Central Florida House Tour - The Kitchen

If there is one aspect of a floor plan that I do not like, it's a kitchen at the front of the house. I never liked it when the kitchen was the first room you'd see whenever you walked into a house. After all, the kitchen is the most used and abused room in any home, and it's always a mess; either you're cooking or you're cleaning up after a meal. Whether it's dishes in the sink, pots and pans on the stove, or clutter on the countertops, the kitchen is never neat and tidy and put together. It should be somewhere hidden away so it won't cause any embarrassment. 

That's how it was in the big house. You'd walk into the formal living room, with the formal dining room just beyond. The kitchen was around the corner, far from peering eyes. It was also that way in the townhouse. Up the stairs, you would see the office, living room, and dining room, but the kitchen was behind a wall. An untidy kitchen could be inconspicuous. 

Now, whenever you come into my home, just to the left of the front door, this is what you see:

 Yep, it's my full-on kitchen in all its glory. Whenever I first walked into the house, I shuddered at the fact that we walked right into the kitchen first. It didn't help that the homeowner had a lot of clutter all over the counters. She also had the curtains in the dining room (which is to the left of the kitchen) closed, so the kitchen looked dark, making it appear even messier. It took some imagination to see the potential of what this kitchen could be.

The kitchen is also the first thing you see whenever you come in through the garage.

That doesn't bother me, though. I like being able to bring the groceries from the car right into the kitchen. 

One selling point for this kitchen was definitely the size. Despite the fact that this house is smaller than either of my previous homes, the kitchen is pretty big - big enough to fit my kitchen island in the center without disrupting the flow. I can walk around, open the fridge, oven, and dishwasher, and still have plenty of space to move. I was very happy about that, because I didn't want to get rid of the island that my daughter and son-in-law had only just gifted me last Christmas. The cabinets are also very spacious. I had to purchase a step ladder because the 42" cabinets are too high for me to reach the top two shelves. It gives me loads of space so that my pantry doesn't get cluttered.

This was important to me because this pantry is about the size of the one I had in the big house, or less than half the size of the one in the townhouse. That pantry was huge, but seeing as I had smaller cabinets it was necessary. Here I can put my packaged food without it getting crowded because of all the space in the cabinets.

I wanted to keep the countertops clear but still pleasant to look at. Thanks to its placement in the house, it had to be inviting and cozy, not cold and stark but not cluttered or messy either.

I started with the counters that are in full view of the front door. I put my Kitchenaid here because it doesn't fit properly anywhere else. It's heavy and cumbersome, and best left on the counter. Besides, I use it weekly, and it is a nice piece. I also put my glass containers here; rice, sugar, and flour, staples in my kitchen. They're esthetically pleasing, and since they're glass they don't appear to take up much space on the counters. To give it color I used this vase I picked up on clearance for $6.99 from Hobby Lobby before we moved, and added some greenery from the Dollar Tree. 

On the other side of the stove I kept it clear because this is where I do most of my food prep. I have my cooking utensils in a jar I picked up years ago from Kirkland's (it's actually a cookie jar but no one needs to know that). Behind it I have a wooden tray because I like this tray but I haven't figured out where I want it. The only other thing here is my toaster oven which, again, we use regularly so it doesn't make sense to put it away.

Beside the sink I have a small ceramic loaf pan that was a gift from a friend, and I have some fake succulents in it that have seen better days (moving casualties). I keep this area clear as well; this is where I put my Instant Pot, slow cooker, rice cooker, all my small appliances whenever they're in use. Above that is the taller counter, something I've never had in any house before. It keeps the view of the messy kitchen from the living area (but not from the front door; clearly the architect didn't cook). 

I put one of my flower pitchers here on a tray, and added blue and green flowers from the Dollar Tree to tie in with the pillows and decor in the living room. I also added a small flag; it's been there since Memorial Day and will stay until after the 4th of July.

Here's the view of the kitchen coming from the living room. It's a bright, open kitchen, and surprisingly, it hasn't been hard to keep neat and tidy. I guess I forgot that I don't have three little kids running around leaving cups and plates in the sink or on the counter. No one forgets to put away the cereal or snack boxes anymore. My son and I put things away where they belong and clean up after ourselves. Having the kitchen here isn't such a hassle after all.

Just beyond the kitchen is a sneak peek at the dining area where my baker's rack is. But that'll be another post. Come back soon!

Continuing The Fall Decorating Process

 Last Saturday I left off here...

