love is...

found on pinterest, of course

free printable
credit: The Girl Creative

I printed my  version in black and white.
love on.

 Remember my pantry project?

part 1

from here 

to here

next, we moved on to part 2

I showed you this corner

it was even less efficient 

this was where stuff  was piled on the floor

and 

remember 

how I told you 

that the only, original sink was in the  pantry?

There it is..under that piece of sheeting. 

We put it  there to add a bit of extra counter space.

purty, isn't it?

Really now, I had a hard time with this

Don't we all want  farm sinks, right now?

 Those that know me

know that

i.am.a.purist.

especially, when it comes to old stuff .

But, girls, I am on a mission

to finish this house and clean it up.

The sink did not help me to reach those goals.

If I wanted to get that stuff off of the floor,

the sink had to go.

(It's not gone forever...I am still brainstorming

for another place to put it)

I moved in this bookcase

It is an old one that I picked  at Stars

and have moved it all over  the house

trying to find a good home for it.

It fits perfectly here.

I will probably find a small microwave that will fit  on the shelf.

After the storage was complete

I could move on to what I really love to do.

Playing with pretties.

 a window treatment I'm playing around with

I used a vintage apron

 a collection of mini white ironstone pitchers

 The chair landed there by accident.

I needed something to stand on

and 

once it was there

I really liked it...

We'll see if it is in the way or not.

 I want to show you my sweet cake box 

I found thrifting 

a couple of years ago.

"She is dressed for a ball, awaiting Werther, and he arrives to find her in the midst of her young brothers and sisters, cutting bread for their supper."

Aren't those sweet words? 

Just don't look it up on google..the novel isn't so much.

I love  how this space has turned out.

It is so bright, fresh, clean

and

pretty.

It has become one of those spaces that give old houses 

so much charm and character...

Even putting groceries away is fun...for now.

I am almost finished working in the rest of the kitchen.

I'll be back soon to show you all.

White Wednesday @ Faded  Charm 

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground

Farmhouse Friday @ Laurie Anna's Vintage Home

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

PRIMP Your Stuff @ (PRIMP)
Thriftin' on a Thursday @ Savvy City Farmer

...may the words of my mouth 

and 

the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, 

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalms 19:4

heart of the home...part two

Last week 

I showed you where we started with my kitchen.

Today, 

 I am going to show you

our initial re-do when we first moved in

14 years ago

Remember, this is the original floor plan

The red indicates the changes we made

We My Mr. and the kiddos

gutted the room 

changed doorways and  windows

put the hot water heater in the cellar

removed the chimney
and then on to the fun part.
CABINETS

The built-in became the  standard for  the new cabinets.

We worked with our local cabinet maker to order cabinets.

It cost less than Home Depot

and

 we were able to customize to fit my style.

we ordered:

 raw maple (no paint or finish on them) boxes

shaker style

taller wall units

The we MY Mr. added the top box-y thing 

to match the built-in and brackets

We added an oak island with a wood top.

That island has seen some serious use in the past 14 years.

I do everything there.

I LOVE my island...I' not sure I could cook without one anymore.

The wood top has an food-grade epoxy on it 

that has worn wonderfully...

the only wear is where one of the boys cut through it with a knife 

(don't ask...I don't know what  he was doing)

(Don't we love a man with his tools?)

We My MR. installed oak wood floors...
I LOVE those, too!

( my 3 girls...sweet, huh? Oh, I LOVE a girl and her tools, too!)

(Oh, how I miss those days)

The floor is tough 
and 
doesn't show dirt...enough said.

We're due to add another coat of polyurethane soon...
not bad for 14 years of heavy-duty use.

The walls were painted green

up until about a year ago.
Many of you have asked about the color
Here is the formula:
B-30
C-40
D-6

(this is a good shot of the opening we made to the family room)

Now, just for fun, 

I'm going to show you all some of my rose dishes.

It will show you what my style has been.

Stay with me...

and 

you will  see 

how it  connects to what my style is NOW.

That's all  for now.

I'll be back

because

I still want to show you 

the transition stage,

 phase 2 of the pantry (I'm almost finished!)

and then all of the updates (re-decorating) 

I've been doing in the main kitchen.

For now, here's a peek at my new look.

(How did this cutie get here?)

 My baby girl young-in.she's 15 now. all of  my kids have grown up on ladders.

White Wednesday @ Faded  Charm 

Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground

Farmhouse Friday @ Laurie Anna's Vintage Home

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

PRIMP Your Stuff @ (PRIMP)

the heart of the home...my REAL farmhouse kitchen..part one

 While we're finishing phase 2 of the pantry

I thought I would give you a bit of history of my kitchen...

This is  peek at what my farmhouse kitchen 

(be WARNED-not for the faint of heart) 

looked like

 15 years ago 

when we first walked in the door 

to take a look at our new home...

• yes, that is the same pantry that I showed you last week
• yes, it was dirty, mouse-infested, and scary
• yes, those pantry cabinets were the only cabinets in the kitchen

• yes, that was the kitchen sink (back in the corner-behind the wall)
• yes, it was in the pantry
• yes, that is a chimney and the washing-machine hook-up

• yes, the  *kitchen*  was empty except for the...
• yes, that is a  built-in china cabinet 
• yes, that doorway lead to the bathroom,
• yes, there were 4 doorways
• yes, the floor was that gross,
• yes, I was in love with this house,
• yes, I had a vision of what this house  could be

and

yes, we bought the house!

without one minute of hesitation...

If you're like me,

 you like to see

 before and afters

and all of the details.

This is a rough floor plan of what we started with.

my favorite carpenters

hard at work

ripping out the old

and 

putting in the new

You should know:

this is how we like to buy 'em.

I like my houses old 

and 

I like 'em original.

I want to work beside  My Mr.

and beside my children

to make the  house into our home.

At a price we can afford.

Here's a peek...at where we ended up.

This photo is a couple of years old-

in the height of my *shabby chic* days.

Come back for part two to see  a few more details

and

to see my new farmhouse style.

White Wednesday @ Faded  Charm 

Vintage Friday @ Common Ground

Farmhouse Friday @ Laurie Anna's Vintage Home

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
PRIMP Your Stuff @ (PRIMP)