♥ Bowl of Memories ♥

This month last year, we were going through Jason's dad's things after he passed away.  Making decisions during that time is never easy.  It was tough going through all of his things and letting some things go, especially for Jason and his sister. 

One thing that I spotted and just fell in love with was this simple mixing bowl.  First of all, I loved it because it's red!  And then Jason told me that he remembered his mama making cookies in it for his family!  That made it all the more special.  You can tell it was well used because some of the red is rubbing off in places.   I love that bowl!  I will use it to make cookies for my family and will treasure it always.

And another thing I was excited to bring home from Jason's dad's kitchen........a little pecan crusher!  You see it over on the left corner of my stove on the end.....with the little black handle?  Jason remembers his mama crushing her pecans for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners making pecan pies, candies, and everything else you use pecans for during the holidays especially.  He remembers her letting him help her crush the pecans when he was little.  How special is that?  I just love it too!

 

I know those are little things, but those small items that say family and love are the best!

I didn't get a chance to have a mother-in-law for long, since she passed away when Jason and I were married a little over a year.  But Jason's dad was at our house for dinner or something just about every weekend.

I just thought I'd share a couple of special memories.......Isn't it amazing how such a small thing as a bowl can hold so many memories?  :)

♥ A Splash of Red ♥

Remember those red handled vintage cookie cutters and the mini pie tin that I picked up at the thrift store a few weeks ago?

I love what that little splash of red did for my stove. 

Makes me happy.  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

Simply Red Dishes

Isn’t it fun to see how our taste changes over time? Here are some of the dishes I’ve had over the years. I actually have the very first set from when we were married, but they are up in the Cedar Loft being put to use there when we stay out there. After 30 years, I guess you’d think there would be more, but dishes aren’t something I change out very often. What about you?

But……this Christmas, I got new dishes! I bet you can’t guess what color they are!

Yep, red, of course. Never mind that warm colors like red are supposed to make you eat more……..I still love my red!

I had my eye on these for awhile from Walmart (no fancy dishes for me) and between my mom and dad and Jason, I now have 3 sets of them. I can’t wait to see my table set with them. Unfortunately, they still need to be unboxed and washed, but before that happens, I’ll be organizing and donating unneeded dishes in an attempt to simplify. I’ve decided that it’s really unnecessary and takes up a lot of space having so many odds and ends dishes that I either don’t use or at least rarely use. So guess what I’m going to be doing this week!

What color are your dishes? Do they reflect your favorite color in general?

P.S. - I'm still without MY camera and this is a small point and shoot camera and I have no idea how to take off that silly date thingie.  Have I said how much I miss my camera?  :)

Come back and join me for Pinned it, Made it! Monday.  I hope to have that post up tomorrow evening.  Thanks for stopping by!  :)

**Linking with Elaine for Sunny Simple Sunday**

♥ Tammy ♥ 

Table Simplicity

The centerpiece on our breakfast table in the kitchen changes with the seasons, and sometimes just because I’m ready for a change, but one thing remains the same. It’s always simple.  :)

I like simple. To me, it makes more of a statement. It’s easier to move around, especially when on top of my table bench. And it doesn’t break the budget to come up with a simple table arrangement either.

And most important of all, it has to make me happy.  :)

I’m joining Elaine of Sunny Simple Life today by linking up with her for Sunny Simple Sunday. 


  ~ Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~ Leonardo da Vinci


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Don’t forget to join me tomorrow for Pinned it, Made it! Monday! I hope to see you here! I’ll have the post on later this evening if you want to come link up early. Thank you for stopping by today!  :)

Have a blessed Sunday!

♥ Tammy ♥

Center of Attention

It was time for a new summery centerpiece for my kitchen table. Of course, it had to have an Americana flavor to it. I started looking around my house to see what I could come up with for free first. Actually, just about every part of it was free. The only thing new to this arrangement was the faux geraniums that I bought at Michael's at 40% off.



I used an old picnic basket. I don't know if you remember the wooden bucket I got at a flea market that had the fruit painted on it....but it is sitting inside the picnic basket holding the geraniums. I never got around to making it over, so I figured it would work as is for this little arrangement. I thought about tea dying the little American flag, but I'm just not sure I can actually stain the American flag! lol! (I might change my mind on this, but for now, I can't seem to do it). The Americana angel used to hang in my foyer. And the barn red homespun is actually a curtain (valance) folded and tucked in.



