In My Home This Week: Slow Fall

Even though you can't see the whole of this kitchen we can most certainly see enough of it to get a feel for the space.  This is a late 1940's design from Armstrong floors.  Armstrong kitchens can almost always be earmarked by the dramatic statement floors at this period.    

The color scheme overall is unusual.  A mix of green, yellow-green, black, pale baby blue, deep rusty brown in the open cupboards...I'm thinking the fabric at the windows might have been the inspiration for this color scheme rather than the flooring which we've seen used much more often as the jumping off point for color combinations.

It appears in my enlarged photo (I opened in a new tab and magnified the image) that the counter to the left of the sink is black, while the circular portion of the counter is that lovely green color.  I wonder why they chose black for that one segment of countertop?  Or am I just misreading it?  It may well be the same green just poorly lit.  

We really have no idea of the overall arrangement of the kitchen.  There's a lot of storage, both upper and lower  in this arrangement.  The sink is there under the window but where is the range?  The fridge?  I thought at first glance with the smaller image that the range was here to the right of the photo but when I looked at the enlarged image it appears there is a picnic/fruit basket sitting on a lazy Susan there to the right of the plates.    In the enlarged photo I realized that at the end of the counter as it curves back into the sink area, there's a column from counter to ceiling that the potted plant trails up.

I find the color combination rather appealing in this kitchen, and I liked the unusual design but it's not one I'd choose myself.  I think it would be awkward to always be stepping around that curved counter to reach stove or fridge.  I am curious as to how they were placed and how much storage they had new either one.

What do you think?

In my home this week... 

Autumn is coming slowly here.  The trees show a little bit of change each day.  The nights are cooler and the AC is clicking off more during the daytime.   Mind you that part is due to change slightly this week.  We'll continue with cooler mornings but the days will slip back to 90F.  However, it won't stop the slow change of color on the tree or the equally slow blooming of golden rod and other fall blooming plants.  

The main room in our home, the combined living/dining/front entry are looking ready for autumn.  I put away the pillows and pillow covers I'd used last year and then moved them.  I went looking for them on Friday and of course, I forgot where I moved them.  Do you ever do that?  Move something to what is a more logical place but then six months or so later you can't remember where you moved it to?  As I said it's a perfectly logical place.  It's an old wooden toolbox that is quite large that John's dad made and John let me have when he was done using it in his shop.  It sits in the living room and it's been empty all these years but it occurred to me it was the perfect spot to store our throws and autumn pillows or summer covers since it was right here in the room.   But yes, I completely forgot that it was logical thinking that led me to store them there and so I plundered deeply all through guest room drawers and closets looking for the pillows and pillow covers I'd used last fall and winter.  

Will my mind remember in Spring when I want to put them away again and am ready to put on summer pillow covers?  We'll see.

Like the season that is coming slowly upon us, I let my decorating be equally slow.  And I think that's how I want to come into my new week, slow and easy.

Work:

John mowed over at the 'manor house' as he calls the house across the field.  He's named all three homes.  Our is the Country House and Katie's is the Town House, lol.  He says that he's going Monday to work on the Town House yard.  I've suggested that we run by Lowe's (we're literally going right by it this weekend) and pick up as much mulch as we can fit in the trunk of my car, so I can do a little more work on that project.  

Spread mulch.

Keep Caleb for a couple of hours so Katie can get her grocery shopping done.

We had a small blessing and I suggested to John that we might attend to buying mulch and getting some of the food grade buckets and gamma lids.  I also hope to go buy bulk  flour and sugar, but that will wait.   When the buckets and lids come in, I can free up two more of the bins with hermetic seals in the lids.   I had considered buying a new shelving unit but I think buying the buckets makes the better sense just now, and as I said, having the buckets will free up two bins which is more storage for me to use. 

