Laundry room

This laundry room was my original kitchen.

While large for a laundry, it was tight 

as a kitchen with 3 kids.

The door leading in from the kitchen 

is door from a chicken coop.

It has a screen inset.

  I added a panel of bark cloth

to block the view and diffuse sound.

It was a window.

We didn't change it's size, so it is small.

The cabinets were here.

They were wooden, 

 I painted them a dark sage,

later taupe, and then

  my favorite color, pink 

when it became the laundry room.

I removed part of the doors 

when it was still kitchen.

I keep craft supplies on this side. 

The curtained area was a dishwasher.

It died and I don't have one anymore.

I am not a fan of them.

Call me crazy but

I would rather wash,

dry, and put dishes away

than have to face 

a full load to unpack

first thing in the morning.

I like the ritual of hot suds 

and flour sack dishtowels

that my momma embroiders.

I collect the red/green baskets.

I was a Longaberger consultant

and all those baskets are

either on loan to friends/family

or in the top of the shed.

I prefer old.

I also like the pink lights. 

It is like my own little honky tonk.

It is pretty at night

and it makes me smile.

We added the old doors to the cabinets 

 on the left of the sink.

The base cabinet was a weird, angled,

wonky thing that we removed.

I had a perfect sized one in 

my shop that "married up" great.

It  houses all my tools,

extension cords. 

It keeps me from needing a junk drawer.

On the right is a small freezer. 

I curtained the top cabinet

to be cohesive with 

the other curtained cabinet.

We keep our medicines,

sunscreen, etc in here.

I added reproduction decals to the doors.

I heart old decals, but while new

these make me happy. 

I distressed the whole thing

and mucked them up.

The cupboards house

my grandma's china and bulky items,

like crock pots and the popcorn popper.

We used to have the stove 

where the small freezer sits.

I had a table in the middle 

and a fat chair under the window.

Sometimes I miss the cozy

but, not when all my kids come home.

It helps to have the extra fridge

and freezer in this room.

The refrigerator in my kitchen

is all refrigerator, and no freezer.

I love it ... so much room.

My washer and dryer used to be

on an enclosed back porch 

where the new kitchen sits.

It froze on really cold days.

I don't miss that.

The wall cabinet I got at a local craft store.

CHEAP!

It's shelf is enamel. So cool.

The door on this side

leads to my long front room.

I would have liked to remove

this opening, but it is the only

way to move appliances in and out.

That is the mistake we made

while doing the design and 

construction of the addition ourselves.

To remedy that I added a prettier door.

It is a happy accident.

The light shining through is lovely.

If I had my "druthers" 

I would remove all these cabinets

and use antique cupboards.

Maybe one day. 

I have pieces in the shed

that would work.... 

but  it is not a priority.

For now it works.

There are only the two of us.

We don't have much laundry anymore.

And this pink makes my heart sing!!

my kitchen

Some of you have requested photos of my house.

Disclaimers first:

1. I  love to decorate.

 It may not be everyone's taste, but it is mine.

I prefer old over new any day. 

I am a junker and collector at heart.

2. This is not a photography blog.

My pictures are rudimentary at best.

I'll bring you in the way 

everyone who visits enters.

Come on in through the garage.

It comes into the kitchen.

We built this portion of the house on in 2000.

We needed a new chimney

and it was the easiest way 

to accomplish that goal.

We added the garage, kitchen downstairs

and upstairs, a master bedroom and bath,

with a basement under the kitchen.

There is a cellar under part of the original house.

On the left hand side is the working area.

This cabinet I "married" out of two

cabinets I collected.

I  had an antique shop

for several years and

did 3rd Sunday Market in Bloomington IL

for many of those years.

I pretty much specialized in primitives.

I call my style grandma-funk.

Then the corner near the door to the yard 

and side porch.

The sink wall is my favorite.

The sink was my late grandma's

Stuart made the cabinet for it and I distressed it.

The big glass door cabinet is

"married" to the bottom one.

