Dark and Dreary Becomes Cheery and Bright!

Welcome to my modest kitchen renovation!
Ok, if you have a weak stomach, you might want to look away at this point. (LOL) This was my kitchen before renovation...dark and dreary. You can't see it in this photo, but the genuine builder-grade, formica counter top was melted in two spots where a previous owner had apparently placed a hot pan. The back splash was the same bland, beige formica. Over the years, I had replaced the dish washer and stove. I'm not a huge fan of stainless appliances and I knew I wanted a white kitchen some day, so I chose white appliances along the way.

Ahhhh...much better! :-)
I added Kohler under cabinet lighting that can all be turned on with the flip of a single switch. I almost never use the overhead canned lighting I had installed; the soft glow of the under cabinet lighting is so much nicer.

Got rid of the bulky t.v. and replaced it with a sleeker model. Cooking isn't my favorite thing in the world, so I love having a distraction in the kitchen to help pass the time.

Decided to go with neutral colors in the kitchen...the granite I chose is called Portofino...

Got rid of the beige formica back splash...yeah!!! One of the more expensive parts of the renovation was this narrow trim piece and the accent tile pieces you see throughout the back splash.

Wish I had taken a picture of the original stove before it was removed...it was awful. I always wanted a double oven but my kitchen is fairly small. I found this Maytag double oven that fits in the space of a normal one. The top oven is as wide as a full size oven and is perfect for casseroles, pizza, bread/rolls and about 90% of the things you might cook in an oven on a day to day basis. It has a toaster function which is awesome for making toast or heating up leftovers. It also heats up very, very fast because of it's size...so much better than waiting for a full size oven to pre-heat.

The lower oven is full size and will hold anything a full size oven will hold. The double ovens are really handy when you have a turkey in the bottom and a casserole or bread baking in the top. So if you have limited space, but would really like a double oven, I highly recommend this one.

Since my kitchen isn't very large, I wanted to open it up as much as possible. I've always liked cabinets with glass doors so I took all the doors to a local carpenter and he cut the center panel out of each door so I could install the glass...it really opened the kitchen up.

My sister, Glenda, cross stitched this for me years ago...she knows me all too well! LOL

Oink!

Since my kitchen isn't very large, I wanted to give it some special touches. I paid a little extra and had the edge of the granite cut with an ogee edge, as opposed to the standard bull nose or squared off edge you usually see in most kitchens.

Decided to go with red accents...

This may be my favorite thing in my new kitchen...a dish washing detergent dispenser. This appealed to my practical and aesthetic side...no more unsightly detergent bottle sitting out on the counter. :-)

Before I had a dull, stainless sink. I just love my shiny white Kohler sink. :-) And as Shelia (Note Songs) would say...can you love a sink? Yes, I think you can! :-) One side is nice and deep for really large pans.

I carried the granite over to the desk area in the kitchen.

I had the granite cut large enough to create an eat in bar area for the kitchen. Whenever I entertain, guest seemed to love sitting here. I purchased a "counter depth" KitchenAid refrigerator. Counter depth refrigerators are several inches taller than normal refrigerators and about 4-5 inches less deep. It gave me several more inches of much needed space.

Standing at the sink...this is the view. The room you see through the bay and off to the right is the screened-in porch.

A shot looking across the breakfast room and out onto the porch...

Hope you enjoyed this modest little kitchen renovation.

Tuesday is Tablescape Tuesday! If you would like to participate, just leave a comment here or e-mail me at betweennapsontheporch@gmail.com. You can click on the pink TT logo in my sidebar for the details.

A Plate for All Seasons...

In my kitchen, I have a little plate holder that for years held a red and white "rooster" plate. A while back I decided to make it more than just a plate holder with a decorative plate...now it's a fun way to mark the changing of the seasons, as well.




So when February rolls around, it's time to think about cupid...




And as it get closer to Easter...



Once Easter has past, it's time to celebrate the warm days of spring and summer...




When summer days begin to wane, the kitchen is ready for fall...




Been enjoying this plate for several weeks, but today I put it away and got out...




this one...


Fa, La, La...y'all! :-)

A Mother's Heart...

I'm missing my "little boy" this Thanksgiving. He and Teddy Ruxpin had matching pj's the Christmas this was taken. :-)

This will be the first Thanksgiving my son hasn't been able to be home for the holiday. He's several states away in his first year of law school, studying very hard and preparing for finals which start next week. He and his precious sweetheart, are so missed in this house today! But they have promised to be home for Christmas...and this mother's heart is counting the days.

Welcome to the 14th Tablescape Tuesday!

Recently I had a "china" panic attack! A china panic attack is what happens when you hear or read that a particular china manufacturer is trying to sell their business because they are fast headed in the direction of closing their doors. Unfortunately, there's a lot of that type news going around these days.

