Monthly Archives: July 2012

I Love Chalk Paint

I am in love. With chalk paint. It’s less than $5 per can at Lowe’s.

I went on a chalkboard tear today. Do you recall this picture (below) which was in my dining room before we painted? Oh look…who on earth allowed that cat to get on the kitchen countertop???

This was a nice picture but I needed a chalkboard for my kitchen. I thought about selling the picture at a future yardsale, but that was before I discovered Chalk Board Paint. Glass can be sprayed just like anything else, and this picture was just the right size for my new chalkboard.

After taping the picture frame so it won’t turn to chalkboard too, we went down to Mike’s shop for spraying. Mike got curious and just had to take over the spraying. Here he is spraying two pictures that are destined to be future chalkboards.

I put two coats on each chalkboard. Here’s one of the finished chalkboards….

We’re having a birthday celebration for our neighbor Helene. We’ll prop this birthday chalkboard birthday card outside where everyone can see it. It’s her first birthday in Mendota!

I made these little chalkboards (out of 4 x 6 and 5 x 7 picture frames) to let everyone attending the birthday celebration know that drinks are in one area and desserts in another area.

The neatest thing is that they wipe clean.

Here’s another chalkboard project…

This one is a little different. The glass was chipped on a small 4 x 6 picture frame. I needed some accessories for the foyer, and I wanted to use what I had vs. buying something.

So…I decided it was a candidate for a chalkboard with an initial on it. My high tech work center was the yard and an old newspaper. Could not be easier.

You can really see the broken corner in this picture. I wasn’t sure it was going to work.

But it did!

Hope you have enjoyed my chalkboard projects. Fun, cheap and easy.

I’ll be returning with a new post on Monday. What are your plans for the weekend? I think we are getting a break on the much-needed rain we’ve recently enjoyed, so tomorrow will be a day to work in the yard. I also want to push forward to getting the pantry back together.

Pantry Project

This is my project today. I’m organizing and cleaning the pantry. I don’t want to run out and buy a bunch of organization stuff. Actually, I do want to but I’m not going to because it’s not practical for me as I’m not working. Plus…I have a lot of baskets and junk already.

I had to empty the pantry to get started on this project. Where do you think I put everything?

Remember that nice clean dining room table? It was the perfect spot to unload everything from the pantry. We got a bunch of those “half boxes” that Sam’s Club gives you at check out. I was mortified when Mike got about 10 of the boxes on our last Sam’s Club visit. We didn’t buy anything. We just went in and he asked for the boxes. I wanted to craw underneath the register and hide with embarassment, but the lady was really nice and gave them to him. He carried the boxes out, and I followed about ten steps behind as if it was a coincidence that we arrived together and left together.

I also used the dining room wine cabinet as a repository for all the spice stuff…with the California’s Finest Nectarines box we got from Sam’s Club.

My parents were raised in the Great Depression and their discussions about how bad it was affected me. I must have several of everything. An example is the 8 ketchups and 4 Miracle Whip Salad Dressings (I use it for potato salad). I actually do like to keep about a 90-day supply of food on hand. It makes me feel good. I can also justify it by saying that we live 17 miles from a grocery store. Right!

Look close…there are four ketchups at the front of the picture and to the left of the picture, you’ll see four more. Ahhh…if the river floods and we can’t get out…we’ll drink ketchup.

There are very few canned or baking goods in this pantry. I’ve got a “baking center” in one of the lazy susan cabinets in the kitchen, and I use the pull-out cabinets underneath the counter for canned goods that we purchase. My home canned items are either on top of the cabinets or in another pantry area in our den. The idea to put home canned items on top of the kitchen cabinets was not my idea. I visited another Mendota friend, Amy Lou Statzer, and saw green beans on top of all of her cabinets. I immediately copied her! A shout out to Amy if she is reading this!

We’re painting the interior of this little pantry and reinforcing the shelving which sags. I want to label the baskets and shelves in such a way that anyone unloading groceries will know where to put things.

If you are reading this and you’ve organized a pantry, would you mind sending a photograph? We’ll put the pantries of Mendota and southwest Virginia on the map! I’ll post it along with my pantry…once it’s presentable.

Thank you for reading this blog and thank you for sending comments. The way the comment thing works is that I’m notified when a comment is waiting for moderation. I’m notified on my aol acccount, and when that little “ding” occurs, I stop whatever I’m doing and run over to see what you have said. It’s so addictive.

Cleaning the Kitchen Plus New Curtains!

