The Heart of a Home is the Kitchen

Hubby in our Cucina Amore!

Our Nest has been under construction since we moved in during the last week of July '08. We are usually on the road for five to six weeks at a time and the 5 days we have home at the end of that time is spent running errands, catching up on rest, visiting with family and friends and working on the house and yard.

Last fall we planted cherry trees and this spring we put in a row of blueberry bushes and vegetables. I was able to plant two azalea bushes by the house during one of our weekends home. There is always so much to do and so little time to do it.

When it comes to fixing up the interior of the house, I have to take things one step at a time. I want to do everything "Now", but I know that it will get done eventually. Besides, as anxious as I am to have everything "look perfect" (there's a laugh for you!), it is fun being able to put a little more thought and planning into each room. I rushed to get the first few rooms livable but now I'm able to take a little more time to plan out the rest of the house. None of the rooms in our house are "Finished" exactly (with the exception of the main bathroom- after all it is the most frequented room!), but some are at least painted. Picking out the exact colors for each room is the biggest step for me.

I've had a few rooms that the colors turned out a bit different than I'd planned, but I am happy with all the rooms. The kitchen, for example. was supposed to be a sage green. The color I went for had more of a blue undertone than yellow, which was great by me, but when I began painting I realized it was more bluish than green. I was still happy, but a month after I painted the downstairs, we switched out our light bulbs to the energy efficient kind which cast a totally different hue on the walls. Half the room now looks blue and the other half (because of the different type lighting that can't fit the same type of energy efficient bulbs) looks more green! Oh, well, it will look the same when we fix the lighting.

The entire kitchen was white on white when we moved in and it was desperately in need of fresh paint. We painted it in a color called "Jasper." It really made the cabinets pop. My dad put up a chair rail around the room for us. It looks great. I don't have any pictures with me of the eat in side of the kitchen. I'll have to post some later.

Anyway, here are a few shots of our kitchen. During the short time we've actually been home we have held not one but TWO family reunions at our house. They have been amazing, joyful events. Most of our time is spent gathered around in the kitchen. It's the perfect space to visit. All you need is a pot of tea and you're set!