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Friday, February 17, 2012

I just entered another contest

I have this obsession with entering contests online. Not all contests. The ones that give away kitchens, kitchen makeovers, new appliances. Maybe you wonder why....

It is now 3 pm .... I am going to take photos of my kitchen, post them, then let you be the judge.

Hit pause now.

 This is not actually in the kitchen. It is what is supposed to be the dining room. Note Roger's toolbox - evidence of intent. The bakers rack holds my large cookbook rack and a few of my dozens of cookbooks. The bulk of them are in the outside storage shed. My mother-in-law Ann have given us a great many things over the past decade, the bakers rack is one of the prettiest and most used. You cannot see, but the metal is a dark green. Oh, and there are home canned items stacked on here as well.
The next picture is the wall between the kitchen and dining room, where the main breaker box is located. The plumbing for the ice maker is located behind the cabinet. This is a cabinet my sister had in her home for years. She very kindly gave it to us when she was blessed with an update to her kitchen not long after Roger and I were married. This cabinet houses my dishes, drink-ware, toaster, pitchers, some utensils, has a drawer where I keep kitchen towels and an area on the bottom where serving ware and my slow cooker are stored. 
 The refrigerator we purchased new. Note the OSB wall. Two of the four walls are OSB, two are partially insulated but no OSB or drywall has been applied. 
 Beside the refrigerator is a base cabinet meant to be a sink base. It has casters attached to the bottom and can be easily moved. The drawers hold utensils and flatware. The cabinet serves as storage for baking pans, mixing bowls, and storage containers. The top is used for the microwave, the bread box, coffee, a glass jar of sweetener packets, the food processor and a mug tree.
 Beside the cabinet is a bookcase unit I use as a pantry for condiments, spices, oils, dried beans and pastas and miscellaneous baking supplies.
 There is a shelf Roger made that is above the cabinet. We store canisters with flours and sugars, as well as boxed cereals and some crackers here. I like the open shelving, and dream of having more. not so fond of the metal brackets though. Too utilitarian and industrial looking. Oh well.
 The opposite wall is taken up by the window. Roger purchased it from someone he knew in Abingdon. I really like the size. Lots of light. My pot rack is hung from a rafter above the table. In the lower left corner of the window is where Roger turned a crack in the storm window into a flower vine and hummingbird painting. He is resourceful. And the ceiling? Right now it is plastic sheeting.
 My stove. I am the third owner. My grandfather, Roy Slade, bought this stove before he passed away. He passed in 1986. My brother Steve used it for years, and gave it to us when he and Kathy did updates to their kitchen soon after Roger and I purchased the house.
 Ah, yes. The sink. More of Roger's resourcefulness. 2x4's supporting a plywood counter top, with a stainless steel double sink. Room on one side for the coffee maker. An electric outlet, Ground Fault Protected, means this is where I have to manage to do any mixing, processing, grinding, grilling, slow cooking. There is a piece of 3/4 inch plywood that will fit over 1/2 of the sink that I use to have more workspace. My dish drainer is in the left-side bowl of the sink. No dishwasher. My Kitchenaid stand mixer is in a box under the sink, as are boxes holding canning jars, some cleaning supplies, my hand mixer and wineglasses.

In the hallway we have a Rubbermaid shelving unit that is the completion of our storage solutions. Top shelf - box mixes, instant potatoes. Behind the boxes is a cake carrier. The second shelf is crammed full. There are home canned green beans and tomatoes, all manner of canned fruits and vegetables and assorted cooling racks, storage bins and cutting boards.
 The third shelf holds pots, pans. skillets, is a make-shift liquor cabinet, and my Oster Kitchen center is there as well. I seldom use the Oster, but will admit to an emotional attachment. It has served me well for about twenty years. I cannot even begin to think how many pound cakes I have made using that mixer.
And we finish our tour with a look at the OSB sub-floor. I am supposed to have a wood floor. Some day.

I did not do this for sympathy, or to ridicule Roger. Were it not for his abilities, and the generosity of our family, we would have much less than we do. I guess I put this out there to show people, this is my reality. I do not feel sorry for myself, it is what it is as the saying goes. We were able to cobble together the resources to buy the property, and have a very very very low mortgage payment. We have heat, we have dry, we have our little corner of the world and are happy here.

But I sure would like to have a real kitchen again.

It has been a long time.

And that is why I just entered another contest.

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