This week's kitchen is likely from the early to mid 1920's. It's a simple room and straightforward. I love the windows...I admit I'm big on having a well lit kitchen and even on a dull day a kitchen with plenty of windows will have some light.
Let me begin this room examination with a confession: I'd love a stove like that one pictured there. I've seen the most dainty little gas stoves in flea markets and antiques fairs. I can't tell if this is gas or more likely wood. At any rate it's small and delicate looking and not at all imposing as the great huge Home Comfort stove that graced a home I lived in once long ago. I love that the stove is slipped into that built in nook, much like a big old English kitchen fireplace nook.
Notice the little valance in the arch? I'd take it down in a heart beat simply because I know first hand that areas above a stove tend to get a greasy film on them. I'd much prefer to avoid hanging cloth there. But I do like the way they built those cabinets to flank the stove and the handy shelf above the warming oven.
Notice too the little shelf on the wall to the right, that little thing that looks like a sconce. I opened the picture up in a new tab and it's a neat little clock perched on the shelf, handy for checking time when sliding in a cake to bake. What I mistook for a clock on the shelf above the stove is a food scale.
There appears to be a second nook for the ice box. Or it could be just a bump out. I wonder if there is a drain in that space or a place on the back of the wall for them to slide block ice in? At the very least, I'll bet it's near the back door for convenience's sake.
The table in the foreground is likely an enamel table, perfect for rolling out pastry and handy too for dining. And last there is the big old sink. I cried for wanting a house once long ago that had a similar sink only that sink was white. I've longed for one ever since but alas it would take some doing and a loss of counter space to fit a sink of that sort in my modern day kitchen. I see the stool there where one might sit and do the dishes, something I've never considered might be possible. Our modern day kitchens certainly don't allow for such a luxury!
What really drew my eye to this illustration was the simplicity of color and room. I find more and more that I'm less keen on the modern day version of kitchens with copious cabinets. Yes, I do use every single one in my own home but I'm actually looking to reduce cabinetry in my own kitchen one day when I finally get to do my little renovations.
A good example of an unfitted kitchen (what the above sort of room is called) can be seen on YouTube or on Instagram with Farmhouse Vernacular.
Well enough kitchen chatter let us move on to planning the week ahead.
Work:
Zone 3 Beds and Baths: If I sort nothing out of our bedroom it shall be the pile of things I keep meaning to donate. It will open up the closet floor once again. I've cleared the chest, the wash stand and my bottom dresser drawer where I keep the vintage magazines. I have sorted out the bathroom twice this past year and I really can't fathom there's anything else that needs to be removed. The guest room too had a hard sorting. So for this week, I'll focus on deeper cleaning. I noted the edges of the bathroom tile are looking more than a little grotty and it didn't please me a bit. The mirrors in our bath area are smudged and dusty. So cleaning is definitely in order and will be my main focus but I will try to do the Fly Lady's 27 things to declutter (not including what is in the closet at present to be donated) in these rooms.
Since the pantry is in the guestroom closet, I'll work on that this week, and see if I've got things I need to use sooner rather than later, get it better organized, etc. I noted last week that I had tomatoes in two different places. I really like a very organized pantry and for things to be in sensible order.
In order to get to the chicken broth in my freezer, I had to go clean to the bottom. And everything on TOP got disorganized (it was very loose organization to begin with) so I really need to sort it out. I also need to know what I have in the meat baskets
John and I must go to the grocery store. I thought we'd try to do it tomorrow after church. I'm low on eggs, milk, butter, cheese, potatoes, onions, and bread. All we really need are those few things, some chips for his snacking, and a bit of fresh fruit and veg. I don't know what the week ahead is going to look like but I do know that Sunday's after early service (we'll be at the store about 10am) are generally not a busy hour so we'll practically have the store to ourselves.
I hope to get our bed stripped and washed tomorrow, too. It's unlikely I'll have a chance on Monday to do much because Caleb will be with us while Katie goes to work. His nursery is closed on Monday.
I know John has intentions of working outdoors this week but one day while it's nice (Wednesday perhaps) I'm going to get him to take me on a date even if it's a picnic date.
Kitchen and Meals:
Of the items I shared on Friday as Fragments: I still have about 1 1/2 cups of rice. I used lots in making Fried Rice for our supper the other night but I had a good bit more than I'd anticipated. I pulled some fried chicken thighs from the freezer Friday evening which need to be eaten this week. I have a pound of venison thawed in the fridge and most of package of venison sausage. There's a single serve portion of turkey and chili mac. I have some stuffing that I don't much care for. Not sure I want to eat it but it can go to the pups. 1 cup cornbread batter. And last there is a big jar of Chicken Noodle Soup, something near a quart and a half, I think.
Chicken Noodle Soup, Pimento Cheese Sandwiches
Senior Dinner at Church
Beefy Tortellini Bake, Kidney Beans with Oregano, Salad, Rolls
Fried Chicken, Black Eye Peas, Collard Greens
Mexican Pot Pie, Salad, Pineapple
Turkey Cranberry Sliders, Sweet Potato Fries, Oranges
?Something with the last of the ground venison I never use a full half pound to make the Beefy Tortellini bake and will half that recipe and the recipe for the Mexican Pot Pie, so I do expect to have a little beef left. I might mix any leftover with sausage and make Barbecue Beef Cups. Failing that, we've plenty of Chicken Noodle Soup on hand and can easily make a meal from it.
Leisure:
Reading, lots and lots of reading. I've started Pen & Palate by Lucy Madison and Tram Nguyen as well as Give Me One Summer by Emilie Loring.
