Nothing Says Cottage Like Company for Dinner


I called my mom on Thursday and found out that she and my stepfather will probably be here on Sunday, so that has given me a little more time to get things done around here and to also slow down a bit. Yesterday I spent hours scrubbing all the paint drops off the old ugly kitchen and dining room linoleum and while there are still a few specs that I'm not going to worry about (we're ripping all this up later anyway) the floor looks *much* better. Today I'm even going to add floor shine to it to give it a little sparkle, something that I haven't seen for a year now:)

After I finished scrubbing the floors yesterday, a couple of our dear friends stopped by to drop off their little girl for a couple of hours. She's absolutely one of the sweetest, cutest, most adorable baby I've ever seen in my life (besides my own girls, of course)! My girls essesntially did the babysitting for me while I started on a yummy down home cooked chicken and veggie casserole. We put on some nice classical music, the girls ran around and played, and there was a such great feeling in the house. Another friend had also stopped by and he and hubs worked on his car out in the driveway. I let him know even before he got here that we were having casserole for dinner and I also called up another friend and told him to come and eat if he was able. All was well in our little cottage home:)

At about eight o'clock, little Lexi's mom arrived to pick her up but I was glad that she, too, got here just in time for dinner and joined us all. I hadn't visited with her in a little while so it was nice catching up with her while all the kids played. It was just a very lovely evening hanging out with our friends, who after all, are relatives you choose for yourself:)

So here is the recipe for the chicken casserole I made. This is a great meal for company because it serves a lot and there is plenty for everyone to have seconds (or thirds!). Everyone ate until they were satisfied and we still have a good portion left today. For a family of five, you could probably take half the casserole mix and make a second casserole to freeze. It is *not* lowfat or low carb by any means, but it is very yum and is quintessential comfort food:) To my friend Jason who is moving to California soon, you should grab a pen and write this recipe down:)


One Woman's Chicken and Rice Casserole

5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 16oz container sour cream
2 bags lightly steamed vegetable medley (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
1 can of corn
2 cups cubed velveeta (give or take)
shredded cheddar cheese
milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked rice (add about 4 chicken bouillon cubes to rice while cooking for extra flavor)

Heat oven to 400

Cut up chicken into cubes and lightly brown it in a bit of butter. Add some garlic or onion if you like. Drain and add cream of chicken, sour cream, velveeta, a cup of shredded cheddar, and enough milk to make the mixture nice and fluid and creamy. Cook on medium heat while stirring. Stir in steamed vegetables and corn, then cooked rice. Pour mixture into large casserole dish and cover with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted or lightly browned.

There you have it! Let me know if you try this and tell me how you liked it:)


Today is the day that we hang the remaining *finished!* cabinet doors...photos will be added soon!

4 comments





Cottage Cozy (but Gutted) Bathroom Temporary Makeover Pics


Gutted Bathroom + Guests = EEEK!

When a girl starts freaking out at the thought of guests having to shower or bathe in the world's scariest, darkest, and ugly gutted bathroom ever, she may take the craziest of measures. I never claimed to be sane, but I've always thought there is a solution for every problem if you thought about it long enough (which is what is getting me through this whole remodeling process...)

We gutted our bathroom back last year and so far, we've only installed the new tub. I get distracted easily and decided that I really wanted the kitchen to be finished first. So that left us with said dark and scary bathroom. I hate it and always rush in and out of there quickly when I need to shower. It's our only full bath, so our guests will have to use it, but I hated the thought of them having to be in such a cold and unviting space. Yep, something had to be done to make the space cottage cozy:)

With a few decorative items I had on hand, a new shower curtain and towels, dropcloth "walls", and a few coats of floor paint, I think it turned out great! Let me give you a tour..

(Clicko to Enlargo)


Here is where we began...Ugh!



And this is how it turned out! I'm sorry that the photos are a little dark - I didn't like how washed out the flash make the photos look. But the space itself is very bright and cheerful now! We painted the floor and added a disposable cloth dropcloths to the walls. Hubs thought this was silly but I think it makes the room looks much less cold and dreary.









I bought this old dresser for just $25 and gave it a quick shabby coat of off white paint. So sweet:)


My $6 new embroidered flower shower curtain....


I got the mirror at Goodwill and may some day paint it white. I put the big white bowl on there so guests can fill up with water if they want to just wash up...just like in the good old days!




I typed up my favorite words in various fonts, printed them out, tore them apart, and pinned them to the dropcloth wall. It gives you something interesting to look at and think about while you're soaking in the tub. Another idea is to print each word individually in a large font size and frame it. Less expensive than buying art!








I bought this old towel rack at the flea market a couple of years ago. I've never used it until now:)








The chair is another flea market find. I hung some dried flowers on it and added a couple of books for some added interested and color.




A little basket of soap and washcloths...


