Kitchen Memories

Years ago when I moved into my own apartment, my mother gave me a few things to get me started in my new kitchen. She gave me her yellow mixing spoons and her oven mitts. 

I loved these items. Not because they were brand new and looked stylish, but because they were my mom's. They conjured up so many memories of my young life in my parent's home.

But, like most older items, they were becoming a little dingy and in need of replacement. So, I bought some new oven mitts and found a few mixing spoons at TJ Maxx. I debated about what to do next with these old pieces that held so many fond memories. So, I whipped out my phone and took photos of them so that I could  remember all of the happy thoughts they invoked.

And, yes, I did finally throw the mitts and the old spoons away.

What's New {8}

A series about things I've found that seem to be making life easier, more fun, and/or more efficient.

The Scrub Daddy is one my favorite kitchen products. A couple of months ago, I thought I'd give the sponge a try and I was pleasantly surprised. This cool sponge comes with a happy face right on it. What more could you ask for!? It changes texture as it gets wet and the water temperature also effects the sponge's effectiveness.

My sister, a cleaning expert, was pretty happy with the sponge when she was at my home (and, kindly, doing my dishes). So once she gave it the seal of approval, I knew I needed to stock up on these sponges. 

I purchased a 3-pack at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and I noticed while I was there that they have a whole variety of other sponges in the Scrub Daddy line. I think I'll give them a try and report back.

I paid for this myself. The above opinion is my own. And, I'm receiving no compensation.

Kitchen Redo

When we bought our house we realized there would be a few things that would need redoing. We tackled the bathroom right away and took care of carpeting the stairs. Our final area to remodel was the kitchen. 

We chose to remove a wall unit oven and microwave and replace it with a tall cabinet. 

View of the kitchen when the former owners were living here

Old and outdated wall unit with oven and microwave

We also removed a cabinet and replaced with a slide in oven/stove combo and a microwave above. The remodel meant that we would need to have part of the granite counter top removed and a portion of a cabinet removed. 

Taking out the countertop and stovetop and removed the cabinets.

The process was a little slow due to some unforeseen events. But by the time the whole thing was done, we were thrilled with the results. 

New microwave and slide in oven/stove.

Cabinet installed in the wall where the former oven and microwave were

Outlet in cabinet

Slide out drawers

Cabinet with a view to the hallway

Inside of cabinet

House Items

A few little items to share from around the house. I bought some tulips at Fresh Market yesterday and they really are pretty. I put them into some mason jars and have them in our dining room. I'm attempting to will Spring to arrive sooner rather than later. The mason jars are actually from my great grandfather's home and we discovered them in my dad's attic over the Christmas break. So, I'm putting them to good use. 

Around Valentine's Day I was shopping and found The Gurgle Pot. I've wanted to purchase it but thought it was a bit expensive. 

The shop where I found it was going out of business and it was on sale for 50% off. I was thrilled and scooped it right up. We all get a kick out of hearing it gurgle when you pour.

And finally, we had three canvases hanging on the wall in our kitchen. They were a chef theme and a year or so ago I decided I was over the chef look. So, I took them down and hung on to the canvases. 

In the left of this photo you can see the former chef canvases

After much deliberation I painted the horizontal canvas black. It took me two coats of paint and after allowing it to dry, I went back and added the saying. I was inspired by this sign but I put my own twist on it. I'm pretty pleased with the final product.

Inspiration piece

My version of the above sign

A New Table in Town

Well, after 6 months of being table-free in our kitchen, I finally purchased a table and chairs. My original goal was to find something at Goodwill and redo it. But, I just wasn't finding the right table. Then I looked at a variety of stores for a round table in either a dark wood or black...still nothing that I liked in the price range I was looking. 

So, I went with a table and chairs set from Walmart. I was surprised at the decent quality of the pieces. It was a great price, the perfect size, and the color I wanted (black). I didn't really need the chairs, but it was such a great price with the chairs, so I went for it.

Photos of the table and chairs in the bright sunshine. 

Refrigerator

Out with the old and in with the new!!!! Yippy. Our old refrigerator pooped out on us about a week ago. The repairman said it would cost $968 to repair it! Ha Ha!!! Seriously? So, that meant we needed to select a new refrigerator.





The big old white box had a fun little dent in the middle of the front door. It happened when the door fell on John's red toolbox when we were moving out of our old house and into this house. I kept it covered with a photo so no one would know.



The new sparkly box is so happy and bright.



We are excited to have a water and ice maker on the front and PLENTY of room on the inside. I think I may need to go grocery shopping and fill up this baby!