The company I heard about was Spode and my little panic attack was due to the fact I have been drooling for some time over a particular china made by Spode...and I suddenly had visions of it becoming unavailable. Now I've never done anything illegal, well at least knowingly...but if there's a black market for china, I might just cross that line! :-) This recent Spode news sent me scurrying to purchase a china they make called "Woodland."

Hope you enjoy this Thanksgiving tablescape set with Spode, Woodland.




Since Woodland is all about animals, particularly "game" animals, I decided to go with a woodland/hunt feel in this tablescape.




For a centerpiece, I used cuttings from the Leyland Cypress and Fire Power Nandina I have growing in my yard. I placed the cypress and nandina in a cache pot I had.



The pheasants were the only thing new that I purchased for this tablescape, well...except for the china. :-) I enjoy the challenge of trying to put together a tablescape that has a completely different feel from any tablescape I've done previously, but without having to spend a lot of money on the decorative pieces.




You may recognize Mr. Duck from my family room post and my recent Trim the Tree Thursday post. He's sitting on a small wooden box I bought years ago. I love to collect old boxes.


This vintage pheasant plate is usually in another room, but I thought it looked nice here on the sideboard for this tablescape.




The Spode Woodland salad plate shows a male and female Red Grouse...




The dinner plate depicts a male and female pheasant...




The bread plate shows a male and female snipe...



The cup depicts a quail...I think it's a male...




A snipe is inside the tea cup...wonder why they didn't put a female quail in there?




And the saucer shows a rabbit running along through a field...




I sprinkled some cinnamon-scented pine cones here and there. Then it dawned on me what nice placecard holders pine cones make.




A few more views...










Thanks for stopping by for my Thanksgiving tablescape. Please take a moment to visit all the wonderful blogs shown at the top of this post. Just click on the links and prepare to be inspired!



To view all the tablescapes that have been posted here over the last 14 weeks, click HERE.

Information about items shown in this tablescape: China is Spode, Woodland; Sterling is Towle, King Richard; Chargers are from Neiman Marcus/Horchow online a year ago; Candlesticks are from Hobby Lobby earlier this past summer. Paint color on walls is Benjamin Moore, Raspberry Truffle.



The following blogs have beautiful tablescapes awaiting your visit:

Above the Clouds

A Tale Of Magical Memories

Back Porch Musings

Between Naps on the Porch

Creating Myself

Deb's Country Kisses

Designs of 47th Street

Kathleen Ellis

Lynne's Gifts from the Heart

Melissa's Heart and Home

Note Songs

Oak Rise Cottage

Our Creative Life

Rose Colored Glasses

The Happy Wonderer

Northern01 (Elizabeth) on Rate My Space

Xinex (Christine) on Rate My Space

A Carpet of Flowers for Pink Saturday...

This Pink Saturday posts definitely has lots of that lovely color, pink, as well as quite a few other colors. Have you ever heard of the Grote Markt or Grand Place? The Grand Place is the central market square of Brussels and it is one of the world's most beautiful squares. Every two years it is made even more beautiful in the most amazing fashion. Feast your eyes on the following pics...click on them to enlarge.

Every two years, the Belgians cover the square with a carpet of flowers. Over 300 square meters are covered with close to 1 million begonias! Think about that for a moment...1 MILLION begonias! WOW! The pattern this year (2008) was based on a medieval carpet design. The first Carpet of Flowers was created in 1971 as a way to promote begonias.

The blooms have to be kept fresh for four days in the scorching August heat. This is helped by the fountains that are designed within the pattern of the carpet. The caption for this pic reads, "Craftsman arrange the carpet by hand directly onto the square cobblestones without any soil. Grass and tree bark were also used to provide color."

The beautiful carpet forms a stunning centerpiece to the square. It often includes scenes from Belgian folklore and myth mixed into its intricate designs. For a bird's eye view, one can pay a small fee to take a look from the first floor of the town hall. Isn't this simply amazing?! :-)
Please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for the links to lots more wonderful Pink Saturday posts.

A Purr-fect View from the Porch...

Does anyone remember this? It was the main pic for my screened-in porch posting when I posted it on Rate My Space. This is the summer view. {{{BIG SIGH}}}


When I stretched out on the settee this past summer and looked up, this was the view...

For the past few weeks, the view has been changing with each passing day. The green has given way to yellows, reds, browns and golds....and before long, it will look like this.


I will miss the lush green, but it's kind of nice to see the bones of the trees....they really are beautiful against that gorgeous blue sky, aren't they.

And then it will happen...one of those rare, warm Georgia days...right in the midst of winter. I will venture onto the porch and stretch out on the settee and look up.


This is the view I usually see next. :-) I'm not the only one in this house who misses sun-filled days...out on the porch.