The Kitchen is FINALLY Done!!!

 After starting in January, taking a break over the summer and picking it back up in September, we've finally finished everything.  Well almost, the inside of the pantry (behind the closed pocket door) still needs to be painted but that will get done sometime in the next 2 weeks.  

It was a great project and the best news is that we're still married!!!

I'll provide details in a bit but wanted to get the pictures posted now for y'all to see.

He's Home!

And we put him to work on his first morning home.  

But mowing the lawn on the John Deere is not really work.

Missing Sarah Richardson

I can't be the only one out there who misses Sarah and her too funny side kick, Tommy.  So, I decided to get my Sarah on and commissioned my favorite neighbor, Rose, to work on some guest towels for us.

The timing is great because we'll have about 11 guests for Memorial Day weekend.  Problem is, only 6 of them will know for sure which towel is theirs, guess I better get to work on 7 to 12.

PS. Did you know that if you click on the picture you'll see a much bigger image?  Try it.

A Whole Lotta White

It was recently pointed out to me that I hadn't posted pictures of our living room after the ceiling painting was complete.  Well, here it is.  There've been a few other changes including new shades on the front window, new pillows and a smaller chair in the corner.  I'll post updated pics very soon.

Deck Changes

We've lived with the treated pine deck for a year now with plans to change the railing and stain it the same color as the patio cover on the rock deck.  Well finally we got a round to the staining part and are very pleased with the results. 

Notice  Fat Albert & Margene don't seem to mind the color of the unstained deck.

Here's my DH at the mid point.  Like everything else we've painted, it was done with a brush and a rag.  Rollers just seemed to add too much stain and that stuff's not cheap!

 The final result is quite dramatic and the contrast between the dark wood and the rocks on the house and the adjoining deck looks great.  It's not finished yet as we ran out of stain just as we finished the top and are now waiting for some dry weather days to finish the undersides that can be seen from the river.

Dinner & Vino

 I should have titled this post "Retirement Joys include having a dinner party on a Monday Night" but that was too long. From the quality of my photos you might say, there was a little too much vino consumed by moi.  

We had lots of fun getting to know new friends and action thriller novelist, Bob Doerr.  You could call it a "book club meeting" (Ann & Mary will approve) as we discussed Bob's previous books and his upcoming 5th in the series.  But, having only been to one book club meeting in my life, I'm not sure discussing books after many bottles of good wine really qualifies.

If you're interested, here's an Amazon link to his 3rd  novel that my DH says was his favorite, I'll be reading it on my next vacation and let you know. http://www.amazon.com/LOOSE-ENDS-KILL-Bob-Doerr/dp/1590957180/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336511781&sr=1-8

Backsplash Update

Well I've caught up on my blog posting because we just finished this project today.  It took us FOREVER to find a backsplash tile that worked with the colors in the floor tile and that we both liked.  So here it is and we did it ourselves.  We're very proud and if you can squint your eyes and overlook the nicotine colored cabinets, you can see the beach house vibe we were going for.  

Cabinet painting will not happen until September as we have too much fun, and family/friends visiting planned over the next 4 months to disrupt the functioning kitchen till then.  In case anyone is wondering we used Clayhaus tile that is handmade in Oregon.  We couldn't be happier with their product and the color we used is called Steel.  Pretty gutsy of us to do our first tiling project with an expensive tile, but that's how we roll.  

Big Changes

Sorry for the blurry photo, this is our first meal cooked on the new range.  It's fabulous!  This picture reveals other newness, countertops (Bianco Carrara Marble) and floor tile.  

 Here's a better shot without me in it.  The stove, microwave/oven and countertops are in and the backsplash area has been prep'd for the tile.  You can see the new lighting my DH installed above the range.  Big improvement and he didn't electrocute himself.  Yay!

The most dramatic change  happened over 3 weeks in January with the installation of new tile throughout the entire house.  It's a dramatic large format tile that contrasts wonderfully with the white walls.  Now we just have to do something about those nicotine colored (thanks LZ) cabinets.  We'll be installing our backsplash tile and then choosing a color for the cabinets. Deb, I need color help! 

Second Oven

Here's Larry working on the removal of our vent hood in preparation for installation of the new Micowave/Convection Oven Combo.  I really would have liked to have a professional vent hood but since we decided not to change the footprint of the kitchen or replace the cabinets, this seemed like the best way to go.  I'm loving the space we gained to the left side of the range now that the old microwave is gone.  

Now that it's installed and I've used it, I'm loving having 2 ovens.  It really works great as a small oven that, because it vents through the roof, doesn't heat up the kitchen.  I asked Larry to mount it a little higher than is normal so that it would look less crowded over the range.  Wait till I post the pictures of the new range and backsplash.  It really looks like we know what we're doing in the kitchen!

Tomato Time

I haven't given up, even after last years non-crop.  We had beautiful tomato plants with almost no tomatoes.  My neighbor, Rose tells me not to be discouraged as last year was an unusually hot summer.  Second hottest on record to be exact.  But I think Ann had it right when she said my garden looked a little crowded.  This year I've scaled down the number of plants in a box and my DH built me another to plant in.  Hopefully, I'll have enough to share this year.

Here's a couple of pics to see how they started.

 The first garden has 4 tomato plants, 3 are BHN 602s, 1 is a Black Krim.  The BHN 602 was voted best tomato at the San Antonio Rodeo this year and the Black Krim is an heirloom type that had a very dark skin and interior.  My heirlooms last year didn't do well.  I may have picked varieties that don't do well in the heat here. On two opposite corners I've planted basil and rosemary.  We have a very mediterranean garden going this year.  Wish me luck.

