Saturday, October 19, 2013

Random Saturday Musings

Hi everyone!
This is a catch-up post; I was so busy yesterday that I did not have a moment to do a Miller Time Friday post!  I trust that you were good enough to have a drink regardless (except for you xoxo - hope you are enjoying your mum and sister!) and I can tell you I did!  I was so tired by the end of the night that when we put on the movie The Heat, I was asleep in 5 minutes and woke up for the last scene!

Where to start?

1) How about Thanksgiving?

It was nice.  I ate too much, but that was okay, because it inspired me to start my diet!  There is ALWAYS a silver lining, folks...

A little bouquet from the garden...


A pumpkin pie.  I suspect I was the only person in the city who had maple leaves AND cocker spaniels on their pie.  I tend to open up the drawer and whichever cookie cutter is found first is used.  I am quite partial to the puppies - they look quite noble, don't they and they tasted grand!


A place setting.  Those are the lovely napkins I purchased in Elora Ontario this summer.  I wish I had bought more than 4 and will have to add a bunch more!


The table, laden with food, and Barry...
 

The thankful diners!


2) Update on kitchen!

Some pictures of the last two days.  The first is after Barry removed the old fridge and stove and tore out cabinets to make room for the slightly larger fridge.


At that point, while waiting for the new fridge, he laid down hardwood in the spot where the old broom closet once was.

There is nothing that makes Barry happier than tearing out stuff.  There is an awful pile of broken cabinetry on my front yard that proves it.  I hope it is gone before our dinner company.  I know better to nag.  Oh wait - I don't know better than to nag.  You would think I would know better.


We had scope creep for sure....

Here you can see the new fridge and stove in their places.  We took down the old light and replaced it with a modestly priced chandelier from Home Depot.   We took down the pot rack which we found made the room darker and because well, I do most of the cooking and I could barely reach the pots and pans!  So they are stored below and in other places!


The new fridge is a wonder.  Rather than build cabinetry over it, which again would be nearly impossible for me to reach and would have to be very deep given the beast that is this fridge, we are going to put a mirror or something similar on the wall above and behind.  You can see I brought one home which is going back - it is too small (though it seemed pretty large in the store!).  Am going back for the bigger one I saw!


Since the new stove is a slide in, we suddenly had room on the wall behind and so I put up a small piece of art that is a reproduction and which I won't mind if it gets grimy!

I think I need to name my stove!  Betty? Any other suggestions?


My chandelier and stove inspired a more silver-y kind of approach to decorating and thanks to GetFresh, I polished my silver quickly and I love this look!



Beside the fridge, Barry is going to build in a pullout pantry like this:

Rev-A-Shelf Tall Wood Pull-Out Pantry with Adjustable Shelves for Kitchen Cabinet #pantry #kitchensource #pinterest
I will try and take a better picture tomorrow when the light is better.  All in all, we are very pleased that the stove died!

3) Tory Burch skirt.  If you recall, I bought this for a song on ebay and wondered how to wear it.  Someone suggested a chambray shirt (Blue Booby or Knityarns maybe?).  Anyway, I gave it a whirl and was pleased with the results, so I wanted to share a picture and say thanks!




4) Mum

Today would be my mum's 79th birthday.  We will light up her portrait tonight and say a toast - I am sure she would like that as like me, she enjoyed a good spectacle!


Love you Mum!

I am off to find larger mirrors, clean some bathrooms and dust, and encourage the stove that is lying like a wounded beast on my back deck, to move on....


Have an awesome Saturday and stay safe out there!


34 comments:

  1. Wendy where to start, I love these Musings posts and this one especially. That portrait of your Mum is so beautiful and lighting it up for the toast is so sweet. Barry is a wonder, he's really quite handy and does get this stuff done... though with greatness comes a big mess. Hopefully it will get cleared away today.
    I need to zoom in on those napkins so I can look for more for you on my next visit to Elora. Your table was fantastic!
    Loving the TB skirt, chambray is perfect with it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Funny Dani, was just thinking same about napkins, have a baby shower near Elora next month. Do not tell my DH with greatness comes mess, we are currently surrounded by electronic ephemera as is.

      Delete
    2. With greatness comes mess? Oh no! He reads this blog, you know!!!!! Those napkins are divine - thick and lovely. I think I can order online from them and I think I will order a neat dozen!

      Delete
  2. OPTIMIST PRIME WMM you really are a silver lining yourself. Glad you make use of your polishing tray. And I'm liking the contrast of the homely Jamie cups with the trad. bling. Sending a good wish upwards for your mum today...And more proof Blue Booby and Knit Yarns give good comment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HA! The BB and the KY are unstoppable!!! or it could have been AB? Thanks for the good thoughts!

      Delete
  3. Love the new kitchen sTuff, the portrait of your mum, the grateful diners, the skirt and most of all, I adore Barry the wonder. He's built quite a fan club here, don't you think? I need to borrow him to install a new dishwasher, do you think he would be open to getting paid with oatmeal cookies?
    That outfit is fantastic, suited for a really famous authoress!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AB - he likes to travel and he has never met a blog follower he didn't like! ;-)

      Delete
  4. I thought you might christen your cooker Nigella or Ina.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OOOOH - good one....the fridge is sexy, (I mean, come on - the light gets brighter as you leave it open, practically glows..) so Nigella for that and Ina for the cooker might be just the thing...

