Everything Starts in The Kitchen

A home doesn’t need to be large and modern to have an open plan, as illustrated by this charming cottage where one side of the kitchen flows into a cozy sitting area. 

Kitchens continue to be the hub of the home, and increasingly designers are opening them to other living areas. In renovations and new construction we’re seeing few walls between kitchens, dining areas, and family rooms, so family members may easily interact with each other and entertain at home.

See more "hub" kitchens here in a 29 photo slideshow. I'm still busier than ever, currently organizing my books and cleaning the shelves, a daunting job.

A Skateboard Video w/ 14 month old Boy

A man gives his 14-month-old son a skateboard and zero instruction.

SIX DAYS from Colin Kennedy on Vimeo.
Cutest thing ever! Everyone will love this.

An Old Photo of My Kitchen + Pantry

This photo is from an old blog post September 2008.

My Kitchen Pantry, Newly Organized

My Labor Day Cottage Project included real labor to clean and reorganized the shelves of my kitchen pantry.

I must confess that this is the first time I have ever cleaned the top shelf and I was amazed that it really wasn't that bad. I'm still not finished but this is a good start. I find that I do better when I do a major project in dribs and drabs rather than all at once. I started by cleaning and reorganizing the first shelf last week. Then when the spirit moved me, I did the middle shelf. I was putting off the top shelf because I thought it would be dreadful but it wasn't after not being touched since 2004. I thought 11 years of dust would be much worse than it was and I was pleasantly surprised. 

I need to reorganize my cookbooks by size so they will look neater. I did get rid of some for donating to the annual firehouse auction this month. I hardly ever use them anyway. I always grab my few favorites or use a recipe I've discovered online anyway.

Are there any labor plans in your Labor Day? Have a good one. xo

Cottage and Garden Details

I love the porthole hatch on the dutch door so you can see who's knocking before opening up. The owners of this cottage have green thumbs as you can see from the explosion of blooms everywhere. I like the hanging lantern too. Enjoy your long holiday weekend. via

A Fabulous Long Porch

This would be a great place for shuffleboard, wouldn't it? via

Keeping The Bird Bath Filled

I hope we get some much needed rain after the upcoming long Labor Day weekend. Tending the wilting plants and watering places for the birds gets harder each day. There was a heavy dew this morning and it's much cooler and breezy so I'm pretty happy right now. See you later. xo

Arthur and Geoge on PBS: Set your DVR for Sunday Night

JudyMac just commented about this series and I was delighted to find more information about Sunday's Premier in my email today from PBS.

Arthur and George 

Based on True Events

Premiers Sunday September 6 on PBS

Special Time: 8:00 PM in New York

Based on the acclaimed novel by Julian Barnes, Arthur and George tells the real-life story of the case that inspired the famed author of Sherlock Holmes to put down his pen and turn detective.