While I’ve been droning on about the dining room, I have been cleaning the kitchen. Really cleaning the kitchen. I’ve scrubbed the floors by hand and wiped the cabinets. I keep greenbeans on top of the cabinets, and I removed the jars and washed dust off of them. I’m going to swap out a few things in the kitchen over the next few days, but essentially, I like this kitchen. The big change I’ve done this week is new window treatments.

Here’s my new red and yellow stationary roman shades…

If you look above the curtains, you’ll see white spots where Mike removed the hardware for the curtains that were up. I’ll be painting those tomorrow when I do the touch up painting in this room. I did not take a “before picture.” I liked the window treatments that were in place before but they were 12 years old, and I had made them of “reused” fabric from another house (when we lived in New Jersey…a long time ago!). They had panels and closed off the space a bit…plus the cat peed on the panels, and I was just so disheartened. It was time for a change, and if Sam the Sinister Cat tries to pee on these, he’s going to have to hike his butt up awfully far.

I kinda sorta wish the light were not above the table, but someone else is attached to it as we bought it on a fun weekend in Connecticut. I would like to see a black wrought iron piece there.

Here’s another view from the potrack. See the gate to the left? With animals, we have gates everywhere. We have gates to keep the cats and dogs from entering areas, and then we have gates to keep the cats away from the dogs because Sam the Cat likes to sneak up and make “muffins” on Gracie the Dog. She is scared of him (Golden Retrievers are conflict adverse.) Gracie says…”that Sam is a pervert.”

I just realized that I didn’t wipe the counterop very well and the flowers on the table are off center. Sorry. The kitchen has it’s own mini floyer. I’m working in there right now…it’s where the phone and painted rooster are located to the right on this picture (above).

Here’s more of the kitchen…

That little chalkpaint “Eat” above the cooktop? It should say “Eat Less!” I love chalkpaint.

This backsplash is 12 years old, and I still like it. It was from Home Depot Expot Design Center which is now out of business. The backsplash was a splurge — the tiles are handmade and handpainted in San Antonio, Texas.

I have greenbeans across the top of the cabinets, and yes, we eat them! I have other places that I store canned goods, but I always keep something on top of the cabinets. Sometimes I’ll alternate canned tomatoes and green beans if I’m feeling bold.

Another view….

That is an old Pepsi crate above the plate rack. It did not photograph well. It’s got little jars of our honey in it and a few dishtowels rolled up. I move it from room to room. Sometimes it has candles in it and sits on a coffeetable, but for the past three monthsl, it’s lived in the kitchen.

Like the little glass ice cream sundae dishes? $1 at the Dollar Tree. More roosters…did someone say roosters were so yesterday? I did not get the memo. Roosters were the rage a few years back in all types of kitchens and they have since flew the coop. However, my kitchen is a country kitchen–it’s in Mendota, Virginia which is about as far out in the country as most people get–and the roosters continue to work with it, so I keep them.

This kitchen may see quartz countertops and a new stainless sink in the future, but for now, I’m really happy with it. That countertop has been a topic of discussion for two years. I’m afraid the installation will damage my backsplash. If anyone is reading this from AGC Glass Company (my employer), they have heard me say “I’m getting my countertop in April, in May…in the fall…in the spring.” I’m ashamed…I have still not done anything!

Hope you like my new kitchen curtains and touring my kitchen! We’re having steak and salad tonight for dinner– wish you could join us!!

Burlap Window Treatments – Or Not!

It is a rainy day (thank goodness) — a good day to get this dining room in my rear view mirror.

I’ve made some burlap window treatments for this room. What do you think?

I want to be honest. While I like the filtered light and the overall look, I’m not loving it in my dining room. They close the room up. I feel like I’m in a little terracotta cave. I’m not a hobbit!

I’m not knocking burlap drapes…they are all over the blogisphere. However, most room updates are using more neutrals whereas I’ve stayed with the jewel tones. If my dining room had been pale blue or a soft white, the burlap drapes would not have made it feel so closed.

Here’s what I did have up in this room. I put one up for comparison.

Swags are not the “in” thing right now, but I like the amount of light they let in. I’m starting to think I want them back up. I also like the black (gotta have a little black in every room). I think I’m going to fold the burlap panels up and maybe use them at Christmas when I’m feeling more snuggly.

Update about three hours later: I did exactly that. I put the burlap panels in a bag and stuck it in the closet. I’ll find another use for them.

Here’s the dining room, finished except for hanging the picture…

You’ve heard the expression “there’s an elephant in the room?” There’s a rooster in this room. I know I’ve got a rooster on top of the hutch and that it might need to roost somewhere else, but this is not a serious dining room, so the rooster can stay for a while longer.

