Happy Thanksgiving!

From this old farm to you...
We're thankful and blessed.

Tunnel Vision, The Remodel Saga

Goodness...I didn't think that lighting would be where I would get stuck. So many choices - and I like them all!
This one is Limoges, it's one of my favorites but I don't really like the cord, it seems a bit cheapy-creepy. It seems to me that Limoges and exposed cords shouldn't go hand in hand. Yes, I'm an opinionated farmgirl indeed.



Is there light at the end of the lighting tunnel?


Don't you love this? It's a photo of my girlfriends driveway.

My posts lately have been quickies, or... um...nonexistent.
The kitchen thing is fun, but it's where all of my creative energy is going...blogging is taking a back seat for sure. I haven't been visiting other blogs much but hopefully I'll be able to click around and see what's shakin' the blogosphere soon.
I'm finally wrapping up the materials gathering phase, I haven't smashed a single thing yet. A friend advised me to make sure I have all of my decisions made and my materials chosen before I start demo, and since we'll be doing a good portion of the work ourselves it's not like I can go out shopping while the carpenters are doing the labor...this old farmgirl is the laborer. Woohooo!
The one thing I didn't have definite opinions about was lighting. Now I know why...it's because I like it all! Well...except for that look where there are fifteen pot lights scattered all over the ceiling - not a big fan of that.
Come along...go light shopping with me..and please, opinions are most welcome!


Cool, I like this one. Oh...wait a minute - it's a whole lot like the fixture I've had in my kitchen for the last 25 years...
moving on.


Bling? In my kitchen? It could be fun, I saw something like this last year on a holiday home tour and loved it. Oh wait, I'm not a bling girl, more of a barn boots and hair out of the way kinda gal. Oh...and this one was a spendy little number.
Pass!


Totally love the shape, but yikes...wayyy too shiny and bright. I like dull, well... I like dull surfaces - not dull parties or friends.


Industrial meets schoolhouse, would I get sick of it?


I like the lines, it just seems a bit heavy for the space.


This one is pretty dang cool, it looks handmade....like blown glass. I sure wish the folks that make my favorite Limoge fixture would take lessons on cords from this manufacturer, this is beautifully done.

So, I think these are my choices...until I go to another lighting store, or Home Store, or junk shop.


Don't worry, it's not all work and no play around here. I finally made it to the city to take my darling niece for her 21st birthday lunch....delightful and truly lovely...oh yeah...the food was good too.

I'd love a comment or two, help me choose....because I really do like them all ;)

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.