I brought up my tubs filled with fall decor. I love whenever I bring up my decor that's packed away; it's like opening up a brand new package, because I can't remember what it was I had. I pulled everything out and started separating it into groups.

I was glad I'd gotten more pillows. I decluttered a few when we moved because we only had the one sectional. Now I had this futon as well, and I wanted to add a few pillows here.

As I take my everyday decor down, I wrap it in old pillowcases. This protects anything that is breakable and is a way of recycling items that I would have gotten rid of otherwise. 

I've had this glass pumpkin for over 12 years. It was a gift from a vendor when I was working as a purchasing manager for a company that closed in 2008. That's how I know it's that old. It was originally filled with candy. Now it's full of orange potpourri. I put it on one of the glass shelves above the dry bar.

 On the next shelf above that one I put this pretty candle that I got on clearance from Target years ago. Since my son E and I have allergies I don't typically burn candles, but I do like displaying them. This one has leaves cut into the wax and a little acorn charm tied around it with twine. I decided that was enough for the glass shelves; I wanted to keep it simple.

I added a couple of pumpkins to my dining room table to complete this look. Dollar Tree has some of the best little pumpkins for $1.00. I've had these for at least a couple of years. They are heavy and really nice quality.

This light up train station is a treasure I've had for many years. It's decorated for fall on this side, and for Christmas on the other. This was from House of Lloyd, from their Christmas Around The World collection.

Next I moved on to the living room. I took away some decor and added some pumpkins. Not too many, though. I feel like it's easy to go overboard and have clutter instead of decorations. The jar on top (I call it my genie jar) was originally in the dining room but I needed some height here. I added two pumpkins; the green one was from the Target dollar spot last year and the white one I got at Walmart. The one on the bottom shelf is the only new pumpkin, from the ones I picked up at Hobby Lobby. 

I did a similar look on the other bookshelf. I try to keep them symmetrical but not identical The Autumn Greetings sign I got from the Dollar Tree this year, and the white pumpkin on the bottom is from Hobby Lobby. 

Over in the corner I replaced the summer artwork with this framed piece that I bought years ago from Kirkland's. It has the first two verses of Psalm 23. I changed out the white flowers in the black vase with these tan and pink flowers in a mason jar, and added a pumpkin from Walmart. That was all it needed to give it a fall touch.

The coffee table got a slight makeover. This tray was on my dining room table, but I put it in the living room instead. These two Dollar Tree pumpkins have the same colors as the vase, and the green leaves match the candles perfectly. Oh, and the Hello Autumn sign in the background? It's under the television set, and I picked it up at Dollar Tree this year too.

There were still more pumpkins, so I decided to add a few to my bedroom. This little grouping is on the nightstand nearest the window. The larger pumpkin is a candy jar that I picked up a couple of years ago from Walmart. I wanted to mix up the colors so it would coordinate with the other nightstand.

A tiny Target pumpkin made its way to my picture shelf.

I moved on to the master bathroom. I don't normally add decor to the bathrooms, but I had this one pumpkin left and I figured it would brighten this area nicely.

We mustn't forget the kitchen! All I did here was add my ceramic scarecrow next to my Puerto Rican Cuisine cookbook. I'd already switched out the flowers; I didn't want to add a whole lot more. Besides, my bowls, which are there all the time and are used daily, have a fall vibe of their own.

I was really excited to fix up my patio area. Everything I have here came from our old house, and all of it is either from Walmart or the Dollar Tree. Y'all, it's possible to decorate a home on a budget and still have it look really cute. You don't need a fortune to have a lovely home.

I did end up making a switch in the living room. When I was unpacking the pillows and deciding where to put them, I found my pumpkin pillow that I got a few years back from Big Lots. I tried it out here and I liked it better than the Costco pillow. Which made me sad, because I really love that Costco pillow. What did I do with it?

I added it to my bed! Whenever I tried it here I knew this was the perfect spot. The colors match beautifully and pulled the whole room decor together!

That's where I finally stopped. My brain was drained from all that moving and switching! Of course I love every minute of it. And trust me, I'm not done. Things have moved around a little here and there, but that's the beauty of decorating. By making small changes we keep everything looking fresh and new. Happy Fall Y'all!

Decorating For Fall

 All over the stores, all over YouTube, all over the internet, everyone is saying the same thing: they're excited for fall. Pumpkin spice everything. Leaves changing color. Temperatures start to go down. Sweater weather they call it. Time to break out all the fall decor, the oranges and reds, the blues and grays, the purples and pinks (yes, I've seen purple pumpkins. Very glam). 

