So..... this happened

This wall. I kind of woke up feeling the pull toward fall.... I mean, the paint color is called "Autumn Ridge." Well, oops! I see a little plaster dust from hanging pictures. Oh, well, I will never be perfect. Eventually ( I hope soon) I will have a Hoosier cabinet brought up from another room..... but until then..... This wall. I love the way less in a space invites breaths of peace and mellow tranquility.

I succumbed to the pickup truck phase in a big way. I saw this blue one from Valerie Par Hill on QVC, and yes, in the midst of minimizing I ordered it because we all recall my favorite moment.... bucking snow drifts with Daddy in his 1947 Chevy. It was dark Southwestern Bell Grey then, but he and my son chose the most beautiful shade of blue for it now.

That's some pumpkin, huh? We suffered all weekend with an Air Conditioner malfunction, so now that it is fixed plus the predictions for a chilly, stormy night have inspired a little premature Fall flair.

Slowly I am finding the treasures and basically hanging most of them right where they last spoke to me. Both the comfort and the consistency make  me realize the familiar is not an enemy at all. 

I splurged $49 on a black pencil tree. I really had this vision with the darker walls and dark orange fairy lights. 

Switching to a peek of my bedroom and my cat who seems to have some assembly required. Mom embroidered that quilt for my son, but he gave it to me. Yes, I coveted it. He didn't want it really... Plus it is right out in the open for him to look at! He used to ask Mom what she was doing when she cross-stitched away on these fall leaves. "I'm making you a quilt for when you grow up to be a man." She told me he always persuaded her he would rather she played with him.... and so she did. I will always forever treasure how much fun my parents had with my little boy. They took him everywhere, and my mom stalked the toy stores in Columbia. They called it Kay-Bee Mall because of the central attraction! But I am glad she also threw a thread or two at the future. So far, he hasn't met the mother of my grandchildren... so I have her quilt! 

I am making the first chili of the "season." It is my last package of hamburger. What else would I make? We have our new beef at the processor's. We order from dear friends. I always throw a roast in my Lodge cast iron Dutch oven first, the day when we pick up the meat....  (then more chili or my favorite Taco Salad, of course)

Have a great week... 

Whimsy and Hugs!

Make up Your Melon!

No. This is not a reveal....(unless you count it as a revelation of just how wacky I am)... A couple years ago I painted a kitchen cabinet with "Little Billy Goat" tomato red mineral paint. Then I glazed it and top coated it, added a little glowstick.... LOVED it. (The front below on the right....)

Then.... In the spirit of renovation out with the old and in with the new, I decided to repaint it and all my cabinets a chalk paint called linen.... I dark waxed them... Then....I white waxed them....  Here is the early shot of the linen... But, ...... See that pretty red glaze?

Alas!... I am not really the clean, shabby chic, farmhouse girl at the core.....  so...in the end, I got my "parky carcass" (my mom's favorite term for lazy butt!) out of bed at 3:15 a.m.  And I started the process of three coats of "Little Billy Goat" tomato, glaze, and top coat...  Oh, my goodness!

I want to be done and eat watermelon in a month without an "R" in its name. My poor little cat who never says a word has decided enough is enough... and she wanders the house meowing all night...  My son does a close second, but a 37 year old man meows differently.... not as mournful but a bit testy....

We I got rid of all our recliners except one... and the back fell off of the one I chose to be the sole survivor! "No rest for the wicked."

Almost done. I can taste the watermelon now!

Whimsy and Hugs!

Reveal: Kitchen News: Part 2

So we went with a beautiful color called Rainy Afternoon in the kitchen.

It is a chameleon color that changes with the lighting from blue to grey to green... We love it!  

We still have cabinets to paint and a countertop to install, but we are loving the new space!
More Reveal to come!



Whimsy and Hugs!

The Big Reveal: Part 1

Well, it is, at last, the big  day to reveal and weave the tale of this summer's projects. I have been updating all along, so forgive any of these photos that are duplicates. I think if you want to grab a refreshing glass of iced tea or cola, you will enjoy this little look at the summer reno...  This is only part 1.... It was such a mess....


Birth of a notion: 

Conditions of the floor and walls created the need for action. Did it dictate we do it all, all at once? Umm. No. No, it didn't.

My son interjected the idea of truly changing the footprint of the kitchen, knocking out a stairway and merging the small porch with the tiny kitchen. I loved the idea of a bigger kitchen and no stairway to a basement with snakes.  A friend casually asked if we had started yet... as if... it might really happen. I found a reasonable carpenter who was ready to begin in six days. 

The project was to install new floors in landing, bathroom, laundry room, bedroom (created from a dining room), kitchen-porch combined, and to refinish the hardwood in living room. It included demo and reconfiguring the kitchen, stairwell, pantry, porch. We were painting the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. We also installed a new farm sink, repurposed maple Ethan Allen cabinets, and added countertops.

There. I am exhausted to just name it all, let alone all the decluttering, moving, and reorganizing, the weeks of living in approximately zero space. But at last we are as finished as we could ever be.... for now.

To those who have loved vsiting here with us and with Mom and Dad, we are happy to update their beautiful home and create a place to thrive. Some of their treasures have been sold, donated, and sent into the universe for others to love. Not one thing we have changed could bring back one single golden afternoon with all of us together. We cannot and would never take one thing from them. However, if I can say one thing about my parents, they truly LIVED and made good choices for themselves and their family. We decided to try to do the same.

The Project Begins:

A Final Look!

We began this renovation on the sunny morning of June 25th. My son and I had spent days pulling things out and emptying three rooms and the bathroom. First they laid tile in the laundry room. landing, and bathroom. We began the seemingly never-ending process of moving, shuffling stuff from one area to another.

 Then the exciting demo day.

You can see into the basement and the attic!

A small change of plans (and budget) as we opted to install support jacks throughout the main structure of the basement. This took two days.

 Insert brown recluse spider bite!  (I will spare you the picture of my wrist!) It got worse and worse and required a trip to the doctor and some antibiotics.

Add in a good two days for the wiring. Some of that we have tabled for our electrician.

Then the carpenter took a vacation for a week! Catfish Noodling in Oklahoma!

Back to work. The paint I chose for the kithen was Starry Night. I chose it from this.

Oh, my goodness! Screech. The wallpaper buckled and necessitated a good day of steam and a few coats of wall putty....   And I hastily changed colors. It was not good in this room.

It didn't feel right. Too much of a good thing! It is usually pretty dramatic if the paint matches the blue masking tape!

I will catch ya later.... Believe me. It is looking different!






Whimsy and Hugs!