The Kitchen- What I Wish I Would Have Known...

Over the course of building a house, you learn things.  That your husband likes dark cabinets and you like light ones.  That he doesn't like wood flooring in the kitchen because he knows someday your dishwasher will leak and destroy your floor (he's a wise one, that guy), and that maybe you two are a good team because you can compromise and get light cabinets with a tile floor. 

Besides learning to compromise, we found out some things that I wish I would have know about the first time I built a kitchen about 18 years ago:

1) There are a lot of designers out there that don't charge you one penny to help design your kitchen if you buy the flooring and lighting, etc. through them.  Now, if you are like me and hear the word, 'designer', you automatically run away.  I'm thinking, hey designer lady, I buy 90% of my stuff at TJ Maxx and Homegoods (Oh HomeGoods, I love you) and there's no way I'm going to pay designer prices.  BUT I was pleasantly surprised to learn that some designers have many different price points.   A designer helped us with colors, flooring and any question we had and it was all INCLUDED in the price we paid her for the flooring and lighting.  It was also nice to have some choices shown to us that we wouldn't have known about otherwise. 

2)  I can't speak for everyone's experience, but hubby and I bought scratch and dent appliances off of Ebay with free shipping and warranties included and they have worked perfectly.  The appliances I wanted were not in the budget UNTIL I found this place.  I wish I still had the name of the business but I remember it was in Florida and I had the seller email me all the warranty information ahead of time so I could check it out.  The 'scratches' and 'dents' were all on the sides or places where you wouldn't be able to see them anyway and you would never know there was anything going on with these guys.  The only drawback I could find was that even with the scratch and dent cheaper prices, a cabinet front refrigerator is still a higher price than a stainless steel fridge.  I don't get it.  I mean you are literally buying a fridge with NO FRONT on it and having the front made at your own expense and it still costs more.  Say what???  They are also a tiny bit tricky to install, which I believe is included when you buy the fridge in the traditional manner, but obviously no little man is going to shoot through the internet from Ebay and install yours, so good times.

3) I'm not sure if this is all cabinetmakers or if we just lucked out, but there were several features I requested of our cabinetmaker AFTER he quoted us a price and he included all but a couple in with the original price of the cabinets.  Say whaaatttt?  Hooray!

Pull out sliders on either side of the stovetop and on either side of the sink were both included!

Also included was the extra deep drawer made to look like two shallow drawers (above) and the pull out shelves (shown below) which are in all the lower cabinets.

And now for my favorite thing in the kitchen......

A utensil drawer.  Yes, I'm a nerd.  In my old kitchen, I had one utensil container, bucket, whatever you want to call it, sitting at the stovetop.  It was so full that every single time I would pull out a spatula or whatever, every single utensil would fall out. Grrrrr.  And then the utensil drawer came into my life. 

I love you, utensil drawer. 

It's simply a pull out drawer built like a box with three holes cut into the top where the three canisters sit.  Although I am pretty horrible with tools, I'm picturing that this could be easily made in any cabinet with a pull out drawer feature. 

Ironically, the two items I paid extra for (darn you, Pinterest!) are just okay.  I had to pay a little extra to get drawers under the sink. The Pinterest version shows two full drawers under the sink.  By the time the plumbing, disposal, etc was accounted for under the deep farm sink, I just had this much space left for the top drawer:

The one reason alone to get a one bowl, deep farmhouse sink:  There are dirty dishes in there right now....but you CAN''T SEE THEM!!  I know, it's a dream come true.

The height of both bottom and top drawers are just ok, but not tall enough for dishwashing detergent or other cleaning supplies you'd normally keep under the sink, so it's just not worth the extra money if the room is limited.

The second item was the corner drawers, shown above.  Again, they are ok, but there is a lot of wasted space back there in the corner.  I'm really too clumsy for a lazy Susan (you know I'm going to knock something off back there and then have to stick my hand in that black hole area where I always wonder what's going to grab me from in there).  The drawers are shaped weird but if you don't need the extra space the corner provides, then go for it.  Really, the best thing these drawers are for are for freaking people out when you ask someone to open one and they get more than they expected.  Hehe

You know those daisies in the center of the counter in those jars?  Those are called,' Hey kids, go pick me some flowers to keep busy because it's summer and I'm losing my mind' daisies.  They may also be called weeds.