Here in South Florida, September doesn't look like it does up north. Not only are the temperatures still in the upper 90's, it's the peak of hurricane season. At this writing there are six - count 'em, six - storms or developing storms just in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The humidity is off the charts so there won't be any sweater wearing for at least another couple of months. And while we have some trees that drop their leaves, most won't till January, and palm trees never change color.

Still, we can enjoy pumpkin spice. And we can pretend it's fall by decorating. That's what I did this week.

I don't usually decorate so early. I like to wait until the first official day of fall. But it was past Labor Day and with this whole pandemic and being stuck indoors all spring and summer, I desperately wanted a change. In my last week in review post  I showed some new items I picked up to decorate, and my Itch To Switch post was all about furniture rearranging. Now it was time to get it all put together.

On Tuesday, the day after Labor Day, I started with the items I had close at hand. These were either in my closet or had just been purchased. I started in my master bedroom.

I flipped the bedspread over to the solid side. I always buy bedspreads or comforters that are reversible so that I get two looks for the price of one. I brought the throw pillows that had been on the sectional and added them to the pillows I normally have here. After adding the throw blanket from the living room, I was done for the time being.

I went into the linen closet and pulled out my kitchen towels.

This cute pumpkin towel is, I believe, from Target. I'm not exactly sure. I've had it for a couple of years now. I thought it looked cheery hanging out of my mixer.

These towels are from Kohl's, also a few years back. They are simple and functional, which is what I want in my kitchen.

I pulled this flower arrangement out that I've also had for several years. The base was a gift basket I'd gotten from a girl at work for my birthday, and after eating all the goodies I filled it with fall colored flowers. It has a Christmas tree on the other side so I can use this all through the holidays.

My little coffee station is little for a reason. I don't have tons of counter space. I know tiered trays are all the rage but it would get too crowded here for me, so instead I have this cake plate from the Target Dollar Spot. I replaced the ceramic doll I had on it with one of the tiny pumpkins I picked up at Hobby Lobby and put another one next to the Keurig. Then I switched out the coffee mug for my favorite Peanuts mug and that was done.

I started out very simply in my office. I use my desk regularly so I don't want a bunch of unnecessary stuff on top of it. This storage box was one I found a few weeks ago at TJ Maxx, and I decided to get it to keep my planners in.

I picked it because it was the right size and the colors were pretty. It wasn't until I looked at it at home that I realized it was perfect for fall.

There's pumpkins on it y'all! How did I miss that?! Anyway, it's on my desk, and I put this little vase on top of it, and I love how it looks - clean and simple.

In the dining room, I used what I had on hand. The only new things were the flowers I'd bought at the Dollar Tree.

The runner is from Big Lots, probably four or five years ago. Under the pitcher is a charger from Walmart that I've also had for a long time, though I think they still carry something similar. I use this instead of a tray; it cost $1.00 and gives it some dimension.

I then pulled out my new pillows and started working on the sectional. I was so excited!

I put the two pillows I'd got at TJ Maxx on either end of the sectional. In the middle I put my new pillow from Costco together with a large pillow I'd gotten on clearance from Target a few years ago and a throw blanket that I've also had for years from Walmart. As a side note - Walmart has really nice throw blankets and they are usually under $10. I stepped back and looked at the sectional. I didn't know if the spring flowers on the coffee table were throwing me off, but it seemed like it wasn't right. It was too skimpy - which is odd because I normally don't like a whole lot of pillows on my sofa. Still, the fun of decorating is moving things around and trying new looks, so I added a couple more pillows.

Y'all, I went back and forth with this several times, but I decided I liked the layered look of the pillows best. I moved the Costco pumpkin pillow over to show the big pillow behind it. I liked it but it still wasn't enough. So I tried one more thing.

I liked this a lot better, but I still wasn't 100% sure. I decided to live with it for a while and see. Then I thought, maybe something in my storage bins will have what I'm looking for...

So that's what I started to do on Wednesday. But that's gonna be a separate post, since this one has gotten long enough! Come back to see what got added, what got changed, and what it all looks like now. God bless y'all!
 

The Week In Review

Years ago I kept a log of what had gone on during my week. I'd been thinking about whether or not I wanted to start it up again, and finally decided I'd give it a shot. Here's a snapshot of the past week.

