The Sunroom..

...and just like the rest of our new home - it is still very much a work in progress.  My husband wanted a more "neutral" palette in this room - and trust me - when I see people who use all the lights and neutrals - I truly am drawn to them but when it comes to my own home - I'm a color girl - I can't help it.  So needless to say - I'm having trouble with this room - it is just burlap and navy - aaaaahhhh where is my red???  Don't worry - I think you will see it soon.  But till then - we will browse around a bit.

Excuse the absense of presents - they have already been opened ;-(  I miss them already.  Another project - paint coffee table and end tables - they were hand - me - downs from my sweet mamaw, Ruby.  But they don't quite fit the way they are.

 In the other corner - a rustic ladder I had - a great place for my plethora of magazines - along with every drawer and basket in the house ;-)

 My husband was also quite sure he wanted a metal ceiling and I must admit - I was leery - afraid it was going to be toooooo shiny.  I felt more comfortable with some that had already rusted a bit - but oh no - he wouldn't go for that.  Anyway, I have ended up liking it a lot and so does everyone that sees it.  I must give him credit for this one. (Ignore the plastic on the clock - my ladder is not tall enough to get up there - I can't believe I haven't taken care of this yet - oh well, someday) 

 I love my lamps I found - bought one 1/2 price and got the other for  FREE - just had to tighten it up a tad.  The burlap shades are my favorite.  That cool wooden ball came from the peddlers mall - I loved it from the moment I spotted it.

 A couple of navy and white chairs flank each side of the entrance into the kitchen.  You'll also notice that the walls are simply made of 4X8 sheets of an exterior grade material that has a rustic barn wood look.

 My Christmas tree in this room was full of some natural elements as well as a little sparkle.  Again, I stayed with more of a neutral palette of  navy, browns, creams, silver and white.

 Pods, nests, snowflakes, birds, netting, burlap ribbon and traditional Christmas balls all found a home on the tree.

 You can see we are gonna have a great view out the back when we get the yard all fixed up in the spring.  Right now, I'm waiting on the first snowfall - I think it will be so peaceful and relaxing sitting in this room.

 And you remember from the previous post - you enter the sun room through our barn doors - sorry I just love talking about them. Now, only if I could get them painted.

Hope your Christmas was happy and that you made great memories with your family and friends.  Wishing you continued blessings for a happy new year!

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. - Hamilton Wright Mabie

Merry Christmas...

...from our home to yours...

Kitchen Post #4..."Where we eat"

Ok friends - we are down to our last new "kitchen post".  You know, ya gotta eat somewhere and right now - till I get it jus' right - it is here.  You can tell from the previous posts - there was no room to eat around the island - so everything is happening at this table.  It is a really old table with a fresh new coat of paint on it - but - I have got to distress it - it is looking just to bright - but not being in the house but a lil' bit over a month - it just hasn't happened yet - but it will.  Another must have -  new chairs - I'm currently looking for mix matched chairs - or at least new ones for the ends.  Maybe I'll paint these - and put two upholstered arm chairs on each end.  Oh well, just another project in the works.

 In this picture, you can see we still have plenty of room in between the table and island - so maybe I'll even look for a bigger table - I think I'd like that. 

 I'm enjoying our light fixture - it really does put off great light - and I've been painting lots of ornaments at that table so that is a good thing. Next year - I'll get around to hanging some fresh greenery from it.

 Just another angle...

 At the other end of the kitchen is our sliding barn doors - which we love.  I still haven't distressed them either but I will - someday - I promise. 

 I had to show you this picture that my dear friend, Kim, gave me.  She gave us two - both of which were her mothers.  We loved her momma, sweet Ms. Fannie, so much and Kim thought these would look just right in our farmhouse and I agree - we love them Kim.  Thank you. 

 One more pic...

Next I'll show you what's behind the barn doors - our sun room.  Which is turning out to be our favorite room in the house.

Hope you are enjoying all your Christmas gatherings - with friends and family.  What a beautiful and blessed time of year!

"When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness." - Bob Hope

New Kitchen Post #3...Over on the "left"...

O.k. friends - now we take a look over at the left side of our new kitchen.  This side is more utilitarian with the stove and refrigerator an all - but needless to say - I still like the way it turned out. 