What gutted bathroom would be complete without a chamber pot? LOL, this is just for fun as it's not intended for actual use (though it is covering the hole in the floor where the toilet use to be!)


Nothing says cozy like fresh rolled up towels in a basket! Behind the basket, I layered a mirror behind it to bounce light and an old frame.


I nice new rug that looks "old" adds some color and warmth to the white floor...






So there you go...my gutted bathroom that happens to also be my favorite room in the house so far:)

16 comments





Five Day Home Improvement Marathon


There is nothing like the thought of company coming to get you motivated to work on your house. My mom and stepfather will be arriving either Thursday night or Friday morning and that means we have about five days to tackle *a lot* of projects. We've been incredibly busy for the last two days and there is no end in site. I spent an entire day working on the kitchen alone - cleaning, decluttering, giving our farm table legs a makeover, and so on. Every room and closet needs a good going over and I'm about halfway there. Here is the list of things that I want completed by Thursday.

-Mow the yard, weed and mulch landscaping beds, prune a few trees

-Prime and paint the gutted bathroom subfloor, make the space temporarily "cottage cozy" (a gutted bathroom cottage cozy in five days? Stay tuned...) The only working part of this bathroom is the tub, our *only* tub, so our guests will have to be in there.

-Paint hallway and living room floor white (yes, folks, we're living with subfloor here at the moment. I stare longingly at our beautiful hardwood stacked in the garage dreaming of the day that we can finally install it! )

-Install cabinet doors

-Finish putting lattice skirting around deck

-Paint a small exterior portion of the house (deck area)

-Clean, declutter, clean, declutter!

Don't laugh, for all things are possible in the mind of a crazy woman:)

4 comments





Queen Anne Beauty on Ebay


Take a look at this *beautiful* old Queen Anne for sale in Owensboro, Ky! I'm only posting a couple of photos here, but you can see all of the many photos on Ebay . While this home isn't my style per se (a little grand for me, lol...I belong in a humble old farmhouse!), it is a gorgeous home with so much potential! All the old fixtures, woodwork, tilework, stained glass, and hardware - WOW!







1 comments





Dear Cabinet Doors,


Enough is enough already. Do you realize what time it is now? It's 3 o'clock in the morning, for crying out loud! Why am I *still* up at this ridiculous hour? Because of you, Cabinet Doors...because of you.

You really had me fooled on Thursday. I was revelling in the fact that I had just applied your fourth and (what I thought to be) final coat of red paint. Yes, the final coat! I felt like doing a little victory jig. I've been working on you since March, so it's about time! You haven't been easy on me, you know...even from the beginning. It took me forever just to clean all the invisible grime off you, then I had to sand you, which is quite tricky because of your raised panels - and after that, I had to clean you again. After priming you twice, you actually seemed to enjoy the off-white basecoat I painted on you next. I even thought about leaving you like that - just white. Ooooh, but I knew you'd look great in red!

You fought me every step of the way, though. I know - it's hot and terribly humid. I don't like it either but life goes on. Why make things even more difficult by sticking to every surface I put you on, despite how long I let you "cure" before flipping you over to paint your back?!! I know you're tired of lying down. I'd love to trade places with you now, to tell you the truth. But do you realize that the more you cause problems for me, the longer you're going to have to just sit there on your back side??? Now none of us want that, do we?

I'm really sorry about having to put you in the garage back in May. I just ran out of room to work on you in the house. I don't think it's that bad out there...at least not as bad as you're making it out to be. And again, I'm sorry about The Weather, but that's out of my control. Must you always make it difficult for me to paint you? I really have tried to work as fast as I can in order to get you out of there as soon as possible, but still, you maniacally resist nice, smooth coverage and go ALL TACKY on me instead. Yes, in all fairness, I should be addressing Red Paint or The Weather & Humidity, too. But you know, Doors, I'm just too tired right now.

So after the cleaning, sanding, two coats of primer, basecoat, and FOUR coats of paint that were laboriously applied to both your sides by yours truly, I *thought* I was finally ready to move on to the next step of your transformation. It wasn't until I was walking by you in the garage Friday night that I saw you looking at me funny. After standing a little closer and carefully examining you, I literally *growled* out loud when I discovered that you required one more coat of red paint. No victory jigs for me this time, but I could have sworn I heard you mocking me, singing "Paint Me Baby One More Time". Four coats not sufficient for you, huh? Are you just trying to get back at me for not leaving you white? What's the deal, Cabinet Doors?

Well, I'll tell you what the deal is. I stayed up until crazy o'clock just so I could give you your very last-LAST-(5th!) coat of paint. That's it, Cabinet Doors. No more. The rest of The Cabinets and The Drawers are waiting for you to decide you are done. Why, they were finished weeks ago! Even The Shelves are already installed and restocked! Also, my mother (who lives all the way across the country) is coming to visit on Thursday. Do you really want her to see you like that? all mopey and horizontal and difficult and such? I didn't think so...

