House of Flu

Jake got it first, got better, had a relapse, got better again, then it hit the rest of us full force in the last few days. All life as we previously knew it has come to a standstill as we muddle through with our chills, aches, fevers and general comatose-like states. Be back soon!

Blooms, and notes about the kitchen project

There is one more flower to open, but here is my amaryllis in all its glory.

And here it is with a backdrop of my new kitchen color. (Though this is not really the best indication of the color...more photos of kitchen progress to come soon)


Mike is off this week, so we are trying to get as much done as possible. The ceiling is painted, the walls are about done. We still have to paint all the trim (white) and put it back up. The doors will be a darker shade of the walls, and they still need to be painted. We are getting new base moldings, so all of that needs to be bought, cut, primed and painted.

We are taking out our ceramic tile countertop/backsplash and putting in a really fun retro Formica (the boomerang pattern from the 50s has been revived, and we are getting it in the aqua color, which is why we picked this color for the walls) The countertop is almost exactly the same color as the turquoise Fiestaware, so I will use some of the accessory Fiesta pieces around the kitchen.I am thinking yellow and red accents here and there will be nice (See that metal edging on the coral Formica table in that link above? We are trying to find a source for that metal strip for the front edge of the countertops. Originally we were going to have Home Depot make the countertop with a bullnose, where the pattern would go around the front edge of the countertop, seamlessly. But we decided to buy the Formica sheet and do the countertops ourselves, saving money, allowing for this fun retro-looking edge application, and it will also eliminate the corner seam in the Formica, which I was not happy about having to begin with) . We are going to put up some sort of metal backsplash. Not positive yet, but it might be diamond tread. We are also putting in a dark gray composite sink. There is gray in the Formica, so that will tie in. Plus I'm just sick and tired of trying to keep an almond colored porcelain sink looking nice. It's always got pot marks, stains, etc. Dark will be much easier to deal with!

We're also putting in a new bank of cabinets with the same fun countertop, so I can store more of my appliances, and have another work surface as well. HOPEFULLY it'll not be another clutter collector!

Here is my stove, which fits in with the retro look we are going for

I spent a while last night looking for a fun new cookie jar, and found a few prospects. I also found a cute clock that I'm hoping to snag on ebay.

After 5 days of rain, and a flooded yard, the sun has come out, but the temps have plummeted. We got a dusting of snow a little while ago. It was nearly 70 just 6 days ago. But this is not unusual. It takes a long time for Michigan to let go of winter.

Jake was home sick the past 2 days but went back today. I hope he's doing ok. So far no call from him asking to come home, so hopefully he's snapped back.

Off to order the countertop. Soon there will be tile-smashing going on! Fun!

Soup Party

Saturday evening was fun! We went to a Soup Party, which is an annual event, but this is only the second time we've gone. I don't know why we've passed so many times before, cuz it sure was great!

The premise: Everyone brings a Crockpot full of soup. Unusual recipes are encouraged, so that there aren't 6 pots of Chicken Noodle, ya know?

Someone brings a few loaves of crusty bread to go with, but there are surprisingly few other things to eat such as appetizers, desserts, etc. Believe me...... you don't need them. I think I tried small amounts of about 6 soups and felt full the entire evening.

The photo shows only about 1/2 of the Crockpots. There was another table set up on the other side. This is the only picture I got though. I meant to take more pix, but I started sailing with the Cap'n.... (Morgan, that is) and well, I guess I forgot. Me and the Cap'n had a good time though.

Some of the soups that were made are listed here (and again, I meant to actually write them down, but...well...the Cap'n stopped me)

Dill Pickle
Lasagna
Taco Twist
Reuben
Buffalo Chickenjavascript:void(0)
Onion
Creamy Tomato
Loaded Baked Potato
Mexican Wedding Soup
Stuffed Green Pepper

to name a few. Everything thing was really good! To add to the festivities, there is a raffle drawing. I didn't remember this from the one other time we went, but that was a long time ago. Anyway, the host/hostess (My BIL's brother and his wife) provide prizes for the drawing. There is a Crockpot (of course), ladle, and other assorted kitchen goodies. The money collected from the raffle is split and becomes 2 of the prizes as well. We won a cash prize of $63. WOO HOO!