What's in Your Fridge...?

I've been a follower of the Life in Grace blog for a while. And recently there, I came across this very funny post and challenge. It's an off-shoot of a Mark Menjivar exhibit, looking at points of stewardship, how we eat and how we take care of our bodies. Some of the fridges are quite funny....

So, without any cleaning or shifting around, as is -- my refrigerator.

So what does this mean....? What insights can you draw?
1. We need more fruits and veggies...though I like to buy fresh as close as possible to when I will use them....and this was kind of an 'off-week'..

2. You can definitely see that I am a No-frills shopper. No name and Great Value are usually my pics...but for some items, YES definitely, you have to go name brand and just pay a little more.

3. We are obviously stocked in the butter department.

4. What you can't see is that there are 4 different types of strawberry jam...my husband LOVES bread and jam....and when he's in the mood for such, he will quickly look for it in the fridge and subsequently not find it, therefore, opening from the pantry a whole new jar. This goes on frequently...

5. You will also find 3 containers of yogurt --- because what my husband does with #4 and jam, he also does with yogurt (except that he just buys another one, he doesn't find it in the pantry lol).

6. A reminder to myself to get to that meat that is defrosting (has already defrosted) in the tupperware (bottom left). I don't like cutting/messing with meat and so I usually procrastinate in this department (even if its for a fabulous sounding recipe)...and then I end up throwing out the meat because I am just not sure...

7. The two gallons of milk -- yeah, that will last us about a week and a half and we are a family of 2 adults, 1 toddler and one on the way.....

Overall, I am proud of myself because (besides the occassional meat - see #6) I don't really waste food -- I make enough for my family and we usually eat leftovers from dinner the next day as lunch or I am able to transform it into a side for another meal. Also, I don't really have a lot of processed/ready-made food or condiments (because I am really on a "as natural as possible trend").

If you decide to take this challenge....let me know k?

Productivity via "Awkward Neighbor Moment" Lane

As most "awkward stories", this is somewhat of a long one.

We redid our kitchen about a year ago. And since then, the space over the window has been shamelessly naked. Either because I couldn't find a curtain I liked or I hadn't ever come across time for me to make one - the space was pretty empty. And really needing some coverage. But coverage finally was demanded - and given - last night.

Why?

Put it this way. A day or so after remodeling our kitchen, the next door neighbors upon bumping into my husband outside in front of the house said "Oh, I see you redid your kitchen". Oh, my husband says, then asking how the neighbor knew this. The neighbor says: "Our first floor bathroom window looks right into the kitchen".

Can you see the tiny window --- to the bottom right of the hanging bird and slightly above the wood fence. Yes, see what I am talking about?

Now there's somewhat of a tiny window, so I hadn't thought it was the window of a room (used multiple times in a day) as the viewing gateway into a kitchen that I am in every day. And sometimes, I'm functioning as if the window directly across from me is a low-usability window. Functioning as in, being in my robe (or not)....as in, adjusting bra straps....as in...oh the blatant horror of what I could have possibly done unknowingly.

And to make matters worse, their window is right over their toilet. So there have been a few times that I am casually doing the dishes having awesome thoughts of my family, of the yummy dinner, of my beautiful white farmhouse sink....and I look up and Ahhhhh --- there is a head looking back at me from about 5 feet away. He's doesn't even have the shame the guilt the obvious decency to look down and not directly at me. I try to casually look down as if I hadn't seen him because I was too busy looking at my reflection in the window, OR I was admiring the color of the brick of his house OR I was staring at a tree.

Then I just wait and wait and wait. Seriously, how long can this guy go for? He's like 80?! Finally, I peripherally notice the light go out and I know it's safe.

And that's when I say THAT'S IT! I am making a curtain for this window. TONIGHT.

Here is the space before.

Yes, my impulse to do this came post-washing of the dishes....as you can see them all! Lol.

Here is what it looks like now.

And to help in my recovery of the situation, the curtain costs, around $2.50!

The material is a sort of jute/burlap-y material --- really something that is used to cover trees during the winter I think. I found it LAST YEAR in a liquidation store for about a buck.

The fabric the ruffle is made out of is leftover fabric from d'stash (read: free!) and the flower is a plastic green orchid that fell off of an arrangement (read again: free!). The ribbon is two rolls of a fourpack from the dollar store so that's about .50c.

Here's what happened. Oh no, my story ain't over yet. (Remember, I am a New Yorker!)

Initially, I was going for a short cafe style length. However, I didn't want to cut the material in fear that it would fray and that I wasn't sure of using fray-check. So, I left that "decision" to the end when I would either just fold it under or fold it over for some pretty dips in the fabric.

I accordion-folded (and pinned) the plaid fabric to the bottom of the burlap material and then straight stitched. Then I hot glued the red ribbon to the "intersection" (where the burlap met the plaid). Finally, I found a spot (about a 1/3 of the way in on the left) where I wanted to place the flower and hot glued that as well.

Then it got interesting. And I thought I was doing so well....