Start to work on the recipe book. I can see that winter will glide right by and I'll never have gotten started with this task. I think I'm going to type them out and print them so they are uniform in appearance. As I make recipes I'll try to remember to take a photo and will print those out to add to pages, too.
Picnic date with John. We've confirmed the day we hope to go.
8 comments:
Smashing start to my Sunday.
A nice hot cup of tea and 2 posts from you to read. I have to admit that I’ didn’t get time the other day to catch the second week of January post..... but never mind I’ll enjoy it now.
I’ve got a cream range cooker set in a chimney breast and a white stone sink and half sink. I did have a really large window until we added an extension and now we have roof lights/ windows and boy do they let in light... so I know exactly what you mean about a naturally well lit kitchen.
Living room and dining area is on my to do list this week...I’ll try and join you in the 27 fling boogie thingy. I feel so much lighter when I declutter don’t you?
Hoping that all is well in your area. Fingers crossed that we are seeing a slight downward trend in COVID cases and that the vaccine program will ramp up some more.
Enjoy your date. X
Karen x
Wasn't that green kitchen a gem! I think that cute little stove might have been a gas stove because I didn't see that big stove pipe going up behind it. At my Grandma and Grandpa's house their wood burning kitchen stove and their pot belly stove in the living room had those round pipes and where they went into the wall there was a decorative metal ring that looked like a metal dinner plate with a hole in the middle. Grandma's wood burning stove was a giant black one, not cute like this one in the picture. That old black stove may not have been cute, but the food Grandma cooked on it was always delicious. My cousin and I have wondered for years now exactly what Grandma put into her dumplings that made them so delicious in her chicken and dumplings.
I would love to have a sink like that one, only white. It would be wonderful to sit down to wash dishes. My Grandma would never have ever sat down to do dishes or anything else for that matter, except for churning milk into the butter she sold. She churned it by hand. My Dad laughed about how when any men were sitting on the porch visiting, she would get one of them to turn the churn handle for a while. From the looks of my Dad and uncles when they were in their twenties and thirties I don't think it hurt them too much to churn. They were all carpenters or farmers and had muscular arms and they liked that butter they would be having at dinner.
Your retro home pictures are always so fun and interesting to look at. Thank you for showing them to us.
My grandmother had a big sink like that one and I have always wanted one too but no, it would not work here either. I do have a kitchen stool and use it a lot. It is great when you have a ton of vegetables to prep or something that needs constant attention at the stove. I do use it to wash dishes as well and it is a real knee saver. I ordered one last week and had it sent to Mom since she has terrible back pain when she has to stand too long but she is stubborn and has not even tried it out. (It might mean she is old!)
We ran to Aldi yesterday early so we really don't need to go into town at all this week. There were demonstrations and people blocking roads and beating on cars in that area some months ago so we will just stay out here in the country. We do plan to visit some friends on Tuesday who live even further out so we will not feel concerned about that.
This is just a thought, but, as you fill up bags to donate, why not put them in your trunk? You'll get them out of your closet and when you are in town you can drop them off, because they are already with you.
It's a gas stove, no stove pipe for wood or coal (grandpa cooked on coal) I thought about one of those sinks here, took my biggest pan to the person that had it and it wouldn't fit to be washed. So that was a no. We took out a wall to put in French doors in the kitchen and a deck outside of the kitchen. LOVE the sunlight. I know when it's really dreary when I have to light the lamp or turn on a lamp to see in the kitchen or dining room
Hi Terri - I am enjoying your vintage kitchen pictures! So cozy and homey. Thank you for all you share in your blog. Blessings, Shirley
I love this kitchen! I was just wondering the other day why they stopped putting in these large sinks with a stool under, but I guess the addition of dishwashers made that obsolete. Grandma had a sink like that with a stool. I do my pots and pans by hand and I do wish for a stool some days as I cook almost entirely from scratch so there can be a big load to wash at times.
I love the icebox! My grandpa never called it a refrigerator, always icebox. My father has memories of running after the iceman for a chip of cool ice on a summer’s day.
I have a busier week than I’d like! A few appts, taking my youngest to work a few times, and I can’t put off a trip to Costco anymore. I am making lemon bars today as I did not get to it yesterday for Sunday dinner. Have a lovely week Terri!
Karen in UK, Your kitchen sounds just lovely! I do hope the lockdowns in UK will be over soon. We watch several vloggers and all are struggling with the need to be at home. I do think there's an emotional and mental purpose to this. Admittedly for me it's not very hard, as I normally love to be home.
Fingers crossed the weather behaves and is as nice as it's said it will be so we might enjoy our picnic. We'll be on a mountainside area (really just a very big hill but there you are, it's as near as we do get to mountains as John doesn't like heights, lol).
Lana, goodness, I'd no idea you had demonstrations and such in your area. I won't go back to the store until first of February now. My full budget was spent, the majority of it in stocking pantry items and freezer(filled it right back to the top once more, lol).
I'm surprised at how many of you remember sinks like that in your grandparent's homes. All of my grandparents and great grandmother's had metal sink cabinets with porcelain tops and sinks. I love those too...Had one myself in one old home.
Anne, I insist we keep our reusable and insulated grocery bags in the trunk of my car and were I to add the donation stuff, too, John would be a little persnickety about it, lol. I generally keep things in my shed, right at the front and if we're headed in that direction, I can grab them up and put them in the trunk, no digging about necessary.
Thank you all for commenting. I am so happy that these old kitchen designs promote so many comments on this post.
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