It's Time for a Kitchen Tour

Hello, dear friends.  Today I am linking up with Kelly's Corner and a few other wonderful blogs.    If you are new to my blog and missed our kitchen renovation, you're lucky.  I wish I had zoned out during that time, too.  If you're still interested, you can find the posts here and here.

Here are a few pics of the house when it was on the market and when we moved in.  

This photo shows you what you see when you walk in the kitchen door.  We took out the above closet and replaced it with this cabinetry.

Here's a word of advice for anyone going through the kitchen renovation process.  The kitchen designer told me that everyone is placing the microwave in a lower cabinet.  If you are over 30 years old, don't do it.  It's a pain in the neck to bend over and attempt to read the numbers.  I now consider microwaving part of my cardio. 

We took down the wall to make the kitchen look larger.

I wanted to show you one thing.  Do you see the beautiful handpainted pumpkin?

My friend, sweet Karolyn, from The Relished Roost, gave that to me and a few other lucky bloggers a couple of years ago at luncheon.  

All the lighting fixtures, as well as this beautiful planter, are from The Enchanted Home shop.  What can I say... I'm a Tina wannabe.

There was a chimney where that cabinet is placed on the wall.

This area doubles as blog central when I am not in my office and need to keep an eye on the hoodlums.

We took the above closet out and added cabinetry to the right in this photo.  

It has slide-out shelves, which I love!

These are the last of my hydrangeas from my garden.  
I wish I could freeze them.

We kept the original cabinets and wood in the pantry.

Very seldom are the toys found in this basket.  Chowdah and Chili watch me painstakingly bend over to pick up all the toys and put them away.  They then take them out one by one, scatter them around, and chuckle under their breaths when they spot my expression.  

It's not easy being me.

The watercolor on the right is a house portrait that I had done for the Mister's birthday.  The artist is Terry Choate.  

 Terry surpassed my expectations with her talent.

Chowdah and Chili are even featured!

This is a terrible picture, but I wanted to show you my favorite thing about the kitchen.  This wooden area is original to the house and holds bucket loads of cutting boards and baking sheets.  When we move again, this is a must-have in my new kitchen.  Otherwise, I'll just leave all our stuff for the new owners.

The butler's pantry is another favorite area of our house.
The drawers, cabinets, and wood are originals.
If you doubt me, come over to my house and try to open a drawer or window. 

We liked Mom better when she took time off from blogging.
Please tell her to stop taking pictures of us. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time...

Proudly Linking up with:

That Friday Bloghop

Friday Frivolity

Friday Favorites

High Five for Friday

Home Sweet Home

Foodie Friday and Everything Else

Share Your Style

Finding Silver Pennies

Thoughts of Home on Thursdays