I found the top through my picker 

at the time and the base

I got at the 3rd Sunday show

with the hopes someday I 

would get to build my dream kitchen.

The yellow cabinet in the corner I use as a pantry.
I got it as a surprise in April for my birthday.

The small door was the window 

in my original kitchen. It is now the laundry room.

On the left side of the room

is a sitting area.
 I started with a couch here,

then later the table in front of the fireplace

and an old counter for an island 

where the table is,

But my family likes having the sofa

and chairs better.

It suits our lifestyle.

So, I am back to my original floor plan.

  My desk is beside the fridge.

It transitions into the sitting room side.

I LOVE old linoleum.

I have several pieces with it on their tops.

This piece is covered 

and the label is one of the drawers.

I love how people made things do.

They made repairs instead of getting new.

I also collect little cubby cabinets,

see the 2 on the top.

Most of the drawers are empty.

The one on the right

is made out of old crates.

Someone took lots of time 

to make this.

LOVE it.

Stu took one of my old doors 

and made a daybed 

for me and the littles to lay in.

They read with me, nap and watch tv here.

I love this spot.

Our nephew has a concrete and masonry business. 

 He built the fireplace.

Once those stones get warm, they stay that way for quite awhile. 

 

The green cabinet Stuart surprised me 

a year ago at Christmas.

He is a great Christmas shopper!

I collect ironstone (the white dishes)

and little chairs.

They are scattered around the house.

I have too many to group together.

 So that is the kitchen tour.

I like color.

I am a neat freak,

but I do like my collections out.

I can't live sparsely.

I have tried.

I have to be true to me.

I change things around 

 pretty often and with the seasons.

I think that comes from 

having a shop.

And a decorate-y mom.

Stop in and see it in person,

I'll fix you a cup 

of that home-roasted coffee. 

Next up, my original kitchen,

now, the laundry room. 

Guess I'd better 

get out that camera!

Self-reliant or just cheap??

A few posts back I blogged

about roasting my own coffee. 

It was great. 

I had some friends over this week

and they concurred it is GREAT coffee.

I have done it 3 times.

I did burn one batch,

but now I have a system in place. 

I know what to do and what not to do.

This week I received 

a whole assortment of beans.

Different regions ...

different flavor notes.

I fear I may be in a little deep.

I have enough beans to serve Colombia. 

However, I like that I can have a

premium tasting coffee 

for very little cost.

Also, I made bread pudding for the very first time.

I realize I am old, but I had never tried it.

I had left-over homemade bread, 

and cinnamon rolls. 

I have tried to resist eating "white stuff"

(I like to torture myself this way.)

and it seemed a shame to throw them out.

Since I am into trying new things-

My friend and I 

made homemade laundry soap

this week too.

It was simple and quick.

The recipe produced enough 

detergent to do tons of loads.

What am I trying next you ask??

I am not sure...

but don't be surprised if you see me

with noodle flour on my hands,

no zipper in my pants,

driving a horse and buggy.

Amish- it's the new black. 

I don't do windows

Do you have a nickname?

I do.

My daughter, Abbie has given me one.

She calls me Little Arm.

  Unusual, I know for someone 

who sports Oprah-like arms.

There is a story behind this title.

It stems from an incident

a couple of summers ago.

On Saturday I had washed the siding

and scrubbed the porches.

We went to church that evening

because Stu had to bale hay the next morning.

I got up early Sunday morning.

I wanted to wash windows.

They had been splashed by all the siding grunge.

I was on a roll. 

I had music going and was kicking rear.

My windows in the front room

and Stu's office are wide. 

They are 44" wide.

They are 1/4 and 3/4, rather than double hung.

They tilt in so that is great but,

the bottom section is so deep 

you can't reach it and hold it.

I was putting it on a chair back 

so I could reach it all. 

The top is easy.

I was on my last window. 

This exact window I just posted.

I was standing on the desk

but couldn't reach it all.

I stepped down on the office chair. 

It was a swivel chair on a hardwood floor.

OOPS!

I flew back and sideways and crashed.

I landed on my left shoulder. 

