Our New Console Table

After 6 weeks, we have our new console table in the house.  It was made by a craftsman who builds furniture from reclaimed wood from old barns.  I saw his work in a shop and wanted a smaller one.  The owner of the shop explained the builder could make it to my specifications, so I gave him the size I wanted and off to work he went.  

And it is gorgeous.  The wood has worm holes, dings, etc., and is finished to a smooth finish without taking away from the worn character of the planks.  So lovely and we are pleased.

 

It looks great in our hallway.  Right now it is adorned with holiday plants.  Such a lovely piece in our sweet little home.

Until next time...

Enjoy!

Apple Butter

Monday is Christmas and I am not ready.  I only have one day off this week,  and it was today.  So I spent the better part of the afternoon making apple butter to use as a small homemade gift.  After shopping this morning, I gathered my supplies and proceeded to get started on making the delicious apple butter.  

First I sliced 5 pounds of apples.  I used Gala apples today.  I sliced and placed them in my crock pot,  then added one cup of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  

I then placed the lid on the pot and set it for high, and left it alone for about 2 hours.  It was after the first 2 hours that I started to stir the apples about every 20 minutes.  After about 4 hours total, I felt it was time to turn off the heat.  I allowed the apple mixture to cool a bit before I went at it with the immersion blender.  

After getting most of the lumps out, I ladled the butter into 4 oz. jelly jars and capped them off.

I now have 12 jars of yummy apple butter goodness to hand out as gifts for the next couple of days.  The butter is great on biscuits, toast or home made bread or muffins.  We like to add it over pancakes, or ice-cream!

Just need to add a bit of ribbon and a tag.  

Yum!

Until next time...

Enjoy!

 

Holidays Approaching

How can it be that Christmas is less than 2 weeks away?  Our city is lit up with holiday lights and decorations, houses are adorned with wreaths, bows, and candles in the windows.  Even the boats tied to the docks are trimmed with Santas and blinking lights.  

As for us, we have slowed down to a snail's pace with the house redo.  Too much other stuff to do.  Baking, shopping, partying...doesn't leave much time for renovation work.  

But that's okay.  It's Christmas time.  We need the break, and want to enjoy our holiday being with family and friends.  

So off to baking, shopping and partying!

Until next time...

ENJOY the holidays!

 

Making Soap

I had a few hours to myself, a rarity these days, and I decided to try to make soap.  I want to give a "little something" to my friends during the holidays, but don't want to buy junk that will probably end up sitting on a shelf or re-gifted.  I make jewelry when I have time, but that does take more than a couple of hours.  So I did a little research and I thought soap making would be something I could tackle.  

After a few hours, this is the final result.  Not too bad.  

 

Here's my goat milk, honey oatmeal soap...all natural ingredients.  Next time I think I will add some tea tree oil for a hint of scent.  I was pleased with the end result. 

I gave some to my sister and daughter.  I want them to try and then give me a honest review of the soap.  Both have sensitive skin, so I am hoping this soap is gentle enough that they are able to use without problems.  

Not too bad for a afternoon of just relaxing in my new kitchen!

Until next time...

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with great food, lots of love from family and friends and good health.  This year I was able to share the holiday (after getting off from work) with my family.  My sister came down on Thanksgiving Day.  And my brother and his wife joined us also at my parents house.  My daughter and her family came along later in the day.  Captain Man and my son were already at mom's helping her with the prepping and cooking.  As I sat around the table, I was filled with such thanksgiving...my parents still with us, my brother getting the "all clear" after a year of fighting colon cancer, my precious granddaughter smiling at me across the table, a man who loves and takes care of me sitting beside me, my sister making me laugh 'til I cried, my children happy and healthy and sharing this holiday with my parents...it was truly a day of happiness and thanksgiving.  

No pictures with this post...just a few words of thankfulness for my life and the wonderful people I love who make it so special for me.  I am truly blessed.  

Until next time...

Enjoy your blessings!

 

Our River House Fixer Upper - Week 31

It is week 31!  Amazing.  Almost time for Thanksgiving, with Christmas next month.  I wanted our house to be completed before the holidays, but that does not seem to be in the cards for us.  But that is okay!  We are so blessed and I have nothing to complain about.  

We are slowing down some with the house.  That is a good thing.  Means we are close to getting the list checked off.  And we are taking time to spend with family and friends.  That's a really good thing!  

Last weekend, we had our special friends from Charleston over for a few days.  We always have a great time together and we always agree we need to see each other more often.  We are planning a special trip together next October.  Can't wait for that!!!!

In between having fun, I did get another job checked off the list, well almost.  The living room has one coat of paint.  Need at least one more, maybe two.  Will see.  The fireplace mantle is done...and this is my favorite mantle of the three in this house. 

This is how it looked when we bought the house.

Don't you just love the wall paper!

 

The messy job of getting rid of many layers of paint! 

Weeks and weeks of scraping...(amidst other jobs throughout the house)

 

 Finally, a layer of primer.

 Then a coat of latex.

And a second coat.

And it is done.

It really needs one more coat, but I could not wait to share it with you.  I love the craftsman style and this fireplace is a great example of what it should be.  The tile is the original subway tile, some pieces are cracked, but I am okay with that.  The mirror is the original beveled glass mirror that shows some corrosion bleeding through and I am okay with that too.  Such charm and character and I LOVE IT!!!

It has taken me some time to get it to this point.  Although I haven't spent every spare minute working on this mantle, it has taken a few months.  But so worth it!!! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with love, family, friends and joy!

Until next time...

ENJOY your blessings!

Our River House Fixer Upper - Week 29

When I sold my house in Mt. Gould about 13 years ago, I got rid of a lot of stuff.  It was amazing to realize how much I had accumulated over the years.  Before I moved out of the house, the kids came over and took what they wanted.  The rest went to the new homeowners.   The only pieces I kept were the ones that meant something to me.  This bookcase is one of those pieces.  

My dad made that bookcase for me about 30 years ago.  It is a huge monstrosity, over 7 feet tall and about 3 and a half feet wide.  It was made with some leftover boards from another project.  My dad is not a carpenter and did not have professional woodworking tools or skills,  but he made this bookcase with love, so therefore, I could not part with it.  I kept it at my parents house and now that we have a house, I wanted to bring it home.  

My original thought was to place it in our dining area but after the kitchen/dining area was done, it just did not seem to work for me.  The captain was gracious in allowing me to figure out where to place this huge piece, as I know he was thinking "why are we putting that thing in this house" although he never said a thing.  

After giving it some thought, I decided I wanted it in the guestroom.  The problem...it would not fit the stairs.  TOO BIG!  Not enough room to make the turn, would not fit through bedroom door and too tall for the hallway ceiling.  I was disappointed.  But my captain solved the problem.  He cut the bookcase in half, carried both pieces upstairs and used Bondo to put it back together (he always comes to my rescue!)

My plan from the beginning was to paint the piece, as I did not want the "varnished" look.  So by cutting it in half, then putting back together...painting it would hide the repair.  

And this is how it turned out...

I LOVE it!  It will allow us to store our books (some still in storage) and add books (to read when we have time 😑).  You can see how big it is, the door is over 6 feet tall.  The color is Espresso, and I am so pleased with the way it turned out.  And it looks like it was made for that room.   I never would have thought to cut it up and put in back together again.  Thank you Captain Man!  Now my dad's bookcase will be used and loved in a brand new way!

Until next time...

Enjoy