Zone Work: Kitchen/Back Entry/Laundry  Do you ever just notice a job suddenly and wonder why it is you haven't seen it until now?  Our back door interior side is looking decidedly grungy around the doorknob and lock.  I figure it's a good time to just tackle the other grungy looking areas on cabinet doors and such, too.   I'll clean well overall but I'm focusing most especially on those doors.   

The week ahead is a bit busy for us.  We have meetings, class, church services, an event, and work days planned so far.  And who knows what else shall be thrown into the mix?  For that reason I'm going to let this list stand. 

Kitchen:

Gather Fragments.  I didn't make a post last week but I know that I have some odds and ends that I've meant to use up.  I'll do a separate post this week on that.

We have one more item that is necessary to buy in the monthly grocery supply and that is the shelf stable milk.  We briefly discussed going to find a Dollar Tree but that means going in directions we'd typically not go and taking time we just don't have at present.  It's easiest to just buy the brand I typically get and am most familiar with but if I find we are passing near one for any reason I'm going to see if they have the shelf stable milk for $1.  I want to try it before I stock heavily in it but if any of you have purchased it and like it, let me know what brand you're picking up, please.  

I cut back on my grocery funds this month in an attempt to give us some wiggle room but I have vowed that if I find good buys on pantry staples I shall definitely be picking those up if I'm near the stores where sales are occurring.  My pantry has grown nicely over the past three months and I'm nearing the point where I feel comfortable with the quantity of supplies I have on hand.  I may do a pantry/freezer challenge in October just to throw the balance back into the budget, but that's a few weeks away, yet.

It is Oatmeal cookie time.  I picked up a package of dates especially so that I might make cookies this coming week.

John really enjoyed the English muffins I made and would like me to make more.  I'd like to do that if I have enough room in either freezer to store them.   I think I'd like to try to use my pizza stone for baking them this time instead of cooking in a skillet.  I'm going to read up on how to go about doing that.   And look up once more what else I might use the pizza stone for.  I've loved having our pizza cooked on it and have finally figured out what works for what we like best.  Now I'm ready to expand my repertoire with that piece of kitchen equipment.  

Meals this week:  You might have noticed I didn't mention a shoebox supper last week...In fact, I haven't even shared what we had for our Friday meal.  I made Maple Mustard Chicken Thighs with Brussels Sprouts and Apples, all cooked in one skillet that went from stove top to oven.  I chose to do the chicken thighs because they were literally in hand as I prepped that ten pound bag of leg quarters for the freezer.  I had to store them in my fridge freezer as I expected I should have to do.

You can just look back at last week's menu...I thought I'd made more of the planned meals and apparently I got the pot roast meal and Gramma's fried chicken made.  We ate all week long and I cooked...Oh yes, the roast stretched and made a Shepherd's Pie which we'll also be eating this weekend for an easy meal.  

Shoebox Supper: I planned to make mashed potatoes and peas to go with it but I'm changing that up to Bbq'd Spam and Beans, Coleslaw(obviously not shoebox friendly but I think it will make a nice side), Corn Muffins

I'm not going to plan beyond that.  Last week's menu will no doubt stretch, especially the Brunswick Stew.  

Leisure/Personal Time:

I read Island Magic by Elizabeth Goudge which led to me asking John to give me a new copy for my Christmas gift this year.  My copy was an older paperback which literally fell page by page as I read it this week.  I have always preferred a hardback copy of a book but that was the only copy of this title I'd been able to find.  

Pick a new book.  I'm in the mood for some Dorothy Evelyn Thomas I think...Or D.E Stevenson. I've chosen D.E. Stevenson's Smouldering Fire and am already more than half done with it.  Excellent read.

Never finished up that post on my genealogy as I'd intended.  Not sure that I will this week either.  I recall now that it was research work I was doing in order to finish it and that part I will try to make time to work on.  I love research and tend to get lost while doing it.

I'm going to take some time this week to listen to good music and try to soak in some beautiful art and try and mend my frazzled soul a little.