 We have another matching corner cabinet on this side - these flank the double window which lets in a lot of great light.  I filled this side with more of my pitchers - most of them gifted to me by my sweet "mamaws" and a couple of older quilts.  "Quilts in the kitchen" you say - I know - I won't leave them there long but I love the pop of color they provided.  I also have a small tree sitting on the bench.  When it is not filled with "stuff" - it is great place for somebody to sit and watch the cattle graze out the window.

 We opted for a simple hood but I'm already thinking about how I might "tweak" it a bit.  I haven't been in here but a month and I'm already thinking about changing something - ;-) I can't help it - it is just me!

 Here is a good shot of those drawers I was mentioning in the previous post - I do love these - I've got all my kitchen appliance books in one and the other is still waiting for something to fill it - don't worry - it won't have to wait long.

 Here is my lil' scale that my precious momma bought for me - mainly - because it is one of my favorite colors even if it isn't accurate - obviously those cherries don't way 3 lbs. but it is still cute nonetheless.  I bought a tiny poinsettia to fill my # pot - I love these pots - I'm gonna have to get some more.

 Looking down the wall is the fridge - we are really enjoying our new Frigidaire appliances - I've never had a dishwasher or ice and water in the door before - so we are getting spoiled quickly!

 And at the very end of that wall is my old mantle that I bought many months ago - not having a clue where it would end up - but here is where it has landed for now.  I love the blue/gray color of it - so I didn't touch it.

 And on that mantle, my carolers - I talk about them every year - are they glamourous - no, are they fancy - no, are they perfect - no - but to me they mean so much - my mamaw, Cleo, made them for me and I wouldn't trade them for anything!  And that sweet picture - my lil' guy many years ago - but I just love that smile!

Have another fantastic week - and there are still more posts to come - like "where do we eat?"
Merry Christmas!

New Kitchen Post #2...the "Right Side"...

O.k. friends, today I thought I'd show you the "right" side of the kitchen.  There are a couple of things I love about this side of the kitchen - my farmhouse sink and my open shelves.  I'm also glad I decided to take the cabinets all the way to the ceiling.  Our ceilings are 9 ft. so I must admit - the far upper cabinets are not that practical - but they are great for storing seasonal dishes and such.

 In this pictures you'll see the pantry door - oh my goodness - probably the room I've spent the most time in since we moved in a month ago - the pantry.  I love having all my "non-pretties" in there and the best part - it is so easy to find everything.  When I get it all organized one day - I'll show it to ya ;-)

 In each corner of the kitchen - I decided on two cabinets that kind of resemble a kitchen hutch.  Great for displaying my white pitchers and other finds.  I also love the two drawers under them -  I'm sorry - you can't see here - but they are perfect for foils, wraps and such.  You will also notice - the glass is not in the corner units yet either - jus' another lil' thing that still needs doing.

My open shelves - hubby says "just another place to sit things" - well, he is right.  Fortunately, I did not need the cabinet space and I love the airy feeling it gives this side of the kitchen.

Lastly, the one thing I said was a must when we built this house and I truly only asked for this one thing - a farmhouse sink.  I found many online in the 1,000+ dollar range and I thought about just breaking down and getting one.  But I have a great friend, Julie, who let me tag along on a very loooooooong drive to IKEA and we found this one for just $299 - which sounded great - no fun to load - but the price was right! Thanks Julie!

You will also see we opted for a traditional shaker style cabinet front - we are really happy with the simplicity of it!

Well, that's it - the right side of the kitchen.  I'll share what's happening on the left a lil' later!

Have a happy day!

My new Farmhouse Kitchen...the FIXTURES

Today will be part one we'll say of the "kitchen posts".  Now, I'll share with you right of the bat - this will be far from the fanciest, "priciest" or prettiest kitchen you'll ever see - but I love it and I'm loving it a lil' more each day.  Our intent with our farmhouse kitchen - was just to give it a timeless look on a budget.  You will not see any tile or granite here - just simple finishes for a simple family.  But it is much improved from what I had - most importantly - I have a dishwasher - YEAH! - 15 years without one and I didn't realize what I was missing out on.  It came in real handy this past weekend when we got to share our new home with family for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Hope you enjoy the things I get to share with you - and if you have any questions about the products we used - just holler at me ;-)

Fist up are the island pendants - they have an industrial feel but I just loved the simplicity of them.  These fixtures were purchased from Lamps Plus and give nice diffused task lighting right over the island.

