Pots, pans, paint and hair………………

I may be absent for several days because I'm up to my ears in all kinds of things.

What in the world is going on in my kitchen?

I'm so short of cabinet storage space - because my dearest insists on bringing home Le Creuset baking dishes - he finds amazing bargains at HomeGoods and TJMaxx! I do love them but I don't have a pantry, so have just been tearing my hair out (more on that later) as to where I can store them. I saw a wonderful French kitchen island in a magazine and the light bulb went on. Like that rustic island in an awesome French kitchen, why couldn't I make use of the wasted space under my own much-loved portable island? A slatted POT RACK would be perfect for my large soup pots and saucepans, freeing up their cabinet for other cookware etc.

My lovely friend Jeannette has a great hubby who's all handy and helpful, and enjoys small wood working commissions. He made the pullouts in some of my cabinets last year - they have made a huge difference in my kitchen and bathroom life - so when I ran my idea, and the French magazine photo by him, he agreed to help. Thank you dear Jim.

Jim made the framework and cut the slats and I'm busy 

with my brush and paint can getting the components 

ready for installation.

I'll share it with you when completed. 

More painting ahead starting Monday…………not by me thankfully. The professional Bruce will return to completely rehab an upstairs bedroom which morphed into DH's home office for 7 long years.

It's a disaster now BUT I promise will be better than new soon.

After the textured ceiling is removed, dings and cracks repaired, and a lovely new coat of Swiss Coffee (a warm white as in my dining room) covers the walls………………I will be doing my best to vamp it up a bit. It will continue to be our office/sewing/workroom but, after a visit to IKEA perhaps, it will look neater, and less of an embarrassment when people visit and want a 'cottage tour'.

Following painting, new carpet is being installed in bedrooms, 'office', landing and staircase. I picked a color a few shades darker than our present carpet, more greige than beige, and with a small diagonal cut and loop finish for a change. Hopefully it will look good and Mary will be happy. Bob too of course!

You wouldn't believe how many yards of electrical cords coming and going from old desktop PC's, printers, phones were hidden behind the office furniture upstairs, it was alarming! So very alarming in fact that I took a break yesterday and headed to the salon and actually agreed to allow the lovely Suzi, my stylist of 18+ years - yes, she who cuts my blunt bob and keeps it radiant red and shiny with her magic potions - to cut my hair SHORT!!! 

After a calming cup of herbal green tea whilst my grey roots were being decimated, I thumbed through W magazine and showed Suzi a pic of how I'd want my hair if/when I decided to cut it. It was a young, hip model in a Chanel ad, hair redder than my red, long on top, short on the sides, full bangs, surely easy to maintain. Suzi agreed it was just the style she would pick for me with my type of hair, offered me a glass of wine and said "let's do it"! Well I passed on the wine, too early for me, driving home later etc.
Suzi grinned, "Would you rather wait until next time?"
No, I was ready for a change.
It's modern and I can do things with it.
I suddenly have texture, no curls but body. 
I love it. 
All who've seen it thinks it's great.

OK enough of this…………pieces of wood are calling for their second coat of paint, I must leave you now. Will return when workmen are out of my (short) hair - perhaps sooner if we have Internet.
Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are………
and many thanks for the lovely comments you left on my 
previous anniversary post. 
You are the best friends ever.