are waiting for stainless steel countertops around the sink and butcher block counter tops on the bar and other side.

I love my new towel hooks too. One for a hand towel and one for a dish towel.

Note the new crown moulding (hard to see because it is painted white).

when your dishwasher doesn't blend in-paint it!

As you can see, our lower cabinets are a Martha Stewart teal color. Our white, dated dishwasher stuck out like a sore thumb-- so we painted it the same color as the cabinets.

Now it just "goes away".

New (old) cabinet in laundry room

This cabinet is perfect for the laundry room. It has room for tools and other household stuff that I keep in bins.

My friend who sells antiques had it and so I was excited to buy it from her. I described what I was looking for and she had the perfect thing.

It provides a nice surface for hot glueing or folding towels.

Making room for a bigger refrigerator

Here are some pictures of our kitchen update. Our contractor (Dan) had to take out the wall behind the refrigerator to make room for a bigger fridge. It was worth it!

You can see the lathe and plaster walls.

We had a great delivery crew from Sears too. Very capable and knowledgeable.

It was an exciting day.

Sold our old refrig on Craigslist.

our new utility sink

I LOVE our new utility sink. I posted a wanted ad on Craigslist and within an hour, a nice man told me he had one. It is from the 1950s (we think) and was very dirty. With some Bar Keepers Friend and a putty knife I was able to get it clean.

I also moved all my cleaning supplies, brooms and mops to the laundry room (they had been stored in a kitchen cabinet). What a nice change.

It has been great for rinsing out painting tools, watering plants, soaking white towels and general cleaning.

Martha Stewart would be proud

I took everything out of the bathroom cabinet, cleaned off the shelves, got rid of products that we don't use and put it all back spic and span!

Looks good and feels even better.

Toile Duvet cover

Our bedroom decor is getting closer and closer to what I want. I LOVE the new duvet cover. I am also having a slipcover made for the chair and ottoman. White cotton twill.

Since taking these pictures I also put a black tailored dust ruffle on the bed.

I am looking for a black and white geometric rug.

Taking things slow and easy.

On top of our refrigerator

Here are some chickens sitting on top of our refrigerator. The large soup toureen was a wedding gift from our very talented designer friend. The white one was my grandma's and the syrup holder was also a gift. My mom gave me the antique egg plate.

Scenes from my morning run

Here is the Lucky girl who counts on me to get out and run. She would prefer a daily run but I wouldn't.

The rest of these pictures show my "town loop" run. It is 2 miles and takes me through the center of town, down main street, past the police station, library, 3 banks, a theatre, the arts council and other interesting buildings.

I have been running this loop for over 2 years. I still cannot believe I can run this far. Maybe I am in better shape than I was as a younger person because running 2 miles in high school was laughable for me.

My yoga teacher and good friend (who by the way has run 3 marathons) coached me when I was just starting out and told me to "GO SLOW". Such good advice. Once I slowed down I found it doable. I still would not say I love running but I do love how I feel when I am finished.

Some drugstore products I like

I recently discovered some dry skin products that I like. All three are popular on the skin board at Make Up Alley dot com.

The first smells like butter to me and is called Eucerin Q10 anti-wrinkle for sensitive skin. I put it on after washing my face morning and night. It is formulated in Germany so it has to be good!

Walgreens brand Alpha Hydroxy is an exfoliant creme---costs $5.99---and is excellent for keeping my face soft. I had to search for it in the store--I think it is on the bottom shelf with other face creams. The Walgreens clerk said they can't keep it in stock.

CeraVe is a great creme for dry skin too---face or body---I think it might be my new replacement for Cetaphil creme.

More pictures of our bedroom

Here are some more shots of our master bedroom. The third picture has a really distorted yellow color on the walls (I guess from my camera).

I have been playing around with the bedding trying to come up with a look I like. Using what I have. Not totally sold yet on the bedding.

What I am finding though is this color on the walls is very versatile.

