Corner of My Kitchen Upgrade

I showed you this corner of my kitchen back in December of 2007. We did an upgrade yesterday and I'm so excited about it. Can you see what has changed?

No, it's not the new crock or the new lamp although they are pretty cool. Try again.

There it is. Right there. See it? It's the new SWITCH that operates the disposal! Isn't this exciting? Let me tell you how we did it.

INSTALLING A DISPOSAL

First we went to Home Depot. I used to hate going there, but since the change in the economy, things are different there. Now I feel like I've walked into the Twilight Zone; the store is clean and organized, soft music is playing, and the employees are helpful. Anyway, we bought a disposal and cord, a new electrical box, a combination plug/switch thing, and some plumbers putty. Then I came home and crawled in the cabinet. When the Lord of the Manor built this corner cabinet he left an access hole for the plumbing, so reaching the work area was easy. We just took everything out of the cabinet and removed the drawer above for more headroom.

First I cut a hole for the new electrical box. As you can see I missed the stud a bit. Then LOM removed the plug right above the sink and poked a bit of wire down towards the hole. Luckily there was no blocking and the wire slid right towards me, so I made the connections and put the new plug into the box.

Then I put the box in the hole, tightened it up, and patched my boo-boo with some tape and drywall compound. Whilst I was doing that LOM was making the connections above. Now the switch controls this plug below the sink, so after we plug the new disposal into it, turning the switch will turn the disposal on.

Next we removed the old basket strainer assembly, cleaned off all the old plumber's putty, and fit the new attachement ring onto the sink. This attachement ring comes with the disposal and makes fitting the disposal a snap.

The last step is to connect the drain pipe. The old drain didn't fit, so LOM made another trip to Home Depot and got that new white adaptor. Teen2 said it's like a bendy straw and she's right. It will fit almost any situation.

So only about three hours after we started (and that included two trips to Home Depot and lunch at In-N-Out) we had this baby installed. And we love it! So now we are wondering why we didn't do it sooner. Have you ever done something like this and wondered what took you so long?

Back to School

The Lord of the Manor finished up a little project in the kitchen over the weekend. We'd planned to do this when we finished the kitchen two years ago, but it just didn't get done. Well, it's finally done and we love it!

This window faces West and at certain times of the year the sun glares into the kitchen. We needed something to cut the glare, so we hit upon this solution. So what is it, you ask?

See the box above the window? It holds a map like you had in elementary school, and when it's sunny we pull down the map and it not only blocks the sun, but gives you a geography lesson as well.

One layer has the World, and the other has the United States. I'd like to get Europe and the UK eventually; there's room in the box to add them. As a map lover, I believe one can never have too many maps.

Now with the old slate chalkboard salvaged from the local university and the maps, we feel like we are back at school again here Amongst The Oaks.

Ironing

Okay, who enjoys ironing? Raise your hand....just as I thought, no one! I had lots of ironing to do yesterday, and even though it was a nice day and I had the kitchen door open, it wasn't fun. There were tablecloths, napkins, and lots of shirts and I kept at it for a couple of hours. But this tear in the ironing board cover was annoying. I kept catching the iron in it and it was really bugging me. Even the smell of this apple crisp cooling near the window couldn't keep my mind off the fact that ironing wasn't fun.


But then the gears started turning, and I remembered these curtains from Teen2's bedroom, and I thought maybe I could make a new cover for the ironing board.

So I took the curtain all apart and sure enough it fit. So I laid it on the ironing board, marked the edge of the ironing board, trimmed it a little larger all around, made a pocket, and used the old cord from the curtain for the drawstring.

And now I have this lovely new ironing board cover. Too bad I made it after I'd done all the ironing, because when I was done I actually wanted to iron something, but I didn't have anything left. I can hardly wait for next Saturday. With this new cover I may actually start to enjoy ironing here Amongst The Oaks.

Sunday's Task

I keep utensils in this crock near the stove. About a month ago one of the salad tongs somehow jumped out and fell behind the range. Bummer. I kept reaching for the remaining one forgetting its mate was gone. Double bummer. So I threw the remaining one back there too. Silly, I know, but at least they were together. Finally today I pulled out the range to retrieve them. I'm not going to show you what it looked like behind the range that hadn't moved in two years, but suffice it to say, IT WAS GROSS.

So I decided to clean it all out. I wiped down the tiles. I cleaned the sides of the cabinets. Then the Lord of the Manor came in and saw what I was doing. He got involved and...

we took these grease catchers out and cleaned them too. And all up inside the hood. And the fluorescent lights. And then I cleaned the top of the range.

And here is how it looked when we were done. Phew.

And almost two hours later I finally got the salad tongs back where they belonged. And that's how we spent our Sunday here Amongst The Oaks.

Laundry Room Success

I'm sure you'll all be happy to know I've had some success in the Laundry Room. That stain remover stuff works pretty well and I've finished ironing all the napkins. I'm looking forward to ironing the tablecloth this evening. Exciting life, huh?



How about the rest of you? Do you use cloth napkins? Here Amongst The Oaks we use them all the time, even outdoors and in the kitchen. Consequently, I have lots of napkins and tablecloths. Here is one of those cupboards in the Living Room full of table linens. And there are more in the kitchen.



I guess I just like the homey-ness of cloth. And the warmth and substance. And the designs and colors. I think a family needs to sit down together and make an occasion of meals. And cloth table linens help make each meal an occasion. So I guess I'll just keep spraying and washing and ironing and trying to make each meal an occasion here Amongst The Oaks.

