My Kitchen - The Old & The New - Make-over

It's been a while since my last post...although I have started a few balls rolling, I still don't have any definitive answers as to what I will end up doing...with my home.  You can read the post where I talked about Things Never Staying the Same HERE. 

Right now, though, I want to share some photos from 2 years ago...Christmas 2016 in my Kitchen, Sitting Room {dining room} and Exterior of my home.  Then I will show you lots of photos of the way it looks NOW, since the Make-Over!

Kitchen

Kitchen Island

Cabinet [one of 2] on either side of my Range 

Sitting Room at the end of the Kitchen

[used to be my dining room, see next photo]

Old Exterior of My Home

*     *     *     *     *     *     *

November 2017

This is how the outside of my Home looks now.

New doors to my Home - Welcome

My New Hearth Kitchen

New Backsplash and Burlap-y Curtain Fabric blocks the view into my glass-front cabinets and hides the clutter.

New Samsung Range & Micro-Hood

New French Door, Counter Depth Samsung Refrigerator 

and my oldie, but goodie GE Profile Dishwasher

All new Ceiling Fans and Light Fixtures

including the lovely chandelier above the island

and a glimpse into my new Sitting Room

Kitchen looking into Living Room

Dinette Set at the end of the Island works well

I Love, love, love my French Door Refrigerator

and it only extends a few inches past the cabinets to the right

compared to 8 1/2" that my old refrigerator stuck out!!

You'll see more of my sitting room next time.

Hope you enjoyed this tour.

My Home Office...Make-Over 2017

Before I show you my Office as it looks now, Fall 2017, I thought I'd share a photo and the link to my post about my Office...

Office Fall 2016

See all the Pink?  The "pretties" and lace curtains...even some French items?

Believe me, when I say I changed my style, look and color palette this time around.  I even put the cabinet doors on my cabinets in my re-do.  And there is no more Massage Table.  You probably won't recognize the room!! 

Here is my New Office - Guest Bedroom 

This is looking in through the French Doors, which now have a Elderberry pattern window film added for privacy.  It was very easy to apply.  The most difficult thing about the application was making all the individual cuts for each window...10 per door.  I even added it to the window on the wall directly across from the doors, as the window looks out to the neighbor's lawn that grows a foot high before they cut it and the porch which was power washed about 4 years ago and allowed to weather since then.

I wanted a Guest Room, so I decided to add the bed, two nice tall tables and metal bed to the room I use least in my house...my office.  I have a laptop now and don't spend nearly as much time on the computer in my office as I once did, so this was perfect.  As you can see I have a pretty checked tan/light brown and off white plaid curtain valance, with my pleated privacy shades underneath on the windows.  I decided to decorate with horses, boots and some other items.

The clock was a gift from my son, Stephen many years ago...and it fit right in with the design of this room.  Again, another tall table, sunflowers in a Ball jar and a lamp...to welcome a guest or 2 or even to light the way for me, when I want to sleep in there.

This is the other side of the bed...with more boots and a metal and wood piece of art adorning that wall.

All of the lamps, tables and artwork, including the HOME base with greenery and the Sunflowers in the Ball jar all came from Kirkland's...my favorite shop.  The Valances were from Menards.  The beautiful Comforter and Pillow Shams were from Target and the Metal Bed came from Art Van Furniture.

In the photo above, you get the best look at the Film pattern on the window.  It's beautiful.

Here's my corner desk.  There's not much there and the cupboards are mostly bare, for visitors to use for their things.  I purchased a much smaller desk chair, one with arms that were able to tuck under the desk top and out of the way.  The tile on the backsplash of the desk is new too.  I've always wanted tile there...or wallpaper, and when I had the tile man here, and I had extra tile, he did this.  I love it.

As I stated at the beginning of this post...my tastes have changed and I've gone for a more relaxed decorating look.  Wait til you see the next room I'll be sharing with you.  You'll get a look at another room, decorated alot differently than it was originally.  That post will appear next week.  Every room in my house has been redone, from painting, to flooring and curtains, comforters and artwork and lamps.  So keep watching.  Thanks for stopping in today.

Announcement

Thursday night, my son, Stephen called me from Wisconsin to give me some wonderful news.  He and his wife, Lindsey - well, here, let me show you their photo announcement from Facebook.

Their Caption:

Expecting our little pumpkin March 2018 

I guess I'll be wearing a shirt like this soon!!

