Sunday, December 8, 2013

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

37 comments:

Teresa Kasner said...

More inventive re-arranging, my friend! I just wish I was your neighbor and could come over and hang out and crochet with you. We could make xmas cookies together! I made 4 fun xmas gifts today. I love the glue gun!

❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉
*M*E*R*R*Y* *C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S*!*
❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉

((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Anonymous said...
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Debby said...

I would much rather see cozy than fancy. Sometimes I look at some of these homes and think that I will never ever live in something so fancy. Love all your decorations. I seem to do less and less every year but I still enjoy what I do. Happy Holidays.

Home Meadows said...

Everything looks terrific and it's all your special touches that make your house a home. Your chair by the window looks so comfortable with great natural light for whatever hobby best suits the mood. All your personal touches make me long for my home. All our things are packed away in storage, we have minimal decorations out that we made for this year. Thank you for opening your home. Hugs, Heather

Patty Antle said...

I enjoyed the tour, Kris. Love all of your decorations, the Santa apron and all of the meaningful things you have collected through the years. Isn't it fun to rearrange things! I love it too and I can see how much you are enjoying the change.

Kelli said...

Love the tour of your kitchen. I love your collections. I want to start collecting the vintage Santa mug...I have been keeping my eye out for them this Christmas.

Becky said...

Kris,everything looks so pretty. I love the placement of all your furniture.
I think my favorite is your vintage Santa mugs in your window. So adorable. Merry Christmas Kris. Blessings, Becky

From the Kitchen said...

If you'd give me a cup of coffee, I'd love to sit down and chat for awhile. Cozy--just like I like it.

Best,
Bonnie

glor said...

Kris, I think you house looks beautiful ... so very inviting. Your touches are perfect ... so sweet, your red rooster with the white scarf. Lovely. Blessings.

priscilla said...

Looks great , Kris ! Love all your roosters !

Debbie Kay said...

Looking at your BEAUTIFUL home gives me a million ideas and I just adore all your "county themed" items. Ohhhh those rooster things make me swoon, I just love them. Thanks for sharing and giving us a peek at your "Cozy country home"

Hugs,

Debbie

Gracie Saylor said...

I admire how you have arranged the lovely things that have been given to you, or that you have collected, Kris. You are surrounded by love :) I especially love the breakfast nook area....the entertainment cabinets really are perfect there...perfectly filled...and the table for two...perfect, too....and the chair to lounge in I can imagine will be a favorite spot for you! Thanks for sharing your beautiful cozy home with us.
Love,
Gracie xx

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Your home is lovely and cozy, Kris! It is amazing to me how the cabinets look like they were made for the area...what a good use of space!

Taci simmons said...

It's so much fun to move things around... You just few like you are in a new house...it looks great my dear friend. I haven't been able to decorate much as we are I a little apartment, but hoping next year will be great and fun at our new house :)

Debbie said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE the whole window area. What a wonderful idea of where to put everything. When we left our old house I did a very similar thing in that I divided up the entertainment unit ~ that was huge ~ into 3 places....we actually had to saw it apart in one place though you could never tell. And put them like you on either side of the window on either side of our fireplace. They were perfect and like they were designed for there. Isn't it wonderful to come up with new life for old things, haha. Everything looks warm and cozy Kris!

Lynne said...

Everything is so cozy Kris! You've created a lovely home for your family. Enjoy your week :)
Lynne

Deb~in~Denver said...

Oh, I LOVE, lOvE. LoVe every bit of it! The little breakfast nook and sitting area is perfect! So cozy! The piers do look like they were made to fit and the roosters look great in them! Your Christmas touches are so cheerful. I love your home! We have a small, old home without all of the fancy things, too. I love it and wouldn't trade it for any big, formal house, anywhere. You can see that your home is filled with love and comfort......just like it should be! A perfect reflection of YOU!

xo

Betsy said...

It is so cozy Kris. Granite counters, perfect kitchens mean nothing if there is no love and coziness around and your kitchen screams both. Each thing you have out has a memory and that, to me, it what counts. You've made many, many people happy with the meals you've cooked in your perfect little kitchen and it's beautiful.
Thank you for sharing with us.
Blessings,
Betsy

podso said...