So that's my simple summery Americana centerpiece. I just love waking up in the morning and walking into my kitchen and seeing this every morning! I can never get enough Americana, so this always makes me smile!

Another Little Change in the Kitchen

Thank you so much for all the comments on the spice rack. I really love it and I'm always so happy with the creations Jason makes for our home! He really loves carpentry and would love to make a living at it, but these days that's hard to do. But we are really blessed that he can create pieces for our home, because I'm sure our budget wouldn't allow for them otherwise! I love the whole process....dreaming them up together, picking out the colors and supplies needed, Jason building it, next we paint and distress together, and then I get to decorate with it and make gatherings. I don't know whether he gets more satisfaction at finishing a piece and bringing it in or seeing it after it's decorated. He loves the decor too and enjoys seeing the gatherings come together. As much as I would enjoy prim decorating myself, I love it even more that he's proud of the end product. So I guess that makes us proud of each other, right? Anyway, I am thankful Jason is so willing and supportive of my wishes and love of prim decorating. However, I have learned that there's satisfaction for me in compromise (on my part) because this is the guy that never used to like anything distressed (and look how far he's come..lol!) Now there are certain pieces that he just thinks don't need painting (as in my kitchen cabinets) and just loves wood, and I want our home to reflect him too, so together we compromise. And I personally wouldn't want it any other way.

The thing I want to show you today isn't something Jason made, but he did give it a major makeover. I've envisioned this piece very prim although it really wasn't before. Here's what's in my kitchen now, but it didn't look like this before!



Here's what it looked like before. This is a picture from Christmas.



We were really trying to decide what to do with the heart cutout. I thought of a rusty star of some sort but nothing seemed to fit. Jason thought about making one out of wood somehow. I suggested putting a piece of wood over it in a decorative way and Jason thought of a "fake drawer". That was it! I knew when he said it....that was what it needed! So thus the drawer was added to cover the heart!



While talking to Janae one evening by email, she passed along a color that I might like. It's called Barnwood by Valspar. We used it on this table and then distressed it with the antique glaze. Thank you Janae, for the color suggestion because it's great in our kitchen! Jason brought it in and turned it over to me to decorate!

One of the things I love about this table and it's decor is that most of the decorating was done through makeovers from Goodwill finds. Let me tell you a little about them. You'll recognize some from past posts probably.



Here on the table is the first cutting board I found and distressed and added some homespun and star around the handle. Sitting on it is the salad bowl I showed you last week that I made over. The only thing bought new here were the dried pineapples and prim pears inside the bowl. The candle holder was a plain wooden one made over black. The candle was a gift. The crock was the find at the "junk" store on our weekend away during Spring break. I raided my kitchen utensils to makeover most of the wooden spoons.





On the bottom shelf, is the wooden box I found at Goodwill and intended to save for my bathroom redo. Who knows, it may end up there one day, but for now, it worked perfectly here. Tucked inside it is another small salad bowl makeover in black, a tiny cutting board that used to have apples painted on it (another GW find), wooden spoon, pantry cakes and sweet annie.



I've done a little more tweaking here and there in the kitchen. It's a slow process for me. But, I'll share more in the very near future.

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On another note, my mom finally took her cupboard home! I have to say I'm really missing it, but it looks wonderful at her house! I'll try to get some pictures and share it with you in its new home! It looks great with all her blue!

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Again, I'm behind on my blog reading. Next week is our state mandated homeschool testing and since I'm the site coordinator, there's preparation on my part. So needless to say, it's been a busy week between that and our normal schooling and activities.

