A Decorating Dilemma

I have a bit of a decorating dilemma. Or perhaps a quandary. 

And it's all my sister's fault. 

Prepping for My No Spend Month

I'm overwhelmed by the amount of folks who popped in to read my post on my very first "no-spend month" ever - thanks to all of you who came by! And a special thank you to each of you who left me a comment - I really do cherish all your sweet comments and I look so forward to reading them every day!

Today I spent part of the day prepping for my no-spend month. I would have done this prior to January 1st if I didn't come down with that nasty bug. So my month will begin tomorrow morning and go until the morning of February 4th, to make it a full month. 

It is what it is. 

In order to get ready to lock up my wallet for the next month I took stock of what I needed from the grocery store and made a trip to stock up. 

My veggie tower is full of fruits and veggies that will hopefully get me through a good part of the month. 

The Veggie Tower in August

I didn't get a pic of the veggie tower today as it's so dark and cloudy here and it's been flurrying on and off all day. 

The veggie tower is stocked with potatoes, yams, onions, pears, a pineapple, 2 cantaloupes, and bananas. 

The crisper drawer is also full with baby carrots, green beans, red cabbage, endive, radicchio, baby spinach, scallions, lemons, limes, and peppers. 

I have lots of garlic in the pantry from both my garden and the last farmer's market. 

I stocked up on dairy - we're all set for organic milk, cream, sour cream, cheese, butter, and yogurt. 

Our eggs come from a neighbor and I always have plenty. 

The freezers and pantry are full. 

The bar is well stocked. 

I ordered more food and treats for the pups as well as their flea and worm medicines. 

I made sure I am all set with contact lenses and solution. 

My back up supply of vitamins are on their way. 

I even made a special trip to our local Ace to make sure I had enough black oil sunflower seed, safflower seed, and suet for my little critters. 

I even bought a few extra light bulbs. Just in case. 

Last stop was to the gas station where I topped off the tank. 

I am going to try not to have to go to the market at all for the next 30 days if at all possible. If I do need to go it should only be for a few fresh fruits. 

I'm ready - bring it on!!

One Room Tour - My Dining Room

Ok, so I  might be a little obsessed with my dining room.  The sun shines in at a certain time in the  mornings and the curtains glow and the crystal sparkles and the wood glows and it just makes me smile. I look into the room while I'm making my coffee in the morning and it just feels like I'm exactly where I am supposed to be. You know that feeling?  If you don't,  I truly hope someday you do....

My morning view from the coffee maker

The light is changing - the leaves are falling rapidly, many of the trees are already bare, and we're heading into that thinner winter light. 

I don't care, I'll take it. I think this house gets more sun than any of the other homes I've lived in. I'm absolutely crazy about the sunshine in my new home. And pretty much my new home in general. 

My dining room isn't trendy by any stretch of the imagination. I don't have a big farmhouse table with skirted chairs or a painted hutch or white china. That's a gorgeous look but I tend to go more for a country feel with color and warmth and plants galore. 

I bought the table with the house because I loved it so much and thought it really suits the space. There are 2 leaves in it right now but when they come out it's a perfect little round table for 4. The antique chairs came with the table and 3 of them had to go out for repairs - the cane on the seats was destroyed.  I can fit 8 around the table comfortably, which works very well for dinner parties. 

My china cabinet came from Craigslist last year, before I even moved into my new home. Back in those long months when I was waiting for the closing. Long, long months. I paid $125 for this piece, delivered to my house and carried inside. I love the old look of it and it's just the right size for this little corner. I keep my crystal and wine/cocktail glasses in this piece, with napkins and placemats in the drawer. There wasn't enough room for my tablecloths, so they are in the basket under the hutch. And some are in the linen closet. Yup, I might have a few too many tablecloths. Oops. 

The basket came from Pottery Barn and of course I bought it on sale with a coupon. I refuse to pay full price! Refuse, I tell you!!

I bought a set of casters and attached them to the bottom of the basket simply using zip ties. Then my sweetie cut a piece of wood to set into the bottom of the basket to make it a little stronger - those linens can be a little heavy! 

In the other corner is my bar. We like to entertain and it's nice to be able to offer people their choice of cocktail when they arrive. This little bar is actually a dry sink that I bought at a yard sale about 15 years ago for $40. I just gave it a good cleaning and have loved it in each of my homes since. Underneath I keep cocktail mixers, soft drinks, straws, ice bucket, shakers, etc. In the drawers are taper candles to the left and after-dinner chocolates to the right - except that I may or may not have eaten them all. I'm not saying. 

The picture above is a daily reminder of an item on my bucket list - for my next big birthday I want to travel to Paris with my two beautiful daughters. They need to start saving!

All my infused alcohols are set out on the bar ready for sampling. Who will be my first taste tester? Any volunteers?

In between the china hutch and the bar is this little bench that used to be right inside the entry of my rental house. I placed it here a few months ago for lack of a better spot for it and I found I really like it there! I can sit on it and look out the window, almost like a window seat. And it can also serve as extra seating at the table if we are really trying to cram more people in. 

Oh, and the little Monkey has decided it's hers. She likes to watch the world outside and then settle in for a snooze. 

You can see how the dining room relates to the kitchen - it's an open space, perfect for entertaining. When I'm cooking people can sit at the counter and be right there with me for a chat. I love it. 

I can be at the stove cooking and still part of the gathering. As you know, everyone always loves to gather in the kitchen! 

I bought small scale stools for this counter so that they took up less space in the dining room but also so the backs didn't protrude too far over the counter top for passing dishes from one space into the other. 

Smart, eh? I told you. I had tons of time to think and plan. It took 5 long months to close on this house. I thought I was going to lose my mind. 

Anyway. 

This is looking back towards the dining room. One big happy space. Well, not that big. but compared to NYC apartment kitchens? Ginormous!! Perfect size for me. 

In the other corner I have my little wine cabinet. Most of my wine is stored in the lower level now  but I keep a few bottles up here. This little corner is just perfect for the wine cabinet. And of course every wine cabinet has to have a red sequin sparkly high heeled pump to hold your current bottle, right?

Of course. Duh. 

From that corner looking into the dining room there's a view of the mountains out the window. And tomatoes everywhere....ripening slowly. Remember the giant harvest? Yeah. We're going to be eating lots of meals with tomatoes....and celery. Hey, nothing wrong with that!!

So now you got the whole tour. What do you think? 

Doesn't have to be "trendy" to be awesome. Go with your heart. If you love it, it will show. 

I'm in love.