Writings On The Wall

Nothing we do is simple.  We always have a project going on.  A simple visit to the home improvement store for nails turned into a decision to order granite counter tops and redo the kitchen.  Mind you we were in the midst of building a pergola outside.  So not only do we always have a project going on, usally we have two or three!

So counter tops ordered, I try to convince my husband to let me paint our cabinets.  I love the look of black distressed furniture, see previous post, the Rolling Stones sing about painting it black, so I worked on getting him on my side. 
I have mentioned it on and off for three years.  So when he started to bend I took advantage of the situation and started to paint.  It was when the first cabinet was started that I stopped and looked at just how many cabinets I had and just how much of a project this would be.



Then comes the distressing, why did I get the project half way finished before I remembered, I had the right tools for the job!  I started with a piece of sand paper and elbow grease, then I saw the mouse!  Much easier!  Just distress or sand the edges that would wear naturally.


After the sanding you can leave as is, or add a layer of poly to protect.  Here is the secret, adding something with a little color will really enhance the look and add to the distressed area. My secret recipe is a poly/stain mix that makes it a one stop process.  For just the right color we chose Red Mahogony.  It was the perfect choice!

You're going to get dirty and actually that is the the fun of it, here is a self portrait to show, you got to wear some grubbies.  I chose to "keep it rural"
So the process continues and pictures really don't do it justice, but I will keep you posted when the job is totally done.  As I looked at it tonight thinking it will be nice to have a project done, I was secretly thinking what we could do next!

Caution, may contain dirty words!

So it's no secret that I have spent A LOT of time at the state fair this year.  And I knew from being around livestock that I would at some point smell poo, probably see poo and if I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, step in poo. 
So yesterday I was standing in line for some breakfast when I feel something hit my forehead, pass my eye and land on my cheek.  I keep my composure, grab a napkin and discover that I had been poo'd on!  It was just perfect, hit my hair, came just inside my glasses on landed on my cheek.  So I step out of line, get out a pocket mirror and clean myself off.  What a way to start the day.

Not even an hour later a friend gives me a belated birthday gift.  How appropriate, she must have known what was going to happen.

Three days of free food, what could be better!  Over 1,500 folks came through yesterday to get a taste of what agriculture provides and they are walking away with some facts they didn't know.  Such as marshmallows are a pork by product!  Or how much milk the average dairy cow produces.  Here is a photo tour of what you can do.  We are here 11-5 Wednesday and 11-4:30 Thursday. 

District 3 serving cheese curds from Fair Oaks Dairy

District 8 serving pepperoni and marshmallows - promoting pork and by products

District 2 serving lamb

District 10 representing vegetables

Illiana Watermelon Association serving fresh Indiana Watermelon

Dow Agro Sciences promoting their new Omega 9 oils and serving popcorn

Indiana State Beekeepers Association giving taste of honey

Foremost Farms serving cheese cubes

Carley Elk Farm serving elk summer sausage

District 4 serving soy butter, a great substitute for those that can't eat peanuts

District 5 serving beef summer sausage from Boone County

District 6 is serving licorice.  Yes it is a farm product, have you seen all the grains that are in the candy you eat?

Indiana Goat Association serving goat brauts

District 1 serving duck. Indiana is the #1 producer of duck in the nation.

District 9 serving Red Gold Salsa

District 7 serving fruit juices

National Kidney Foundation to check your blood pressure.

We hope you can join us!

I found a great shelf in Country Sampler this month so  I told my dad it would be a great birthday gift idea.  He can be quite handy so I left the rest up to him.  He worked his magic and here is the finished results!

It's just what the room needed.  I need to call the dining room the dad room since he also made my dining room table and the dough bowl that is on the table.  The dining room table was an old workbench that he reworked and made a new top for.  I said I wanted something that the pilgrims could eat at and this was perfect!




Almost all of my furniture has come from second hand and antique stores. I like to paint it black and distress it.  Here are some of my  other favorite pieces.


Thanks for taking a tour of some of my favorite things!

Linked to Wordless Wednesdays

Rock and Roll all night G an I went to the KISS concert this week.  I told him to do his best Gene Simmons, he didn't want to play along. It was a great show just very hot. I hope I can move like that when I'm 60, I can't move like that now! Ahh the fun of the state fair.

Summer is always a busy time for everyone and we aren't any different.  And even as busy as we are we tend to add more to our plate.  For years I have wanted a pergola, but "G" didn't agree.  Well he has finally come around so we are preparing to build that in a couple of weeks.  While shopping for pergola parts we walked through the kitchen area at Menards.  That turned into us deciding that we needed new counter tops, which led us to decide that we should go ahead with new appliances before that gets here.  So walking though the hardware store for bolts has turned into a kitchen remodel, but that tends to be how we roll.  While all this is going on the garden is thriving so it is officially salsa time!  Speaking of salsa, "G" entered his first salsa competition and came in fourth. He was awarded a ribbon and $10.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  And you my lucky blog readers will get a copy of his famous recipe.  Read on!

The kitchen appliances have arrived, here is the before and after!  Don't mind the canning production going on in the after!  These are Frigidaire Professional Series.  The stove is great, it has a giant center burner perfect for canning!
Tonight was a great night to dine alfresco, so here is the new patio set that will go under the currently "invisible" pergola! 


We have become big fans of the sweet potatoes from Schwans.  I put them on the grill, sprinkle on brown sugar and drizzle with some Indiana maple syrup!  We also had tilapia on the grill tonight, just use foil and roll up the sides!  Use what ever seasonings you like.  This was a great buy at Aldi, a bag of about 8 filets for $3.50.



A trip to the farmers market today and I bought a bag of Indiana peaches, they were very ripe and perfect for jam.  I love these freezer containers from Ball, and the freezer jam mix makes it super easy. This spring I made strawberry.  Instructions are on the back of the package but all you need is four cups of fruit and a cup and a half of sugar plus the pectin packet.

And finally the first salsa of the season!  The house smells great.  I love the apron, "To Hot to Handle!"  Gotta love a man comfortable enough to wear an apron!



Salsa - Sweet & Mild
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 t. pepper
1T. salt
1 green pepper
1 cup onion chopped
1 small can tomato paste
4 cups of tomatoes chopped
1/2 c. sugar
1 cup vinegar
8 jalapeno or 3 habenero chopped

Combine garlic, green pepper,jalapeno, and onion in food processor.  Dice tomatoes separately.  Combine all ingredients in large pot.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer for minimum 30 minutes. 
At this point you can follow household canning methods to keep it longer or store in fridge.  Makes great gifts.  Enjoy