To Market, To Market

I spent some time wandering around antique shops over the weekend. I found this green wire basket that looks like it belongs in the cottage. When we got back from the farmer's market on Sunday I played with the produce and the new basket. And PW's actions again. Dreamy, isn't it?

Then I finally stopped playing around, set the table, and had a relaxing evening outdoors Amongst The Oaks with BIL & SIL.

Breakfast Views

Saturday morning. Yogurt and green tea. Grocery list. Piles of laundry. Breakfast views.

Book Meme

I recently read Mary's Book Meme post and I consider myself tagged, so here goes:

The Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest boook of at least 123 pages.

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people.

So the nearest book was The Tassels Book, but it didn't have any words, just this gorgeous photo.

so I moved over to the bedside table where I found Pride and Prejudice.

I've had this book for years and always meant to read it, and I'm finally doing it! So, on page 123, the sixth sentence is:

" Mr. Collins, meanwhile, was meditating in solitude on what had passed. He thought too well of himself to comprehend on what motive his cousin could refuse him; and though his pride was hurt, he suffered in no other way. His regard for her was quite imaginary; and the possibility of her deserving her mother's reproach prevented his feeling any regret."

As you all know, I love books and have lots of books and wanted to select a different book, so you wouldn't know that I'm just now reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time, but it's true. So here I am, finally completing my High School English Literature assignment here Amongst The Oaks.

And if you like the idea of this meme, consider yourself tagged.

Glittery Mantra

I made this little project last night. First I cut out these letters with my trusty X-acto knife and painted them gold. Then I applied glitter to the front.

This morning I selected a ribbon and started stringing them onto it.

S.....U....F.....No, that's not right!.....C.....O.....F.

Don't ask me why I strung them backwards,


but here it is. I hung it on my bathroom mirror so every morning it will remind me to focus on the good stuff. By the way, right below the U S is us, another one of those good things on which to focus.

Cooking Corner

Here's another "Corner of my Home".

This is my cooking corner. Here's where you can find me most often when I'm home. It's between the fridge and the stove and kind of out of the way. I've recently added a full spectrum lamp because my old eyes just seem to need more light. It reminds me of a boat because everything I need is right here or within a couple of steps. I'll also let you in on a little secret about this corner; the counters are a bit lower here because the floor in our kitchen is sooooo unlevel. When the Lord of the Manor installed the lower units he made the toe kick in this corner shorter to compensate for that, so I feel taller here, which is great because I am hobbit short.

I've got a window for view and fresh air, and next to it a spice cupboard. On the counter I've got canisters for tea, an old tin full of recipes, a cookbook stand, cutting boards and a tiny rubbish bin.

Just below I've got a cupboard for Grandma's mixer and a food processor and drawers for gadgets. Above are cupboards for bowls, platters, baking pans, and cookie sheets. More drawers on the right hold knives and pots and pans. And then there's the stove with my favorite burner and its ultra-low feature.

With everything I need why would I ever leave this corner? Well believe it or not, sometimes I get tired of cooking and just want to sit down and relax and that's when I move to Comfy Corner. (See below)

Comfy Corner

Another Corner of my Home

Isn't it funny that people have their favorite chairs and everyone knows not to sit there? Well, this is my favorite chair. Not that I'm that thrilled with the chair itself, but this is my spot. We've had these chairs FOREVER. I think I bought them at Ethan Allen in ... like ... 1978. Wow, that was a little scary when I actually figured out the year. So they are 29 years old! And they LOOK it too. The fabric is faded and holey on the arms. Maybe it's time for a change.

Anyway, here's where I sit in the evenings after dinner. I'm usually reading while the rest of the family is watching the tube. The table holds the newest magazines and catalogs, my reading lamp and glasses, a seasonal display, and my wine glass or tea cup. It's usually cluttered and messy looking, but I tidied it up for you. Sometimes it will hold a half-done crossword puzzle or bills and paperwork. Sometimes it also holds a project I'm working on or an empty ice cream bowl or candy wrapper. Shame, shame. It isn't always pretty, but it sure is comfortable, this little corner Amongst The Oaks.

P.S. Finally a foggy day so I can change my title block to what winter is supposed to look like.

Adventurous Corner

I've had fun seeing other bloggers' "Corners of my Home" so I thought I'd show you one of mine. Here's a corner in the library. I think this stuff has been here for about 4 years, virtually unchanged. Clockwise from the upper left you first see the anchor light from our sailboat. We had electric lights, but when we were anchored out for days on end and couldn't charge our batteries, we needed a dependable anchor light, so we used this kerosene lamp. Above it you see a corner of our yacht club burgee, then a sailboat model, and a silver cup we found hidden behind a drawer when we remodeled the house. When we started tearing things apart there it was, wrapped in paper, hidden away. It's not engraved, so we'll never know its significance. Next is a stack of old books inherited from Grandma (the top one is called Faraway Ports), a leftover block from our old sailboat, and a photo of us back in our sailing days. Standing on the left is the Lord of the Manor's grandfather's packet of flying papers. He became a pilot in 1930 and the Lord of the Manor inherited that same love of flying. The Lord has been a pilot for years and even taught others to fly helicopters for a while. In fact we both love flying and owned a small plane that we used to fly around the US and Mexico. Alas, that was BC (before children).

So there's just one little corner, but it holds so many memories. That's something I love about decorating my home; creating vignettes with old items that are so meaningful to us.