So the speakers are upstairs, as is the new space heater still in its box, of course mine that was not working decided to work the day before this replacement came in.....the table is downstairs and I painted a swath of wall with the sample paint.... it is a chocolate brown... my curtains look very nice with it, I will need to remove them, buy 2 gallons of the paint so when the TV and table for it arrive the walls will be done. (The curtain are a lovely pale blue and ivory damask, the bed set is the same damask in ivory. I have extra items( shams) to recover two chairs and the ottoman and make a slip cover for the tv when it comes. The room will be so pretty, Chocolate, ivory, and blue. Dresser is ivory too. I have the most amazing pictures due in for decor. Owls. I love Owls, I will just need to frame them and hang them.)
That means dragging the ladder upstairs and taking down the drapes....the snow plow just made a pass...it is a blizzard out there. Of course I can't go out tomorrow since it is a holiday and the Post Office is closed and after I made the orders I discovered they used post office and not ups/fedex....so many things will be waiting for me and I need to get there before their 2 hour lunch time between 11 and 1:45 on Tuesday. I am determined to get my bedroom pretty so I have a little sanctuary when I am tired.
I am also baking a cake thingy using a quick bread recipe from an OLD cook book. It will be a revamped carrot spice cake. I have several boxes of mincemeat and it makes a nice addition to a quick bread I am adding a shredded carrot and more spice never can have too much spice. Then cream cheese frosting. These old recipes have less oil and shortening in them. I do not like the greasy taste of the 1970s carrot cake. So I went back. Any one remember Prudence Penny?
Well just an update in the life of me.
a heart is captive
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Secret Weapon
Punkee got to sleep in fairyland with me last night. I chose him for the mouser in the cat free zone. He is sweet and my baby. I raised him, bottle fed him; he was never a chubby cute kitten but long & lean and his black and white coloring was haphazard. He began life as a feral kitten. I knew his mother and sister but they are another blog. Since the mouse being no fool also chose the cat free zone to occupy, I needed to bring in a cat. The other night I heard and saw the little brown bastard! My little love was the choice, a simple guy with no bad habits. He was a perfect sweetie last night. Once he sniffed around the rooms upstairs he settled into the bed and we slept. With no mouse sounds we all slept well. I will again bring him up tonight. I would rather the mouse go back outside than kill it. So If Punkee can be a deterrent like a nuclear bomb that is a good thing. Mouse goes away to live the life of a mouse and Punkee earns his keep as a cat. I just realized my baby is 10 years old this year! How time flies! Most of my furchildren are 10+ Several are 20 years old this year. I have no regrets for not having people children. So far I have never know one child of those in my cohort to be worth while. And Only one in my family actually speaks to me. I was ready whoever to be a wonderful Auntie, but never had the chance. So my cousin's son is my nephew. So I love my fur children...no regrets.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
The Remodel Dream
How am I doing? I am dressed nicely, make-up, jewelry, matching outfit in all two layers. Cats are cleaned, fed, & coffee is on. Parts of the floor are clean and my mind is racing about with the remodel of the kitchen......this kitchen is hard to work in and the sink is a huge looking double sink which is not as big as it looks when a pot of modest size needs to be filled or washed. I have disliked double sinks for about 40 years....ever since the square inch flat space reached a whole 7X7 inches around the drain. This sink is deceptive & at the window, which has a great view except the sun is in my eyes from about 9am to sunset. I have a real problem with sun shining in my eyes like that. I can not reach the window to wash it either so it is a mess since the cats like to sit on the wide sill and soak up the sun. It has a shade but it is rolled up and needs a ladder to reach and I like the warm sun streaming in here. This is Maine and the sun is not that evil Texas sun but a nice, warm, and friendly sun.
I have a dream for this room. I have it on paper too. I am checking all the parts to see how much it will cost and since I am not into that high end professional stove for $6000 I think I can work wonders in this space for a lot less than a stove.
First I keep the flooring. I have cats. The Kitchen Door is the entry way to the house everyone comes in this door. There is a grand porch leading to an old double window entry door. The space is huge but there are 8 (eight) doors and windows.