As always, I love all your comments and I enjoy seeing what all you been doing as well! The past few days, I've been here....reading more than commenting, but still here! Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great day! :)

A Little Addition to My Pantry

A week ago, Jason and I were putting up groceries after shopping (something I'm so glad when we do it together) when Jason remarked about how many spices we had in the pantry and how much space they used in the pantry. We didn't have room to put all the groceries (not that we had alot of groceries...we just didn't have alot of room). I also use that pantry (the bottom shelf) for our most-used homeschooling books....things we pull out everyday. Anyway, he said, "We could hang a spice rack on the inside of this door, and it would make alot more room". And of course, he said he could make it! And of course, I thought that was an excellent idea! I ALWAYS think it's an excellent idea when I hear, "I could make......." :)



Well I actually forgot about it this week because I didn't write it down on my "wish list". But this Saturday, Jason was out in the yard working and I "missed" him for awhile and wondered where he was....well he was out in the shop and whipped me up a spice rack! But it's not just any old spice rack, he added a place at the top for my bread too!



Isn't it great? He hung it for me this evening and I feel so pampered. It looks like I'm quite the chef! lol!



It really created more room in the pantry. Now I just need to get in there and weed out and clean up and organize! So what do you think of my spick rack? :)

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And just in case you haven't seen it, Beth is having a great spring giveaway over on her blog, Raggedy Angel. Be sure and click over and check it out! (I already have plans for it in my house though)!



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I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thanks for stopping by! :)

A Rose and a Clarification

Last night at church, my 10 year old prayer daughter, Kim, gave me a rose for Valentines Day. Wasn't that sweet? It's nice to feel loved, especially by a child! :)


This picture was taken at Joy's birthday party. Kim is the one with the short hair in the front on the right side.



About the clarification part of my post, I'm afraid that I didn't make myself clear and my cabinet pictures were a little misleading. As a matter of fact, when I look back at the pictures, I can see where it was hard to see the difference. But if you look closely at my walls above the cabinets, you will see that this is a space that I can't SIT anything on at all. Everything there would have to be hung and that is one reason why I want to be sure before I put anything up there. The wall actually comes out to the front portion of the cabinet and goes up to the ceiling (I think it's called a furdown)? I'm not sure that's how you spell it. In other words, I wouldn't be sitting anything ON TOP of the cabinets because there is no top of the cabinets....it is met with wall.



It is a narrow strip of about 14" of wall space all the way around my cabinets (3 walls worth). So now, do any of you have this kind of space above your cabinets or have any ideas knowing this? I loved the ideas you named and had it been a place to sit things, I think those would be great and I actually wouldn't have as much trouble finding things to put there.

I did notice in the current CS magazine, (Earlene's home on page 23), she has muffin tins hanging.



She has the type of space that I have above my cabinets. If you want to look there, you can get an idea of what I'm talking about. Again, any ideas?

And I would like to say Tonya, if you're reading this post today, I love ya! Thank you for your friendship! :)



Have a great Thursday, everyone!

~ Tammy ~

WWOW - Farmhouse Kitchen and Goodwill Chair

For Leslie's Watcha Workin on Wednesday, I thought I'd share a tad bit of what I've been up to lately as far as decorating goes.

The church ladies gave me a gift card to Gordmans at the Christmas party. I hadn't spent it until now, because nothing really jumped out at me until I found this sign on clearance the other day for $8. I really liked the looks of it and thought it would be just right for above my kitchen sink and I liked the price. Remember I do love a blend of primitive/farmhouse and rustic decor. All my appliances are black, so this really seems to stand out against the wall color with the other black in the room.


Here's a closer look:


I've been trying to decide what the little bit of wall above all my cabinets needed too. Since I'm unsure, I've done nothing. That's really my philosophy. I'd rather do nothing, than buy something I'm not sure I would want. One day, I know I will come across just the "right" things, whether it be in a store, or ideas in a magazine, etc. I've been thinking along the lines of old muffin tins, but not necessarily all muffin tins. That could get monotonous. I don't want it to be really busy either. Any ideas for all this area?

As you can see it goes all the way around 3 different walls.


Then remember the Goodwill chair that I found to use for Joy's desk? After three coats of paint, here it is:


Joy didn't really want it distressed, so I left it as is. She is thinking she would like something stenciled on the back. Any ideas? Here's a link to the post she did on her bedroom. You can tell a little more about her decor there. I'm thinking something Shabby Chic/Cottage Style, but again we both like simplicity, so nothing that takes center stage, but something subtle, if anything at all.

And that's about all I've been up to as far as decorating here lately. It seems we've been doing more running than anything. I'm really wanting to start a spring stitchery, so hopefully next time, I can show you something like that!

