My "New" Kitchen

Ben and I started on the kitchen last March (2010) and finished - pretty much - some minor tweaking here and there - this March (2011). It was a long hard haul with many, I say, many snags along the way. The work was hard and scary. Tempers were short and hot. The result is what I was looking for. My boy did a great job! I wanted my kitchen to feel as if it had been there forever without looking like it. I think we did it!

There was painting of cabinets, Ben redid the old doors to look more "today", new hardware on them and he put down a butcher block counter top for me. He installed a microwave over the stove - now let me tell ya - that one had me sweating bullets! He had to run electric from the microwave to the main panel. I could only imagine him getting french fried! But. . . he did it! We also had to chip off the old plaster so he could put up the bead board. That was easy, but dusty work. He also installed a light over my sink. The last big item was the tile work. Yep, he did that too.

I want things in my home that have a story behind them. On the shelves above the counter I have "vintage" 1976 instant coffee jars. My parents were instant coffee drinkers and when we celebrated the bicentennial in 1976, Maxwell House put their coffee in jars with flags on them. I love them :). The white cup and saucer are Bob's mom's. The rooster was a gift from. . . Jenny? and the green and white hen I picked up at an antique store. The stars - well - they were on clearance at Target, so I dumped the stuff in them out and filled them with various beans.

Over the fridge I have milk glass that is mine and some that is Mrs. Rease's. The clock cookie jar was my mom's. She gave it to me when I started house keeping. Donna gave me the red bowl and the toile cookie jar. Kelly gave me the black hen.

He worked very hard for me and I am extremely proud of him. He will make a fine catch some day!