The Duff House...My Kitchen Makeover

The very first time I came with our realtor to see our our house I loved it. I could see the work needed, but I could also see its lovely bones and the potential for a comfortable and homey abode. That held true for the kitchen even though, like the rest of the house, it was dark. Dark wood cabinets, navy blue floral wallpaper...everywhere. Dark red, stained countertops and broken appliances. Oh, and wood shutters on every window, top and bottom (these shutters covered every window in the house)

Here it is, in all it's former glory. It's hard to even remember how dark and cave-like it was in there. Are you digging the expanse of 80s wallpaper?

Here we are in the process of pulling off the wallpaper.  We also ended up removing the dishwasher altogether. Silas was so little in this picture!

And here we are, three years later...and about 90% finished.  Much lighter and brighter, don't you think?

You can see a few unfinished projects here. The window over the sink has weather plastic on it so we will paint it in the spring (if it ever gets here!) And we will be putting subway tile on the backsplash and a new kickboard in. And feet for the lower cabinets.

When we moved in these upper and lower cabinets were in the basement...not sure why. But we desperately needed the storage so we cleaned them and put them back.

This is the door that nearly everyone uses. It is getting refinished and reglassed in the spring. The hooks on the wall are our coat closet. While we live in a big house, there is a derth of storage space. Across from the hooks is a door leading to a back staircase. We use that mostly for storing mops and brooms. The kids use it mostly for playing spy games. And don't you think Sipsie matches my color scheme nicely?

A couple of notes about budget. We did the process slowly, waiting until we had the cash (or gift cards) to do a project. I painted the cabinets and hardware myself, the countertops are from Craigslist, the light fixtures and curtains are from Ebay, and everything else is either from a bargain store or tag sale. I would estimate that the whole room was done for around $400.

It was a long haul, but utterly worth it now. We spend a lot of our time in this room

and now we do so in comfort.

Next post: Living Room.

Have a great weekend!

The Duff House....My Dining Room Makeover

i had to clean my house yesterday for company 

so I thought it would be a great time to take some photos 

of what work we've done in some more of our downstairs rooms

here's the before picture with navy walls 

and dated wallpaper

the chandelier that we got on Ebay 

is already installed (after 4 or 5 attempts)

now for the light and bright

and painted room

the table was another Ebay purchase 

the chairs came from the church 

where my dad and grandfather were pastors 

and where my parents were married.

my china cupboard was thrifted years ago 

and the curtains are from a local junk shop 

it's the kind of shop that is cram-jammed with stuff 

and the guys who work there 

know exactly where everything is.\

love it

the opposite side of the room

the desk was my husband's grandma's

this is one of my favorite things in the whole house

we call it our autograph wall 

and i got the idea from a wedding we attended last summer 

where they had everyone sign a picture of the new couple

i'd been raking my mind 

for wall art ideas 

when this one came to me 

i love the graphic quality of it 

as well as the happy feeling 

when i see the signatures 

of those we love

makes a fun conversation piece too

this is the mantel

which changes frequently of course

the following are all pieces bought at junk shops 

for a few dollars each

it's not finished yet

but then

no room in my home ever seems 'finished'

half the fun of a house 

is changing it

The Duff House....My Bathroom Mini-Makeover

Three years ago we moved into an old house in a small town. The Duff House, as it's know around here, was built in 1880 and we are only the fourth owners in it's history. (I cannot even describe how much I love living in a house with it's own name....bliss!)The style of this house is Folk Victorian, which just means that the period is Victorian, but it's a regular farmhouse style rather than something fancier (like Queen Anne, Painted Lady, etc.) Of course, like many old homes, she needs some work..."some" being a relative term....and I thought I would post some photos of what we've done so far.

Here is the upstairs bathroom mini-reno which my brother-in-law helped us with. When we moved in we couldn't use the shower because it was a one-piece vinyl surround and had pulled away from the wall. It was gross. Notice the lovely blue toilet seat?

It is done for now, but eventually I would like to completely gut it and start fresh. I bought the paint from the Oops counter at Home Depot and the shower curtain on Ebay.

