The simple pleasures of home shine brighter
when the spirit of God intertwines our hearts
with His gentle Joy.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Kink In The Blueprint!


For many, many years...I've dreamed a French Country Kitchen!

Our Galley Kitchen On Crooked Creek as you enter from the the Entry Hall!

Several years ago, I bravely managed to paint our dark mahogany stained cabinets Paperwhite from Sherwin~Williams.

Our Galley Kitchen On Crooked Creek as you enter from the Entry Hall!

I've strived to blend Traditional ~ with ~
Frenchy Farmhouse Style throughout the area.


However, when I completed the painting of the cabinets, I purposely left this cabinet door off and added wicker baskets. Using apple and raffia napkin rings, I looped decorative dish cloths through the open handles!


Traditional fruit motif wallpaper and cabinetry.


This Farmhouse Style stool is from "Mr. Ed's" family farm. Each time someone mentions its uniqueness when visiting we hear, "Many are the days I had to sit here for my Mom to give me a 'homemade' haircut!"




Another key element for a Frenchy Farmhouse Style Kitchen is chicken wire!


Dear Ones,
Do you have any idea how hard it is to convince your husband ~ raised farm boy ~ to put chicken wire in your kitchen???



Since "Mr. Ed" has retired. . .a change has come over him. He actually hears what I have to say. Numerous times in the past I had asked to have chicken wire inserted in the cabinet doors above the range, but this time he actually heard me!




Totally wasted display space, this above the range cabinet was previously used for storage. . .and not very well used I might add. The bottom of the cabinet wasn't flush with the cabinet door.




So~o~o. . .
as "Mr. Ed" agreed to cut out the door fronts and replace them with chicken wire. . .I added an interior shelf that would showcase my restaurant dishware collection! As I tried to create a drawing on paper of the visual in my head. . .the reply that came from "Mr. Ed" was. . ."Don't throw a kink in the blueprint!"








No one ever called me a patient person!

The measuring, the cutting, the securing, the painting, and  the drying time took  f o r e v e r!!!




                               Until, finally . . . ta ~ da


                          
                . . . chicken wire in my French Farmhouse Style Kitchen!




The height of the shelf was determined by the excessive measuring to insure the proper fit for showcasing our European glass pitchers! An oval restaurant serving platter was turned upward to make an interesting backdrop for the small milk pitcher!



Beneath are various sized oval serving platters. . .stacked as you would have seen them in the  kitchens of a 1940 ~ 1950's restaurant. An oval platter backdrop, another milk pitcher and a lidded biscuit bowl fill in the shelf space nicely!





To add the punch of color needed to  unify the cabinet with the other decor elements in our Frenchy Farmhouse Style Kitchen, I began with a vintage botanical strawberry print. This print is double matted in an ivory and a light sage green. The dark green frame accents the delicate print making the perfect backdrop to coordinate with our  Traditional fruit motif wallpaper.




A vintage glass pitcher with hand painted poppies and a set of six juice glasses with red tulips adds visual interest behind the chicken wire doors.




Another key element in Frenchy Farmhouse Style is chickens. . .so~o~o. . . I added a sitting hen creamer on a bed of faux straw to give a whimsical touch.




"Mr. Ed's' patience is undeniable for allowing me to "throw a kink in the blueprint"! With his handyman skills and my vision, we have created another piece of the puzzle needed to complete our Frenchy Farmhouse Style Kitchen!







I adore the addition of chicken wire in our 
Frenchy Farmhouse Style Kitchen ~
                                         with ~ Traditional elements!!!







Don't you???




Until next time. . .




Wednesday, April 25, 2012

April Showers Bring. . .

On Crooked Creek. . .
                                       April Showers bring. . .
                                                                                Classic Rose China!




Change is constant On Crooked Creek!!!
The kitchen china cabinet and hutch is usually the beginning of  seasonal changes at our humble abode. Although I adore the Frenchy Farmhouse Style, I've been missing my Traditional decor. . . and my MoMa's heirloom Classic Rose China.



Leaving an Open Door, I began with one of my many porcelain china German Coffee Sets!



The service for six along with the coffee pot, creamer and lidded sugar bowl fills the space nicely.


By stacking the dessert / salad plates, saucers and cups. . . I was able to add faux potted roses to soften the hues to the interior of the cabinet. Lace edged, embroidered luncheon napkins belonging to my beloved Mother ~ in ~ law add an illumination to the dark corners. The pink fostoria  creamer and sugar bowl reflect the artificial and natural light. A vintage ivory platter serves as a backdrop for this vignette.






Every holiday of my youth was celebrated using these Classic Rose China dishes!!!




Champagne flutes are from a friend's wedding where "Mr. Ed" served as 'Best Man'! Porcelain egg coddlers are a purchase from our years of active duty in Germany. . .for my MoMa.



I added my other two porcelain German Coffee Pots with their creamers and lidded sugar bowls to give elevation to the bottom shelf. The use of books and a wooden music box allow the pots to be seen through the trimmed cabinet doors once they are closed.



The top of the hutch is the perfect place for a sneak preview of an upcoming Mother's Day Tea tray scape. The addition of pink depression glass dessert /  salad plate topped with a bowl of faux strawberries and a vintage Rose china dessert plate belonging to "Mr. Ed's" beloved Grandmother extends the Classic Rose theme.







                 
China and Roses. . .
                                      from April Showers . . .
                                                                                On Crooked Creek!




Until next time. . .