I couldn't be happier for both of them!  I can't believe I'm finally a

Let the Shopping Begin - Ty Wilson Art

I am always on the look-out for GREAT artwork...that's not too expensive.  [My tastes change!]  And I was reminded this morning of an artist whose work I hung in an apartment in the late 80's, which I did in the contemporary style I love so much.  Yes, I still LOVE contemporary and I still love TY WILSON'S artwork [read ABOUT TY Below]!  I remember walking into a Saxon's Paint store in Milwaukee in the late 80's and finding his beautiful artwork!  So, upon finding his website this morning, I decided to post about him and his artwork.  Here are a couple of pieces I used to have...

FIRST DATE

THE KISS

Here are some of the other pieces of art I'm fond of...

BLISS 

Le CHAPEAU

ON THE TOWN

 PROMENADE

PUPPY LOVE

SECRETS

SPRING

 THE STROLL

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD

WRAPPED IN LOVE

 SISTERS

SANTA CAKE WALK

 SANTA DANCE WALK

 SANTA DOG

ABOUT TY

When Ty Wilson presented his brother’s drawing of a blue bird as 

his own in kindergarten, his teacher was so impressed she asked him to draw another while the class looked on. Armed with a blue crayola, Ty stared at a blank sheet of white paper for several long, silent minutes before vowing two things: he would never lie and he would learn to draw. Fifteen years later, Wilson began his professional art career with Hallmark Greeting Cards. When Hallmark turned down his design portfolio in 1984, Wilson framed the rejection letter and set his sights on New York.

There, his elegant and stylish illustrations were an immediate success in the advertising and fashion worlds. His work was used by such giants as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Macy’s and Bloomingdales, as well as top fashion designers and advertising agencies. He has also designed posters for the Broadway revival of Noel Coward’s, Hayfever, and the Vernal Bagneris musical Staggerlee, to name a few.

Wilson’s illustrative artwork portrays and captures a bygone era when romance and elegance reigned. His bold, minimal line drawings elicit feelings of fun, romance and sophistication. His art creates a mood with as few lines as possible. Ty Wilson has been on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, The Maryland College of Art and Design since 1989. That year also saw the establishment of the Ty Wilson Scholarship, given annually to a first year minority art student. He is a motivational speaker on the subject of Art and the Business of Art, Wilson’s lecture tour has included Parson’s School of Design, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, The MD College of Art and Design and The University of Maryland.

I hope you enjoyed taking a look at Ty Wilson's artwork with me.  

Happy Weekend!

Salami & Cheese Pie

Yesterday, I tried a new recipe, one I'd made several changes to...and it was so good and so easy to make.  Here it is.  Enjoy!

Salami & Cheese Pie

Box of 2 Pillsbury Pie Dough Rounds

8 ounces hard salami [ask at Deli to cut on #10, for ez perfect dice]

1/2 small onion, minced

1Tablespoon Dijon Mustard 

4 cups shredded cheese [2c Mozzarella, 1c Cheddar & 1c Monterey Jack]

3 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

3 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350°.  Cut pie crust to fit and lightly press into a 9x13" pan.  Prick and bake for about 8 minutes, until barely browned.

Cut the sliced salami into ez cubes [you only need to cut one direction].  Mix in a large bowl, the salami, onion, cheeses and eggs.  

Spread 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard over the entire crust and then pour on the salami mixture, pressing down lightly to firm it.

Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. 

NOTE:  This was REALLY delicious the first day, fresh from the oven.  I didn't care for left-overs re-heated in the microwave.    

I Believe Humor Is Good for Us

Humor can be very useful when:

When you are stressed...

Or you're in the middle of a disagreement...

When your clothes don't fit this week and they did last week...

When after you've lost weight, the Doctors keep telling you, lose more...

When there are too many things going on in your life...

When you reach for the Angus Ground Sirloin you purchased yesterday and it's GREY.

Ok, those are just a few times that something humorous could help.

So...if you're experiencing something that requires a bit of humor, hope this does the trick.

Happy Birthday Stephen!

Time flies by...it really does.  I don't know about "time really flies as you get older", I've not had that feeling.  Most of the time days go by quickly.  My son, Stephen and his wife live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...and I haven't seen them in quite a few years [?5?]  Haven't been back to Wisconsin and now that I'm on my own, I don't think I want to travel 5 1/2 hours from Michigan to Wisconsin, through Chicago, with 3 dogs.  And I can't/won't board them.

But...today is his Birthday.  I find it hard to believe that I have a son his age...but I do.  He is 47 today!  Happy Birthday son!  I love you and miss you guys.  Maybe you could plan a trip to see me?!  I'd love that.  Have a nice dinner tonight as you celebrate, oops...that's right you said you don't celebrate birthdays, at least not your own.

