Coming Home

There is nothing like coming home on a Friday evening after a long week of work and knowing that you are home for two whole days. Even Friday nights have an especially peaceful quality to them, unlike other nights of the week. Here are some pictures I took this evening of my entry hallway and kitchen.

This portrait, one done of my father by a fellow student when he was in art school, is one of my favorite pieces of art in the house. When recently my dad asked if there was anything in particular of his that I would want someday, I told him this painting. He packed it up and shipped it off; it was probably in a basement or attic of his, and he knew I would enjoy it more than he. And I do.

My kitchen is the one room in my home that I would redo in a big way if I had the money. It consists of the prep area, shown below, and then the eating area, which (see earlier posts) has become a lovely sitting area. I would love to break through the ceiling and give the kitchen a roof-pitched two-stories. I would take out the cabinets that are above the stove and build an island, creating a big open space.

One thing I am rather proud of is my kitchen backsplash. When I moved into the house I had faux wood laminate countertops and backsplash. Knowing that replacing the countertops would be beyond my financial means, I focused on making the backsplash a little more appealing. On a yard-sale spree one weekend, I chanced upon a roll of vintage Delft blue tile contact paper. I bought it knowing that it was my answer to the dated laminate backsplash I hated so much. So, off to buy some paint to cover the laminate sin. Even my friendly ACE Hardware man told me that this was a bad idea (and I think a man in a red vest is the next best thing to God). But as a woman, I forged on, knowing that I could do anything I put my mind to. Armed with enamel paint which I presume means that it can cover ANYTHING with success, I painted the whole backsplash white. I then cut out individual tiles from the contact paper and adhered them. I wound up with something clean, fresh and ME. This all took place in 1999 and to this day not a tile has curled nor an inch of paint chip. I love it when whims pay off.