Dining Room Windows Painted!!

It only took us 2 months (initial post here), but we finally finished painting our dining room windows.  Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike painting.  If I had to make a list of dislikes it would go something like this (in order from somewhat dislike to really dislike):

• general housework
• pulling chewing gum out of hair
• listening to KeSha on the radio
• cleaning dog poo out of shoe bottoms, with tiny crevices (third and forth are close)
• painting
• cleaning up puke

So you see, painting is at the bottom with cleaning up puke.  Sorry to be so gross but wanted to get my point across.

The results make painting worth it I guess.  It has really lightened up the room and even makes it look larger and more crisp.  It also makes our old windows look fresh.

Throwback.... here is the dining room when we bought the house:

And now:

I also finally bought the fabric to make the curtains.  Going for clean, french country-ish style here (not so much Americana or Primitive country, though there is nothing wrong with those).

Burlap mixed with classic, mixed with vintage items is what we like-

I chose a fabric that favors french linen (but I believe this is a poly blend).

Remember, Jonathan cut and put up the trim himself so we don't want to completely cover up his work with curtains.

Thinking a side gather will keep more trim visible than two side panels.  I like relaxed roman shades but the style didn't quite work in here unfortunately.  Going to use a black curtain rod to hang them.

Dining rooms are important.  Alot of important family things happen here.  Hoping it stays that way.

Spring Has Sprung Picture Share

Nothing exciting, just pictures of things that I think are exciting.

Edible plants are making their way up!!

T family asparagus-

T family rhubarb-

Spring cleaning the chicken coop to get ready for our new hens, hopefully this week (I have been missing our old hens more lately) :(

Bug hunting-

With a high tech bug compass-

Sunbathing-

Getting dirty-

Even these little fat, pink toes-

Planting some spring greens-

Prepping the compost-

Watching nature-

The herring are running-

Visiting a Mayflower (Mayflower II that is)

About this time last year is when Jonathan and I found out we were expecting Lydia, I remember us all going out to eat to celebrate-

3.5 months old and growing fast.  Happy spring-

Country Hams

Quick update.  We successfully cured our hams!
It was an easy process and the results were well worth the minimal effort.  Post on the process here.
We were very excited to cut into one-

Country hams (salt cured) are different from your regular hams at the store.  Also, ours were not smoked.  I would say country hams are more similar to prosciutto than they are to honey baked hams.  They are saltier and you eat small slices at a time.

Back home we usually would eat them for breakfast on a biscuit.  Jonathan would want to add some Red Eye Gravy  but I am not a fan.
My biscuit are square (but very hip) because I roll the dough into a rectangle and cut them with a pizza cutter.  This saves time and I don't have to re-roll my scraps (which can make the dough over worked and dry sometimes).

The meat can be eaten raw if you like but we prefer it cooked.  My great granddaddy would go into the smoke house and cut off raw pieces to eat on the way to the farm yard.  An energy snack I guess.  Another use I have found for the ham is diced in soup (that particular recipe had called for pancetta)

The hams can also be stored outside the frig at this point but we just leave them in because its the best place for them in our house.

Think that is it for now.

Oh yeah, garden season has started.  Planted Mesclun Greens/Lettuce and Bordeaux Spinach.  Let the fun begin-

The Opposite Family

My husband and I are quite aware of the differences between us.  Mainly its our thought processes.  I am a very practical person, I will admit sometimes too practical, and I enjoy simplicity.  Jonathan on the other hand wants to always be (we will say) revolutionary and/or unconventional with his ideas and thinking.  Neither are bad and glad God made people different.  Otherwise it would be a boring and struggling world.  We are thankful also we can laugh about our differences instead of bicker about them (sometimes). :)
 
Shall I give you an example of our opposite family?

This week Jonathan decided he wanted to hang a large florescent light in our FAMILY ROOM to help some seedlings grow.  So attractive, I thought, would a random large florescent light be hanging from a main focal point of the room.  Did I mention it was large AND in our family room where our kids play.

He wants to hang this-

Here-

Here he is at work-

Excited about his idea-

So being the quiet, passive person that I am (I hear you laughing) I gave in... kind of.
I was quiet.... in my further disapproval.
Non-approval face number 1-

Non-approval face number 2-

Whoops, he almost caught me-

More disapproving-

Ok, I better stop since he is getting annoyed at my giggling in the background-

In case your mind went there.... I am thankful for my husband's differences.  It keeps both our minds open.  I love all of him and hope you don't think I am mocking him in any way.  SOOOO minor things like this are in the grand scheme of life... well at the moment this is minor.... we will see how these seedlings do in the middle of the family room (aka war zone, yummmm dirt little lady says)-

The opposites do NOT end there.  Little man and little lady are quite opposite also.

Another example-
Little man painting his painting JUST like the included sticker.

Little lady paying no attention to the lines and doing her own thing (a true artist I guess).  She can stay within the lines, this isn't a motor skill thing-

Finish product comparison.  Realism on the left, abstract art on the right-

Little man reading a fact handbook on sharks (nerd alert!)-

Little lady falling asleep to a story about a silly turkey wearing his clothes different from everyone else (her favorite book right now)-

Variety is the spice of life!
Not sure yet which way baby girl is going to go.  For now she has much more important matters to tend to.  Like what are these things attached to me and why doesn't food come out of them?  Right now she is a full fledge explorer.  Looking forward to learning what unique individual she will become.