I don't have before photos of the downstairs bath, but it had 1980s wallpaper and oak cabinets. All I did was change out the shower curtains, remove wallpaper paint the walls, and paint all the wood surfaces white. Still no window treatments...not sure what I want to do there. (I think I took this at Christmas time-hence the tin tree on the vanity.) The flooring is horrible vinyl and will be replaced at some point.

I'll be posting other rooms soon, so be sure to check back!

Meal Planning Fun!

Trust me when I tell you that my family doesn't always look this excited at dinner time. And neither, for that matter, do I. Mainly because my cooking has become boring and routine. I tend to make the same meals over and over, and either overstock at the market and have food spoil, or understock and make countless trips back to Walmart or Aldi to "pick up a few things." And since I lack organization, our monthly grocery bill has also gotten out of hand. This relative chaos has been my "system" for 15 years, but I feel a change in the air. The time has finally come for me to start......drum roll, please.....menu planning.

I've decided that it's worth it to take a little extra time each week or month to meal plan in order to hopefully accomplish three things:

1) Reduce my monthly grocery bill by preventing over-purchases and food wastage.

2) Cook healthier meals for my family.

3) Reduce the daily stress of last minute meal planning and the dreaded "What's for dinner?" query.

So I did some searching and found a couple of good sites that have free menu plans to download. You can go  here to print blank weekly or monthly plans. Or if you want to save yourself even more time, go click on  this link to find a website that does all the work of meal planning and making grocery lists for you. You can choose from regular or low-cost plans. betterbudgeting.com is a great site that has menu plans, recipes and all sorts of household budgeting tips and info. They also have a printable Pantry List that you can use to help you stock up on supplies that every household should have on hand.

Hopefully you are already more accomplished than I am at this particular task. And if you are, please leave a comment telling me what has worked for you. If you're like me, and this is an area of you life that is still....under construction, then join me in turning over a new grocery leaf.

 Now if you'll excuse me...I have some planning to do.

Free E-Book!

I love the blog moneysavingmom.com. She has dozens (hundreds?) of great ideas for saving money, links to website freebies, coupons, etc. Today she has a link for a free ebook called "How to Bake" from The Prepared Pantry. To get it, click here: http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/02/free-how-to-bake-ebook-from-the-prepared-pantry.html

Flea Market Stuff

 

I love stuff. Old stuff, repurposed stuff, posh stuff, shabby stuff....just, stuff. One of my favorite places to find stuff is Rogers Flea Market in Ohio. It's my happy place. Really.

I usually only go once or twice a summer because it's on Fridays and it's not a place I enjoy taking my young children. (Though once in a while I cave and bring someone.....my kids love stuff almost as much as I do.) I usually spend most of the day there and leave 4 or 5 hours later when my pockets are empty or my van is full, whichever comes first.

Since I have all winter to plan my excursion I always take a list of stuff I want. It helps me budget, stay on task and not get overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of everything on offer. But of course, my list doesn't restrict me from impulse shopping (Last year a lovely bottle of Chanel perfume wasn't on my list but for $3 you can bet your bippy I grabbed it.)

Then there's live stuff. Fresh, locally grown produce...and bedding plants....perennials.....shrubs. My fingers itch to dig just thinking about it.

But my first love is treasure. So I thought I'd stick a few photos in this post to display some of the best stuff I found last year.

A framed poster of a gallery showing in Scotland of John Singer Sargent's works. ($5) Her name is Lady Agnew....I couldn't resist.

My younger two boys have a western theme in their bedroom....and for $5 this fits in nicely.

I don't care what your politics are....when you find a button like this with your name on it you buy it. I think they'll make great bulletin board push pins. I got several of them for a few dollars.

Okay, I didn't get this leather chesterfield chair at Rogers. I found it on craigslist for $30. But I love it so much that I had to show it off here. ($30!!)

This beauty is a leather doctor's satchel from the 19th century. The reason I know that is because when I got it home I found an original letter stuck inside from a grateful patient for some tonic the doctor had prescribed for her, dated 1899. $10. And the antlers beside it were a few bucks.