Being a Mis-treater (and following the Nester), I was dead set on just staple gunning the material to the wall. Made my first attempt, the staple didn't catch. Tried again, maybe I wasn't really at the right angle. Turns out, the staples I had in the gun were for light-duty and these were partial drywall-partial plaster so all I was accomplishing were scratches and paint chipping.

K, feeling still very motivated and unmoved by this, I decided I would up the anti and NAIL the thing to the wall. It's burlap and practically full of holes so I could just kind of "hang a box" on the nail. Shamelessly slammed three nails into the wall, put the curtain up and realized I had too much "dippage" in between nails, so okay, what am I to do? Hammer more nails, right?
Of course.

So I banged two more nails but it still wasn't hanging right.
Plus, the nails weren't lined up....really. I could tell. Kind of look like a picture of a heart monitor.

I "fussed" artistically with it. You know, teasing fabric this way, schmoosing it that way, giving it a good fluff. Besides the fact that when I would fluff on the right side, the left side would fall off the little nail head....(meaning very unstable.....it would be a concern when during the summer, the window is open...and a slight breeze comes in...) but it just.wasn't.looking.right.

It's like a scene of an accident --cant look away right?

Now I was getting a little teed. It was about 930 at night and already I chanced waking my sleeping 2 year old from the usage of a hammer, but I didn't want to wait another night to put this curtain up. After all, these are like free shows for my neighbor. This curtain was going up tonight.

But I didn't think that I had any curtain hardware laying around in the house and I didn't really want to use powertools to make additional holes (and wake the baby). Then it dawned on me....Didn't I see a curtain rod on the workbench in the basement....My heart leaped with hope. Please don't let me need additional hardware to put it up.....

I ran downstairs and for sure, there it was. A plastic cafe rod from the Dollar Store WITH holes at the end for me to just stick a nail through! Bonus!

So I returned to the kitchen, figured where I wanted the rod to be and then attached it to the wall. Perfect, I thought and then went to put the curtain on.

Duh. I needed to put the curtain on the rod first and then attach it to the wall because in order for me to not need any additional hardware I just banged the nails through these two little holes on the sides of the rod.

And besides, looking at it, I thought, naaah, with it being burlap and all hole-y, it doesn't look right with that much "light" coming through. It looks like I just put a potato bag up on the wall and called it a curtain. And the wall is so much taller than the window that the curtain just looks awkward being in the "middle" of the window. And I didn't really want to block that much light. (Probably if I had made the curtain not so long, this wouldn't be a problem and would be just like petite cafe curtains but I didn't want to cut in the fabric).

So I decided to put the curtain up. Waaaay up, to where the wall touches the ceiling. I felt like that was the spot.....

Okay, a slight interruption....
This whole time that I am putting this curtain up, I'm climbing up and down the countertop, leaning towards and against the window now GIVING MY NEIGHBOR A REAL SHOW. Thoughts such as "please don't have my zipper fall down" (because of course, I was wearing the jeans who's zipper definitely believes in the Law of Gravity) and "think my pants are sagging a little on my hips ---- please pants don't show the bright yellow trim of underwear".....I was trying to go as fast as I could.

K, back to the "show"...

Obviously, this arrangement doesn't do much for my whole neighbor issue --- which was the whole reason right??? Sigh.

So with $2.50 in materials, about an hour and a half of work, 7 holes in the wall, 3 staple gun scrapings and a couple of burnt fingers, I have a semi-functioning curtain.

I consider the curtain like a great pair of stilettos ---- all aesthetics, functionality needs to be argued!

I might have to put up a pair of sheer curtains --- for some coverage. I think I would turn pink in the face (and I am brown people!) if I heard my neighbor say --- "I just think your Little Miss Sunshine pajamas are just so cute. How old are you again?...."

Linky Parties my curtain and I are attending:
The Thrifty Home
Blue Cricket Designs

The Little Dishcloth that Could....

Last year, while on family vacation in South Carolina, we visited the Magnolia Plantation.

Besides the amazing tour of the house...

the gardens...

the slave houses...(which in fact were actually USED by SLAVES up until the late 1980's..)

the petting zoo...(where Eliel got his first "hear" of a peacock and panicked...loudly)

and even the swamp garden...

what I looked forward to was visiting the Gift Shop. Call me silly, but I wanted to see if I could find a "Southern" apron or dish cloth set. We had just renovated our kitchen (in what I call a farmhouse-cottage by the sea style) and I wanted some finishing touches.

Well, I nearly squealed when I saw a dish cloth that would be perfect. A pretty blue and green plaid print.

At first, I thought I was that much closer to the country kitchen diva I so wanted to be and then I had an idea. The dish cloth was larger than most regular cloths (but then again, isn't everything in the South so....or is it just in Texas...? anyhow.). So, I took it home, telling my husband that I was going to do something really special with it. He didn't seem convinced -- he was probably tired of my spending, so I discussed the hidden benefits because I was gonna make this into something else that was on my "must-buy" list -- an apron --- so I was actually saving money. Okay, see how much I love ya. I am helping you and your checkbook out. Yeah you can give me a high-five for that.

