I Love You to the Fridge and Back

It's been a whirlwind around the shouse. Joel moved everything in the house on one Saturday with the help of his family and friends. I guess I picked a good weekend to pick up a hospital shift. :) However, I moved almost everything on my own in the fall when he was still out saving the world, so it evens out. I came home that evening and got to work decorating with the help of my mom.

I had great plans to keep decorating the following evening, but a hospital patient shared the stomach bug with me and it just didn't happen. Kali has been really comfy in the new place though.

I finally felt back in commission and the rest of the week was spent organizing, moving things, hanging things, cleaning (so much dust still) and just coming to the realization that we had officially built a house. People say that if you can survive building a house, your marriage will last right?

Just reflecting on the last year, it's been a ride. This time last year Joel landed in Afghanistan, then I graduated from graduate school, planned a wedding and started two new jobs. Joel came home later in the fall, we began building our home and here we are. Whew. I sent off paperwork for my official SLP-CCC title last week. It's a pretty big deal! With a new home and deployment under our belt, we are really really ready to live together and enjoy life in this new season.

My kitchen is my favorite place in our house. My mother is a fantastic decorator. I remember her dragging me to flea markets as a little girl. In my teens I went through an Audrey Hepburn, 60s era phase. It's probably why I love everything about Mad Men to this day. I've mellowed on the "funky avocado color and wanting a bathtub turned couch" passion, but you can still see pieces of that love in my kitchen. Mostly through the bright colors of my Fiestaware.

Fiestaware is my fine china. The shelves holding all of my dishes originally were natural colored and this weekend I removed the shelves. I taped them off trying to be really careful around the trim.

I painted them the same color as the upper cabinets. It took an hour and a half to tape, paint two coats, dry and get everything back together. Another win for chalk paint.

Mostly now when I flea market or junk I'm looking for something that came from a farmhouse or that looks rustic.

I've become really snobbing when I junk because I don't want to pay for something that I could make myself. These curtains were a flour sack originally. I paid $3 to turn them into cafe curtains. I love that they are a piece of Missouri. They also say Walker on them, which is the last name of family friends. I thought this was a nice omen for the house. The sign above the barn door was purchased at a store near Jamesport, Missouri. It's funky and diner like and I love that it's finally in it's permanent home and place of calling.

The barn door in our kitchen is one of my favorite things in the whole house. I purchased the kit from Amazon for $60.

Next up on the blog is lighting, laundry and the front porch.