Ladies & Gentlemen... I give you - my kitchen!

Ever since I gave Granny Sue the option of picking the next room in the house that I wrote about, I have been looking for time to photograph it - right after I cleaned it. I'm not a neat freak by any means, but living in a construction zone can make any room in the house less than picture-perfect. So I broke down and finally have photographed the kitchen for posterity, at 1:30am on Sunday morning. What was I doing up at that hour? That's what I'm wondering as well.

I'll start off by introducing you to your tour guide, Franklin, who will from now on be giving the tours of the house. He spends the most time of any of us in the house, so he knows the most about it. Here he is, showing off the tacky white laminate floor that the previous owners felt would look great. Someone should have told them white shows dirt. All the dirt-

Eventually I will replace this floor, but for now it stays. Franklin doesn't seem to mind it.




This is the door to the basement, dressed in dried herbs and an old flour sack. The shelf on the wall is the spice rack - which has been hanging in that same spot since we moved in. It always seemed at home there, and is very easy to use. The dishwasher is mobile, and I wheel it over to the sink to hook it up when I need to use it. I have a valance for the kitchen window, but have to get a curtain rod for it.



The watermelon sack holds plastic bags for reuse later, and the flyswatter has yet to be used. With warmer weather, I'm sure the flies will be aplenty.

Here is the corner across from the basement door. The window and dishwasher sit next to the stove. This corner is a bit of a hodgepodge, since the countertop is a makeshift one. The stove is gas. As you can see there is a bit of a country vibe to the room, that's intentional. Alot of the stuff in here is heirlooms or stuff I've bought traveling in WV.



The washboard on the wall belonged to my great-grandmother Mary, who my brother has written about extensively on his blog. On top of the cabinet you can also see her cream pitcher, its brown and white - the one on the far right. The blue and white cow (on top the cabinet) belonged to my grandmother Virginia "Bunny" - who was the subject of my first post here. Also, just over the door on the right you can see part of the horseshoe that hung over the kitchen door of the farmhouse I grew up in located in Germany Valley.

The big white floor cabinet came with the house, and serves as what little counterspace I have. It came from IKEA I was told, and I think it is ugly as sin. Talk about an elephant in the room. But for now it stays-

I don't like the idea of an open kitchen, especially one opened to a traffic flow that leads from the back porch through the house. I keep thinking about all that dirt running through the kitchen. Let me know if I sound crazy. I've always liked the idea of having rooms - I'm not one for open living, for some reason.

Here you get a better view of the horseshoe and part of the dining room. It's yet to be painted. The archway now houses John's lantern collection - they seem to fit the space. It has to do with the railroad, I'm sure.

The other side of the counter in the dining room is currently also housing the plants during the winter. Some of the other objects in this picture are my favorite mug (red one, on the counter), the five lanterns, a white Nefertiti bust (with its back to you), and a gray castle I'm working on for the yard this spring. See anything you want to ask about? Everyone says I've got the weirdest things around my house - like those Ravenhearst games. It's probably true. But all of them have a story.

Here we have come full circle - the refrigerator, complete with magnetic towel rack, photos on the fridge door, magnets, and Granny's kraut crock on top (full of clothespins). If you look in the entry way through the door you will see signs of ongoing renovation, as well as an ionic column. Franklin likes to call it his pedestal. What's in the glass on the sink? Cherry 7-Up. That's Franklin's little blue cat cubby in the hall.

Well I hope you have all enjoyed the tour of my kitchen. Which room will I do next? I don't know - any suggestions?

I will leave you with this piece of advice. No matter how cute they look, never turn your back on a cat.

If they're anything like Franklin they'll go right for your toes!