I knew I was in trouble.

I had to focus.

I drug myself up and felt crooked.

I went for my phone.

I grabbed my cell, went back to the couch

turning the fan when I went by it. 

I was sweating and about to puke.

I called Stu and no answer. 

Then I called Maggie.

She answered and I asked

"Whatcha doing?"

She said "eating at Steak and Shake,

 we've been to church."

I asked her to try her dad again,

I had fallen and gotten hurt.

Two seconds later he calls.

He had no truck, just a tractor, 

the neighbor guy had to go get him.

We went to the local hospital.

They did the x-ray and cat scan.

The guy on call said you will have to go see a surgeon in Decatur.

You have broken your shoulder.

I bawled the whole way home. 

Who was going to babysit my grand babies?

Aubrie was 3, Everett was just 1.

I slept in the recliner and Stu slept on the couch.

I couldn't get in to the surgeon on Monday

so Tuesday we got an appointment.

I got disappointing news.

Surgery.

 My shoulder was pretty busted up.

They did the surgery the next day.

I came home the next.

No movement for 4 weeks.

I got some hardware, still do.

I slept in a hospital bed

in the living room for a month.

Not once did Stuart go upstairs.

He stayed on that couch, even though 

I told him I would be fine.

He was a great nurse.

He hired a cleaning lady.

He cooked, and he helped me bathe.

 He would shave the good arm's underarm. 

The other I couldn't raise.

He was (is) awesome.

We found a lady to keep the grandkids

on the days I usually had them.

After a month, I started therapy.

The doctor said if I could raise it to my waist,

he considered it a success.

What?

No way!

The first session, I prayed scripture 

in my head the whole time. 

It was so painful.

I worked hard, and man, it was hard.

I couldn't drive for 9 weeks, 

but my buddies/family were great. 

They visited, brought meals,

took me to therapy,

to lunch and anywhere I needed to go.

After 15 weeks, I was released.

I can put my arm straight up beside my head.

I can reach behind to my bra line.

My deltoid atrophied a lot. 

I have built it up,

but it just isn't the same as the other.

I don't have as much  strength as I did. 

I can't lift as well as I used to,

but hey, I'm no little arm!!!

#1 Jesus, #2 family, #3 coffee

Today I tried something new.

Something one of my favorite blogger friends 

http://talefromthecoopkeeper.blogspot.com/

has been nagging encouraging me to try.

Home roasting my own coffee beans.

Jayme, said friend, does it.

  She swears the stuff I have been mass consuming 

is inferior. 

She may have even said ... swill.

I trust her. 

She is who I want to be when I grow up. 

Technically she is younger than me,

but my story...my rules.

So, I ordered the beans a month ago

and then spun my wheels....until today.

I gathered the equipment, the beans, 

the roasting apparatus and ventured forward.

I was advised to do it in the garage.

Not to roast them in the kitchen 

because it smells like burnt popcorn.

I drug the gas grill into the garage. 

Mine has a burner on it.

 Yeah, I didn't bother to clean it.

Don't judge.

Next I measured out enough beans to last for 7 days.

That is supposed to be the maximum time frame

to store them for freshness.

Then the magic machine...

This is what the green java beans look like.

I put the beans in the pan on low heat.

Then, I started my arm workout.

In 2-3 minutes I had the first color change (orange).

Next, I heard them start cracking. 

In (about 30 sec.) increments they get darker,  

the crack in them changes color.

Oils come out. 

It steams.

It smells like over- microwaved popcorn.

Sorry for all the scientific terms,

but readers, I am very smart.

  After 10-12 minutes I decide it looks good.

I turn off the burner and head into the house.

I dump it on a paper towel to absorb the oil.

Next, I put it in a colander and stirred to cool. 

Lots of chaff falls out during the stir.

Luckily, being smart,

I stepped out on the porch into the cool air 

and the mess fell out there.

I think I could have skipped the paper towel step, 

but I didn't read all the tutorial until after I finished.

It's how I roll...remember, I am smart.