The new box has 3 tomatoes,  all are Celebrities, and I added 3 globe eggplants to the far end.  Maybe one to many but I'm greedy.  I also planted two small herbs, thyme and oregano, that will grow until the tomatoes crowd them out.  

Architectural Salvage

Gonzales Texas is the place to go for anything old, crusty and fabulous.  We found two old porch pillars (they're not exactly the same, but close) to place on the short wall that divides the kitchen from the family room.  We're not sure if this is a load bearing wall (do you remember the 3 cedar log posts that were there in the beginning?)  but, these two pillars seem to be holding things up.

Here's a before shot of the post we put in temporarily after taking out the cedar logs (I'll find a pic of the logs and post later).  It's also a great shot of the front of Larry and Domingo and a fabulous old jack, with chippy green paint and rust, that Larry has refused to sell me, so far.  I plan to wear him down though so watch for a future post on my new (old) jack.

Last thing, notice the black and pink granite counter tops?  Stay tuned for changes... 

Did we tell you about the tree?

Hello to all of our followers out there in blog land.  So sorry for not posting in ages.  We've been busy!  I'll try to catch you up on all of the happenings here, especially after receiving a personal plea from an Argentinian follower who explained he was "hooked" and thought we might have died!

So, about the tree.  Seems that when the master bedroom was added to the house there was a little tree in the way.  Our renovations (about which I will post soon) uncovered the trunk that they had just left in place and put tile right over the top.  No mortar or anything down into the hole, just a tile over the top.  I'm still hoping we'll find money or treasure buried somewhere but so far, just this tree.  

County Fair

What a blast.  The annual county fair with roosters, chickens and all kinda farm animals.  And the exhibits, I have talents I didn't even know might qualify for a blue ribbon.  Just wait till next year!

Too bad the blue ribbon obscured the head of this beautiful rooster.  I told the people waiting for me to take the picture that this was Suzy's bird.  They were impressed.

The rodeo was fun too.  Best part was watching about 50 kids chase calves around the arena to grab a ribbon for a prize.  Great hometown fun.

Official Texans

Yep, we've finally made to Official Texan Status.  We're the proud owners of a truck that's too big to fit in the 3 car garage.  Who woulda thunk?

Crackers & A New Table Top

It's been a good weekend here on the river.  The weather is getting better and the Mertz family have been here 3 days in a row.  I made rye crackers on Saturday that were delicious with swiss cheese.

This morning we went to a Gospel Brunch with friends and then home to work on sanding and painting reclaimed floor boards for an outdoor coffee table my DH will put together.

Here's how they'll look put together.  They'll be cut to size, sanded and finished with a shellac to protect them from the elements.  More pictures to follow. 

Our Barn Door

This is it, finally refinished and hung on the vintage hardware.  It functions beautifully and really adds a lot of personality to the room in addition to the privacy for the guest wing of the house.  

The backside is a different color and look but I forgot to take a photo of it so I'll add it soon.

The New Chandy

Love, love, love the new chandelier with the burlap shades!  The scale is perfect for the table and the room and it looks so much better than the $38 Home Depot special. 

 

See the new shelves and the refinished mirror?  Did you know that if you click on the picture you can see a larger version?  The mirror is a work in progress.  Love the placement and that it reflects the light from the new chandy but it was gold and now is a burnished Spanish Copper over the gold.  Not liking that much so I'm investigating silver leaf and may try it on this mirror.  Again, stay tuned.....

I may experiment with some antique crystals to add a little bling and will surely be adding something to it for the Christmas season.  I'll be on the hunt for something suitable when I go to Wimberley Days this Saturday.

The Wait is Over

No, this isn't a post about our son coming home.  Darn.  It's just a good picture of the black wire shelves that I used to hold and display a lot of my beautiful serving dishes.  I liked the shelves, but they were making the room feel cramped. So this is what we did with the barn boards from our previous post.   

Here's my DH, he's the Alan Luxmore to my one half of the Texas Picker Sisters (you have to watch that series).  I'm the idea man, he's the contractor in chief.

Dry fit assembly in the great room.

Here it is in place.  You might remember that I bought 4 boards (and have the black iron pipe and fittings for 4) but the shelves are only 3 boards high.  We decided that 4 boards would be just too high for the space.  I couldn't be happier with how they look and function.  I'll post another picture of the entire room after we hang the mirror and the new chandelier (it arrived last night, yay!) so you can see the difference the lower shelves make in the room.  

Hope you like them.

 Details;  Old reclaimed barn siding was washed, sanded, cut to fit and then a white brining wax was applied followed by a coat of clear wax.  Buffing was necessary and the newly cut ends were dry brush painted with a Martha Stewart gray paint and then waxed.  The legs and posts are 3/4" black iron gas pipes and fittings.  The legs have a 3/4" to 1" reducer fitting that make a very stable base.  Normally the black iron pipe is a bit expensive but I found an Ace Hardware outlet store in Brooklyn New York that has prices almost 2/3 less than the local big box stores.  They also offered free shipping on orders more than $50.  Score!!!  Let me know if you want their web address.  

Our Latest Project

Not going to tell you what we're doing yet.  You'll just have to guess.  Today I drove all the way to Johnson City to find these old barn wood pieces.  

Love the age and the patina on them and hope y'all will like them after we're done. 

  

Decided to buy them after my attempt to convince an old guy to let me have 4 boards off his very old barn failed.  I guess he doesn't watch Picker Sisters.

Stay Tuned!

Hatch Chiles

They're in and we are so excited.  Chiles from Hatch, New Mexico were available at our local HEB and I bought a bushel.  Of course given the choice of mild or hot, I chose the hot and boy they weren't kidding.  Here's my version of a Chile Con Queso a la Chope's, our favorite Mexican restaurant when we were in El Paso.  I came close but the heat of the chile nearly blew our heads off!