Here’s what this room looked like before….back when it was bleeding dragon’s blood…

What a mess this room was in when I took the picture. Shock!! That never happens! Note the dog bed in the doorway. 🙂

And here’s another “after” picture from a different view…

I like it! Mike will hang the picture later tonight. Those are gourds from the garden on the table. I’ll be gourding my whole house during the next few weeks.

My next project will be the kitchen. I’ve already painted a bit and I’m taping the baseboards tonight.

Dining Room Table, Burlap and Berries!

Good news! I have lost 9.5 pounds, and we have the dining room painted! Unrelated events except both make me happy. As for the dining room, pictures are not up and drapes not hung. While you’ll see the terracotta color in some of these pictures, I really wanted to show you the table that I have in this room. It’s very different than a traditional dining room table. Mike made it for me. It took him about a year. Every week I’d ask him about the table.

The top of the table is cherry with a natural finish. However, the “apron” of the table is made from wood from a barn. I’d first wanted wormy chestnut for this table as that was traditionally used for Burley tobacco barns. I’m the daughter of a tobacco farmer, and I felt this would be appropriate. However, there was a barn being torn down on Swinging Bridge Road, and our neighbors were nice enough to give us some of the barn siding. It’s actually oak. Can you imagine the changes this oak siding has seen in this valley? The building dated back to Mendota in the pre-Civil war era. The table was still wedged in the foyer when I took t his picture.

We moved it into the dining room. It’s pretty bare in there right now. This is another view of the table. It has big farmhouse legs.

The chairs that I have with the table have a history. We went through an unfinished furniture phase because it was cheaper to finish something ourselves than to buy finished furniture–that was over 25 years ago. When Mike made the table, he intended to buy six new chairs to go with it. We’d thought ladder back chairs in black would be nice. However, we decided to paint the oak chairs we already had to see if they might work–we were using Pottery Barn as our inspiration at the time. He applied one coat of black and then sanded readying for a second coat. I saw one of the chairs after he sanded it and knew right away that I wanted it just like that — distressed.

The chairs may not be for everyone but I like them. The room looks very nice when the table is “made up” with candles, placemats, etc.

I’m thinking of putting burlap window treatments in this room. I bought the burlap in the early spring at Hobby Lobby. The trouble is that it smelled so bad. I tried airing it out in the guest bedroom for about three months but it only resulted in stinking up the bedroom. I took the burlap out a few days ago and sprayed a large amount of Fabreze on each section and hung them out in the sun all day long. Still stunk.

I wish I had hung it straight.

I took the burlap down at night and stored it in the garage since I didn’t want it to get wet and stink even more. On day 2, I hung it back on the clothesline and it was as strong as ever. In fact, I hesitated to hang my sheets out beside the burlap because I thought the stink might stray over to the sheets. I could be 10 feet from the clothesline, and I’d smell the nasty burlap smell. I was depressed, as I’d been thinking how smart I was to spend $48 on burlap and get new window treatments.

Finally, at the end of day 3, the smell went away. So…with a little luck…I’ll be making burlap curtains tomorrow.

This morning I looked out and saw Mrs. Turkey and her teenage turkeys. They have been gobbling and making a lot of noise.

These turkeys (and quite a few of their friends) have been hanging around in the meadow behind the house–especially in the morning and evening. I thought they were eating a lot of bugs. However, some children came by from Hiltons today to pick blackberries. Just a few days ago we’d checked and there were plenty of berries. This is all that they found today-less than a full gallon.

Apparently Mrs. Turkey has been serving our berries to her children!

Prepared…

One of my friends who reads this blog is Diane Malcom. Diane commented about country living being the best. She’s right. There’s living…and then there’s living in the country!

Sometimes, however, there are inconveniences. Power outages are one inconvenience. We have storms in the forecast this evening, and I saw Appalachian Power’s trucks in the area earlier today. Usually Mike and I are in the group without power. I can recite AEP’s phone number from memory!! Following last week’s June 29 storm where so many folks in our area were affected, we were not. (Well, there was a six-hour outage, but one that small doesn’t even count!) Just up the river about a mile on Barnrock Road, folks did not have power for several days. There’s no public water in this area, so when the power is off, there is also no water. Miserable.

Before we had a generator, if there was a storm forecast, we’d run water in the bathtub, fill plastic bottles and the teakettle, and hurry around doing all of the things that required power. People in the country are very attuned to weather, and it’s our nature to prepare.