Please offer any changes! I am open to suggestions. HELP!

our kitchen counter today

Here is our kitchen counter today. Our kitchen isn't big, but the size and layout has been a good one for us. If I keep the cupboards weeded out it is pretty easy for cooking. About once a year I go through it and donate any pans or equipment we are not using anymore---or I put things rarely used on a shelf in the garage.

Luckily it has a pantry.

Considering our house was built in 1920, the kitchen functions pretty well.

when you live with a 16 year old girl

Our 16 year old is a very active girl. Very busy and very lively.

This is how our window seat looks most days when she crashes through the front door .

Note the pink "jelly" shoes on the floor, discarded along with a down parka.

Thanksgiving at my Mom and Dad's house

an orchid in the living room

This photo was taken in the morning and the light is just coming in. This orchid seems to like the light situation because it has been alive for quite a few months.

I buy orchids at Costco and for $17 I get much pleasure from them. I figure if it dies in a few months at least I had enjoyment out of having a fresh flower and I replace it as soon as possible.

A friend of mine always has fresh flowers in her kitchen. She buys them weekly when she gets groceries. Love that idea.

I closed off the french door to the sunroom since it is really getting cold at night .

a cornucopia of thanks

I love the tradition of a cornucopia at Thanksgiving. I was first introduced to them as a child either at my Grandma's house or my Mom's. Such a cool way to show our bounty.

Ours is filled with a mix of squash, fruit and nuts and is the centerpiece on our dining room table.

Speaking of Thanksgiving, we are headed to my Mom and Dad's house for the day and night. I am bringing pies and that is all---I am spoiled by my Mom----she does all the rest of the cooking!

Thanks Mom!

we painted our bedroom

For some reason I have been making the decorating of our bedroom a hard project but last weekend I think I had a break-through and had some creativity. We painted our walls Martha Stewart Cornmeal. It is a warm yellow and it really helped make the room feel cozy.

I am playing around with different ideas for bedding. The first picture has a bluish comforter cover and the second one is white.

I have 2 vintage paint by numbers to put on the wall and a monogram W to go over the bed.

I originally thought I might paint the headboard a teal blue. Any comments or ideas are welcome.

A quick trip to Sun Valley

Jeff had a meeting in Sun Valley and the kids had the day off from school so we all (except Katie and boy do we miss her!) went to Sun Valley for a day and night. We had a really nice room in the Lodge and ate prime rib at the Pioneer Saloon. On Friday, the kids and I walked around town, had lunch at Christina's and then ice skated.

Mr. Harper turns 99!

Our neighbor turned 99 years old yesterday! We went to his house to wish him another Happy Birthday. This is a man who when we first met him, lived alone and made his own bread and strawberry jam, who listened to classical music and walked daily to the store to buy his groceries. My daughter practiced piano at his house for years and all the neighbor kids love to get a cookie from him.

His body is failing him now but his mind is still good. He is a joy to our family.

Gather together in gratitude

Yesterday I went to "Souper Saturday" at my friend's church to do some craft projects. We made 5 homemade cards, a Thanksgiving sign and a mini-scrapbook made out of paper bags. We also learned how to make cinnamon bread and fudge. It was so fun.

At noon we ate homemade soup in bread bowls and had pumpkin dessert.

Water was served in a large glass jar with whole lemons that had been carved.

Here is the Thanksgiving sign we made.

On my reading list

These books are in line for me to read and I love a nice stack of books to dig into.

I have not been in a fiction mood at all. I go in and out of moods with my reading.

I did start Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and it is excellent for people like me who have gone on every diet known to man. I am devouring every page of it.

The Pocket Stylist by Kendall Farr comes highly recommended for figuring out your best wardrobe.

Glass jars

my ingredients for baking in glass jars on the counter in the "baking center"

Room for a piano?

Here is our living room and part of our dining room. The wall with the plaid chair and floral oil painting will soon have a piano on it. Our good friend is loaning hers to us. We may have to rearrange things a bit.