So this is the way it's going to be, Doors: When I finally roll my exhausted body out of bed (later on this morning), I'll be painting The Hinges. I've dealt with them before...they're really easy to work with. You should know, you're always hanging around them. Anyway, I'm going to give you the weekend to "cure" :rolleyes: and then on Monday, I'm going to do to you what you've been doing to me for weeks: I'M GOING TO AGE & DISTRESS YOU! MuHahahaaa!!

Sincerely,

Kim

7 comments





Cottage Style Home Decorating: 10 Secrets to Charming Chairs




Cottage Style Home Decorating: 10 Secrets to Charming Chairs
By Kathryn Bechen


Cozy comfy chairs, collected wooden chairs…whatever your taste, interesting chairs can give your cottage a personally charming and eclectic flair.

Here are 10 secrets to “chair charm” for your home:

1. French Flair. Upholstered chairs with French curved legs and backs create a sophisticated cottage look. They don’t have to be expensive—search flea markets and consignment shops and reupholster.

2. Ladderback Love. Rush seat ladder-back chairs add architectural interest. Paint each rung of the ladder-back a different color for interest.

3. Quite a Pair. Pair two classic rolled-arm upholstered chairs next to each other with a small table in between to encourage reading and conversation.

4. Quirky Consignment. Scour consignment stores for sturdy and interesting looking wooden chairs of different but complementary styles and size. Paint each one a different but complementary color and use around your dining table.

5. Unique Upholstery. Purchase several upholstered chairs in interesting but different styles and unify them by reupholstering all in the same upholstery fabric. Choose pieces with interesting wood trim and legs for an eclectic look.

6. Wicker Wonder. Collect different styles of wicker chairs and chaises and paint them all the same color for a unified look. Add floral seat cushions in one style upholstery fabric to tie them together.

7. Slipcover Splendor. Soft comfy slipcovers say “instant cottage.” Try white canvas or a faded floral print.

8. Quintessential Quilts. If your favorite upholstered chair needs recovering but you don’t have the funds, drape your favorite quilt over it. Or, consider using a favorite quilt as the actual upholstery fabric for a unique and charming look.

9. Fabric Finesse. Search upholstery fabric outlets for the best quality of upholstery fabric you can find. If you’ve saved money on the cost of the chair, you can splurge on the fabric!

10. White Wonder. Paint all your chairs’ woodwork white and upholster with colorful floral fabric for a fresh and airy look.

By creating some “chair charm” in your cottage, you’ll be happy to linger and enjoy your home and your guests will feel welcomed and comfortable too.

c2006 Kathryn Bechen. All rights reserved worldwide.



Visit http://www.kathrynbechendesigns.com for more free ideas and tips for decorating your cottage style home on a dollarwise budget and to sign up for Kathryn's free e-newsletter of decorating tips and resources. Kathryn is an interior decorating consultant and author who specializes in Cottage Style, Non-Toxic, and Dollarwise decorating.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathryn_Bechen

2 comments





Old Recipes to Line Cottage Kitchen Drawers


I've been working on our kitchen cabinets here (surpise surprise!) - just one more coat of paint to go on both sides of the doors! I can't tell you just how torturous it is to paint in humid conditions. You really have to work the brush quickly, being very careful not to overbrush because the paint gets tacky fast.

I decided to go back and use a really good quality satin finish polyeurothane clearcoat on the shelfpaper (wallpaper) as opposed to the matte finish clearcoat I had been using. With three coats, the shelves now have a smooth finish that feels like glass to the touch:) Hubs re-installed the lazy suzan and so now I can put all the cabinet contents back into place! Good-bye big old temporary cabinet in our dining area...you served your purpose well, but you are ugly and take up way too much space!

I ran out of wallpaper to line the drawers, so I'm going to have to figure something else out to line them with. The wallpaper I used was $34 a roll, so I'm certainly not going to buy another roll for a few drawers. I'm thinking it might really be nifty to instead line them with pages from antique recipe books. If I can't bring myself to use the actual pages, I can always have them laser copied. I would protect them the same way I have the shelfpaper - with several coats of polyeurothane. Below are a few recipe books I've found on Ebay - none of them newer than 1922. I especially love the handmade, handwritten recipe book. I think these old recipe pages would make great framed art, too, or perhaps light weight frames could be made for them and they could hang on the inside of the cabinet doors (attached with velcro). So many possibilities with these old books...











Today I came across a photo album of a really sweet cottage in Texas. The homeowner used many of the same colors I love - red, green, and yellow - throughout her home. I especially like her bathroom and kitchen with generous use of beadboard. So pretty! Grab a cup of tea and check out the ninety something photos of Smith Cottage!

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