A few years back, we set money aside for a full-house generator. It was installled the winter of 2010. The generator was installed on one day and went into use for a 36-hour period the very next day. Talk about luck! You will never hear me brag about a car, and I own no fine jewelry–no diamond ring in my possession. However, I will tell you that I kept that generator box in Mike’s shop for weeks beyond what was necessary, as I wanted to make sure everyone who came in saw it. We were playing Rook around that time, and I could not wait for my friends to see that Generac box. Just so proud. Can anyone relate? The generator is up there at the top of my list of favorite things.

It’s a Generac, so I call her Genny.

However, she’s a bit slutty. Won’t do anything unless her boyfriend Wally tells her to.

Wally Watermelon….

Genny thinks Wally is a gas! Wally thinks Genny is a little square.

Wally isn’t really ours. He just stays here loafing around until Genny needs him. At first his owner, Ferrellgas, frowned on his appearance. Eventually, however, they came to accept him, and I’ve even sent them pictures.

It’s all worth it…we have to keep the house comfortable for our pets.

As I look at this picture, I feel a need to put a disclaimer…small print. I’d change the font size here if I knew how!

Gracie is a beautiful dog, but she is also one dirty little dog. I’ve been waiting until it’s cooler to bathe her as I’ll have to do it outside where she can stand on the rough pavement. Her hindquarters are so weak that I’m fearful she would injure herself if groomed professionally.

I’m looking for a day with low humidity in the 80’s. We have warm water outside so it won’t be shockingly cold. I’ll bathe her and then drive her around on the golfcart until she dries enough to bring inside. (She’s afraid of blow dryers.)

Until then, she’s just stinkin’ and I don’t care.

Guest House Bedroom and Quilts

Happy Saturday! Another blazing hot day! We are staying cool by staying inside today. I’ve been cleaning our kitchen from top to bottom–serious..scrubbing the cabinets, cleaning the inside of the cabinets, and even washing my jars of greenbeans that I keep on top of the cabinets. I made the mistake of cleaning our self-cleaning oven today when it’s close to 100 degrees outside, and it’s been blowing hot air for over four hours. Yuck One hour left and it should be clean. Next time, I’ll do this on a cool day — winter!!

Mike and I have been pushing forward on our projects. He has the dining room completely painted, and I’ve been painting the baseboards in the kitchen, and we’ll be installing new kitchen window treatments by Monday. I’ll post pictures. I hope they look good!

Finally, the guesthouse bedroom’s hardwood is down and while there are a few things remaining to be done, the room is essentially finished. It’s a very simple room, but I like the way it looks. I stood in the closet and took this picture.

I just want to go over and crawl in that bed. The room is so much cleaner than our main house master bedroom. The hardwood floors that Mike installed make it look so fresh and neat. I painted the baseboard, and he made and installed the toe molding. We didn’t even fight. Much.

The quilt was made by a local Mendota quilter and friend, Joyce “Toby” Sproles. She was actually a close friend of my mother’s (Leah Vivian Sproles Barker) and I went to school with her daughters (Lois, Sandy and Lisa). She made it out of scraps, and I admire the artistry she used in putting the colors together. I would not have known where to start! It is perfect for this room, and everytime I see it, I think of Toby. She has had some serious health issues, but she keeps on creating. I want to get her picture with the quilt to add to my Quilt Project tab on this blog. I hope to do that in the next week or two. There is so much talent in this area.

I put some sheer curtains on the windows which were purchased at Walmart for a little less than $9. At first I planned on buying a new black rod, but I decided to spray paint the existing rod (which is one of those real simple ones that cost about $1.00). A new one might have looked a bit better, but I’d rather use what I’ve got and save the money.

The guesthouse is furnished with castoffs or extras, furniture that Mike has made, and a few things that someone had been intending to get rid of but gave to us instead. I made most of the window treatments and throw pillows. It reminds me of having a big dollhouse (until it’s time to clean it). We are going to be working on the guesthouse during the next three months, and I’ll take pictures of the rooms as we work on them.

As you go into the guesthouse, which is really an apartment above the garage, you’ll run into another quilt. It’s called Flower Garden, and my sister Nancy made it. It was a Mendota Cemetery Quilt, and I won it during the raffle. I bought a lot of tickets.

Pretty, Isn’t it?

I don’t mean to gush, but thank you to everyone reading this blog. I love your coments. Mike will look at me while I’m looking at my laptop and say “what are you grinning about?” It’s you! I’m reading your comments! This has been so fun for me.

Mendota Daily July 6, 2012

Sam the Sinister Cat takes a moment from being mean and suns himself on the patio while I am working my tail off inside. (He’s allowed into the house where there is A/C — just won’t stay in…apparently, he’s a little devil!)

How We Celebrated Independence Day!

We decided to work all day on the 4th of July. We got a fair amount accomplished. The dining room, while not finished, is much closer. Needs another coat but here it is. This lighting makes the room look bright red, and it’s not. It’s terracotta.

