Readers meet BaseBoard

Baseboard meet readers (If there are any left)

I am not dead.
I just have not done a thing with this house but sleep in it and clean it.


Until....
This week.



Finally there is base board down in the kitchen. YAY!

American Sweetheart and Pie

American Sweetheart is a pattern of Depression Glass made by MacBeth-Evans from 1930 to 1936.



I have a few pieces. They go well with pie.



And the fork that I found buried in the yard.





( One day I might find the old, school house light to use in the kitchen where the wires are hanging down.)

Thank You Santa.

This year I ask Santa for 3 things......
and I GOT 'EM !

The first thing on my list was a stainless steel table to serve as a small island in the kitchen. I put it together yesterday when I was suppose to be cleaning house. It can be used with out the wheels or with...... and the wheels have little locks on them. I love the wheels and once we ever have company over and make use of the deck. The table can be rolled right on outside to the deck as a serving prep area near the grill.

But..........The wheels make the table really high. The box said 39". My tape measure says 41".

The standard kitchen counter is 36". The good thing about the height is Chris and I are both tall, and as Chris said....."The turkey would be out of Puppy's reach." (If we ever cooked turkey and all.)

My plan is to leave the wheels on a while. See how I like it. The box came with stationary self-leveling feet as well, so if I decide I don't like it I can bring it back down to a normal height with the self leveling feet.

Next.....

The fancy-dancy micro-plane grater thingy is the other item I ask Santa for. I know it can be used for 10,000 things, however I wanted it for ZEST.

I LOVE ZEST.

Making zest with the ol' normal small grater is not very fun, actually it is a pain, a chore, a task that I always dread even if I do LOVE ZEST.

Oh.....Those cookies......

They are Ginger Snaps.

I made them with my Aunt's Recipe using the Brer Rabbit Black Strap Molasses. On Christmas Eve we baked cookies and candy and more cookies and more candy. Maybe since I do not have the recipe she will post it in the comments. (Hint...You may have to beg.)

I thought the photo of the Molasses came out very weird-ish on the new table. The bunny (Brer Rabbit) was so cute on the packaging, I had to share. (By the way....If you have never used black strap molasses...it is darker than normal molasses and has the look and feel of old used motor oil. )

Also notice in the reflection.....um.....someone needs to put up door casings. I have them sanded painted and primed stacked up in the middle bedroom. We do not have the plinth blocks. I need to carry my sample to Atlanta one day to find them and buy them. ( I need 8) The only place in town that has them orders them from the source I always used in Atlanta. So, I just need to drop by there one day and eliminate the middle man. Oh and all you Georgia house bloggers, If you have never been to Randall Brothers...you must go.

Are you wondering what I am going to make first with the zester?

Cranberry Orange Scones using Marilyn's recipe for making scones.

I will replace the chocolate chips with cranberries. I made these before and I cann't find the picture to share with you.

Speaking of Marilyn...Make sure you go vote for her blog. Simmer Til Done was nominated for an Apartment Therapy Homie Award for the Best Home Cooking Blog of 2008. I am not sure where the link to vote is....Maybe someone can help in the comments.

I will also use this pastry scraper thingie that Santa wrapped and placed under the tree when I make the scones.

Santa also dropped down the chimney a pretty red bracelet, some PJ's, a shirt, a sweater, a mini-vac, a hand made candle holder, and several other nice things that I seem to be forgetting at the moment. Thanks Santa.

From the Archives..

Who wouldn't like a personal fan?

This is our kitchen circa June 2007. When Chris was working on building our cabinets.

Loyal readers will remember....

a couple of months ago, he dug them out from the deep, dark storage of the middle bedroom and primed them. Then ......it rained and the cabinets were moved to the basement.

Um.........They are still in the basement.

Well.... the base cabinets are still in the kitchen and they look like what is seen above. Just with contact paper for counter top, and pots and pans inside. The slate floor was installed last July.

After about 15 months...

After sitting in the kitchen floor for 4 months.
and being moved into storage in the middle bedroom for 11 months.

The kitchen wall cabinet frames that Chris built (what seems years and years ago) were brought out to be sanded and painted.