MOM

Today Marks Two Years

Two Years, yes, it's been two years today, since my husband moved out of our "forever" home.  I remember that day well and all the conversations I had with God - both that day and every day since.  I asked Him to help me forgive, to put me back together again, because, let's face it, I was falling apart.  Apart, not just from my husband leaving me, but health-wise, emotionally, spiritually and every way imaginable.

And I stand here, okay, I'm sitting right now...but I'm here today to tell you that God has Put Me Back Together Again!!  He picked me up and healed me.  The shock of a husband leaving, had me reeling...but it was all the other stuff that got me moving.  There was so much to do around the house, that had suddenly been assigned to me to do.  I was about 100# overweight and not moving much at all.  I wasn't sick sick...but I just didn't feel good...I think from all the stress.  It wears you down.  For those of you who don't know me or haven't read my earlier posts, in January of '15, my husband was diagnosed with cancer and metastases.  By early March, after my assistance and finally a biopsy, he was told by the doctor who performed that biopsy that he didn't have cancer.  I had an inkling the day he had been diagnosed with cancer that he didn't have it.  However, everything we heard from the oncologist made me wonder if I was wrong in what I felt.  I know...I should have only listened to God!!  He gave me that inkling for a reason - and it was to battle the oncologist to have a biopsy done, because she was afraid at how frail my husband was.

Then suddenly, without warning - no talk, no argument - his family showed up and moved him 3 hours away.  Up until a week ago, I hadn't seen him and had only spoken on the phone to him a total of 4 times.  In 2 years!!

The fourth time we spoke, he called me and that was about a month ago.  He suggested we get a dissolution.  [In reality it is an uncontested divorce.]  I was stunned, but he never called it a divorce and when I mentioned that that was what it was, he seemed surprised.  You see, he promised me that he would never leave me...never divorce me...EVER.  That was when he was alot more clear-minded, but somewhere in his brain that word was erased from his memory and he could only call it a dissolution.

About a week ago, we arranged to get together, he would come up here where I am...and we would talk to an attorney and take care of tying up loose ends and figuring out how to pay the attorney.  He was only in town for 3 hours and we accomplished even more than I had hoped.  We ironed out everything [now it's in the attorney's hands to get approved by the court].  We even were able to get the money together [from pre-arranged funeral arrangements Tom had done 2 years ago]...they gave him a check immediately, no questions asked, when he told them he wanted to cash it in, not transfer it.  On my list of to-do's for that day, I had at least a dozen things to take care of.  I really didn't know if we would even get through half the list.  God was with us.  I know God HATES divorce, but He forgives...and I am so happy that He has.  We really had a pleasant day together [a good memory], he even treated me to Starbucks and put gas in my car, when he filled up his car.  He was clear-minded that day and drove so much better than the last time I was in the car with him here at home.

He will be served divorce papers via the mail.  And in a couple of months we'll be in court...but that should all go well, since it was OUR decisions that make this an uncontested divorce.  Then it will be all over between us.  Hubby said we can still be friends and call once in a while...and I thought that was sweet.

I just know it's time for us to move on.  I haven't felt comfortable in groups at church [with couples and/or singles] and that's about the only place I go right now.  I am OK with this.  It's a whole new chapter in my life.  I never thought 12 years ago that I would be speaking divorce!  NEVER.  But, even going into marriage with that mindset and God and a godly man, [a 3-strand cord], we were unable to keep it together.

Thanks to all of you who have prayed for me, loved me and cared about me the past couple of years.  Keep me on your list and pray for me, as I do for all of you.

Hugs,

I ♥ Shopping - Comforter Sets

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And because I do alot of shopping...on-line, I'm always finding beautiful things to decorate my home.  Like these pretty Comforter Sets.  Check the via Links for informaiton.

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I like every single one of these Comforter Sets - for many, many reasons.  I thought this was going to be easy.  Yeah right.  I have to keep in mind, carpeting, curtains [whether what I have will work, or I need new ones], colors of my walls...and most importantly, how it makes me feel when I see and feel it.

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I know I keep promising more decorating photos of my home, but things have been held up by the new vinyl flooring I had put in in November, that has "mini speed bumps" in it.  It's still in the what happened and how can we fix it so it doesn't happen again the next time we do it stage.  And how soon they'll do it is yet anyone's guess.  Everything hinges on that work being completed successfully and then the painting which will take place next.

BUT...even that may be delayed.  I'm in the midst of something that, at this point, could change what I can or can not do.  Sorry, that's all I'm going to say on that right now.  I don't care to post about it right now...too many "eyes" out there.

Have a great weekend...