Diary of a Kitchen

I'm away at my parent's cottage all week doing lots of visiting, swimming, reading, and taking an art course at the Haliburton School of the Arts.  I'm re-posting this guest post from last year in case you haven't read it.  I had fun revisiting my kitchen (not that I don't visit it daily to cook) and seeing how it has changed over the years since we moved into our house 12 years ago this month.  Enjoy!

************************************

When we moved into our house the kitchen was far from my dream kitchen.  While it was functional, it certainly lacked in the beauty department.  However, I knew that mostly it needed some cosmetic changes that I could do with a little time, money, and energy (okay, a lot of energy).  I thought it might be interesting to show you how the kitchen has changed over the years and to give you an update as to whether I would change anything or not.

July 2001 

When we bought our house the kitchen (which you can see below in the previously-never-been-revealed photo of a photo) had bleached oak cabinets with a horrible white laminate countertop that always was dirty no matter how often you cleaned it.  The previous owners had put up flowered shelf liner as a backsplash (thankfully it wasn't real wallpaper so it was very easy to remove).  And there was no dishwasher! 

April 2004

We took down the fruity shelf liner backsplash (cheerful though it was) and put up beadboard.  At that time the beadboard was painted green because the colour of the cabinets would have clashed with white.

August 2008

We had the countertop replaced with a slate gray laminate.  You can often see the laminate counter in photos I put on my blog as it is a great neutral background (like for this salad).

At the same time that we had the countertops changed we had the contractor build a shelf at the end of the peninsula to store dishes.  We also had the counter on the peninsula widened so it is about six inches wider than a regular counter now. And we had a dishwasher installed (finally!!!). This was how our kitchen looked for another two years (you can see more photos here).

July 2010 I painted the cabinets and backsplash over a grueling three week period.  It took forever (or seemed to at the time), but was so worth it.  You can see how our family room looked for those three weeks.  Yikes!  You can read more about the process here.

I love what a difference painting the cabinets made.  I chose to paint the upper cabinets and backsplash in BM Chantilly Lace (OC-65) and the lower cabinets a medium gray colour, BM Steel Wool (2121-20) (you can see my inspiration photos here).



October 2011 You can see in the photo above that the open shelves were initially all white.  In October 2011 I painted a foam core board to place at the back of the shelves to add a little interest (which you can read more about here).  I used leftover gray paint from the lower cabinets and painted a design that was neutral enough that lots of different patterns and colours could be displayed on the shelves.


And I do use lots of colours to decorate the shelves.  Here they are decorated in yellow and white.

And here they are decorated for Christmas last year in red, orange, and white.

And later in the year in blue and white.

UPDATE Having lived with the kitchen makeover for over two years, I thought it would be interesting to review the decisions we made to see if there is anything we regret or would change.
Painted cabinets - I love white kitchens so I knew that I would love the cabinets painted.  The biggest leap of faith I took was painting the lower cabinets gray instead of white.  It turned out to have been a good move as I love how the gray on the bottom helps hide the dirt that manages to be attracted to lower cabinets.  I also like how it looks a little different than an all-white kitchen. I painted the cabinets in oil-based paint and before I wrote this post I checked to see how the paint was holding up. There is only one little chip on them (that you can see in the photo below) - I think maybe the vacuum cleaner hose is to blame when it gets pulled around the corner. I'm impressed at how well the paint has stood up through two-and-a-half years of heavy use.

Laminate counter - I love the neutral colour we chose and I love that nothing (and I do mean nothing) stains it.  I'm careful about using a cutting board and hot mats as laminate is not durable that way, but so far we do not have any scratches or nicks.

Beadboard backsplash - I love how the beadboard makes the kitchen look cozy and relaxed.  It was very inexpensive (less than $50 including the glue we used) and was quick and easy to install.  People often think that it will be hard to keep clean, but we have had no difficulty with it.  The paint slightly filled in the cracks between the boards so it is easy to wipe any spots that get on it.

Painted design in the back of the open shelves - I love how it adds interest to the kitchen, but is still neutral enough that I can decorate the shelves lots of different ways.

I hope you enjoyed the diary of my kitchen renovations.  There are still things I would love to do to the kitchen - top of my list would be getting stainless appliances (our fridge is leaking water at the bottom so things are looking hopeful there). Despite my wish list, I enjoy using our kitchen and appreciate how much it has improved - it is now a great blend of functional and pretty.  

My dream is to do a complete gut renovation on a kitchen some day.  Have you ever completed a kitchen renovation - little or big?  Any regrets or did it all go according to plan?

Monet on my Mind

I attend an art class run by a friend of mine.  It's loads of fun and so good for me, but this past few weeks have been even better than usual.  We are studying Monet right now and have been learning about his life and works.  

Did you know that Monet used a very limited set of paints. Later in his life he had narrowed his palette down to only six colours of paint - and never black.  He used:

• titanium white
• cadmium yellow 
• vermilion red
• alizarin crimson
• cobalt blue (ultramarine)
• viridian green

To help us really experience Monet, my friend bought the exact six shades of paint that Monet used.  