What???
I was surprised too.
Just as I was getting use to the industrial look and thinking about open metal shelving instead of cabinets.

Ya just can't ask, beg, pleed, negociate with or nag at that man. He will do things when he wants to, not a second sooner, and with no advanced warning. That is that. Period. The End.

Seeing Red...

Marilyn @ 819 Ohio sent out the challenge for us to see red and post about it...

So here it goes...

Foyer: Benjamin Moore's Navajo Red.. A warm tomato red.
( A red with more yellow than blue undertones. It may look more orange on your monitor ?)

Bedroom Chair (That I salvaged from the curb by the way) and red flashlight.

Vintage tablecloth with red. Red level.

Red book.

Other favorite Reds from Benjamin Moore:fire dance, smoldering red, chili pepper, confederate red, and maple leaf red

Oh... and supper tonight... vege soup... corn muffins are in the oven...

A Kitchen Sink....

Finally, we decided to go ahead and install the kitchen sink, that had been sitting in it's box for over a year.... ( Yes, OVER A YEAR!) No, we still don't have counter-top. No, the cabinets are still not finished. When Chris was building the cabinets he used plywood for the tops and we just installed the sink over the plywood. (for now) Since the plumber was here, checking out the water leak in the line from the meter to the house,we thought wouldn't it be nice to have running water in the kitchen. While he was at it he hooked up the dishwasher, wait, I haven't had a dishwasher in about 8 years.

I had forgot what our sink looked like..So here it is..............

Chris had help leveling the dishwasher....( looking like a little plumber.....)

Dreaming of a Kitchen...........

I just saw Camping with a Mortgage's '06 post about their kitchen.
Can, I say WOW ? ! This is what is in my mind for the counter tops and cabinets. I just love how the cabinets go to the ceiling, and the DYI soap stone counter tops.

Technically, we really are not with out a kitchen. We have a stove and a refrigerator. (Plus a refrigerator on the front porch. Lovely!)) However, we haven't installed the sink. Oh.........we've had the sink for almost a year... but all the delays with the total rebuilding of the floor joists, supports and basically everything in the kitchen area, that of course we haven't planned.....the cabinets... just haven't been finished. They have been 1/2 built since June......the framing of the cabinets are finished. But, that is all. I am not sure why they aren't complete. I guess it got old and the project had to be postponed to start another like the middle bedroom, but then the middle bedroom had to stop to work on the deck. Who knows when any project will ever be finished in this house. I have threatened take out the 1/2 finished cabinets and drag them to the road, and start over. But, last time I took out a cabinet, the floor fell in....

Back to the dreaming of a kitchen. I am so tired of eating out and TV diners. I guess they really aren't TV diners anymore, but you know the yucky frozen kind in black plastic. Call me stubborn, but I refuse to bring the dishes to the tub to wash them. I know we are having extreme water shortages and taking a shower while washing dishes would save water, but again yuck. ( Wasn't this a Seinfield episode?) So until, we have a kitchen sink ( installed), we will continue to be environmentally unconscious by using all that black plastic diners, plastic cups, forks, and spoons. I would really like to cook some chicken and dumplings, a casserole and biscuits. It is Apple Cake time of year. I want to sit around the island with friends and family and a couple of bottles of wine. I want all the wonderful smells of home made food filling ThirteenEleven's air. Oh Well. One day.... Until them, I am heading out to get a soup and salad at Chick-fil-a.

Also, check out this post about that dreaded big box retailer known by their orange color. So true....I will say our local store's manager was good to me when I had a problem. I let him know how often I was in there and he remembered me, I am a high maintance (blonde)customer, and gave me a store credit.

Did you notice something?.... I learned how to link.

Day 1 Pictures

Day 1 at ThirteenEleven..... The long awaited beginning, starting point pictures of our home 15 months ago. The pictures give you an idea on just how dirty was this place. Probably the second dirtiest place I've been, maybe the third. The thing the pics don't show is the smell. Eugh!!! I couldn't get it out of my nose for days. Then Mom suggested using the ol' Vick's in the nostrils trick. ( Yes, the very one the police use to hid the smell from murder scenes.) EUGH!!! AGAIN !!! ----- Well it worked.
Day 1 at the house was really Day4 after closing. The dude living here just would not leave. Then he left stuff here and kept coming by to pick up other things. I think we were very generous with the time we gave him and the fact that we allowed him to keep coming back to pick up stuff. But, considering the bullets and bullet holes found everywhere in the house, it was probably the best idea to let him take his time and not to anger him.....Yikes.

