Five Minutes, Five Bucks

Oh yikes...the front porch was looking nasty last weekend.
Even though I live in the boonies and trick or treaters are rare, I like to be prepared. I had a giant bowl of candy ready to go but...oh yikes, the porch.
Frightening.
The planters were filled with summer annuals that didn't have an ounce of lovely left in them.
Ta Daaaa....
Found these mums at the garden center for $4.99 and plunked the whole thing into the planter, garden center pot and all.
Why on earth do I wait so long to do this?
Presto...prettio!

Sink, Sunk, Sank

Shopping and researching sinks.
Thanks goodness for cousin Mary, the girl is a fountain of information. She told me about Houzer sinks and I just got off the website....after running around all day yesterday and not coming up with a single thing - here we go.
The whole sink thing has been a bit confusing for me. I think I know what I don't want - but I'm not sure what I do want.
The groovy new kitchen will have two sinks! After having a washer and dryer in the kitchen for almost thirty years I'm getting ritzy. Since the water pipes are already in the wall on that side of the kitchen I figured I should take advantage of the situation and have a designated clean-up zone.
So...I like this one.
Does anybody have any advice for me? I hand wash my wine glasses and delicate china and crystal...thought the built-in drainboard was a cool feature.
Yay?
Nay?

Spring Bulb Reminder

Since I have kitchen remodeling stuff on the brain the garden is pretty much on the back burner. I hadn't even thought about buying tulip or daffodil bulbs this year...until I started looking at the pictures from the garden tours we went on this year.
Uh oh...I gotta go!
I neeeeeed some of these.
Allium giganteum...they make me crazy.
Now I just have to decide where to plant them.

Doesn't this make you want to plant some too?

Time to DIY

The never-ending saga of the kitchen remodel...continues.

There is a little part of me that would like to have a section of my kitchen counter done in wood...not butcher block but face grain.
I've been doing a lot of online research and surfing through my kitchen books, boy have I seen some beauties...
Love the look!
I went to see a few people, talked about the pros and cons...got a rough idea on pricing from one guy - a thousand bucks for ten feet of kitchen counter.
Choke.
Until today...when another guy called back with his bid,
drum roll please....
$2230.00 for a ten foot counter, no back splash... a hole cut for an under mount sink.
I think it's time to do a little more research, and perhaps it's time for this old farmgirl to get out her power tools.

I found this.
My recycle maniac is shifting into high gear.
Old maple gym flooring in 4' x 12' sections.
$108 bucks in materials...
plus some elbow grease and sandpaper...maybe a little molding, some tung oil.
If I hate it I'm sure I can find a home for it around here someplace.


Maybe I can sell it to some fool for two thousand bucks...
rofl.

***materials update....got the flooring for 30 bucks!!!
Yippieeee ;)

Well Helloooo There...

Wanna come live at my house?
How do you feel about living on a farm?
We promise to be nice to you.
We'll let you hang out with our friends in the kitchen,
you'll get to be a big part of every party.
Really...it's gonna be fun.
Promise.

Dead Salmon on the Wall?

My little vice is magazines...always has been. Last week I was cruising through a shelter mag and I saw an article on paint colors. Oh dear, I found a color that I really liked...Farrow and Ball "Dead Salmon".
What the ????
No way.
Sorry Farrow and Ball.
I just can't.
Paint names matter to me, call me a sissy-girl.
My house is Edelweiss with Stonewall trim.
The studio is Sunshine, office / Buckskin, cabin cupboards / Heartsmere, dining room / Providence Olive...I gotta love the name to buy the paint.
Even though I love the color...I just can't smear dead salmon on my walls.
Ewwwww!

Turn Back the Calendar!

That's right...turn it back.
Back to June...I want a do-over.
Not because it wasn't right the first time, but because it was so sweet -
great weather,
great houseguests,
fun parties,
things got DONE!
The garden...oh the garden - the best year ever. The freezer is filling up fast with organic fruits and veggies...today I'll pick-shuck-blanch-cut-freeze another 50 ears of corn. I think that will get me close to the 200 mark, 200+ ears of corn, beans, raspberries, squash and more...my goal this year was to focus on not letting my garden produce get away from me and go to waste - it happens too often.
My only garden regret is rhubarb, I didn't get one single stalk into the freezer, oh well...there is always next spring.
And speaking of next spring...maybe we could just turn the calendar FORWARD!
The kitchen remodel is freaking me out, can't turn the calendar back on that one, the cabinets have been ordered and should be finished pretty soon. Yiiiikes.
I've been in the garden, hiding from the decision making process.
I haven't started demo,
I haven't decided on countertop.
Hey...I have an idea ;)
Here...you pick.
Hubby and my BIL picked the exact same one - I think it's too busy.
What say you?

While you're making up your mind I think I'll go make a giant batch of applesauce and put it in the freezer.
Happy choosing!