 Now you know just how much I like stuff and where I find most of it. I'm curious about you. What stuff do you like? Care to share? 

$8.00 Glasses....Are You Kidding Me?

I was reading some money saving tips from a blog I like, moneysavingmom.com and found a recommendation for a website called zennioptical.com that sells $8.00 glasses. Me curiosity peaked, I went right to it and found tons of cute looking frames starting at $8.00. And not just a few at that price....we're talking dozens of uber-cheap frames.

But I wondered, what do you really get for those prices? So I did some research and found that there are lots of folks out there who have purchased their glasses from them and loved what they got. If fact, Zenni Optical has hundreds of happy and loyal customers who follow them on facebook.com. Heck, if you don't love them, order another pair. And if you're still unhappy, just order another. I figure that for the average price of a pair of glasses from a regular optical store you could buy about a dozen from this site.

So I wanted to give y'all the information. Who's going to go first?

Museum of Natural History

Yesterday we went with our friends the Jeromes on a field trip to the Museum of Natural History in Oakland. Here are some pictures of our day.

Fiona and Noah pointing to the PA state bird. Do you know what it is? A Ruffed Grouse. (We did PA history two years ago.)

Bird's eye view of some big dinosaur bones. I think these are actually replicas.

All the boys.

The girls.

I think most of the kids like the Whale Exhibit the best. It was pretty cool (who knew a whale's heart has vetricles that are large enough for children to climb into and out of?) But my favorite section was Ancient Egypt. We studied that last year and I thought it was very neat. One of the best benefits of homeschooling is getting to go on field trips whenever we want to. Unfortunately we don't take advantage of this benefit often enough. So a special thanks to my friend Paula for scheduling it and inviting us.

Agnew Family Photos

We recently had all of Chad's family here for the first time in 10 years, so his parents decided to have some portraits done. They came out really well.

The entire clan.

Our kids and their cousin McKayla.

Chad's parents and all five grandkids.

Just us.

And yes Mom and Dad, I will be sending you a copy of the last one!

These Hectic Days

Achievement tests, science fairs, portfolios-OH MY! Yes, it's that time of year again and I have to confess, I'm very stressed out. Now, my friends will tell you that I'm normally a fairly laid back kinda girl. But not this year. Right now I have 4 children finishing school work (hopefully), 2 children playing baseball, 4 children needing a lot of help preparing for their co-op science/geography fair in a couple weeks, and 2 portfolios to compile in a somewhat orderly fashion. And did I mention that we have houseguests arriving off and on thoughout the next 6 weeks? I actually lie in bed each night unable to stop the wheels spinning and go to sleep.

Until I remember....to lay it all before my heavenly Father who loves me and wishes to remind me of what is really important. Schoolwork will come and go and baseball is temporary. But the stuff of heaven remains eternal. Matthew 6: 34 says it better than I ever could: "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." And don't forget Luke. Chapter 12, verse 22-34 which reminds us that we should not worry about what we will eat or wear for God himself clothes the lilies and feeds the sparrows, but loves his children infinitely more. Stop worrying! "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom"(32) I know that schoolwork is important and tests and portfolios, but that is all just the stuff of this life. What is eternally important is the biblical foundation we are giving our kids and the daily reminders of the love Jesus has for them. Truth be told, my work will get done regardless of how much I worry about it and these hectic days will pass before I know it.

So I will take a deep breath, go outside and enjoy the lilacs and tulips coming into bloom (at least the ones my little darlings haven't accidentally trampled) and I will devoutly ignore the dandelions that I don't have time to weed. And I will praise my Heavenly Father for my clothing and my food....and my work.

into eternity

'I must not think it strange if God takes in youth those whom I would have kept on earth till they were older. God is peopling Eternity, and I must not restrict Him to old men and women.'

Jim Elliot, 1950

Last Monday we heard the news that a local boy named Alex, who was working at a Christian camp for the summer, drowned. I never met him, but he was known and loved by many of our friends and is being mourned. People all over the county and beyond are surrounding his grieving family with love and tears and prayer, just as many friends did for my own family not long ago.