Did you know Monet was a foodie? My friend made us the same treats Monet liked to eat. One of his favourites was banana ice cream laced with calvados (ours didn't have calvados, but sure was delicious).  We also had warm apple cider to sip as we were painting as that is what the impressionists liked to drink - a good Norman drink!

Did you know that Monet's favourite colour was yellow?  So my friend went to the thrift store and bought a yellow tablecloth to set the mood.  Her dining room chairs are the same as the ones Monet had in his dining room in his house at Giverny.  You can see my friend's dining chairs in the photo below and Monet's in the photo below that.

Giverny

Did you know that Monet and the other impressionist artists liked to paint outdoors as they wanted to capture an accurate "impression" of the lighting.  Since the light would change throughout the day, Monet would have many paintings on the go at any one time and he switched them out as the light changed.  Monet also painted the same scene over and over capturing different lighting and moods.

in the mid-19th century, the impressionists made it popular to paint "en plein air" (outdoors) as they wanted to capture the light.  I found it interesting, though, that painting outdoors was made possible by a few advances in technology that occurred around the same time.  First, the spread of the railways meant that artists could now easily get out to the countryside to paint.  Also, in the late 1800s ready-mixed oil paints became available in tubes so the artist no longer had to mix all their paints themselves. This made it easier to quickly mix colours and to conveniently paint in outdoor settings.  

The first week we studied Monet, we attempted to copy one of his paintings of the Cliffs of Aval at Étretat, France (in the picture above) so that we could get an idea of how he applied colour and used brushstrokes.  My husband and I went to Étretat a few summers ago and when I looked back at our photos I saw one that was almost the same view as the one we painted (scroll down to the end to see the photo I took in this post here).

The next week we used the Monet-prop bridge that is at the university near where we live (I love the term "Monet-prop" that was coined by a commenter in a previous post about this bridge - cracks me up every time I say it).

We each found a spot that appealed to us and then we painted using Monet's six colours. We also had tea and a treat to sustain us while painting.

I've posted a photo of my paintings down below - promise not to laugh (truly I'm no Monet and haven't painted in years, but it was such a fun experience that I thought I would share the results).  

Jackie Evancho Photos

Before I leave the topic of the Jackie Evancho concert I attended on Friday (which you can read about here), I wanted to tell you the sad tale of my camera battery and the kindness of a stranger.  I took my camera with me to the concert so I could get some photos of Lewiston and possibly even of Jackie between songs.  The battery seemed to be charged enough, but it died just before the concert - literally just moments before.  Oh, what is a blogger with a dead camera to do???  The most obvious choice is to approach a total stranger and ask if they will send a poor blogger copies of their photos ... and that is what I did.  So thanks to Jim, these are some of the photos he took of Jackie taken during the concert in Lewiston, NY. 

I love how well the bodice of her dress shows up in the photo below.

And an earnest Jackie singing her little heart out.

And the wave ... Oh I love the adorable enthusiastic wave!

And in case you have never heard Jackie sing, this was one of the songs we heard at the Lewiston concert.  This song is unusual because she was accompanied only by the piano, instead of an entire orchestra.  I love that you can really focus on her voice in this beautiful song.

P.S.  And coming soon - a look at what we bought in Lewiston that will save me hours and hours of work (just as soon as I take some photos of it).

Following Your Friends

I don't like change so I was a bit upset to find that Google Friend Connect is going away. I have all sorts of blogs that I follow and didn't want to lose track of them so I signed up for Bloglovin' and transferred them all over. It was easy as pie (okay, pie isn't easy) - it was easy as lemon squeezy - to sign up. I love following along with my favourite blogs and would hate to lose track of them.  

How do you follow blogs? I'm curious to know since I feel like the blog world has got more and more complicated since I started a few years ago.  Let me know in the comments what you have found to be the best tool for following blogs.

So we can stay in touch after tomorrow, you can continue to follow this blog by either using Bloglovin' or having the posts come to your email (it was ages before I knew how to check my email followers stats and when I finally did I was surprised to find out that so many of you follow along this way).  You can sign up for either of these in the sidebar over to the right.

P.S.  Have a great Canada Day tomorrow for those of you up here in the Great White North - which is green not white right now, by the way!  

Jackie Evancho in Concert at Artpark, Lewiston, NY, June 28, 2013

Chuck Yates

I finally saw the Classical Crossover prodigy Jackie Evancho in concert.  My husband and I have been fans since just after she placed second on the America's Got Talent show in 2010.  Jackie has since come out with three studio albums, including ones that have reached platinum and gold.  She has sung for the President of the United States and the Japanese Royal Family.  She has sung with Barbra Streisand, Susan Boyle, José Carreras, Tony Bennett, and Sumi Jo.  She has sung for an audience of 100,000 people in Russia and 30,000 people in Taiwan. She has modeled for Guess jeans and acted in a movie with Robert Redford. And she is still only 13-years old! A good part of the magic is that not only does Jackie have abundant musical talent, but she is poised, polite, charming, with a humble attitude, a kind heart, and boundless energy.