My son E had his first full week of college. He graduated high school (homeschool) two years ago, but couldn't decide what he wanted to do. I know many kids go off to college and begin studying only to change majors several times or leave before finishing. I wanted E to be a bit more sure of what he wanted to do before starting. He finally decided he'd like to try digital arts so that eventually he can go into gaming. I like the idea that digital arts includes many different employment possibilities for the future so he doesn't have to feel stuck if he decides to try something else. He's doing mostly gen ed's now which he isn't thrilled about but it's part of school. All his classes are online - which is what he did all throughout high school so he's adapting well. So far, anyway. It's only been a week.

I ordered a couple of dresses off of Amazon. I usually prefer going to an actual store and trying things out, but that isn't possible right now with the pandemic. Since I've ordered dresses from them before I decided to go with styles and sizes I'd bought in the past, a style I like because it's comfortable while still pretty.

I wanted some fall color dresses now that we're coming into September, even though here in Florida it won't feel like fall for a couple of months yet. The dresses were both from Amazon but from two different companies. I was most excited and most disappointed with the one on the right. I love the burgundy color and the flowers, and the dress fits great, but it's missing one key component: it doesn't have pockets! I'd bought this style of dress before, though from a different company, and it has pockets. The dress on the left, black with those gorgeous shades of orange and rust flowers, also has pockets. I went back and looked at the description and it doesn't say that it has pockets, so it was just my assumption. I'm keeping the dress because it really is pretty. The fabric is 95% rayon and 5% spandex, giving it a t-shirt kind of feel, nice and light for our Florida weather. 

Before we moved to this new house I purged a lot of my decor because I was downsizing and I knew I wasn't going to need as much stuff (or have anywhere to put it). What I had was good enough for last fall, but now that I have the office/guest room completed, I knew I wanted to add a few items to my fall decor. I went to the Dollar Tree and TJ Maxx on Monday. TJ Maxx offers 10% off on Mondays to anyone 55 and older, and I love taking advantage of that deal.

Since there were two separate living spaces in our old house, a formal living room and a family room, I was able to have two different color schemes for my fall decorations. Both were in the modern farmhouse style, but the living room was done in cool tones of blues and greens while the family room had the traditional oranges and rusts. Whenever we found this house with its sage green accent walls I decided to keep the cool toned decor and declutter the traditional items. It looked really nice but I miss the traditional colors and wanted to incorporate some into my decor again. One of the easiest (and most inexpensive) ways to do this is with florals - Dollar Tree florals to be precise. I love that I can find gorgeous flowers in all different colors at the Dollar Tree without spending a whole lot of money. Here is what I picked up for $11.00:

This is more than just a cute little Hello Autumn sign. It's my color scheme. It does just what I wanted to do: mixed traditional orange with cool blues and greens. The orange is a little lighter than the traditional orange, perhaps, but it works. I used this as a jumping off point to pick my florals:

Light oranges and yellows are so beautiful this time of year! Our trees don't turn all the vibrant colors like they do up north; some do, but not till after Thanksgiving. This lets me bring those colors into the home, and they look so pretty against the cool blue of the blanket.

For the dining room I decided on a darker, richer, more formal color. These are even darker in person, more like a burgundy than dark rust color. I know they will stand out against the lighter colors in the house.

At TJ Maxx I scored some throw pillows that were $19.99 for the pair.

I had seen these in the store about a month ago. I'd even put them in my buggy, but then I put them back because it was an impulse buy and I'm trying not to purchase things that way. I knew the colors would be perfect, but I couldn't remember what I already had in my decor stash for fall. This time I went to TJ Maxx knowing that I wanted a couple more pillows either for the sectional in the living room or for the futon in the office. I was so glad I found these again - they were the last ones! These are great quality pillows, and the covers are removable so I can throw them in the wash if need be. They ended up being $9.99 each which is a steal, and the colors work with all my other decor.

On Thursday, after grocery shopping, I stopped by our local Dollar General. Believe it or not, I've never been in a Dollar General, but I saw Mrs. Falon from Moss Family TV on YouTube do a small decor haul of Dollar General items and I figured I'd go take a look. Our Dollar General had half an aisle's worth of fall decor that had already been picked over, so I was not impressed. I picked up these two little pumpkins...

...but I decided it's not worth going out of my way to go to Dollar General when Dollar Tree is closer and had a better selection. They were $2 each, one for my house and one for my daughter.

And those are this week's highlights. Off for some rest to prepare for the new week. God bless y'all.