4) Open shelving was something that was also included in the cabinet price and I have been pleasantly surprised that I have liked this.  I don't like clutter and I'm not great at decorating shelves. Or dusting shelves.  The more I think about it, shelves are not my friend.  But these guys rate up there because they make it very convenient to grab frequently used items.  I just keep decorative items up there as well so when I take down some dishes to use it doesn't look like something's off or it's empty.  The downside is the Bear comes along and drinks Koolaid out of my grandmother's decorative teacups. Sigh. 😂

This is my first time having an island. It's about 4' X 7' which I have found to be a great size, no wasted space in the middle.  Maybe some day we'll even get bar stools, lol.

A couple of other things before I head out:  I once had a gas stovetop with a downdraft vent.  The draft from the vent affected the flame I was cooking with and it was very frustrating.  This time around I went with gas again but made sure to get an overhead vent.  Also, I took a rough inventory of all my kitchen items and made sure I had a place to put everything in the new kitchen.  Anything that was just taking up too much space that I hardly used I got rid of and thankfully I haven't missed those items at all.  Lastly, although I don't have any, I would seriously consider IKEA cabinets if there is a next time around.  I've heard so many good reviews about them and they seem very reasonably priced.

I hope this helps give those of you remodeling or building a new kitchen some ideas and maybe even save some money.  If you have some other tips, please put them in the comments section for all of us to use!  

❤️, Elizabeth

It's summer and there are kids everywhere.  I'm pretty sure they just used all of Elizabeth's dish detergent on a slip -n-slide.  She's happy because she didn't want to do dishes anyway.  I'm happy because so far they haven't thought to put ME on the slip-n-slide.

Give me a little 1970s with a side of Lemon Icebox Pie

I know everyone thinks the decade that they grew up in was the best. 

But there's this decade called the '70s where we neighborhood kids played outside until dark.  Barefoot sometimes (gasp!).  We played hide and seek, searched for Bigfoot (that guy was good, we never did find him), caught lightening bugs and only came inside to eat.  All the girls made mudpies, climbed trees and raced down the street on their bikes with no hands, just like the boys.  Better than some of the boys.  Nobody had ever heard of the words 'transgender' or 'ISIS', all we knew was that we were just kids- dirty, grubby little kids- having the time of our lives.

No one minded to come in and wash up for dinner because we'd played so hard that we were really hungry when we finally stopped to notice.  And sometimes, at least at my house on hot summer nights, we ate Lemon Icebox Pie for dessert.  My mom always could make the best meals and I had no idea that this deliciousness only had three ingredients or that the recipe used to be on the can of Eagle Brand Condensed Milk.  I just knew it was yummy.

I hadn't eaten it in years when I rediscovered it recently.  It took me back to some of the best times in my life and boy, did it taste good.  I knew I'd gone a little overboard when the hubby sent me a text that said,

'I like pie too.'

Um. Ok, well, you see, yeah, I had pie for breakfast,  And lunch.  Like not with my breakfast and lunch but AS my breakfast and lunch and before I knew it, all the pie was gone.

So I've decided this time when I made the pie I'd have to make two.  A His and a Hers.  And His is the one that gets shared with the rest of the family. 

And Hers, well, that's all mine.

Because sometimes we need a whole lot of 1970s in our lives.

❤️, Elizabeth

P.S. - The recipe: 

One can of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, and three egg yolks.   Mix together, poured into a 9 inch graham cracker crust pie shell and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.  Let cool and store in fridge before serving.   Good plain or with fruit topping.  Hello 1970s,  I've missed you. Welcome back to the era of simplicity. 

P.P.S.  Disclosure: There was a pie accidentally harmed in the making of this blog post.

It was most definitely HIS.

Elizabeth is a clumsy pie hog, but I still love her.

Introducing.....The Bear

I've been struggling on how to properly introduce The Bear.  He's 10, and there's no description that fits this combo of blunt, wild and wonderful, other than maybe picture Jack Black meets Robin Williams with a dash of Charles Grodin all rolled into one child. There are so many stories I could tell but when I ran across this tribute I once wrote, I thought it may be the perfect way to give you a glimpse of a typical day of my life with The Bear.   

I think you're going to like him...

A MOM'S TRIBUTE

Thank you, Mr. Policeman, for not arresting me in Kroger parking lot, when, to my horror, my Bear yelled to you, 'HELP! I DON'T KNOW THIS WOMAN!'