On returning from the porch, 

I see I have left the door to the garage open.

All the burnt scent has wafted into the kitchen.

Jane E. Smart.

While I wait for the beans to cool a bit more,

I decide to clean up my mess.

I need to air the garage, take out the grill 

and bring in my vehicle.

Story of my life. 

After the beans cooled I put them in a jar.

Then I ground and brewed my first pot.

I poured the first cup in great anticipation.

Then, for some unexplained reason,

I wanted an unusual coffee-time snack.

Most excellent!
It is official.
Janie = barista

Boom!

Mary, Mary, Qute contrary

Well, the garden catalogs have started to arrive. 

That means I need to get a game plan going. 

 Have you ever wanted to just tear it all out,

put in gravel,

 spend the summer with a book in one hand 

and an iced tea in the other?

No yard work, no guilt?

hmm yeah right, me neither.

 I have learned over the years that I love making a garden...

 cleaning the winter rubbish from the beds,

 placing my birdbaths and birdhouses in their perfect spots,
visiting the nursery for new plants,

finding antique-y, decorate-y, things for just the right places,

spreading the warm, dark mulch just so.

Yup, starting them is exciting.

June is easy peasy.

Perennials come up and are looking green and full. 

Things start filling out nicely.

Plants begin to really bloom.

 July comes and my grasses are getting big.

  Bird feeders are full of birds,

under them sprout all sorts of unknown plant specimens. 

But, I am keeping the weeds at a minimum.

Occasional watering is needed.

My garden is lovely.

 Late July arrives and it is Illinois hot and humid.

I make myself go out early in the day and weed.

@#$%& bird feeders. I fight the urge to pitch them.

 August comes... makes July feel chilly.

It is a sauna outside. 

I live on the surface of the sun.

Gardens, I am so. over. you.

 So as spring approaches, I vow to do better,

to persevere as the weeds multiply and the scorch ensues.

I'll keep you posted. Literally.

 

Pull up a chair.

My name is Janie and I am a chairoholic. I am addicted to chairs. Yes chairs.

I was doing housework today and decided to count my full-size chairs.

Not kid-size, stools or benches, because,  there are those too.

I counted... 35. I know, 35! I must try to explain myself. 

First there are seven at the kitchen table. That's acceptable. Right?

Two in the sitting area of the kitchen. Acceptable.

The front room has six. A rocker by the grand kids toy cabinet area.

 Four around the television and one at my desk. Normal, right?

Two in Stu's office. Still normal.

One in each guest room.

One in the nursery.

 One in the guest bath, kinda weird?

 One in my bath. 

Now here is where I get scared. In my room...FOUR. Ok, maybe that is too many.

. Who is sitting in these chairs? 

What are all these people doing while they are sitting in my room? 

Should I be serving refreshments?

So, I ask you "Do I need an intervention?"

Please come and judge for yourself.

And sit a spell.

Our bedroom

Our room is part of the addition.

It is the length of the kitchen and garage so

it is fairly long. 

I tried to break it up with seating areas.

The bath is across from the white wardrobe.

This the outside wall of the original part of house.

I wanted the whole wall left but I wasn't home and

Stu's uncle misunderstood what I wanted

so he framed a section.

I collect the plastic bead and safety pin baskets.

I can't believe ladies actually did that craft.

I also collect the souvenir pillows 

but only of places I have been.

I also collect bark cloth which

is a fabric from the 30's thru the 50's.

It is throughout my house

in drapery panels and pillows.

 

 I got the dresser for $50 from an abandoned house.

It holds tons.

I am fortunate to have walk-in closets 

in the eaves on both sides of the room.

One holds our clothes.

The other holds my wrapping supplies, vacuum

and access to the attic.

The curtained door opens to a small deck

and stairs to the ground.

Stuart thought we needed a fire exit.

I never sit out there b/c I don't like heights. 

Abbie painted the picture of her and her sisters

for me for Christmas.

I love it.

The bathroom is in the eaves and is not very big.

I am not a tub person so we opted

to just have a shower in this bath.