So here they are...

Entry Hall ( looking from front door)

*note* Pepto Pink.. Lovely choice of color.

Also note this is the wall paper didn't want to come off the walls,and made me a true disbeliever in all the store bought paper removal solutions and systems.

Living room to sun room ( left)

to dining (right) Yep, it really is Pink Carpet.

Dining Room

See that moldy moisture spot to the left.

Yes, anything like that means, whole walls have to be removed and re-built.

Including replacing the interior workings of the double hung windows.

Keep that in mind for future projects.

Main Hall back to front, then front to back.

*Notes*

-The carpet was really dirtier than shown in the pics.

-The wallpaper covered the well known Pepto Pink.

-Why would anyone place sconces on the moulding?

-Lovely drapes covering the washer/dryer area.

(To date... no doors added to wash dry area)

Front Bedroom.

"That is a Groovy light fixture, dude."

We sold it at the yard sale and the lady was going to paint it red.

Dining Room.

Why are there bricks on the hearth? Is that blob near the hearth the reason Puppy won't go in this room?

Living Room

Wow what a mirror! and it was PLASTIC !!! We were so lucky it came with the house.

Note* The mirror was not glued to the wall. It was hung on a nail and they painted around it. See the pink peeping through underneath. It went well with the pink carpet. See the logs crammed in the coal burning fireplace. They plugged in and had a red light bulb inside. Lucky Again !!! That is a bug bomb on the vent.

I insisted the former owner to set those off before he left.

Half Bath

Note* Each door in the house had a dead bolt lock.

Middle Bedroom

I forgot about the top layer of wallpaper. Two other layers were underneath.

Why was stuff left in the drawer? This is the cabinet, when removed revealed a fireplace and the infamous hearth the fell to the basement.

Back Bedroom

Showing the carpet that was over the vinyl that was over heart pine floors.

Bath

Last Cleaned in 1989. The black stuff around the sink was facial hair ( Maybe?) where the dude shaved.

Many Thanks go out to Mom, Aunt Lynne, and Marlene who cleaned this room before it was demolished for re-building. We were able to use it for a while, while we were here working. Then it became a hole in the floor for 3 months, complete with a ladder providing quick access to the basement.

I've saved the best for last.....

Kitchen

Words really won't describe the status of this room. It is best described using guttural noises. Go ahead, give it a try.....EEUUGHH, EeeeE, Augh!!! UGH.

Notes* That is cat food left for the cat he left here for two weeks. I told P.O. "Puppy hates cats". Thankfully, the trap provided by the animal shelter caught the cat before Puppy. I am not sure what the trails of splatter goo are on the floor and carpet. Did I tell you, This room made me gag. There was a pot left on the stove that had something black inside. Shout outs go to Uncle Irv, who helped take down the cabinets and 'hawl them to the street. In the pic showing the pantry, there is a door above that was full of beer cans. Beer cans were in most of the hollows in the home.

Progress

Gross Stuff.............
Vines were growing behind the cabinet at the Kitchen sink...
Advice: Pull up any ivy you have growing in your yard........it can go CRAZY !
Replacing the sub-floor in the kitchen/ keeping room.
Layers of Paint
Calico Door

Cabinets

We have a stove, but Chris has not finished the cabinets. A friend who I will not say, suggested that if I post the cabinets, maybe Chris would feel the pressure to get them finished..................... I will be sure to keep everyone updated on any progression.

These pics were taken at least 7 weeks ago. Long before I began to paint the window trim. The cabinets have just been moved around. For the tile guys and floor guys.

Kitchen Slate

The kitchen and keeping room slate is in.

I am not sure about the color paint (BM Palladian Blue) with the slate.

It worked very well with my sample (the more grey tone), but the bulk of the slate turned out a more rusty color. I used a Pewter tone grout. By the time I get furniture, art, rugs, etc. in the space it will pull together.

Kitchen/Keeping Room