Thank you, Mr. Fireman and company, who raced to my house to put out the nonexistent fire that was exaggerated by my Bear bursting out of the front door in his pajamas screaming, 'OVER HERE! THE FIRE IS OVER HERE!' when I had simply burned the zucchini.  No fire. Nope.

Thank you to my innocent friend, who never knew that my Bear had filled his water gun up from the toilet bowl when he shot you in the face, for your patience and apparently hardy immune system.

Thank you, elderly man in Kroger, (yes, a lot of things seem to happen at Kroger), for simply smiling at me in my time of exasperation when my Bear wouldn't listen.  I thought you were flirting with me in a subtle way (because I am usually only hit on by the 70-80 age range these days, if at all) but actually you were probably politely thinking that you may need to call for the manager because in my frenzy I was putting all my groceries into your cart.  Good times.

Thank you to the woman in your early 30s who has yet to figure out that your 'match' on Match.com is actually a 10 year old who has snuck onto the internet and created an account with some random guy's picture.  We'll just keep it our little secret. 

Lord, I pray that you give me reminders in my time of frustration with the Bear that one day I'll miss his antics.  I pray for patience and the ability to see the humor in all situations.   And that he always knows how much he is loved.

And peace, Lord.

Yes, Peace.  And Bacon.

Oh Lord, do I need a little peace.

Amen.

❤️, Elizabeth

Fostering a Child- How Not to Fall in Love

It was November 3rd.  She arrived to me in the social worker's arms in nothing but pink sweatpants and a blanket reeking of smoke, her eyes peeping out from under her wayward curls.  The bottom of her feet were so black with dirt it looked like she had played outside barefoot for a million years.  At 16 months old, you don't really care about that.

"I couldn't do it.  I couldn't let them go."

"Better you than me, my heart would be ripped in two if they went home."

Not a lot of people understood my willingness to take a chance of loving a foster child who might leave one day, but I dived in with all my heart. 

That little girl with the curly hair stayed for over a year, eventually calling my husband and me, 'Mommy and Daddy'.  She got used to being bathed everyday.  Her blanket had been washed.  She now refused to leave the house without a hairbow holding back her curls.  But, even after living with us several months, as we played at the park one day she dropped to the ground and tried to hide as she heard a police siren.  She had seen and heard a lot in her almost two years and we couldn't wash that away.

And then the call came.   Our time was over.  We loved her like she was ours but she wasn't. And yes, our hearts were broken and I think in ways hers was too.

Thankfully, we did see her again.  Our foster daughter came back to live with us at age 6.  She knew more than any child should and once again, she was sent back to where she came from after a year.   My youngest son forever told everyone he used to have a sister, but she ran away.  He knew the truth, but the run away part made a more dramatic story. (And he LOVES to make me look like a crazy lady). 

We had let our foster license lapse by the time she was put into foster care the third time but kept up with her situation as much as we could.   She is now a sweet, beautiful soon to be teenager and, despite not always living in ideal situations, she has grown into a strong person who makes wise decisions.

My plan was to adopt her and be hers forever, but sometimes my plan and God's plan are different.  I have to think that those years she was with us provided a glimpse of a normal life and maybe that was all our part was supposed to be.  God's plan for me was to give me two wonderful, VERY mischievous boys and I thank God they're mine.

Do you feel led to foster?  Your heart may never be the same but I can tell you, it will mend.

Or is there a different plan calling you that makes you feel uncomfortable?  But it keeps nagging you?  There are so many small ways to serve others that may be on your heart that isn't as big of a commitment as fostering but still.....it's inconvenient, it's time consuming, it's UNCOMFORTABLE. 

Do it anyway.

You'll get as much of a  blessing as the person you are serving.

How do you foster a child without falling in love? 

You don't. 

And that's okay. 

❤️, Elizabeth

The Foyer - A Messy Girl's Best Friend

Someone just drove up the driveway.  Unannounced.  You glance around.  There's little boy's underwear laying in the floor (don't ask me, I just live here).  Dirty dishes are overflowing in the sink.  It looks like a wild party went on last night, but the only people here were you, the hubby and the kids.  

Please, for the love that's all good and decent, please don't get out of the car.

Well, good times.  They got out of the car.  Oh, shoot, they want to come in the house. 

But, guess what? For the first time in my adult life, I have a foyer. 

