Fall Open House at Willow Hill Farm (part 2)

 Welcome back!  Before we get started, I feel like I should let you know that today's post isn't as picture heavy as yesterday.  I have the entire volleyball team coming over for a sleepover tonight and so my bloggy mojo just got a swift kick in the pants.  But I love a party so I'm not complaining.

Welcome to my kitchen!

My newest addition is this bottle cap clock.  Wanna guess where I found it?  It's a really fancy place.  Keep reading and I'll let you in on my posh secret.

The green hutch used to hold the globe collection, but they've been moved to the room I didn't know what to do with.

Another addition to the kitchen is my enamel pot collection.  Our ceilings are crazy high (11+ feet) so I needed something tall to fill the space above our already oversized cabinets.

Little touches of fall make me happy

Step on out to our back porch.  The breeze always seems to be blowing out here.

The cats haven't fully grasped the concept of BARN cat.  They are more familiar with the PORCH cat idea.  Oh Basil and Olive, it's a good thing you're so cute!

We spend as much time as possible on this porch, which the cats seem to appreciate.

Before I go, did you guess where I found the super fun metal bottle cap clock?  Wait for it... Big Lots!  Crazy!  I've never looked for home furnishings there but one day I was looking for a dinosaur (also known as a corded telephone) and came upon the clocks.  I had a hard time deciding between the green lemonade and the red strawberry pop.
Happy Fall Y'all!!!

I'm linking up with The Dedicated House and It's Overflowing and Inspiration Monday

Farmhouse Christmas Tour

Welcome to our first Christmas at the farm!  We're still figuring out where everything will settle, but for now, here's a peek into our new home.

I asked the guy at the Christmas tree lot if he had any extra greenery.  He said, "take as much as you want!"  I scooped up enough to fill this giant bucket on my front porch and made a 12' garland with the leftovers.  One man's trash is another girl's treasure!

My first craft of the season was this wreath.  Something a little fun and festive to welcome you in!

 A winter snow collection greets you in the foyer

 One of my favorite Christmas displays of the house:

 The door from my husband's family farm decked out with a live wreath and my collection of acorns.  I just love the natural elements.

I'm drawn to all that is wintery, natural, and white, but part of me still loves the traditional red and green.

Our tree sits in the middle of the room this year (a first for me).  The space between the kitchen and the keeping room was the kids' choice and I think I like it!  I chose bright, happy colors this year.  Turquoise, lime green, orange, and hot pink.  It makes us all a little more joyful!

All of the paper came from Target and Hobby Lobby.

The fun flows into the kitchen too!

 This is the garland a mentioned above.  I garnished it with some fun ornaments a dear friend gifted to me.

I keep a little tree next to my kitchen sink.  It's "Mom's Tree."  All of the things I love are on this tree.  Most of the ornaments are breakable, so they stay a little safer on the countertop.

We'll finish the tour out the back door...

 The view from my back porch

Our beloved well house.  She looks so sweet at night with twinkle lights.

Merry Christmas, friends, from my house to yours!!!

I'm linking up with:
 The Inspired Room's Christmas House Tours
Kelly's Korner Christmas Tour of Homes
Nester's Christmas Tour of Homes
Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesday
Imparting Grace's Grace at Home
Shabby Creek Cottage
Classy Clutter
Coastal Charm

Farmhouse Kitchen Reveal (with details!)

 My kitchen is complete, just in time for fall baking!  The tile guy finished up the backsplash yesterday and I couldn't wait to make some pumpkin bars.

We wanted to go with the farmhouse look, without looking too country.  One of the most important design elements on my list was a window over the kitchen sink.  It was on the list even before we knew it would be overlooking a pond.  There's just something soulful-happy about a big kitchen window.

The only request my husband had for the design was simple: two dishwashers.  Who can argue with that??  Yes, we keep them busy!    

I love, love, love the divided farmhouse sink.  It's deep but not so deep that it hurts my back to wash dishes.

 The black and white maintains the streamlined farmhouse style.  Our countertops are honed (not shiny) granite.  We had the same countertops in our last house and I never got tired of them.  Originally, I wanted the look of Carrera Marble, but we couldn't find a local granite that had only white/grey (without browns) so we played it safe and stayed with black.  No regrets.  ;)

 The other priority on our design plan was a large island that could seat several people.

We eat many meals here.  I love having the cooktop in the island.  The kids sit at the bar and chat with me while I cook.  So many good memories already!

 I found the pendant lights in the Ikea catalog and prayed they would be in stock.  Two over the island and one over the kitchen sink give plenty of task lighting.  They also make me very happy.

 The other end of the island holds our microwave and keeps the cookbooks within reach.

The kitchen and keeping room are very open to each other, so we kept the paint color the same in these two rooms.

The details (for those who care):
Paint: Sherwin Williams Front Porch
Countertops: Absolute Black honed granite
Pendants: Ikea
Cooktop: Bosch Induction (love it!!)
Microwave: Kitchen Aid
Dishwashers: Bosch
Double oven: Maytag (we're not lable loyal.... we like the best deal with the best reviews)
Backsplash: subway tile in matte white finish
Barstools: 24" from Overstock.com
Faucet: Moen Brantford
Sink: Barclay white double bowl farm house sink Fire Clay

I'm linking up with Southern Savvy Style's Wow Us Wednesday
and Common Ground and Elizabeth & Co. and No Minimalist Here and Grace at Home and The Inspired Room

Settling In

Six days ago we moved into our new home.  We're getting used to the sounds, the feel, the living.  Pure chaos and contentment wrapped into a pretty package called settling in.

This is my favorite room of the house.  We calling the Keeping Room, but it's more like the Unwinding Room. By the way, the stain votes won.  We can always paint it, but for now, I'm thrilled with the results.  This is the only room that is semi-settled.  I needed to have one room that didn't have boxes.  The rest of the house looks like this:

 The Mud Room (most essential room of the house!)

 I don't mind doing dishes looking out at this view. ;)

 We opted for a large, open kitchen rather than a breakfast nook and a dining room.  Our former dining room table, lovingly handcrafted by my sweet man, fits perfectly.

I haven't put a single nail into the walls yet.  Possibly because we haven't brought over our pictures/art from storage yet.  Tomorrow night I have a date with a cute curtain rod hanger/guy.  I'm ready to add a little softness to some of the windows.

Even Rocko is settling in.  He's found his favorite sunning spot.

Recipe Madness

 Even with the benefits of online recipe keeping, I still love a good old fashioned, dependable recipe right at my fingertips.  I keep my recipes organized in a 3 ring binder.  It's nothing fancy.  Just a black notebook with clear sleeves inside.  This is where I keep my tried and true recipes.  The front and back pockets are where I stuff ones that I want to try.  Once they've been tested out, they get a plastic sleeve.  Movin' up in the world...

 Every once in a while I go through the recipes that are in the individual sleeves and type them out onto one page to condense the paper piles.  Above is a picture of some main dish  recipes.  I'm a messy cook, so the plastic sleeves protect the paper.  That's not a smudge on your screen, that's sauce on my page.   ;)
Notice the pocket of the notebook in the background.  Looks like I need to be sifting through those newer recipes!

I used to have most of my recipes on index cards but they were hard to keep track of and I would often forget about them.  Out of sight out of mind. Now I just tape the recipe to a blank page with a few others and then slide it into the sleeve.  Have you ever tried the Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Pie above?  It is a no-fail, crowd pleaser. :)

How do you organize your recipes?  Do you use the index card method?  What works for you?