Got Milk?

The other day I was expressing my amazement at being chosen for not one, but two blog give aways.  (That NEVER happens to me!)

This is what the nice FedEx delivery man left for me from the second give away.  I received this from Nikki at Simple Living in a Big City.  This package came with three cereal bowls, three reusable BPA free cups with lids and straws, three cup sleeves and get this, one year worth of free milk!  I was doing a happy dance when I found out I was the winner!  (The dog thought I had completely lost it!)  ;-)

I want to thank Nikki for her generosity and giving her readers a shot at winning such an awesome gift!  If you want to read tips on a more simple, frugal, healthy way of living (plus life in a big city), click on the link above and check her blog out.  You will be glad that you did.

Since I have been so blessed to be a recipient of give aways, I would like to pass along the blog love and have one of my own.  Stay tuned!

I'm So Lucky!

Not to brag or anything.  But the week of St. Patrick's Day, I was the winner of not one, but TWO blog giveaways!  YeeHaw!!!

First of all, I wish to thank Mary of Siehled With A Kiss for the gift card from Michael's.  She is a multi-talented scrapbooker and cardmaker and I LOVE her blog!  Here is the card she made to send the gift card in:

See what I mean about talent?  It is beautiful and I know she took plenty of time and care in making it.

And here is what I used the gift card towards:

I can't wait to use these supplies!  Thanks again, Mary for giving your readers the chance to win!

I ask that you visit her blog by clicking the link in the above paragraph.  If you are a crafter, (even if you are not) you will be happy that you did! :-)

Sunday Inspiration

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul

and sings the tunes without the words

and never stops at all.

Emily Dickinson

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Christ beside me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ within me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me.

Saint Patrick

Sunday Inspiration

Life isn't just the front page-it's the comics, too.

Jim Althoff

There is Something Fishy Going on Around Here

It is March in the Midwest.  Besides the calendar, we know this by forecasts of rain turning to snow and snow turning to rain.  If it was a bad winter, the banks of streams and rivers are overflowing from snow and ice melt.  And a very obvious sign that it is March in the Midwest are the potholes everywhere.

Another sign that it is March is when you see this in Friday's newspaper everywhere:

Lent.  The period of 40 days of prayer, penitence, serving the poor and giving up green jello. (Just kidding!  A friend of mine went to parochial school and when the nuns would ask what she was giving up for Lent she said green jello because she hated it. LOL!)

And during this time you will see in our local paper lists on Fridays of fish fries being held at various Catholic and Lutheran church halls everywhere.  People have some strong opinions on which ones have the best perch or walleye or cod.  And living on the shores of the Great Lakes gives us a bounty of which to choose.

With it being the first Friday of Lent, we were looking forward to going to this parish hall for perch and shrimp.

We arrived not long after they opened and it was already difficult finding a parking spot.  But after waiting patiently in line and getting a seat at one of the long tables set up in the hall, here is what you feast on:

Yum!  Perch, shrimp, scalloped potatoes, green beans, cole slaw and roll.  If you are not a fish eater, then  grilled cheese and mac and cheese is offered. Then you have a choice of a bounty of homemade desserts made by members of the church to round out the meal.  They even offer seconds.  Next week we are thinking about going to the local VFW hall to feast on some walleye that they are known for.  See what I mean?  We have five more Fridays to pick and choose and we look forward to it each year.

****I want to also make a point on this post to please pray for those in Japan affected by the earthquake/tsunami.  It is a tragedy that keeps unfolding as we turn on the news.  I cannot imagine what the Japanese and anyone over there are going through.  Our hearts and prayers go out to them.****

I Have Issues

Not "issues" issues.  Magazine issues.  Although some people who know me well, will disagree with the former. ;-)

Check out this stack:

And that is just what was in my den/office aka my "crap room". (Another word for craft room or scrap room).  I'm in the middle of organizing it and was appalled when I kept running across one stack and then another and another.  Yikes!  Somebody shoot me if I so much as reach for another magazine at the store. :-P

I wonder if there is a Magazine-aholic chapter that I can join nearby...

****THE BIG REVEAL!***

I know that I have been promising "The Big Reveal" on our new kitchen.  Sorry it has taken me so long.  So without further ado, presenting.... Our New Kitchen!

It all began a couple of years ago when I couldn't take looking at my old floor anymore.  The design wasn't too bad.  But no matter the amount of elbow grease and cleaning product you used, it still looked dirty.

Blah!  I know you can't really tell, but there is dirt in those little crevices that would not come out. Ack!

Here is our new floor.  I think this is my favorite part of our renovation.

Well, you know what it is like when you start getting something new for the home.  If we got new flooring, then we have to update the cabinets.  Besides, they were looking like this:

This wooden spoon that kept the doors from swinging wide open because of defective hinges just wasn't  cutting it. I really wasn't into the "primitive" look it was giving the kitchen.  

Here is what I chose to replace that particular cabinet.  I wanted a glass-front cabinet to house my nicer glasses and crystal.  I had completely forgot about choosing the "pebbled" glass.  I think it gives the cabinet kind of a vintage feel and a little bit more character than plain glass.  Besides, it hides the dust better too. ;-)

Then of course you need new countertops.  I like the look of granite, but wanted low maintenance.  I did not want to worry about sealing my countertops every year or so.  So we chose this one.  We thought it blended in nicely with the flooring and cabinets.  So far, I am loving my new countertops.

Here is one of the features that I saw in a magazine and cut out the picture.

I wanted a place to store my cookbooks and knick-knacks.  So glad we did this.

I wanted more lighting around the work area and above my island.  So of course that meant getting a new light for above the table. (See what I mean about one thing leading to another?).

This is one of hubby's favorite features and was entirely his idea.

I thought that was a very nice idea.  We have a cozy place to sit and look at the birds feeding at our bird feeders and hubby wanted it lined in cedar to store extra cushions for our outside deck furniture.  I'm wanting to either make a cushion to go on top or buy chair cushions.  What do you think?

I added a couple of finishing touches.  Here are couple of them:

The canister set came from here.  The message board idea started out as a menu board.  But that idea went up in flames. :-P  So I decided to put a quote or leave reminders on it.

Here is a couple of before shots of my kitchen.  I remembered as we were halfway through packing everything up, that I did not take any pics.  Ugh!

And here are a couple of "after" shots of our kitchen:

Thank you so much for looking in.  Come back again! :-)

I am linking this to:

at Between Naps on the Porch