CURTAIN SEARCH, A LITTLE COOKING AND SOME PAINTING

We all know how projects snowball, it happens to the best of us.  But it's a good thing in a way, we look at things with a fresh eye and think, it's time for a change.  So while we work and wait, and work and wait on the living room, I've tweaked the kitchen, done a little bit in one of our bathrooms and then got it in my head that I needed something different in cafe curtains for this bay window in the dining area.  It's hard to tell in this picture, but the curtains are a brown ticking strip on a creamy heavy linen fabric.  Very nice but I needed a change.

I love Country Curtains and have done so many rooms in my house over the past 20 years with their quality curtains and nice selection.  As I perused their website a few weeks ago, I thought, maybe I'll go with something light and airy for summer.  So I ordered these, they came, I washed them and hung them up wet as my mother always did.  Well...envision Aunt Bea's kitchen in Mayberry.  Noooooo!  I took them down before I even thought to take a picture.  Problem is, I washed them so I can't return them.  Maybe I can reincarnate them in a bedroom or something.

This is the fabric from the curtains I really want...cafe curtains in a weaver's cloth.  I like the texture, I hope you can see it well enough in this picture.  The problem is, the size they come in is about 5 inches too long for my window and though I can hem them by hand, I'm not confident with this fabric.  So...my dilemma is, should I order the curtains and spend additional money on a tailor or should I stop fussing over this window in the first place?  And why are curtains and drapes so frustrating for so many of us in the first place?  My choices are so slim because I don't sew.  Anyway, this keeps me up at night.  Seriously.  Do you go crazy choosing curtains?

So the window remains curtainless and it's only a matter of days (or weeks) before The Husband notices.  He's observant like that. 

I have spent a little time in the kitchen the past few days, my slow week hasn't been as slow as I thought.  Abby's birthday was Sunday.  The Husband wasn't feeling well so we didn't go out to dinner or celebrate big, but I did make her favorite dinner...chicken, mashed potatoes and asparagus.  And I made a cake.  She couldn't decide on vanilla or chocolate frosting so this is what I did.  I'm not the best cake decorator in the world so this is as good as it gets!

The Husband and I took a trip to a little local grocery store on Monday for some things we had run out of.  This store has a really impressive produce department and when we saw these green bell peppers we had to grab some.  They looked like they were on steroids!

So, I made stuffed peppers and they were delicious.  My mother used to make these a lot and they were really good.  I remember while growing up we had a little terrier she called Poopsie.  Well, Poopsie had an irritable stomach and my Mom would cook up ground beef and rice for her and said it was the best remedy for Poopsie's tummy problems.  Anyway, I always think of that when I make stuffed peppers.  If you'd like my very own recipe (not Mom's), send me an email.

And finally, while I was rummaging around in the basement looking for a paintbrush to do the shelves for my bathroom, I came across this old end table.  My living room has gone through so many changes and different pieces of furniture, I just don't remember where or when this fit in my decor or even where it's from.  But it's heavy and sturdy and it's nice that it's a drop leaf.  So I am going to sand it down and paint it.  The Husband is not a fan of painted furniture but I think he'll like the transformation.  He hasn't noticed this sitting smack dab in the middle of the living room, but as with the naked window, he can be oblivious to a lot of things.

Good news...my new chairs are being delivered Saturday, my area rug was shipped, so we should be hanging curtains and putting the living room together over the weekend.  Other than the gallery wall, I still have a lot of decisions to make for that big open wall.  I think it will come to me once I see the furniture in place.  Now, I'm off to paint!

Joining Courtney for Feathered Nest Friday!  See you there!

XO,

Jane