So.....good thing we didn't talk about any compounding interest for it was almost a YEAR later that I actually got around to this project.

I went to Walmart for post-Christmas sales and actually found this pink paisley ribbon for oooohhhh $1.22! It was wired, so I just took that out and used some for the waistband and for around the neck. At first, I thought the pink was too bright in contrast to the pastel blue and green (tho' it's not that bright as how it shows in the pictures...) but I am totally okay with the contrast. You know, it brings attention to my hips when I am shaking it like Shakira.

I even made an organza and silk flower and added a little (well, not so little...) rhinestone. For some extra detail, I added green leafs and a stalk.

By the way, some other items I purchased there (cuz I was saving y'know..) was a gorgeous (gorgeous, I repeat) blue lotus candleholder and a glass starfish from the Science Museum.

I didn't have a camera handy when I was making it, but if enough people ask, I can write up a tutorial. It was VERY easy. Under an hour. Even with a 2 year old around :)

Linky Parties that my apron and I are attending...

The Thrifty House
Blue Cricket Designs
The Shabby Chic Cottage
Fireflys and Jellybeans
Somewhat Simple
Tales from Bloggerritaville
Beyond the Picket Fence
Life as Lori
Just a Girl

Getting my cooking groove and a kitchen reveal...

This was my kitchen before, on move in day, two years ago.



It was painted a medium green, had a terracotta ceramic floor, oak cabinets and a drop ceiling that was very greased out (and therefore even less light came through)...

Here is my new kitchen....themed coastal farmhouse cottage. I went with a two tone, open shelving concept. The color of the bottom cabinets is Behr's Seacoast, the top cabinets is Drifting Snow, the walls are Falling Rain and the ceiling is 100 Acre Rain. (isn't it interesting that all the colors deal with water...? Hope we have no leaks in this kitchen!)








We put up wainscotting (actually paintable wallpaper) on this blank canvas and added some shelves for artistically "well placed" items. My husband added hooks for our aprons. I even found a little apron for Eliel -- for when the time comes that he can help me bake cookies! There are only two aprons for I "donated" my yellow one to my husband so I can make me a new one (now that I know how!). The doors to the cabinets above the refrigerator are still in the process of being painted....those will be closed, no open shelving there. With some of my cookbooks there, it tends to be a bit messy...so no airing my messiness.





Wainscotting (painted the same color as the lower cabinets) was also added to the bottom of this counter. We decided to raise the counter and make it more usable as a breakfast bar. Prior to this, it was rarely used because it was so low -- practically resting on our knees --- that we had to become human shaped C's in order to eat.



Yup, that drop ceiling is down! It totally made the kitchen look brighter and bigger. We found a ceiling light fixture on sale at Home Depot (for 50 bucks) that matched the theme and installed that. As said before, the kitchen is open shelving (not only do I like that look much better, but I think it gives the same sort of open "feel" one gets being at the ocean). I found the beach sign at a lovely store (found online) called the White Flower Farmhouse. Initially, it was placed in our family room (has the same color scheme) but this little spot seemed to be perfect for my little sign.





It was a lot of work but Damion took up the terracotta ceramic tile floor and replaced it with a warmer, more matching laminate wood floor. We had to take up the subfloor as well because it was uneven and well, all old. I love how smooth it is and it's so much nicer and easier to have Eliel in the kitchen with me (see the pics below)! Oh by the way, the door to the lazy susan cabinet is also in the process of being finished....(there were 40 cabinet doors and drawers to do....so, we either ran out of painting space or painting energy!)



I have so many favorites to this kitchen but this sink is one of the top! I LOVE this sink and have always wanted a farmhouse/apron front sink. And the faucet -- yup, that too is new! Would you believe me if I tell you that the sink was $250 and the faucet was $94?

There are still things to be done. In order to get my sink in, Damion had to cut and move the countertop. Now we have to figure out what to do about that gap....ideas, anyone? Also, the farmhouse sink is quite deep so we had to cut into the lower cabinet. That space right there --- yeah, we have to re-install the newly cut cabinet piece and I plan to put a vintage hook there to hold a hand towel. We also have to put some tile on the windowsill and do some paint touchups.





Since my kitchen has been finished, I have been it so much more --- and completely enjoying my time. Coupled with the Eat from the Pantry challenge and just my regular joy of cooking, I've whipped up some fantastic (as said by my husband and guests) meals.

Recently, I've created what I called "Fiesta Eggs" and baked some homemade Cheesy Biscuits (recipe courtesy of Salihan, who I "met" through the One World One Heart Giveaway. The Fiesta Eggs were just scrambled eggs with salsa, green pepper, onion, garlic, basil, garlic seasoning, italian seasoning and cheese. And I've actually used my slow cooker three times this past week. THREE. As in almost half of the week! The slow cooker was used for sweet potatoes, a "pantry" soup and for cuban black beans that we had tonight.







Even Eliel has been enjoying the new meals and kitchen...



prepare yourself for an Eliel photoshoot...

Show and Tell at Blue Cricket

The Shabby Chic Cottage