Thanks for stopping by and for your input! I always enjoy the comments...thanks so much! Have a great Wednesday!

~ Tammy ~

A Country Christmas in Our "New" Kitchen

I have one more room to share with you! If you remember, our kitchen got a little makeover a few months ago. We painted the walls a color called bittersweet. We put in new laminate countertops and a new black sink. An added bonus was new black appliances too...a dishwasher and refrigerator. With all of these put together, we really have a "new" kitchen.



We decided to not put anything on the walls until it was what we wanted, so I still do have some empty wall space (the space above all the cabinets). I'm still thinking and looking for just the right things!

Jason has built me several things for the kitchen. On the table is the table bench he made. We painted it black and distressed it. To give the table a touch of Christmas, I added the prim Christmas cookies to the bowl on the table bench.



The reproduction telephone table will probably be painted black sometime after Christmas. For now, it was left as is. .



Sitting on it in the red and white enamelware bowl is our little kitchen tree. It is decorated with red and white homespun, mini kitchen utensils and cookie cutters.



And here it is all aglow:



The telephone table is near the back door.



Directly across from the back door (that comes off the sunporch) is the pantry.



That's the new sign made for me by Becca of Folk Art from the Harbor. To the left of the pantry is a new prim wooden hanging that fit perfectly.





That's the bowl rack Jason made for me too. To add a Christmas touch, there are sprigs of pine greenery and berries. The addition of the bowl rack made a big difference to that side of the kitchen. Above the bowl rack is the sign from JoAnne.



Right around the corner from the pantry is the stove.





To add a touch of Christmas to the stove, there are some candy canes, greenery, and a friendly gingerbread man in the bowl. And see that miniature santa cup? That belonged to my grandmother. I remember always loving it. She had it out year round in her china cabinet. My mom gave it to me some years ago.



Hanging on the oven door is prim snowman dishtowel.



To the left of the stove is a little countertop space. If you'll remember, I had a hard time trying to decide between tile or laminate for my countertops. A friend, Bev (who just started her own blog by the way), has these same countertops. She and I emailed each other back and forth. She showed me many pictures and I decided on the same countertops she has in her kitchen. I absolutely love them! I love the contrast between the light cabinets and the dark countertops. Somehow, it actually made the kitchen seem bigger (and cozier at the same time).



Keeping company with the crock of rolling pins and punched tin candle is the Christmas serving tray that I won from Sue's giveaway.



Tucked back in this corner on the countertop is the thrift store find that I painted and distressed.



Across the room on the other side is the countertop with the sink. I am really enjoying my new sink too. It's extra large and deep on one side.





The punched tin tart warmer adds instant coziness and yummy smells to the kitchen. The little snowman is holding some lemon cookies that Joy and I made.



On top of the refrigerator you'll find candy canes for sale! :) Actually, come over and you can have one for free!



Over in the corner on the other side of the table is the stepback cupboard Jason made for me. This is my favorite thing in the kitchen. Red is my color! :)





Again I just added a little greenery on the shelves for hints of Christmas. This is such an inexpensive, simple, yet sweet way to add Christmas touches around our home.





On top of the cupboard is a Country Christmas sign along with a wooden snowman bowl and twig wreath.



Up above the table is the shelf Jason also built for me. It has more greenery and a prim Merry Christmas sign.



On the windowsill of the large bay window (otherwise known as the cats' perch) is a primitive pear with a little green wreath. Colt thinks it needs a star on top and it would look like a Christmas tree. (By the way, he thinks this is also one of my "oddest" decorations). :)



On the other windowsill closest to the cupboard are the Merry Christmas blocks I made.



This is a view of the kitchen looking through the pass through that connects to the dining room (over the sink).



There are many more things on my wish list for the kitchen including either braided chair pads and/or a braided rug, a penny rug runner for the table, "something" for above those cabinets, and more treasures I find along the way. But that's part of the fun....the anticipation of what I'll run across and never having it "completely done". It gives me something in which to look forward.

Thanks for stopping by to tour our kitchen for Christmas! I'm going to leave you with more pictures (I know I took ALOT of pictures but I had a hard time eliminating any from the post, so you get them all)! I hope you enjoy them!













Merry Christmas!