Foyer is also code word for:  STOP where you are, don't come any closer to the real part of the house, just stay right here, sister.  I'm neat, I'm clean, that's all there is to see.

That's right, take it nice and slow.  No sudden movements.

With that said, welcome to the foyer!  I'll give you a tour, but it stops at the boy's underwear, deal?

Below you'll see a snippet of the dining room and rugs which were inherited from my grandmother (the famous MomB). 

Is that a Hershey kiss wrapper in the floor to the upper left? 

Oh my goodness, it is.  Geez.  So much for the clean foyer.

To see MomB's buffet makeover, click here

The buffet is on your left as you walk in the door.  The ceilings are 12 feet and we had a hard time finding a mirror to fill the space, but we lucked out when a friend/antique dealer found this one. I love old, French style mirrors.  Old French style anything!

And I love having books all over the house.  Fake books, real books, poetry I'll never read, it doesn't matter.  I'm addicted to reading (except poetry, sorry) and would love to design a library in the house one day.  Considering we don't even have landscaping yet, it may never happen, but it's fun to think about.  ☺️

As you walk in the front door, the piano is on your right.  It was a gift to me from my parents when I was around 15 years old.  The house plan called for this to be the dining room but we changed things around so we'd have a place for the piano.  Did you know there aren't any house plans with a 'piano room' listed?? It was so hard to find a plan that would work with all the open concept plans available nowadays, so the dining room is now the piano room, the living room is now the dining room and the changes trickle on into the kitchen.  In a future post I'll lay out the original plan and show the changes.  In the first house we built I was so afraid to make changes to the plan, but I think all the HGTV shows gave me the courage to knock down some walls for this house!  I'm having Fixer Upper withdrawals, wish the new season would hurry along!

Did you know I get a piece of bacon if I lay really still like this?

So there you have it. Well, have a good one! I'm off to do the dishes and pick up whatever candy wrappers have made it to the floor so I can show you the kitchen soon.  Do your kids trash your house or is it just mine?? 

Wait a minute.  I think it was me that ate Hershey kisses in the foyer. 

Oopsie.

❤️, Elizabeth

Charlotte's Pesto Chicken

My husband. 

He's not....I mean he's not really.....

Oh dear, I can't even say it. 

Sniff.  Ok.

He's not a foodie.

He eats for, get this,  NUTRITION.

I know.  I can't get over it either.  Now, thank goodness, he does have a little sweet tooth that may tempt him occasionally, so at least we have that in common.  And, great news, he does have a few favorite meals.

This is the one I make when he's had a hard day and I want him to come home to a clean house and yummy but healthy meal.

Or maybe the day after I forgot to pay the bills and he tried to shower with no water.  Good times.

Enjoy Pesto Chicken, based on my awesome sister-in-law's recipe. (Or maybe the whole thing is hers, I can't remember ☺️).

INGREDIENTS

• Pasta (I rotate between spaghetti and penne noodles)
• 6 oz jar of Sundried tomatoes (I use about 3/4 of the jar)
• 8 oz can of artichokes (I use 1/2 - 3/4 of the can) -In my little Kroger there are no other size options. Save rest for pizza.
• 6 oz jar of pesto, divided
• 1 lb of grilled chicken tenders
• parmesan cheese to taste

First, boil your pasta. Today I used spaghetti. The amount below made four good size servings.

Next, grill your chicken tenders.  (I usually cook a whole chicken and store individual portions in freezer baggies for meals through the week so sorry, no chicken pic).  Grab your sundried tomatoes, artichokes and pesto.  Mushrooms and onions are good too if you want more veggies.

Cut up your veggies.  Cheat and use scissors.  When family members walk by wipe your brow like you are killed. 

Saute the tomatoes and artichokes with a little of the olive oil from the tomatoes.  Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and throw it in.

Here's where I may lose you but stick with me.  Take half of the jar of pesto and stir it into the chcken mixture.  It looks disgusting for just a minute but after you stir it in you can see the potential.

Hang in there! 

Oops, I about forgot about the boiling pasta.  When it's done, drain it and put it back in the pot where you cooked it.  Mix in the remainder of the pesto with the noodles. 

Combine the noodles with the chicken mixture. Add parmesan cheese, as much or as little as you like, and you are home free!  Great with a Caesar salad.   Great for pampering your spouse.

Just don't forget to pay the water bill.

Y'all can keep your green stuff.  Just no.