Kitchen Complete...and some other good stuff

Hi everyone and happy Sunday.  I am so excited to share some pictures of a now completed kitchen that has made me very happy.  I have more cupboards to store more of my stuff-and boy oh boy do I ever have STUFF!  I also am thrilled with my new counter top.  It was worth the wait. 

Another feature I am loving is the extra sink.  It is handy right near the cook top.  I can wash my fruits and veggies I am cooking with and not drip water all over the floor. 

Probably my most favorite part is the small table and chairs.  I have wanted an "eat in kitchen" for a while.  Now that both the boys are working during the dinner hour many nights, my husband and I eat a cozy dinner right there in the kitchen.  I ended up doing much of the back splash myself and I am very happy with how it has turned out.  It wasn't quite as hard as we anticipated.       Now this Winter,  I can bake all day Sunday in my new kitchen and not have to listen to football.  When the kitchen was open, I had to watch what my husband was watching in the living room.  Aah it's the little things! 

  

Now back on the creating path.  I don't know if you remember(it has been a while), but I made one very wonky coaster with some leftover fabric from a giveaway.  I was just obsessed with the fact that it wasn't perfect.  It really bugged me.  I finally decided to come to terms with it and love it for what it is: a useful coaster made from great fabric that has character!   As you can see from the picture above, I made it some friends.  The friends are equally wonky and I wouldn't have them any other way!  It was fun to just sew with abandon and not get hung up on the details.  They are useful and I love the fabric.  I also got to play with some decorative stitches on my machine. 

I mentioned that we were about to have a graduation party for my youngest son.  It was a success.  I had way too much food(better than not enough) so I had to get creative with the extras.  After giving a boat load of macaroni and potato salad away and freezing alot of cold meat, I froze some of the sandwich rolls and decided to make some bread pudding with what was left.  Yum!  It turned out great.  My recipe is really easy and you can customize it a little with your own ideas. 
Break up 6 slices of bread(I used 4 sandwich rolls) and put the pieces in a 8 inch square baking pan.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  I sprinkled a handful of frozen blueberries over the bread and butter but you could use raisins or dried cherries or craisins-whatever you would like.  In a big bowl, whisk together:4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 cup half and half, 3/4 cup sugar(white or brown) and a healthy splash of vanilla.  Pour over the bread and make sure all the bread is dunked in the custard mixture.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  My husband ate his with vanilla ice cream.  Sometimes I like whipped cream on mine.  Sometimes I go really crazy and eat it for breakfast like French Toast.  Enjoy!

I have several projects I am going to make and I am excited to have more time to spend in my craft room.  I am getting a start on my Christmas crafting-an early record for me.  This week I will get a chance to visit my favorite quilt shop.  I am really excited for that.  Have a great week and take care.  Nancy   

Some Serious Catching Up

Hi everybody and how is it going?  I have to say it: Long time no see!  I have immersed myself in all the going-ons lately and I went longer than a month without posting.  I missed you! 

First off, I want to share a giveaway that I won that is near and dear to my heart.  You know how I am always raving about the Friday night Sew In?  Well I participated in May and Heidi picked my name to give the above prize to.  I felt honored because that concept has just been such a thrill to me and to be lucky enough to win a prize by one of the sponsors was very special and I am hoping the binding tool will help me with one of my puzzles of sewing-the binding!  How did Heidi know?!  Thank you again Heidi. 

I mentioned last we spoke that I wanted to organize my HUGE collection of fat quarters and scraps because they were a mess.  Do you agree they were a mess?

Well, they aren't a mess anymore!  I put a movie on and tried to sort them by color group and I was pretty happy with what I accomplished

I just wish I could bring myself to toss more.  I have issues with that!  Now that I am off from school for the Summer, I am hoping to organize several "problem areas" in my home.  I am really optimistic that my two sons will participate in totally overhauling their rooms.  I can hope can't I? 

Now to give you a peek at how my kitchen is coming. 

First, my husband put in my new cabinet section when they were delivered.  He was on vacation but I think that poor guy never sat down let alone relaxed!  At this point, I could see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Then he put the floor down which made a huge difference.

My Corian counter top is being delivered and installed Tuesday, so it is my husband's plan to work on the back splash this coming weekend.  Where you see the red plastic on the cupboard, there will be a bar sink and the double sink will be in the same place as my existing one under the window.  We chose to get the molded sinks in the counter top and I am excited.  Next week, I will hopefully have some "pretty much completed" kitchen pictures to post.  It has been a long haul since April 13, but it is finally coming together. 

Perhaps the most important news to share is that my youngest son graduated high school June 22nd.  It was wonderful and I couldn't be more proud of him.  I don't share alot of personal information about my family on here but I just want to tell you he has Aspergers and a learning disability and I was just choked up with pride when I thought about how hard he has worked and what he has accomplished.  He is going to attend our local community college in the fall with the hopes of becoming a Vet Tech.  I have no doubt he can do it.  He is amazing. 

Well, have a great week.  I have some projects I want to work on for my new kitchen.  I have to sneak in my craft room and find the time.  We are having a big graduation party for our son in a couple of weeks, so things are hectic.  Take care.   Nancy