Kitchen Love

Looking through my kitchen inspiration file today, I noticed that all the kitchens I saved had something in common. Some kitchens I saved for their unique lighting, like this one.

How cool is the burlap covered pendant above the sink!

This kitchen wowed me with the galvanized pendant, but I also thought the gun metal tile backsplash looked fabulous with the soapstone countertop.

More pendant inspiration! Notice the open shelves. This is also a common theme with the kitchens I'm admiring lately. Believe me, I'm so close to taking off all my cabinet doors for that open shelving look!

Open shelving, wonderful pendant, commercial range--oh my!

I love the open shelving here and the simplicity of this kitchen. The yellow pottery really stands out against the white subway tile. My dream stove with the famous red knobs makes my heart beat fast!

More open shelving. But also, I'm intrigued with the green subway tile backsplash.

Who says subway tile has to be white?

It could be a soft maize color! This kitchen's backsplash was the inspiration for my own kitchen. The marble countertop is currently on my wish list!

I love my soft butter colored backsplash. Each tile is handmade, so there is texture in the uneven surface. At first, I thought I made a mistake, but now I love it. Wishing for that marble counter though!

The countertop is "Santa Cecelia" granite. It has subtle flakes of garnet, gold, and black.

Unfortunately, it chips!

What would you change in your kitchen if you had a million bucks?

The countertop? The backsplash? Appliances?

Would you be comfortable with open shelving?

What would you choose for lighting?

Music Exalts Life

"If you look deep enough you will see music; the heart of nature being everywhere music."

--Thomas Carlyle

This is one of my favorite oil paintings, probably painted by a Sunday artist.

Music is held in such high regard in our family. All four of our children play a musical instrument; involve music either in their careers or life in general. The "kids" are already fighting over who gets this painting after I'm gone!

This post will join others at Weekly Words to Live By at Notes From a Cottage Industry.

Be sure to check out other inspirational quotes there.

S'mores!

The whole family is going camping this weekend! We are looking forward to introducing our granddaughter Reese to S'mores!

The first known recipe for S'mores appeared in the 1927 Girl Scout hand book called Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. The recipe is as follows:

1 bag of marshmallows

Hershey's chocolate bar

graham crackers

Put marshmallow on a stick, roast over the fire.

When the marshmallow is golden, put on a graham cracker

with the milk chocolate, add another graham cracker

to make a sandwich. Smash together and enjoy!

Yum!

I'm joining Laurie at Bargain Hunting With Laurie for Favorite Things Saturday.

Grapes On The Vine In Clusters They're Hung

"Grapes on the vine, in clusters they're hung, soon to be jelly, so run fox run."

We have so many grapes this year, but they are taking they're time to ripen because of our cool summer. Last year, we made a lot of sorbet out of our grapes.

They are Concord grapes and are so sweet. This year I plan to make jelly. I'm already researching the perfect canning jar! They will make great Christmas gifts, don't you think?

This photo was taken two years ago. Um, I think we're going to need a bigger basket!

Hanging Art Over the Bed

Hanging art over a headboard can be a little tricky. There are always concerns about something heavy or breakable should it fall, especially where we live. That pretty much eliminates mirrors and heavy ornate frames.

So, when I recently found these three little prints of trees, I thought they would be perfect over the headboard in our guesthouse.

The prints, mounted on burlap and distressed, are very lightweight. Which is great, because if we have an earthquake, we won't get hurt if they fall on our heads!

Just outside the french doors there are many majestic heritage oaks. This is our view when we are lying in bed.

Notice the reflection of the oak trees in the glass which is then repeated in the prints.

It took two years to find something I like that would work above the bed, and I'm glad I waited. I think these relatively inexpensive prints really warmed up the room.

So, what do you have hanging over your head!

How Does Your Garden Grow Birthday Boy?

Our vegetables are taking their sweet time maturing this year. I think it's because we had so much rain this Spring and not much hot weather so far this Summer.

We are getting a lot of blossoms, but no zucchini. No worries, we will just stuff them and fry them! Nothing better than fried zucchini blossoms!

We finally got tomatoes, but they are still green. Hopefully, they will turn red.

Otherwise, we will have fried green tomatoes!

#1 Son Aaron loves this little garden. Here he is picking herbs for a recipe he is formulating in his head.

Today is Aaron's 26th Birthday!

Not much has changed, has it?

Happy Birthday Aaron!

How does your garden grow?

Hydrangeas: The Perfect Flower

Hydrangeas are the mainstay in my garden. They are the flower that just keeps on giving!

These hydrangeas are along my driveway. They seem to be happy nestled here next to my white azaleas, in the dappled sunlight of the Japanese maples.

These flowers will provide many floral arrangements this fall and winter. The secret is to never pick them until they have started to age--usually in the fall. Once the petals take on a vintage look, it is time to cut them. No need to hang them upside down either. Put them in a vase, with or without water and they will dry naturally.

I even use the dried blooms for Christmas arrangements.

One year, I tucked all my dried hydrangeas in the branches of the Christmas tree!

Also, there is no need to prune hydrangeas.

If you want hydrangeas like your grandmother grew, then don't prune them back. I'll never forget the time I came home and found the gardener had cut my hydrangeas knee high! He was thinking if it was good for the roses, then it would be good for the hydrangea. It took two years for my hydrangeas to recover from their "haircut."

Hydrangeas bloom on this year's growth. So pruning them just means you won't get the flowers next spring.

If you would like to know more about hydrangeas, there is a great website here.

Hydrangeas mean summer to me, so I'm joining The Tablescaper for Summer Sunday today!