Sunday, June 10, 2007

Fun Monday - Our Kitchen


Joy of A Spot of T is hosting this week's Fun Monday. Joy has asked us to show our kitchens. If you want to see kitchens from around the world, hurry over to Joy's to see the list of participants. I think you might have the chance to see at least 30 kitchens.

My kitchen is nothing special with no special appliances, but you know that it is part of our home. Daddy D and I have lived in this house for 35 years in a large town in northern Indiana. When we moved in, the house was a one story home with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. This home that was built in 1950 had a kitchen with 2 orange walls and 2 kitchen-themed wallpapered walls. The floor was some kind of sprayed flooring that looked like splattered paint. Of course, in those 30 some years, there have been many changes in our kitchen. At one time, the walls of the kitchen were yellow. Yellow may be my favorite kitchen color. Yellow like sunshine is so cheery. Currently, the kitchen walls are blue, a very bright sky blue.



One summer Daddy D and I replaced the kitchen flooring with ceramic tile. Although this picture was taken recently, the taupe-colored tile is shown here. A few years after installing the ceramic tile, we did another renovation including replacing a big window with a smaller window and a back door. The original back door lead directly to the basement stairs, which was somewhat hazardous. Now, the back door to our home opens into the kitchen.
This picture shows the previous book door entrance. The small back porch is now a pantry.The next picture features the newly installed window and kitchen door that replaced the 16-paned window.

outside view before renovation











inside view after renovation

outside view after renovation

Other changes in our kitchen included a new sink, faucet, and counter top. The counter-top is reminiscent of decaying leaves. I realize that decaying leaves in your kitchen may not seem aesthetic to you. But this stuff is appealing to two science teachers.

One thing that we did not replace is the old white-painted metal cabinets. Daddy D, who is a rather talented homeowner, has renewed the old cabinets with Rustoleum spray paint and new door handles.
Essentially, our kitchen is rather simple. We do not have a dishwasher or a utility island. In earlier days, the kitchen was center of activity in our home. In addition to cooking and eating, our children would play in the kitchen. When friends came to visit, the children spend hours at the kitchen table coloring, playing with Play-doh, or creating other projects. Thus, although kitchen is not streamlined and modern, our kitchen is place of fond memories.

I have the distinct honor for hosting Fun Monday for next week on June 18th. For the next Fun Monday challenge, show us something that hangs on your wall that is fun, interesting, endearing, sentimental, or otherwise enticing. Select the picture of Uncle Horace, Grandma Galt's needlepoint, or little Susie's first fingerpainting to show the blogging community. If you wish to participate in Fun Monday on June the 18th, leave me a note in your comment.
Thanks,
MJD (Molly)

51 comments:

Margaret said...

I love your kitchen, especially the wall color(love blue) and the countertop. I guess I must like decaying leaves, even though I'm not a science teacher. I think most family's memories are centered around the kitchen. We don't have an island either; I would just run into it! I know it would get in my way.

Beckie said...

Oh - I like the back porch. A kitchen with memories is the best kind of kitchen! I like that blue - we had that color blue in the house that I grew up in and I loved it.

Count me in for next week!

Anonymous said...

Love it Molly. Your kitchen is beautiful. You have a talented hubby to be able to do the cupboards like he did, they look great. Thanks for hosting next week, I can't wait. Count me in :o)

Anonymous said...

I like what you've done for the back porch - very nice.

In my last house my husband and I just resanded and sealed the cabinets - and went even cheaper by spray painting the hardware - they looked good as new.

Count me in for next week.

willowtree said...

The kitchen is very nice, but I'm more of a deck guy, and yours is fantastic. They really make a difference don't they?

I'll have a go at next week's challenge.

Anonymous said...

Is Daddy D really that tall or are the counters lower than norm? I love the peek into your home. :)

ChrisB said...

I love how you have developed your kitchen over the years, I know what you mean about memories, the kitchen is always the hub of family life, (you originally had orange walls I moved into our kitchen with orange units back in mid 80's also by co-incidence I have a little deck outside my kitchen door as you may have seen yesterday).

Please count me in for next week.

theotherbear said...

You must have the biggest pantry. Great job on your renovations!
I look forward to next week's Fun Monday. I may need to hang something interesting on the wall before then. But then I said I'd clean the kitchen before this week's too and I didn't...

daddy d said...

Kitchens are food labs. They are productive areas of the home. It is neat to see how others have moved ahead with the food labs.

Unknown said...

I love that your husband recycled the kitchen cupboards -- they turned out very nice.

The extension with the wooden stairs turned out lovely!

I'm hoping we create a lot of memories in our new kitchen;).

Anonymous said...

Yay! May the no dishwasher people unite to take over the world!

I'm in for next week. Sounds like fun!

Anonymous said...

The pictures are great, I like the renovations!
I will participate in the next Fun Monday.

Amy W said...

I love the countertop too, very cool. And the backporch? I would be all over it.

Amy W said...

Oh, and I am in for next week...

Momentary Madness said...

Sorry this was to go to your previous post. I'm always in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Mjd, I found it interesting in a way to what ends you mat decipher for yourself for I can't. Ha! However,
Bob Dylan and the song/video you said you liked on my Skin-Walker post have something very much in........
"The Ghost Dance" sung by Robbie Robertson who was the front man for the group called "The Band" (which I believe Bob Dylan glibly christened, when he was asked in an interview what the name of the band was backing him on his tour. I'm not totally sure how true this is, but I'd say close.) Anyway! You probably know all this stuff, but there you go our posts collided on common ground.
Robbie Robertson and Martin Scorsese the film director are life long friends. Robbie has worked on some of the film scores for Scorsese. Robbie is Born to a Jewish father and a Mohawk mother. He has championed the Native American Indian with his contribution in words, deeds and music.
Here I go again on and on. Sorry. Just a little bit of info.
Y;-) Paddy

Momentary Madness said...