 Next is the Allen + Roth fixture from Lowe's.  This one hangs right over my new apron front sink, which I LOOOOOOOVE by the way.  But honestly, as much as I love the look of these new fixtures with their Edison style bulbs - they do not give off good light - if it hadn't been for the recessed lighting - I would have had to return this one.  I will probably change the bulb out soon for a "whiter" light.  Don't get me wrong - I love the style of the light - I just need a brighter light for function.

 We chose simple farmhouse pulls and some knobs for the cabinetry.

 I priced many vintage style faucets - fell in love with many but just could not fork over that much $$$$$.  Plus our sink had one pre-drilled hole so that also posed a bit of a challenge.  Luckily - I found several on-line at Overstock and settled on this one.  I was unable to use the sprayer and soap dispenser - but that is o.k. - I've never had one anyway.  My favorite things about this faucet are the height and the "hot and cold" buttons.

 And lastly - this is kind of cheating a bit - but I get to see my other favorite fixtures out of all my kitchen windows - which I love.  My barn style pendant lights from Barn Light Electric.

More pics in a couple of days!  Have a blessed start to your week.

Cathy

Happy Thanksgiving...

Wishing you a beautiful, happy and blessed day

with your friends and family.

A Happy Fall Wedding...

...yes, my friends - I'm still here.  We are in our new home but I have been without internet for nearly 3 weeks.  But besides the move - I've been extra busy these past few weeks with other projects.  Before I begin to share with you some pics from our new farmhouse - I thought I'd share some pictures of a recent wedding reception I had the honor of helping with at the end of October.  Meet sweet Christina - a beautiful young lady - both inside and out  who married her prince charming, Chris, on October 21st.  I also helped with her precious sister Morgan's wedding a couple of years ago.  Luckily - Morgan's husband is a very successful farmer - a pumpkin farmer - and that helped a great deal having that contact for Christina's fall wedding.  As usual, this family is always wonderful to me - helping me in every aspect - so I can't take all the credit.  It was an incredibly beautiful day - about 70 degrees - warm sunshine - crisp autumn breeze - couldn't have been a more perfect day!

A country wedding - with all the warmth of happy smiles and lots of love.  Best wishes Chris and Christina - I wish you all the very best! 

A Fall Wedding...

I'm getting SUPER excited...

about the little details in our new farmhouse.  We are not in yet but we are getting close - I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  I wanted to share with you some of the things that make me just smile from ear to ear.  Like this sink - we rescued it from a tear down in our local town - hubby hauled it home and then hauled it back out of town for it to be refinished - it was sooooo worth it even if our backs were broke!!!!  Lots to do around it still but YEAAAAAH - I love it!!!!

Here is my lil' mirror I found at a yard sale - I've had it for years -knowing it would have the perfect home someday.  I distressed it and it has found it's space in our half bath!  Gosh - I love it when things come together! 

 Our super talented trim man - Mr. Andy - who probably hates to see me coming 'cause I'm always having a "thought" - Jus' kiddin' - he has been AWESOME to work with.  Anyway, we wanted barn doors - we gave him a picture and look here - just what we wanted.  Now I have to get busy with a paint brush - distressing those will be a day's work alone. Thanks Andy - we are so happy with them!

 I'm also beyond giddy with my new pantry shelves and school house style light.  I've never had the room to get to my canned goods easily - without dislocating my shoulder digging in the back of the cabinets - y'all know what I mean.  But not anymore - now they'll be all lined up nice and neat - at least for a lil' while anyway ;-)

 And now we are back - to what made me the happiest today - and that is seeing my sink again.  Greg is working his magic on my cabinets - but till then I'll just sit and stare at the sink.  See - I couldn't stand it till I put my lil' greenery pots up there - I think I'm gonna love doing laundry in there - if that is even possible. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the things that put a smile on my face today.  I hope you had a beautiful day as well!