This Week In My Home: Let the Birthday Season Commence!

 


I say I like yellow in a kitchen, but you can see I'm pretty much drawn to a blue and white kitchen as well.  There's just something very fresh about a blue and white color scheme in a kitchen and this one certainly proves that.

I'm going to start right here on the left with the kitchen sink.  I'm very accustomed to seeing much larger sinks in kitchens, especially older ones but even though this one is small, they've expanded the space with drainboards built in on either side.  A common thing in many of these 1920's kitchens is the stool at the sink.  I'm quite sure a homemaker appreciated that stool at end of a meal when her feet likely were aching.  I know I've often felt rather weary when it was time to do the dishes and I believe I might have enjoyed a stool myself!


I love the big window above the sink as well and it appears to have a deep sill where you might cool a pie...An image I have had in my head for years upon years but have never been able to execute in any home I've had!

The hutch cupboard right next to the sink is a genius idea for saving steps in putting away dishes and glassware.  There's a proper baking cabinet on the next wall.  And we'll assume the stove is just beyond that handy little table where the bread is cooling...  I'm going to assume there are a pair of those chairs either side that baking cupboard because that table would be handy for a morning breakfast or a morning break.

The black border about the checkered floor does a lot to break up the checkboard which I love but do find overpowering in any room.    The walls appear to be more ivory or cream than white which really makes the white cabinetry pop in that room and keeps the room from being too sterile looking.   

Work:



Zone 4 this week is Outside Entries, Porches and Shed.  I've been studying the porches for weeks now and while they are slightly improved, they need quite a bit of work.  This week I want to get them cleaned up at least.  The front porch is not too bad.  The back porch...well that's another story.   I've got pots and broken pots and other things piled at one end.  The main pieces on both porches were wiped down this past week, but all chairs need to be painted, the railings and rafters need to be cleaned.   

While the front porch is neater I've moved a lot of plants there.  I have yet to put the orchids 

I also noted that a bunch of stuff had fallen over in the shed and that's made quite a mess of the back end of the building.  I would do well to get that box of items to be donated off to the thrift store and then get the mess cleared up.  It's meant to be in the high 90's next week, so I must do these tasks in the early morning hours or not at all.

I've looked over my goals for the past week and the month and I'm not unhappy with my progress.  Not all of what I wanted to do but I hit enough areas to feel I'm getting somewhere with my plans.   Now I'll start thinking of the goals for June.

Not really work, but we're having a small family gathering for Taylor this week.  Her birthday isn't until later in the week.  We're going to have Gramma's Fried Chicken.  I'll buy cupcakes for her and we'll celebrate her this weekend since her daddy has plans to go on vacation with her next week.  Both she and Josh will get out of school on the same day even though they aren't the same county.

Mama's birthday is next weekend.  I will do something small for her.  She doesn't want anything big for her birthday.

I'm not going to plan more work this week.  I'll do all the usual housework and continue to putter along with a hard focus on porches this time.

Look for curtains for our room online.

Make note of all the June birthdays and get to work on those gifts pronto!

Kitchen:



I'll be making bread and I'd like to make up some rolls.  I'll do both plain and a small batch of cinnamon rolls.   If I'm feeling really ambitious, I'll probably make biscuits to put into the freezer and bake later.   

I'll definitely do a meal prep day.  That's just too much of a help to me to  bypass.

Gathered Fragments:  I looked over the fridge Thursday night and planned our menu for the weekend ahead.  Here's what I have in the fridge:

Cooked Macaroni

Cheese Sauce

half a can of creamed corn

a little Mexican cornbread batter

some diced green chilies

half a pan of Spaghetti Diable

a bit of the chicken frame from last week's roasted chicken

black bean and corn salsa

1/2 can of tomato sauce

1/2 can of diced tomatoes

Broccoli stems

Main Meals:  Leftovers of  Roast Chicken, Mac and Cheese, Greens

Gramma's Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, *Slaw,  Rolls, Cupcakes  Hot dogs for the picky boys and the wee ones who can eat those better than they can chicken  *broccoli stems

*Southwestern Chicken Soup, *Mexican Cornbread Muffins, Tangelos  *Black Bean and corn Salsa, diced tomatoes, chicken

Grilled Steaks, *Armenian Potatoes, Salad with Blue Cheese dressing (anniversary dinner)  *Tomatoes

Tomato soup, *Tuna Pasta Salad, Saltines, Blueberry Crisps (small individual ones) *Cooked macaroni

Big Salads likely with leftover steak, Rolls, Gelatin or Pudding

End of week...I'll see what leftovers we have or we'll order Subs.

Personal:



John encouraged me to sit with him on the back porch this past week, reminding me that we'd planned and paid for that porch just so we could enjoy that time outdoors.  Quite right!   I'm going to plan to sit on the porch at some point every day.   I think we're going to have to mostly concentrate on sitting out front though because the Phoebe bird is disturbed by our popping out there to sit and complains to us about it.

I would love to get a post up on the genealogy blog.

Reading and more reading.  I have a bit of money yet I could spend on another book this month and I think I'll check my Miss Reads and see which volume I need to complete the Fairacre set.

Make Iced Tea.

It's our anniversary this week.  We've talked about what we might do and here we are with no plans whatsoever.  At the least, I'll ask we go to Warm Springs to have lunch and a nice long ride out of the day.

Go buy a fern and two flowering plants to plant in the hanging baskets on the front porch.

8 comments:

Rhonda said...

I agree with John, you should sit and enjoy your porch.
There is some good news in our family that I can’t post online for now- I’ll email you but it will be keeping me busy some of the time.

Liz from New York said...

Happy Anniversary!

Lana said...

Happy Anniversary!

Anonymous said...

I just finished re-reading the Miss Read Fairacre series. I love it so much!! I always said I would love to live someday in Mitford (Jan Karon series), but vacations to Fairacre would be wondrous!! Both places are magical and bring me such peace when I read those books. chris

Donna said...

First of all, Happy Anniversary!
Love the old kitchens you find! I am especially drawn to the aprons. Maybe I could get more accomplished if I used the zone method as you do. Have to give it a try. I hear you about working the mornings. It's getting hot and sticky here. The Urban Farmer and I did get some things done this morning before it got too muggy.

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary to you and John!
Much love,
Tracey
x0x
P.S. Like you I have a soft spot for blue and white!

terricheney said...

Rhonda...You know I'm curious as can be now! Hurry and email me, lol.

Chris, yes! I could happily vacation in any of the small towns I read about in books, in England or US doesn't matter...

Liz, Lana, Donna and Tracey< Thank you all! I think I'll take out another year option on the man...He's pretty nice!

Donna, Yes, I LOVE the aprons too!!

Lana said...

Yes,yes,yes on vacation in a small town. That's why we love our lake time so much. In the summer they close Main St. on Friday nights and have activities for the kids, food trucks and live music, mountain music mostly. Saturday morning everyone is back downtown for the farmer's market where everything has been picked that morning. Every morning in Hardee's the farmers and their wives come in for breakfast and they all ask about family members they have been praying for and shake their heads in worry over wayward kids and grandkids and promise to pray for them. The same cashiers check us out this year that did five years ago at the grocery store. We may not know every name like the locals but we know the faces and they know ours. It's like going home every time we go.

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