Looks great nice and comfortable. Put the coffee on and I'll be over for a mug. Nice and strong and black.
Cheers to you both. Best wishes
Y;-) Paddy.

Anonymous said...

mmmm...now I'm hungry for turkey. :D

Endearment on a wall...hmm...I'll have to see what I can find for next week. :)

Emma in Canada said...

I love yellow for a kitchen too, but that blue is fantastic. Count me in for next week.

Unknown said...

I love what you have done with your kitchen! Looks great!

Unknown said...

Oops, forgot to say that yes, I want to participate next week. :)

Tiggerlane said...

Smart choice on the grout - people always like light-colored grout on their tile floors, until they have to clean them.

I like your countertops especially! Where did you get them?

Debbie said...

I love your kitchen and how you describe your memories spent there with your family.

I would like to participate next week.

Nessa said...

You kitchen is lovely. I like blue and white. The back deck is great.

Julie said...

What a difference the porch makes- how wonderful! I love your counter tops as well.

I'm in for next week.

Rachel (Crazy-Is) said...

I think out of all the Fun Mondays I've seen today, this one is the best! That's what a kitchen is all about...memories and fun. I hope someday, I have that kitchen too.

Also, I love the little cubby over your kitchen sink!!

Robinella said...

Oh I love kitchen remodels. Nice job. I've never done a Fun Monday and I want to play.

Thanks.

Heather said...

I love the counter top! I actually considered doing a concrete/stained counter top for our kitchen with leaf prints in it.

Your home is so cozy...very nice!

MommaBoo said...

The blue-checkered cloth reminds me of a diner I used to go to as a kid.
I love the "deck"!
A very cute, cozy kitchen.

Thanks for sharing!

Happy Monday!

See you next week!

Blessings

Jodi said...

I really like the countertop design!

This Fun Monday is fun!! You can count me in for next week!

frannie said...

love the old school pic!!!

count me in for next week

Pamela said...

I like the leaf pattern. It's one of those that won't get "old" or lose its appeal.

How did you get the man to model??

Bethany said...

I love the blue walls!

Count me in for next week.

Anonymous said...

Molly, I agree--sunshiny yellow is a GREAT happy kitchen color. We're not changing that when we renovate :).

That being said, your blue is equally cheery, definitely NOT a humdrum shade.

I can tell your kitchen has been a hub of your home for a long time the way you've continued to attend to it...the changes have been a lovely addition every time.

I'll be here next week...I'm mentally thinking through all the stuff on our walls and already I'm having a hard time deciding...:).

Anonymous said...

I love the handy place for your cookbooks! Mine are shoved in a cabinet and I have to weed through them to find a recipe! What a good idea.

Peter said...

Hi Molly, thanks for signing my guestbook and the detective work of locating you, finally ran across your name at Pamela's blog and remembered that you had signed it.

BS said...

Count me in for next week - Fun Mondays are fun.

Anonymous said...

I love the color of your kitchen. A bright cheery blue, and your back porch is beautiful.

Count me in for next weeks.

Hope you had a wonderful Monday!

Luv4Zoe said...

You can count me in for next week's fun monday:)

Anonymous said...

I love that counter top, and the porch.

Count me in for next week.

Anonymous said...

I love what you've done with the back door, lovely!

Count me in for next week!

Debs said...

I like the deck and the blue checkered tablecloth. Great post :)

Count me in for next week.

Anonymous said...

So organized............oh how I wish I was. My kitchen is never never uncluttered.

REM

Big Pissy said...

I love that back porch. :)

The kitchen looks so cozy...like friends and family would be comfy and want to hang out there. :)

Molly said...

Dear Blogging Community,
I believe that the "anonymous comment" by REM is by my lovely sister-in-law. Don't be fooled by her lack of organization claim. She is one of the most organized people that I know, and she is raising two kids too.

bichonpawz said...

Your newly renovated kitchen is great! Love the back deck!! Count me in for next Fun Monday...sounds Fun!

Tink said...

I LOVE seeing pictures of other people's houses. I think that comes from buying my current one and all the renovations that have come (will come) with it. The blue in your kitchen is awesome. Thanks for sharing.

AfKaP said...

Lots of men in these kitchens! Funny how they don't take pictures of us in the kitchen!

AND - I'm in for Fun Monday - walls don't get stacked up with stuff!! now I just have to figure out which of the 800 objects on my walls to feature!! (Maybe they do get stacked up!!)

~ej said...

what a pretty kitchen, i love the whiteness of it!! and your porch is TDF!! :)

Hootin Anni said...

I'm hopefully gonna feel up to doing fun monday for the 18th with something hanging on our wall!!

Count me in.

Mother of Invention said...

I like simplicity and I grew up in the 50's so this kitchen is familiar to me. Mine is French Country blue trim and yellow walls.
I love your pantry! We are just about to start a big renovation and addition onto our kitchen/dining/livingroom. I'm bracing myself for the mess!

Anonymous said...

I am just now 'getting around' to visiting your kitchen. What a wonderful, peaceful place...and I love the porch. Sorry I'm so late, but if you've been reading at my place, you'll know what's been going on.