Funny story about a table

A month ago I got a text message from my friend who I had not seen in about a year saying " Do you still want this table?". (She sent a picture of the table in the text message).

I said, "Did I ask for your table?" She said, "Yes! about 10 years ago I saw the table on her front porch and told her that if she ever wanted to get rid of it, I would take it!" So, it lives happily in our den since she and her husband were tired of it. It's old and rickety and fits perfectly under the oil painting of my Grandpa.

Fall Bridge Festival

We recently celebrated our town's bridge with a festival. We paddled the river in canoes and kayaks. We discovered our town from a tourist perspective and we were delighted to find how beautiful it is.

Glass coffee table-yes or no?

I got a glass coffee table at Pier One. Glass allows you to see through to the rug. It makes the room light and airy. I think the size is right too. I have not taken the tag off because I am looking for keep or take back opinions. . .

Pure childhood joy

I love this picture. It was taken in my grandparents back yard when I was about 4. I am with my older cousin and I am so happy in this photo.

I have heard that it is important and helpful to have pictures around of you as a happy child. This one qualifies for me. I am on the right with the nautical outfit and little gold bracelet.

I loved playing with my cousin. She was like a big sister to me.

Spring Break in Hawaii 2008

Our kitchen

Here are some shots of our kitchen. It has served our family well for about 15 years. Two years ago we painted the bottom cabinets a blue-green and the top cabinets 2 more greens. Going for a Martha Stewart look. The breakfast nook is another Martha color.

The trays have been collected over time. I also have quite a collection of vintage tablecloths.

I have organized the kitchen in "centers". I have a baking center, tea center, coffee center and pantry.

Hall cupboard

A collection of teacups from my grandmother. This is just part of her large collection. She had a huge dining room with wonderful big built-in storage cabinets for her beautiful china. When my children were young I let them choose a tea cup for our tea parties.

A woman's work is never done

This saying is stenciled on our laundry room wall above the windows. Note the Renoir print showing 2 maids scrubbing their laundry.

Framed Kids Art

If you look close you will see 4 self portraits, a fish print (an art project where the pre-schooler presses a dead fish in paint and prints it on paper) and the Mona Lisa.

I love seeing my kids' art in frames on the wall. This wall is in the hall connecting the kitchen and the stairs.

Family photos in upstairs hall

Most of our family photos are in our upstairs hall. I love the huge photos of my kids as babies framed in the stairwell. It is the first thing I see on my way upstairs.

Bald Mountain Hike

We hiked Bald Mountain! It took around 3 hours. We had plenty of water and snacks, good shoes and took breaks to take in the scenery.

Our pots at end of season

This year I planted sweet potato vine, coleus, begonia and ivy in our pots on the shaded front porch and they did well. Miracle grow and lots of water did the trick.

My baby turns 13

I am teary just thinking about this birthday of my boy. Where did thirteen years go?

He is an amazing person and a very good teacher for me.

candy jars and cookbooks

Last week at my favorite thrift shop were 3 glass jars. I brought them home and filled them with crapola for my teens. I put my 15 year old daughter in charge of keeping them filled with the crapola-of-the-moment-they-want-to-eat.

Our upstairs bathroom

Here are some shots of our upstairs bathroom. This bathroom is used by 4 people so it has to be functional as well as pretty! It serves our purposes well.

On the dresser is a collection of perfume bottles that were my mothers when she was a child. I need to take a close up photo of them.

Painting the dresser black was the best idea ever. It looks great against the the wall.

I am collecting old silver containers to keep toiletries in. Towels and linens are in the dresser. I have 2 towel bars in here so that we all have a designated towel.

Sunporch in winter

This winter we kept our sunporch open because my husband uses this room as an office on the weekends. The geranium is so happy here and I am happy when I see it! Usually we close it off to the cold in winter but it is hard to close off because it is such a nice, light open part of our house!

This French blue chair has French words all over it. French was my major in college and yes I am a francophile.

We painted the floor in a red checkerboard.