I had the opportunity to see Jackie when she came to Toronto in March 2013, but that was the only possible time I could go to New York City with my son, so I had to pass on that concert.  

When we heard that Jackie was going to be singing at Artpark in Lewiston, New York, we jumped at the chance.  Not only was the concert on my last day of work, which is a great way to kick off the summer, but it is just over an hour's drive from home.

We arrived in Lewiston with enough time to stroll around the historic town and have dinner.  Lewiston is a quaint old town on the Niagara River right across from Canada.  We had never been there before but had seen it many times from the Canadian side.

Lewiston is famous for being the staging area for the Battle of Queenston Heights, the first major battle of the War of 1812. Although the British commander, General Brock, was killed in the attack, the Americans ultimately lost the battle largely because the local militia were unwilling to join the attack (you can read about our daughter, Kate, taking part in a reenactment of the Battle of Queenston Heights last October in this post).  

Brock Monument on Queenston Heights across the Niagara River in Ontario, Canada

Lewiston is also famous for being the final stop along the Underground Railroad for escaping slaves heading to freedom in Canada. Many heroic local citizens helped smuggle slaves across the Niagara River (you can read in the photo below the interesting story about Tryon's Folly, also called "the house of the four cellars", that was used to help smuggle slaves). Have you ever read the book Freedom Crossing by Margaret Goff Clark? The book is very popular with school children and was set in Lewiston, so the town erected a commemorative Freedom Crossing Monument.

Freedom Crossing Monument in Lewiston, NY

Lewiston is also known for Artpark, a concert venue that was the destination of our visit.  We arrived at Artpark at approximately 7:30 and moments later a tree fell down on nearby power lines causing a black-out to the entire town, including the concert venue.  Yikes! Was I going to miss a second opportunity to see Jackie? 

Artpark, Lewiston, NY

We waited about a half hour and, amazingly, by 8:00 the power was back on and we all breathed a sigh of relief. The concert began just 20 minutes behind schedule.  After listening to Jackie's CDs and watching so many YouTube videos of Jackie perform, I was excited to finally see the girl in action.

The concert was a definite thrill to experience her obvious talent, to hear the pure clear high notes and the rich full deeper tones. It was also fun to see all of Jackie's charming mannerisms out in full force. While her voice sounds like it is from someone much older, her youthful energy is evident in her stage presence. At the end of every song she responded like any enthusiastic child by giving sweet double-handed waves, giggles, and pert little "thank yous".  Unfortunately, her inexperience was also evident on stage as it resulted in some awkward moments between songs and amateurish stage exits. She would do well to work on introducing more of her songs and developing some of the patter that help with the necessary transitions in a concert.

I hadn't expected to feel any anxiety during the concert, but I'm a bit of a worry-wart and I get anxious if I feel someone is uncomfortable or they might hurt themselves. In this case, Jackie initially seemed a little uneasy. She was constantly adjusting her hair and looking over to the right to where I assume her mother was waiting in the wings.  In addition, during the first part of the concert her high notes were sometimes slightly weak and breathy, which made me worry about her voice as we were just beginning the concert.  Fortunately, though, she hit her stride and by the second half of the concert she seemed more at ease, she stopped adjusting her hair and looking over at her mother, and her voice seemed stronger. This also meant I could relax and enjoy the concert.

Jackie looked every inch the star in her flashy dresses.  She wore the two dresses in the photos below for this concert (although I don't have photos from the actual concert and these pictures were taken from the internet). I loved the bodices of the dresses, but not so much the poufy skirts.  They were a little too frilly for my taste, although they do give her good stage presence.

via Best of Jackie on the Web

Photo taken by Andrew Snook via the Examiner at Jackie's concert in Atlanta 2013

Did you notice Jackie's bare feet in the photo above.  Interesting, eh?  We were sitting in the seventh row, so the stage floor was just at eye level and we could see her little feet under the billowing skirt of her teal dress as she padded across the stage. 

I think the bare feet are adorable, but they've got me pondering.  Why no shoes?  Is she trying to relax and calm herself down? Is it a little rebellion against all the formality and adultness in her life?  Does she "hear" the music better through her feet?  Has she grown and the dress is now too short unless she is barefoot?  So many questions and so few answers.  Whatever the reason, I think it looks cute seeing her little feet under her frock

Update (emailed to me by a Jackie fan):  it seems to be fairly common knowledge among long-time Jackie fans (and I think that Jackie or her mom may have even tweeted something about it at one time), that when Jackie is wearing shoes she would at times catch the edge of her floor-length dresses and sort of stumble when walking, while the bare feet allow her to feel where she is walking and help prevent any mishaps.

And do you know where Jackie is appearing next - in the PBS special that will be taking place in Washington D.C. on July 4th. You go girl!

P.S. To find out more about Jackie and see video clips of Jackie singing, you should check out the blog Best of Jackie on the Web.

P.P.S  To see more photos from the Lewiston concert see this post.