The previous remodel was done by an idiot. The counters slant just enough so everything rolls off or tips over if its center of gravity is high. The cabinets are stock from the discount place particle board Oak look. I really do not like Oak. That dislike has kept me from buying a lot of nice antique furniture. A good thing. I could paint the cupboards but they are still not useful.
There is not that much space inside really. There are slide out shelves in them which at first is very nice but they are on a different measurement system than anything sold here in the States so cans or boxes or bowls or plastic storage containers do not fit and space is wasted. Bottles and such cannot be stored upright on the slid out. Below the slide out shelves it is also too short for the bottled and anything tall like a cheese grater to fit and things still tip over since those shelves also tilt with the counter's list.
Of course I can not reach the top shelves nor to the back of the lower shelves. The easy shelves I can reach for cooking are not near the stove.
I have been designing kitchens since since Home Economics in high school. I can draw the floor plan of every kitchen I have been in since Pacifica. I have a box of kitchen clipping since the 1960s. Most are committed to my memory. I have drawn and measure every kitchen I have lived in since I started cooking. What features I liked and what did not work for me.
I do know this...... I want a kitchen that does not look like a kitchen......Even my more gourmet cooking adventures have been noted on what I used/needed to the everyday adventures. I use 2 cook top burners. I mostly use the toaster oven and the big oven to bake bread..... and cookies if I had my cookie cutters. I made the most and best cookies in the kitchen with the east counter top. I used the kitchen table, it was the right height to roll out the gingerbread. I use the food processor when I can get it out and on the counter near a plug. I use the coffee pot and electric tea kettle. I hand wash the dishes so I need space for them to drain until I dry and put them up and I need shelves that fit my standard plates, bowls, and glasses.
This room is 14X14. I want to remodel it under $4000. Of course I need to save up the $4K first. But I know what I want and will use. And granite counters, viking ranges and huge refrigerators are not what I need or want...to be continued....
I have a dream for this room. I have it on paper too. I am checking all the parts to see how much it will cost and since I am not into that high end professional stove for $6000 I think I can work wonders in this space for a lot less than a stove.
First I keep the flooring. I have cats. The Kitchen Door is the entry way to the house everyone comes in this door. There is a grand porch leading to an old double window entry door. The space is huge but there are 8 (eight) doors and windows.
The previous remodel was done by an idiot. The counters slant just enough so everything rolls off or tips over if its center of gravity is high. The cabinets are stock from the discount place particle board Oak look. I really do not like Oak. That dislike has kept me from buying a lot of nice antique furniture. A good thing. I could paint the cupboards but they are still not useful.
There is not that much space inside really. There are slide out shelves in them which at first is very nice but they are on a different measurement system than anything sold here in the States so cans or boxes or bowls or plastic storage containers do not fit and space is wasted. Bottles and such cannot be stored upright on the slid out. Below the slide out shelves it is also too short for the bottled and anything tall like a cheese grater to fit and things still tip over since those shelves also tilt with the counter's list.
Of course I can not reach the top shelves nor to the back of the lower shelves. The easy shelves I can reach for cooking are not near the stove.
I have been designing kitchens since since Home Economics in high school. I can draw the floor plan of every kitchen I have been in since Pacifica. I have a box of kitchen clipping since the 1960s. Most are committed to my memory. I have drawn and measure every kitchen I have lived in since I started cooking. What features I liked and what did not work for me.
I do know this...... I want a kitchen that does not look like a kitchen......Even my more gourmet cooking adventures have been noted on what I used/needed to the everyday adventures. I use 2 cook top burners. I mostly use the toaster oven and the big oven to bake bread..... and cookies if I had my cookie cutters. I made the most and best cookies in the kitchen with the east counter top. I used the kitchen table, it was the right height to roll out the gingerbread. I use the food processor when I can get it out and on the counter near a plug. I use the coffee pot and electric tea kettle. I hand wash the dishes so I need space for them to drain until I dry and put them up and I need shelves that fit my standard plates, bowls, and glasses.
This room is 14X14. I want to remodel it under $4000. Of course I need to save up the $4K first. But I know what I want and will use. And granite counters, viking ranges and huge refrigerators are not what I need or want...to be continued....
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