A Lightbulb Moment

As part of my kitchen re-do, I decided to change out the light fixture above the sink. What was there was an. old, cheap ceiling fixture without the glass globe. So, yeah, It was an ugly bare bulb plugged into an uglier partial fixture.

I'm one who likes decorating in unique ways. I don't want my house to look like anyone else's home. It's so much more fun to make things than to just go out and buy them. To me anyway.

I searched for something antique related to the kitchen. I found some old coffee cans. Perfect!

First, I scrubbed them to get off any loose rust. After they dried, I sprayed them, inside and ou,t with polyurethane. I let that dry. This allowed me to keep the pretty, rusted look but still be able to clean the fixture.

Next, Mr Farmer and I wired them, glued two cans together, sprayed the inside silver to help reflect the light, etc., etc.

Finally, we hung it and screwed in a cool "Edison" bulb. And here you have it.

My Dream Island

Some time ago, Mr Farmer decided we needed an island in our kitchen. I had never been a fan of kitchen islands because all I knew of them was that they had wheels and rolled. I had no use for such a thing in my way. My kitchen was big enough and had enough counter space. I didn't need more.

But I decided to give it a try. We put our recycling, redemption, and garbage cans in it. Over the past years it has become indispensable. The one we were using was just cheaply and quickly made to see if I would like it.

Now, with the kitchen re-do, we decided to build a new one. One that was sturdier and larger and much prettier. We both worked hard on it. We glued up some hickory boards we had for the counter top and built the base. In the end, it was almost too heavy to lift, even without the counter top on it.

Here it is.

It is just beautiful. The counter top has so much character and I love the beauty of wood! The cabinet was antiqued using my usual methods but in a black color. And I used antique spoons again for the handles. One side has the doors and houses the same garbage, recycling, and redemption cans. The other side is where our stools go.

Kitchen Remodel- Pt. 1

Most people know, or at least can guess, that a kitchen re-do is somewhat of an inconvenience. You have a perfectly functioning kitchen and then you don't.

First, your kitchen becomes an open book. All your cabinet insides are there for all to see. The secret places hidden away from public view are now open. There is no longer anywhere to stuff something quickly when someone comes over to borrow ant killer or sugar or a pair of slippers.

But take heart, it will someday be functional and prettier than it was before.

I will reveal more of the re-do later. When I get it finished. Hopefully before I die. But probably not.

Seasonal Decorating With Kids

Here is a progressive snapshot of how to decorate with kids in the house.

First,

 

panning out...

 

panning out....

 

And....

If I had my way, this picture would be minus the stuffed monkey and definitely minus the clothes iron. To be fair, I have the kids set the iron there to cool when they're done ironing so it doesn't get knocked over. But, I'd be ok with it getting put away once it's cool.

Fall Clean-up

It's fall. That means clean-up time around the yard and house. One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to clean my windows. This helps to let in the light we have so little of during the winter months.

I start by removing all the screens. 

I gather up all the screens and get out my dustpan brush. I brush off both sides. You'll be amazed at how much dust and dirt fly off when this is done. Or maybe you won't. Maybe my house is just incredibly dirty.

If they're really bad I've been known to scrub them with soap, water, and a brush.

I then take all my screen to the basement for the winter. I do this because I have no use for them in the winter and it lets in a lot more light.

Next, I take the hose, a bucket of soapy water, and a car wash brush around to each window. I wet it down and scrub it. I not only scrub the window, but also the window frame around it. Then I just rinse it off. I also scrub off any bird poop or other yuckiness on the siding around the area. It's amazing how this little scrub-up makes the entire outside of the house look clean!

Then, I just put away my supplies, drain and unhook the hoses, and store all my hoses and outdoor planters away in the barn.

The kids were actually in charge of emptying all the planters and gathering them all up and storing them. They enjoyed riding the old mower and pulling the garden trailer around the property They emptied the old dirt into the compost pile, took the "scenic route" back to the house, and piled all my planters and garden decorations into the trailer. We just leave them in the trailer to make it easier in the spring to bring them all back out again.

Mini Pumpkin Candle Holders

I had an overabundance of mini pumpkins this year. I decided to do a quick craft with them.

First, I took off the stem and drew around a tea light on top of the pumpkin.

Next, I took my melon baller (given to me for my birthday from my favorite aunt), and carved out the area inside the lines I drew.

Finally, I stuck the tea light in. And there you have it, a simple and quick fall decorating craft. I plan to make more later for my Thanksgiving table.

Pets And Fall Decorating Don't Mix

Pets and fall decorating don't mix. Why? Well, let me show you.

Unfortunately, I don't have any "before" pictures. This is best anyway, so I can convince you just how perfectly perfect my home looked with it's perfectly perfect, outdoor fall decorations.

No house had ever looked as good as my house did before our animals made themselves at home. Trust me.

Then, one morning I looked out the front window and saw this.

Sorry, the photo was taken through the window so I didn't wake up sleeping beauty out there. It's hard to tell, but there used to be a bale of straw with pumpkins on and beside it. And there was no dog snuggled into a straw nest when I designed this particular area.

After he left, and a few days later, this is how the area looks.

Now, lest you think only Buddy has destructive abilities when it comes to my outdoor decorations, I will show you what the cats have been up to.

I had another area near the front door that was very pretty. My corn fodder was extremely full, with nice ears of dried corn hanging from it. Again, I have no "before" pictures so you'll have to accept my word on how pretty and full it was. Because you won't "see" it in this next picture.

The cats/kittens have played with the corn stalks until there are barely any left and the ears of corn are completely shredded. My big, beautiful white pumpkin has also been severely scarred.

And I thought if I kept the hens penned up my pumpkins would remain beautiful. Apparently, the hens had a chat with the cats and dog. I fear for our lives if we should cross any of the animals. For now, they have the fall decorations on which to take out their anger and frustrations. I  may decorate for Christmas just to buy my family some more time.

Who Let That Woman Out Of The House?

A few years ago, I began making the kids' costumes. I had a problem with anything I found in the store. Several problems, actually. The first was that they were all so expensive for a single night out. The second was that the costumes were so cheaply made. And the third issue I had was that as my girls got bigger, their only options seemed to be pornographic characters-- slutty witch, sluttier maid, slut this , and slut that. I had issues, I tell you.

So I did some research and came up with a few ideas. These are costumes from 2010. I guess we've gone a few years in between.

And this year's pictures of the kids. We obviously reused the pizza costume. Sissy was a Chia head on an end table and Baby was a tea party.

And now, I have to include this today.

Oh yes, I did.

 Unfortunately, Mr Farmer didn't get any close-ups. I had a gob of lipstick on my front teeth and my make-up was horrendous. Funny thing was, we wore these to a Halloween alternative at our church. Oh yes, I did. And no one recognized me. Apparently wearing glasses is a good enough disguise to fool people from Missouri. (just kidding all those of you from MO♥)

We would have had a sweep of the prizes, but they wanted to include others so we took two out of three of the prizes. It was a fun night. It was a blast having kids come up to me and bringing their friends to show them my backside and giggling as they walked away. I suppose it happens on a regular basis, but this time I wanted them to laugh at it.