My Country Kitchen

Greetings!  It is Sunday afternoon, chilly and just like December should be!!   Geeps has been doing a brush burn out in the grove all day today.  It smells like a campfire!  I wish I had some large marshmallows and chocolate for S'mores!!  
Thanks for all of the nice comments about my family room rearrangement!  We are sure enjoying it this way!  Let's move into the kitchen and see how I repurposed the media center here.  We took the two pier pieces, and flanked the front window on either side.  The fit was as if they were made for this spot!  I cleared everything off of my shelves and washed it, tossed some, and later put some of the decorative pieces into the shelving unit.  This photo was taken from my laundry room door, looking into the kitchen.
My kitchen is long, galley style.  Very limited counter space, and not enough cabinetry space either.  Being one who loves to cook, it has always been a bit of a challenge to make this space work for me.  You can see the lit piers at the end of the kitchen there, on either side of the front window.  We will come back to the working part of the kitchen later.   After removing the kitchen table, we turned this dining room into a delightful little sitting area, with a little breakfast nook.  We moved one of the two matching chairs that were in the living room, into this room, along with the matching ottoman.  In fact, I am sitting in that chair right this minute, while typing this post.  That Christmas blanket that I have across the chair is tucked in around me nice and cozy!

After getting the two piers into place, and the club chair and ottoman, we realized that the space between the cabinets could easily work with a small table for a little breakfast nook.  Shopping the house again, we removed a table that I had in the living room.  I had a tablecloth on it, and it held a lamp and some family photographs.

This heavy oak table belonged to my Dad's mother.  Then, when my parents married, it was passed to them.  They had it cut down to a coffee table, and for as long as I can remember, we had that in our house growing up.  Mom gave it to me and I have used it all over the house.  I had to have the pedestal repaired a couple of times, and then finally, one leg broke off, and it couldn't be used any longer.  I removed the table top, and placed it over a slightly smaller diameter table.  I think I will paint the base of this table, as I am not fond of the lighter wood.  This little table underneath was in the kitchen at our family cabin in Big Bear.  I just love it to pieces right here in my kitchen, tucked beneath the front window.  Enough room for two to have a chat over a cuppa. 
I have it set with a pair of cabin plates that my Mom once brought to me as a service for 4, for a hostess gift.  I love them, and have never seen them anywhere else to buy more, or I would have.

The table top tree was also at the cabin.  The little santa in sleigh, and snowman were a gift from my brother David.  The little Annalee doll in pie was a gift from my Aunt Claylene.  The red Christmas thermos was a lucky recent find at a local thrift.  And the stitchery was a gift from my best friend Jae.

The pillows in the chairs were both made by me.  The one on the left, was a cream colored bolster pillow that Nana had on her bed.  I covered it with a red and polka dot fleece.   I put my Grandmothers (Dad's Mom) Rooster dishes inside the shelves on the cabinets.  I love that they light, and can be highlighted. 

On top of the one on the right, is a trio of Fitz & Floyd roosters, sitting atop come cookbooks used for elevation.

In the pier on the left, I have some roosters that belonged to my Aunt Connie.  I remember these in her kitchen as a little girl.  The little painted cottage was also in Connie's kitchen.  The bottom is marked
Corone Cunardo  Made In Italy

On the bottom shelf are two whimsical Roosters from my friend Holly.  A mouse holding a bunch of holly from sister in law Cecilia.  A chicken tureen, found at a thrift, and holiday photo spent with dear friends. Atop this pier, a beautiful Italian countryside scene on a platter from my Mom, and a red sassy Roo in a winter scarf.   The two matching urns with cypress sit on either side as well.

I will be needing to find a new rug for this space, but already I know that this will be used, and used often!  I love sitting here, and being able to see outside, and also into the living room, and look at the Christmas tree all lit up. 

As you can see, I am not the only one enjoying this space!
The kitchen itself doesn't have any changes, other than some holiday cheer that I have added.  Like the vintage Santa mugs with holly on the window sill.

The buffet and shelf above.

My red cookbook rack holds a favorite Christmas book.  Two holiday mice, dressed in their Christmas finery sitting in front.  These were also a gift from my brother Mark.  The shelf above holds the Christmas boot I painted when Drew was a baby, almost 25 years ago.  I keep candy canes in it every year.

I can still remember sitting at our little kitchen table, late at night painting this piece.  I chose it because of the three mice, for our three kids, Gennifer, Erika and Drew. 
I have been collecting vintage Santa mugs for a couple of years now, and these larger ones I put out on a mug tree that I painted red, and set it next to our coffee machine.  Noah had some hot cocoa in one of these the other day.

I have a lot of red in  here anyway, so adding the holiday pieces just adds that much more cheer. 

I received those beautiful flowers the other day from my sweet neighbor next door.  Katie sent them to thank me for caring for her dog for her.  They are so pretty, and they sure did brighten my day! 

I love aprons, and this one is my most recent holiday addition.

Looks like I need to change out the chalk drawing now!

This little holiday basket was a recent thrift find.  I washed it out well, and put it in the sun to dry.  I have a little holiday tea towel in the bottom, and keep my holiday melamine snack plates in there.

I was going to paint over the holiday scene in red, but it is growing on me.  These three nesting snowmen bowls were from Target last winter, I think.  And on the holiday tile, I keep my favorite nesting snowmen measuring cups, and a cookie press, along with a favorite holiday cookbook.

Living with limited cabinet space in here finally got to me a year or so ago, and I moved this wall unit in here to have an open shelved pantry, next to my other pantry, that just wasn't fitting it all very well.
After all of the moving around of things, I needed to give this a good cleaning and organizing as well. 

 I keep all of my dry goods in glass jars.  It is easily visible and easy to know at a glance, what I have, and when I am low.

I use the two lower shelves to house those big heavy kitchen appliances, that don't get daily use, but are used frequently here in my kitchen. 
There it is...my country kitchen. 

Nothing special, or fancy about it.  I don't have granite counter tops.  No grand island,  Cabinets need refacing in the worst way.  I need a new dishwasher, and my microwave and toaster oven are on a cart in the laundry room, just on the other side of that door.  But it is home.  And we love it.
I decided not to put my kitchen Christmas tree up in here this year.  And I didn't even take any of the lighted garlands out of the totes in the garage.  In fact, I didn't put a lot of stuff out this year.  No nativity, no village.  No sleigh, no hanging baubles in the front from the eaves.  No decorated mailbox, and I am not sending cards.  But it does fill my heart to see the many special things in here.  Although our house is not fancy, it is very much a cozy place to be.  Thanks for letting me share it with you today.
XO  Kris