This Week In My Home: Full On Spring!

 

Yes, I chose another yellow kitchen this week...Honestly I'm beginning to wonder if I secretly am inclined towards a bright and sunny kitchen.  Fortunately mine makes up in natural light for what it lacks in color and I'm quite happy with it overall.  

I believe this kitchen is from the 1930's.  I'm not terribly sure how large this kitchen is nor how much is included in the room but we have a lovely little U shaped kitchen here which makes for an efficient work space though you might doubt it.   Turn from the stove to the sink, from the sink to the counter and I'll wager there's a refrigerator there in that U somewhere as well. 

I've said I like the color and I even like the flooring.  I'm less sure about that step down counter top there to the left of the sink.  The first level appears to be even with the sink but why the step down?

And the tall counter behind the sink becomes a breakfast bar with tall stools.  Frankly that whole eating area appears a bit too claustrophobic for my taste.  I've never been a huge fan of glass blocks though they are very much a 1930s thing and they've had multiple revivals over the years.  Just today John mentioned how much he likes them when we saw them in a home on tv...so there you go.  No doubt they will be revived once again.

I'm not terribly sure of what we have going on here on the far left, but the chrome is another tell tale sign that this kitchen is likely 1930's.  It appears that section might be a buffet or another multi-level cabinet such as the one next to the sink.

All in all, this is not my most favorite of kitchens.  It really feels as though the kitchen is sort of plumped down in a larger room, so it might be an apartment setting. 

Work:  

I never got out in the cemetery at all last week between hip pain, grandchildren, leaks, and a lot of other plans that didn't stick.  Never mind.  This week, is a busy week for me.  I don't have lots of time to put into clearing up the cemetery.  I'd like to move the tree tops that John cut out the other day and whatever he cut on Tuesday when he headed over to work in the cemetery alone.  After that I'm calling it a halt until we're back to Autumn and cooler temperatures.  

I have five bags of mulch purchased yesterday that I need to spread.  I know the three areas I want to work in and that will likely be about all the outdoor work that I get done this week.

Zone Two: Living Room, Dining Room, Entry  I definitely want to dust.  I keep looking at the table across the room and seeing the dust on it at a certain hour of the afternoon but my main focus is to get curtains washed and windows cleaned

It's pay week for us.  I need to get my checkbook in order and move some money into savings before it goes down the leaky drain.   I need to run a couple of errands, including picking up a handful of grocery items.  I'm going to try and hold off on doing a big shop though for another week or two because truly all we need is eggs and maybe potatoes, milk and cheese.  Our budget could use a temporary halt on grocery shopping.  I even cancelled several Amazon subscription items  for the month because I just feel they are unnecessary at the moment.

Buy a birthday present and get it on it's way.   I have the birthday card but also need to get it in the mail.

I have some writing work I want to get done if I possibly can make time for it this week.

Remove the nasty old cushions off the front porch chairs.  I'll leave one each for Rufus and Misu and remove them when we want to use the chairs but I'm sick of looking at them.  Time for them to go!

Try and pretty up the front porch a little. 

All the routine housework, which is on a permanent repeat cycle.

Kitchen:

John asked how the pantry was holding up and I don't think it's so bad but I want to do an inventory and then plan my next three months of purchases and what areas I need to work on.  My goal this year is to get my basic pantry supplies built up to a 12 months level.     

Bake bread. I think we're about ready to give up the store bought stuff once again and that means I'll have to bake more often.  I don't mind.  The bread machine does all the real work of kneading and rising.  All I have to do is form the dough into loaves and bake it once it's had another 30 minutes to rise in the pan.   

There's nothing like planning meals to let you know if you truly can wait an extra week or two before you grocery shop.  I'll post this week's menu in a separate post with any Gathered Fragments we might need to use up.  But while I'm in planning mode, I want to plan another week's worth of meals, too.  If I find it's too difficult I'll know I need to get more than eggs and potatoes.

There are parts of my kitchen set up I'm not entirely happy with.   Dried beans and pasta are near the stove which is logical enough but they are separated from other foodstuffs I keep in the kitchen and I think that's why I tend to sometimes forget them.  I want to move them either into the pantry or into the main food cupboard so that I see them more often and will perhaps think to use them.  I could use that space in the cupboard for storage of things I don't need often.  I'm pondering this at present so we shall see how it goes.

Personal Care:

I never did pull any books to read, nor have I taken time to look through the vintage homemaking magazines I have by my chair.  I'll do that this week.

I've slipped on Bible study again, too.  I want to pick that back up.   I'm coming to realize though that some days while I don't do the chapters reading I've set for myself, I am reading the Bible while I do research for something I'm writing.   I have a tendency to expect I'll do the one thing and pile more on top. I do it with housework, yardwork and self-examination,  as well.  I'm going to try and be more aware of this habit which I think is a negative one as it makes me feel guilty and pressured when in fact, I have devoted time to something worthwhile even if it is in a different form than I typically do.

Spa day.  Winter skin is being exposed to warmer weather and I can see I need some pampering touches.  A deep pedicure is in order as well.  It's fast becoming sandal weather.

Until I wrote about it the other day I never realized what a deeply negative impact being a latch key kid had on my childhood.  While it's not a topic I want to dwell hard upon, I would like to do some journaling about that portion of my life.    John often mentions that he goes back to the little boy he was and tells him it's going to turn out all right...I think I need to talk to that little girl a bit and ease her worries.  It might sound silly to you all but being the analytical sort of person I am, I often find just such exercises are very cathartic and healing.