FYI:

The inspiration for the changes in the kitchen china cabinet and hutch came while reading my newest decor book, Romantic Prairie Style by Fifi O'Neill! This is a  must read for all of you hopeless romantics out there in Blog Land!!! You're goin' like what you read!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Too Close for Comfort. . .

The weather on the Prairie can be quite frightening during the months of March ~ to~ October!
Last night was. . .Too Close for Comfort. . .
a tornado struck just West and three miles North of our home!!!




"Mr. Ed" and I watched most of the evening while the weatherman kept interrupting with updates as the storms approached from Oklahoma! Around 8:30 pm., we begin to make arrangements to do some TV viewing in the lower level living room On Crooked Creek!



Where "Mr. Ed" and I had entertained guests for an after dinner dessert and fellowship just last Saturday. . .this spot became our safe haven while we waited out the storm raging above us!



This is an aerial view of the destruction to our North. Fortunately for us, we didn't sustain any damage.




Even with the rain and wind, not even a chair was overturned on our deck. Strangely enough, the water was sucked out of the concrete birdbath!




A daylight view of some of the intense damage @ Spirit Aerosystems. . .where our son is employed as a designing engineer. He and others have the next two days off due to power outages.

On Crooked Creek our night was spent in prayers. . . 
We came up from the lower level living room. . . safe and grateful that we, our loved ones and friends had been spared from the storm! The only thing left to do was to go to Worship this morning!!!


Until next time. . .

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Herb Crusted Roasted Pork Loin!

As the hostess of our Dinner Group, one of the requirements is to choose the evenings menu. Once the menu is established, the hostess then calls the other members of the group delegating courses for each member to bring.

So~o~o . . .
                               here's What's On The Menu!



Menu:

Herb Crusted Roasted Pork Loin
Risotto
Vegetable
Butterflake Dinner Rolls
Iced Tea & Water

Dessert
Coffee & Hot Tea




When the hostess makes the call for a vegetable, she doesn't always know what vegetable will make its way to the dinner table. For our dinner, our sweet member brought her delicious green bean casserole!



The same holds true when the call is made for a dessert. Our newest member brought a heavenly angel food cake topped with crushed pineapple and whipped cream icing! 




Perfectly light and refreshing to accompany our rich Dunkin'Decaf coffee and caffeine~free Rooibos Red Tea.



Since space in our petite dining area was already extended to include an extra guest, buffet ~style serving kept the tables clear for easy flowing conversation.





Herb Crusted Roasted Pork Loin

2 1/2 lbs fresh, lean Pork Loin
2 tablespoons Grill Mates Montreal Chicken Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 ~ 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon  Sea Salt
1/4 teaspoon Curry Powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed, dried Parsley
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Place the above ingredients in a small mixing bowl
and stir together until no one seasoning is recognizable.

Rub the herbs and seasonings over the pork loin
until well coated!



In a large skillet, over medium ~ high heat;
add less than 1/4 cup extra ~virgin olive oil.

Add the pork loin and turn every minute;
until just browned all on all sides.

Place in a casserole dish with
3/4 ~ 1 cup Chicken Broth and cover with lid.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours.
Remove from oven; place on a cutting board
and cover with aluminum foil.
Allow the loin  to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.




Coffee, hot tea and dessert were served on the lower level living area for fellowship time!

Make new friends. . .keep the old,
                                          One is silver. . .the other gold.

Until next time. . .


On Crooked Creek is joining our dear hostess, Yvonne StonGable for On the Menu Monday! Be sure to visit and enjoy some new menu ideas with recipes for your families dining experience! YuM! 




Sunday, April 8, 2012

Room for One More ?

Our first Dinner Group 'get together' of the Season was held On Crooked Creek!



With "Mr. Ed's" help, On Crooked Creek chose a simple tablescape with the newest hue of buttery yellows to our French Farmhouse decor.




This Spring centerpiece is composed of faux buttery yellow tulips amid fronds of fern and herbs. Beside the tulips, I placed blue and green faux birds eggs nestled lightly in faux  buttery yellow grass! A pair of shabby chic mourning doves protectively stand watch over the nesting eggs.




I simply adore this mustard yellow table runner recently purchased @ Memories of Home's Spring Open House! The hand ~ cut linen gives an heirloom quality and adds a simplistic touch of elegance.




On Crooked Creek chose our everyday white dinnerware. Dinner plates and dessert plates, instead of salad plates for this first menu choices. Each place setting is accompanied by our everyday beaded Oneida silverware and completed with our clear bubble water goblets.




Plain, creamy ivory linen napkins accentuate the patterned dinnerware, keeping this a serene palette. Two pairs of crystal salt and pepper shakers atop silver trays were placed on either end of the table.




A phone call the night prior to our 'get together' informing us that one of our couples Mother would be in town, caused a make shifting of plans.





Adding the card table to the end of our extended dining room table made the needed room for one more. A freshly ironed, white linen tablecloth. . .a second centerpiece and the placement of our French Farmhouse chairs completed the added seating.




In the absence of a second mustard yellow table runner, I used hand ~ cut, linen hemstitch, ivory hued napkins to bring a cohesive appearance to the two tables.





Keeping with the main table centerpiece, a galvanized divided planter mimics the same design elements. Here a single shabby chic sparrow is placed at the base.




The sun shone brilliantly On Crooked Creek's prepared table(s) for our Dinner Group!





What a wonderful evening ~ in fellowship with one another ~ for our first Dinner Group of the Season!



On Crooked Creek. . .
                       where there's always room for one more!

Until next time. . .