I am past trying to keep up with the latest home trends. Your house looks so comfortable and homey and to me that is the most important. The kind of home where anyone would feel comfortable stopping in for a visit or a cup of coffee. I like all that you have done but can't figure out what you did in the kitchen with the pieces from the entertainment center. To answer your question to me, we switched our dining room and living room, and have done it over a year to give us time to be sure we like it. It is about all finished now.

Amy at love made my home said...

Everything is looking lovely and very Christmassy. It is hard work doing the furniture shuffle, but with good results! We have been furniture shuffling most of this year, but I think it is worth it. Hope that you are enjoying all of the changes you have made. xx

Jeanna said...

Kris, this is the most warm and welcoming country kitchen I've ever seen! Thank you so much for sharing this special place...I love so many things about it. I could totally take up all of Google's space allowance in listing the many special elements about your home.

I was a grouchy, stressed out little miss tonight until I read this post.

It's OK to leave some things in the box and NOT send Christmas cards... (ok, I might have a little trouble with the cards, but we'll see).

Thank you for this my friend!

Susanne Tyree said...

There probably isn't a woman alive who wouldn't make a few changes to her kitchen, myself included. I think yours looks great and if it works for you then all the better. Every now and then I would get a bug up my butt to do some changes. One is to trade my round oak kitchen table for a rectangular one....I am still contemplating, but then I talk myself out of, telling me that the old one is just fine.
Susanne :)

Sunny Simple Life said...

Kris I love the change to your breakfast area. You are all set I see and I adore your Santa mug collection. I keep seeing them in blogland and think I should have collected them they are so adorable.

Grammy Staffy said...

I love your beautiful cozy home. I can see the love and care that has gone into making it so warm and lovely, I'm sure that all who enter can feel the love. I'm not doing as much decorating this year either and I'm almost done except for cards. Merry Christmas with hugs

Poppy said...

Kris,

Your kitchen can certainly 'multi-task', just like its owner, I bet! I love all the red, (of course, that goes without saying!), and the buffet vignette is charming, as are the Santa mugs with the holly by the window! Your pretty kitchen is definitely THE place to be in your home for the holidays!

xo
Poppy

Mereknits said...

I love everything you have done Kris. I think your home is perfect. It looks lived in, and it is! I do not want to be in a home that is soooo fancy that I do not feel comfortable. Your house is cozy and filled with many wonderful treasures.
Hugs,
Meredith

NanaNor's said...

Dear Kris, I love all your decorations and the fact that they bring you joy! I'm limiting what I've put out too; you are in my thoughts and prayers dear friend.
Hugs,
Noreen

Holly said...

Your home is the warmest coziest place I know. Just walking through your front door, I can feel love lives there. Wishing you the very best holiday since you sure do deserve it. Love you, my friend!

Pam said...

You are such an amazing home decorator! I always love seeing how you decorate for the different holidays and seasons. Your kitchen looks amazing!

NanaNor's said...

Hi Kris, I came by yesterday but then had to run an errand so decided I needed another fix of your Christmas Kitchen. It is so lovely and inviting. Just wish you lived closer. You have such a way with making your home warm and welcoming.
Hope you are having a good day!
Hugs,
Noreen

Sinta Renee said...

I came over today because I just knew that you would be sharing photos of your wonderful festive home! I love seeing all of your collections. Happy holiday's to you Kris!!!

corners of my life said...

I love your collection of vintage Santa mugs.

Cheryl said...

I have been so out of touch!!! Just went through your posts on your beautifully decorated Xmas house. I love all your collections and everything looks so warm and festive. Great job Kris! Do you still have any of your scarves for sale?

Jill said...

You have a lovely, warm and inviting home Kris...it's filled with love and special moments and nothing can compare to that. Some of the biggest, grandest, homes have very little love inside them and that is so sad. Your house is a home as it should be, cherish every minute as long as it's filled with laughter and love!

Blessings,
Jill

Nicolle said...

Your kitchen is one of my favorites! I'm so glad to see another peek at it. The cross stitch that your friend made is so cute, and I love your Santa mugs...I have a few of them as well. I love all of the charm that your kitchen holds! xo

Debbiedoos said...

Your kitchen is mafnificent Kris. So many things I wanted to steal..too many that you would actually notice. Love it. Merry Christmas to you and your family. XO

Val said...

I love your kitchen.