      Delete
  5. Love everything: the new stove and fridge, your outfit, the table setting and that charming picture of your family. I usually don't like posing for pictures and I realized that most pictures I have of myself are at the table with family and friends, laughing and eating. As the Italians say, at the table one never grows old.

    Barry is such a treasure. Hubby is not good with household stuff and we have to call repairmen even for little things. The problem is they take forever to show up and when they do, they always find other things need repair that you wish you never knew.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear you!!!! Well we save on Barry's labour, but make up for it in other ways....

      Delete
  6. Hi Wendy, what a great job Barry did! And I think the pull-out panty will be perfect next to the fridge - they are a great idea. I spotted the chandelier straight away - it really goes with the unfitted kitchen look. I like GF's suggestion of Ina for your new stove's name! Talk about taking lemons (conked out stove) and making lemonade!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Patricia! Although to be fair, the $800 stove bill was replaced by $5000 in new appliances (taxes in), $200 for new light fixture and another $200 in bits and bobs! Oh well... ;-). I think I made lemon meringue, lemon cookies, lemonade, everything lemon!

      Delete
  7. We toasted your mum over champagne at Turnberry today!
    Wow, our Barry has been busy, I would love a pull out pantry, I can't reach anything, I also love unfitted kitchens and the art work looks great there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I am sure my mum would be so pleased! Yay for champagne and mums! I prefer unfitted kitchens as well - they just seem more cozy!

      Delete
  8. Barry is really incredible! We could never do any of that stuff ourselves so we would never even try -- very exciting to have all of that underway!

    I must tell you, I am IN LOVE with the cocker spaniel/maple leaf pumpkin pie. I think I need to make a Monty-themed pie STAT.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ohhh, so many fun things to read about and see in this post Wendy, love it! Your Thanksgiving looked lovely and cozy and delicious. Your kitchen -- love!! That fridge is amazing, and I love the pretty chandelier touch. The Tory skirt is so pretty, and perfect with the chambray top. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think we need to syndicate you and Barry with all of your farflung bloggy friends getting a share. Concept is, B+W arrive, B fixes and installs stuff, W speaks sternly to garden and cooks things, all sit down to eat and admire B's accomplishments, next day host family treats B +W to sightseeing, shopping, and dinner in local restaurant of note, following morning B+ W check that work is holding up, and move on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WFF, I think you may have hit on a perfect tandem act for the MMs. But we might need to throw in a chauffeur-moderator to get them from gig to gig ;-)

      Delete
    2. I'm in and happy to chip in for the chauffeur-moderator. So W+B ... don't you want to come to Southern California? It's in the high 70s/low 80s today, bright sunshine with a nice cool breeze ... it will take more than one day for the sightseeing, shopping and dinner in restaurant of note here. Just sayin' ;)

      Delete
    3. I second TR and volunteer myself as first hostess. You can hit two of us here in Southern California so I think you should make that your first destination in the MM tour. Right, TR?

      Delete
  11. Love your skirt with the chambray shirt!!!!

    You are so lucky to have a husband that is so handy:)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the pups and leaves on your pie. The only pumpkin pie I'll eat are homemade ones (hint, hint). Your Thanksgiving table is spectacular! And your kitchen remake is outstanding, lucky you ineed to have Barry who is so good at tearing out and building in. I rather like Betty for your stove ... Nigela for the sexy fridge is perfect. Chambray works with everthing, I'm convinced. I'm now feeling very inadequate, I better get busier... ;) Happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh and I missed cocktails yesterday so will raise a glass for your mum today.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yeah for new appliances...the cost sucks but you will love them. We redid our kitchen three years ago and I still gaze at my appliances lovingly. You look wonderful in your picks. Like the outfit. Fall has arrived! I got to wear a scarf...hunter was in shorts and short sleeve tee. He refused to admit he was cold until we got home and he changed into sweats, long sleeve tee, and socks. Cheers to your mother, she raised a beautiful young lady.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I was going to originally suggest Ethel and Lucy for your appliances but Nigela and Ina or Betty just may be better :)

      Delete
  15. So many lovely things in this post! The pumpkin pie looks yum, love the cocker spaniels!
    The fridge is huge! I have total fridge envy.... The stove too is a triumph! I'm shocked how efficient Barry is. In our house this type of thing could well take a month or two.....
    Love the skirt and chambray, and cheers to the memory of your mother x

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a lovely Thanksgiving feast, it looks so delicious! Having family close is a real treasure Wendy, it's nice to know you cherish it. Of course I didn't have a drink Friday, or any day lately but I'll raise a glass of water to toast your new kitchen. How fabulous that Barry is so handy and enjoys it all too. A pullout pantry is on my wishlist as well, only it is a cabinet in the sitting room to hold glassware and the bar. Next year the renos should be finished but then we will likely have a cottage to rip apart. It never ends.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Will encourage my husband to look at Barry at work which just might inspire him to get to the house renos we have on the go or in our minds. Love the new look.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary - we are all about cheap, until we go crazy! Thank god he can do the work, as it makes it cheaper. I was also relieved that we sold the old fridge so quickly, which brings the other amount done again. phew!

      Delete

Kindness is a virtue...