A wonderful snowstorm

We just had a wonderfully snowy, cozy snowstorm. Many pages of Harry Potter have been read in this household. Magazines and cookbooks too! I love January!

In the third photograph you can see our playhouse.

Portraits done on the computer using Paint

Our Japanese "daughter" Mariko (she lived with us and went to school here on an exchange) drew these portraits of our children in Paint on the computer.

Needless to say, I love them! They are hanging in our den.

Speaking of needlepoint

I bought this unfinished Christmas sampler canvas last summer. (the photo above shows the finished product from the shop)

I live 2 hours away from the store that sells this and that gives instruction on how to stitch each different square.

I am almost thinking now that I will stitch this in basketweave so it is a relaxing project and not one that frustrates me.

It is darling though as a sampler!?*!

Any needlepointers out there who would like to tell me what to do? basketweave or sampler? What is your vote?

Basketweave=fun and easy. Sampler=hard, time consuming (and maybe frustrating) and looks wonderful when you are finished.

I love needlepoint

I love needlepointing and seeing other people's work too. Mary at Little Red House inspired me with her needlpoint post to post a few needlpoints in my house. The first is a vintage piece I bought, the second I made years ago and 3rd is my window seat collection in the living room. The last is a photo of a needlepoint rug I made and keep by my bed in our bedroom.

I alternate between knitting and needlepoint periods. Sometimes knitting takes too much thinking to be relaxing for me.

A thrift shop find and I have been tagged!

Yesterday I indulged in an hour of guilt-free browsing in our local thrift stores. This handstitched Christmas tree was a $3 find. I was so excited to bring it home!

I have been tagged by Mary at Little Red House to come up with 12 things about me in the Christmas season. Thank you Mary for thinking of me!

1. I do not love my house decorated for Christmas. I do it mainly because my 3 teens love it. My husband says the tree is the only thing he really cares about as far as decor goes! I do not like shuffling stuff and storing stuff that I love so that I can put out my Christmas stuff. I know it is "scrooge-like" but I cannot help it. Every year I fight the feeling of oh no here it goes---my house in total disarray!

2. Christmas music is my favorite part of the holiday season. I love organ music, choirs, caroling, rap Christmas music, the Starbucks CD and the traditional 1960-70s music too. I love music in general and mostly love it all!

3. When I married and had my own home, my mother gave me all my ornaments from my childhood so now my tree is filled with vintage ornaments!

4. I love sending and receiving Christmas cards. My sister says mine is always the first one to arrive in her mailbox----she thinks I jump the gun on sending my cards out----but I cannot help it. It is one holiday "chore" that I do not mind!

5. For years I begrudged all the work I had to do to get ready for the day. I have made peace with it mostly by doing only what I feel like doing and trying to forget the rest!

6.I have finally allowed myself to quit downhill skiing and take up snowshoeing. I really like being out in the snow and getting the exercise on snowshoes.

7.I could eat (in one sitting) 10 of my mother-in-laws gumdrop bars. Her recipe is an old one from the Betty Crocker cookbook I think. My husband's family does not eat 10 of anything in one sitting---- so it is rather embarrassing.

8. I make part of my Christmas Eve and Christmas morning meal ahead so I can enjoy myself a little more on the day.

9. I have learned the hard way to take a shower early in the day on Christmas Eve because drop-ins bearing gifts are a given!

10. I love taking down my Christmas decor and putting my house back. I love my house in January and February. I love the slower pace of those months.

11. Teenagers still ask for lifesaver books in their stockings and still enjoy advent calendars!

12. I travel to my parents cabin in the mountains after Christmas and my whole family is there. We play games, ski, snowshoe, eat, knit, eat some more and watch movies by the fire! Heaven!

This is what our bulletin board next to the computer in the den looks like right now. At Christmas time it is usually full of things we will do as a family---like the Nutcracker Ballet.

Note our rubberband ball that has been growing for about 7 years!