In July 2007, my nephew Nathan was killed in an accident near his home in Kansas. Had he lived, this month he would have celebrated his 25th birthday. I think about Nathan all the time and miss him more than I can describe. That missing often leads me back down the same path in my finite mind: why did the Lord allow that horrible accident to happen? The simple answer, of course, is that there is no answer-this side of eternity, at least. But the pain of his absence has served to imbue in me a new longing for heaven.

I'm ashamed to admit that for most of my life I have been quite content with rooting myself to this earthly existence. I rarely gave heaven, or the idea of heaven, a passing thought. Sure I wanted to want to be with Jesus, but until recently I didn't understand how to long to be in His presence. I know now what if feels like to ache to see a beloved face again. But with that pain there is also the simple assurance that I will see Nathan again, be reunited with unimaginable joy. And that joy is only a taste of what it will be like to see my Jesus face to face.

I Thessalonians reminds us that we do not grieve as those who have no hope. Without this steadfast hope we have in Jesus Christ, the burden of our grief would be overwhelming. It has to be enough for now to know that Jesus is peopling heaven with those whom we wanted to keep here for a little while longer. It makes our sorrow bearable and it keeps us alight with a steadfast joy that not even death can steal.

Shades of Grey

Name 5 female celebrities who flaunt grey hair. I couldn't, so I did a little web searching and found these.

Helen Mirren, Jamie Lee Curtis, Diane Keaton, Sally Field and Stacey London.

Not very many. But now I have something in common with them....yup. I'm embracing my grey.

About a year ago I realized just how much I wanted to go "natural" with my tresses. I made it for a while without coloring my roots, but at the three month mark I panicked, ran to Walmart and grabbed me some Loreal. But before I could undo all my good intentions I asked myself whether I really wanted to go back to the dark side. Here's what I realized.

One. I have zero desire to chain myself to a box of haircolor until I'm 90 years old.

Two. Regardless of how crazy most of my friends and loved ones think I am to forgo eternal hair youth, I want to go my own way. I refuse to cave to whatever pressure there is for a woman to strive for false youth at all costs.

Three. I actually like how I look with grey hair. Now that I'm coasting (freewheeling?) down to 40 I've begun to look around and notice other women in the 40s and 50s and what I see is this: most of them look their age regardless of the color of their hair. In fact, artificially dark hair juxtaposed against aging skin doesn't look as good as I used to believe. I know my naturally lighter locks complement my 38 year old skin better than the darkened ones did.

Four. Going natural (at least with my hair) has been liberating. I love feeling comfortable in my own hair. I love not having to worry that about either my peek-a-boo roots or the telltale stain of a fresh dye job. And I sure don't miss that amonia aroma.

Five. My husband loves my new look. I wasn't sure he would, because for years I've bought the lie that all men just want their women to look forever 21. He doesn't. And he frequently tells me he thinks I'm more beautiful now than ever.

Now that's love.

Happy Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year

Many of you know that our family belongs to a homeschool co-op. This is a group of moms and kids that meets every Monday throughout the school year and we moms take turns teaching different subjects and electives. This year we started a Kids Kouncil for the older elementary students. These kids meet regularly and plan service projects and activities for the group to participate in. Their first event was this past Monday when we all celebrated Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day. The whole day was filled with one fun activity after the other. And the best part was that the kids did everything except prepare the food. They did a wonderful job.

The morning was spent in China where the kids heard stories about Chinese Christians and missionaries to China, made decorations, learned some Chinese words, and culminated in (of course) a full Chinese meal. Yum.

In the afternoon we had fun exchanging valentines and watching the little ones do a treasure hunt that was completely planned, clues and all, by the Kids Kouncil.

One of the crafts the kids made was a Chinese Dragon. Here they are:

New Blog

So I decided to follow the pack and move over here to blogspot. If you are reading this then you are already aware of the change. If you are not reading this, then go to my old blog at homeschoolblogger and switch over. Oh, you know what I mean.