It has become the paint job that will never end.

In addition to the dining room, I painted all the trim in the guesthouse bedroom and Mike made the toe moulding that will go around the baseboard. That doesn’t sound like much but it took us all day. By late evening we were pretty tired, but I decided to pick some greenbeans in the garden. I didn’t find too many greenbeans. The 100 degree temperatures have slowed the production. I’m going to replant in the raised beds.

It wasn’t a total loss. Here’s some gourds that planted themselves. While greenbeans might not be growing, apparently gourds love scalding hot temperatures and little rain. I picked about 25 and there are probably over 100 more waiting. I’m washing them and spraying with polyeurathane and using them in as decorations around the house. If you are reading this and know of a better way to preserve them, please leave me a comment.

While I was in the garden, Betty Butterbutt, our neighbor’s dog, showed up. It was her second visit of the day. She is a very friendly dog.

Sam the Sinister Cat hates Betty Butterbutt. Sam hates everyone but especially Betty. After I took the picture below, Mike came out and intervened and Betty caught her second ride home for the day. He’d already taken her home earlier.

We opened the truck door and she hopped right in. She has some real push in those short little legs.

Here she is ready to roll!

So that was all that happened here yesterday.

Today, my sister, niece and a friend and I with to the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. I got home and found a pal had returned home. Here she is…just peaking out from her bed…one eye closed.

Rush Hour on Swinging Bridge Road

Happy Independence Day! I am sneaking and writing this post on July 4 as we designated this a “project completion” day. Mike is in the shop making toe molding for the guest house bedroom. Just a few hours ago, I painted the baseboard in that bedroom, and I’m doing some additional taping in the dining room getting ready for him to paint and trim out all of my painting mistakes. Hopefully, we’ll get the dining room done tonight. Then…it’s on to the kitchen!

We’re as busy as beavers!

As part of my weight loss plan, I’m walking three miles most every day. Doing this and partially following a Weight Watchers program has resulted in my losing 9 pounds. 21 more to go to reach my goal. Yea!

Last week, I headed down river on Swinging Bridge Road. Wow…here’s some traffic..two bikes!!! It was rush hour on Swinging Bridge Road.

Whew! With all the traffic, it’s time to get off the road. We’ll visit Hoss’s Farm to check out the barnyard.

There are a lot of animals. Here’s a photograph of the two rescue horses that arrived eight or nine weeks ago. Their names are Carter (two years old) and Maggie (12 years old). Since arriving, they have gained over 75 pounds. As their ribs are disappearing, their trust is increasing. Anyone who rescues an animal has a star in their crown and a place in my heart.

Here’s Farm Girl Danielle. Farm Girls come in all ages, and while much younger than me, we get along. Love of animals and rural living supersedes age. Her family moved to Mendota just 12 months ago, and they took to rural life immediately. Danielle spends a lot of time in the barnyard. She’d been busy with Maggie earlier. Check out Maggie’s tail…

I love Maggie’s color, and the braid is just so fashionable. All the horses in Mendota are wanting to braid their tails. I had brought a treat for Maggie….some apple slices in a plastic bag. Maggie ~~likes loves~~ ADORES apples. Horses have very keen noses and she picked up on the apples immediately, even though they were in plastic. She gave me a solid head butt to let me know she was interested. Since Danielle knows I’m a little afraid of horses, she took the apples and asked Maggie if she’d like a taste.

Danielle: Does Maggie want an apple?

Maggie: Are you crazy??? Darn right Maggie wants an apple. Maggie ~~likes loves~~ ADORES apples…Gimme those apples!!!

We fed Maggie some apple slices, and I slipped the bag in my back pocket as I went to say hello to a pretty rooster named Pecker. It’s an appropriate name, and he wears it well. Very cocky. See all of the chicken wire in the barn? There are yards and yards of wire lining the chicken coop in this big barn to keep raccoons out. There was a terrible attack last month resulting in the loss of 13 frizzle tails that belonged to Danielle’s mom, Lisa.

I looked around and the plastic bag was missing. Someone had taken it.

Sneaky horse! This was funny but it was serious! We were afraid she’d eat the plastic bag and it could harm her. However, Danielle got it back. Here it is…

Ugh. Want an apple slice?

Carter was standing by during all this. We’ll talk to Carter on another time, but just so he won’t feel left out, here’s a picture of him smooching Danielle.

Hope you enjoyed visiting Hoss’s Farm with me. We’ll go back in a few days and see Mason and Dixon, the two fainting goats.

Maybe I’ll have a post on the completed dining room soon!