Smitten...

 Our neighbor Joyce stopped by the other day. She always brightens our life when she visits, and she upped the ante this time by bringing us gifts!  She said, "When I read about you and Chris on Facebook, it is clear that you are smitten with each other, so I made you a "Smitten!" I look forward to using this when we walk hand in hand (like we do!) in the cold months. How cute is that?  She also gave us terrifically useful hand-crocheted dish scrubbies. As someone who spends a large portion of my life at the kitchen sink making clean what was once dirty, I know these will surely come in handy. Thank you, Joyce! 

The kitchen had sunny yellow walls and white cabinets when we moved into this house. The countertops are white tile with a white and cobalt blue tile backsplash. The knobs on the drawers and cabinets were pretty blue glass knobs. A few years back, I painted the walls a creamy white and gave a long thought to painting the cabinets. They were worn and grubby looking, despite frequent cleaning. The project seemed daunting, so I never tackled it.  Last spring, my painter pal was here repairing a ceiling that had suffered some water damage, and I asked him if he would give me an estimate for the kitchen. He looked at it and made a face as if he had tasted something unpleasant. He gave me the estimate and told me that if he did it, I would have to spend a lot of time degreasing the cabinets first. I happily agreed, but his demeanor didn't give me much hope that he'd be calling me if he had time in his busy schedule. Then last Saturday, I got a text message from him, "Want me to paint your kitchen next week?" It took me less than a nanosecond to respond, "YES!" I got to work using TSP to clean the cabinets, scrubbing until my shoulder ached, but they were still pretty grim. We cook a lot, and grease had built up on the old paint, leaving it sticky in spots. 

My poor paint guy ended up being here during the hottest week of the summer so far, and he patiently sanded and prepped, then painted and painted some more. It took him 4 long, sticky days, but now my kitchen cabinets look pristine. I ordered replacement knobs to tie in with the metal handles on our new refrigerator (champagne bronze!) and will post a picture when installed. But meanwhile, any time one project happens, it tends to spill over into other projects. As I sat in the front room gazing at the fresh, bright kitchen, I decided that my beloved vintage baking cabinet looked dingy and that the chair I had for guests to land in was more shabby than chic. And it occurred to me that I would like to incorporate some pink into the space. Pink, of all things! My creative wheels got turning, and before you could blink twice, I put the chair up for sale on Facebook Marketplace, and it was gone in an instant. The former blue glass knobs also found a new home via the same venue. That was so quick and easy that I am now casting an eye about wondering what else I can live without around here.

 I used my proceeds to buy paint and brushes and got to work. A gifted chair languishing in the garage under a pile of hay bits and old boxes was given a good bath and brought inside. The look on Chris's face when he saw what I was up to was priceless. "That's not white,"  he uttered before shaking his head and walking away. I paint everything white.

I have a genetic defect (I know it's genetic because my sister has the same problem) that involves being a terrible painter. I get more paint on me than the object I am trying to beautify and end up having to do a whole lot of scraping and wiping of spatters and messes when I'm done. I enjoy the process, but really, no one should allow me to have access to a brush. Still and all, I am delighted with the end results. 

The cabinet, once a beigey shade with seafoam knobs, is now bright white with pale pink pulls. And the old chair and vintage step stool are also pink. It's a Benjamin Moore shade dubbed "Baby Dreams," and I like it a lot. My son in love gave it a wry glance and stated, "Bold choice!" I thought that was kind. Chris can't believe I painted anything an actual color. It matters not; Bravo is satisfied with the makeover, happy in his favorite "cave," and I can't get enough of staring at all this light loveliness. 

While I was changing things up, I moved a tall cabinet from the kitchen to the front room and put a cherished bench into its place. I added some containers to keep toys for the Owlet in now that she is getting to the age where toys are entertaining. I anticipate happy times with her playing in the kitchen on a soft, old quilt while I putter and cook. 

I'm smitten with this entire project and will enjoy my kitchen time even more than usual now that everything looks so lovely.