I love my planner----it is Franklin Covey and it really helps me stay organized. Are any of you bloggers users of a planner? I would love to talk about your calendar system/ planner.

I actually love the slowness of January too---- when the bulletin board is pretty sparse! Too much visual clutter (even on my bulletin board) can get to me sometimes.

Winter Planter on our front porch

We have 2 of these large planters to fill each winter and this year I bought fake boughs at Micheals. I am not a fake bough kind of girl but these are really good fakes! My friend who is a landscaper said they do it all the time on professional jobs.

I added some real pinecones and left the remnants of some of the deadish real plants.

It could really use some little white lights now.

Our Button Trees

My kids and I made button trees (inspired by Ali Edwards---I love her blog!) and they are proudly displayed on our dining room table.

My sister and her girls made some too. They are quick and easy.

We got some of the buttons from our button box and bought some at Michaels and JoAnne Fabrics. I also saw bags of buttons at our local scrapbooking store. Reading blogs has taken me to stores I have never been in before---like our local scrapbooking place.

I love having a project we can all do, ready and sitting on our centrally located dining room table. It is fun to work on something together---whenever my teens and pre-teen have a few moments at home.

Paper white bulb at each place setting

At my mothers Thanksgiving table there were bulbs at each place setting for us to take home.

Here are our five bulbs almost ready to bloom.

I have literally watched them grow what seems like an inch or more a day!

A simple pleasure to see in my dining room when there is snow on the ground outside.

Landscapes in the den

I was inspired by Kim at Daisy Cottage to hang all our landscapes together on our newly painted den wall.

It will be fun to look in thrift stores for more oil paintings of landscapes.

I also love paint-by-number and would love to put a collection of them here.
Our den is the smallest room in our house and it seems to be where our family spends the most time! Probably because the computer and our games are here.

Geraniums in Winter

I have a neighbor who always has geraniums blooming in her kitchen window in winter.

Geraniums in the window remind me of France.

I love having something blooming in my kitchen in the dead of winter!

Here are the 4 chairs in the dining room

This morning the chairs were delivered. I really like them. Now I am looking for 2 all wood chairs for ends of table. Can be 2 different styles.

Bookshelf that needs black paint I think since other furniture in room is black?

our den bookshelves after Picasso and Monet came to our house

I forgot who to thank for this darling idea! So uplifting and pleasing to the eye.

Irish bed and breakfast---oil painting craze

Ever since staying in an Irish bed and breakfast where the owner had an amazing collection of oil paintings, I have wanted some too!

At a local antique shop I mentionned this to the owner and about 2 days later one showed up! I am considering it for a portrait wall in our dining room. It is maybe late 19th century of a girl in a fancy teal dress.

Here are some pictures of the Irish bed and breakfast where the owner told me he bought these oils at auction 30 years ago for around $1000-$3000.

The first picture is the one I am considering---Sorry! I haven't figured out how to post photos very well yet.

a possibilty for a dining room chair? there are 4 of these at the antique store. the wood is darker than the table

Our master bedroom re-do

I took the quilt at the end of the bed back to Target. I think I can find something I like better.
I may put 18 inch "fancy shmancy" monogram letters J D from say it with letters on the wall with the floral picture.

My sister and nieces came last weekend and we worked on the master bedroom (among lots of other things!) New bedding, moved bookcases and art around and now I love it!

New paint in the dining room!

Re-decorating our den

We removed the wallpaper in our den. It has been called the "fish room" because of the fish themed wallpaper for 13 years. It is time for a change.

Here are Emily and John taking off the wallpaper.

Planner Heaven

I love my Franklin Covey classic planner. My mother and sister have planners too. Here is a picture of my grandmas (circa 1940) and my mom's (red) and mine in the background.

The leather is so nice and we love the zipper so that loose papers are not lost.

Our entryway

Here is a photo of our entryway.

The unbrella stand needs an umbrella but we get less than average rainfall here so we hardly ever need one!

I have a box collection on the chest and found the painting at an estate sale.