Kitchens & Baby Steps

It’s all in the little things.

Shelf and drawer liner is a heinous job, but it put things RIGHT in the kitchen at Quiltville Inn yesterday.

If I can get the kitchen cupboards, cabinets and drawers lined, then I can begin the washing up and placing in of all of the kitchen gadgets that will make this kitchen a happy place for all those who come to stay here.

Heck, if I get the kitchen set up so it is fully operational, I just may move in myself and give it a trial run. Coffee makers, crock pots, pots and pans, baking pans, casserole dishes, and everything anyone could want have been gathered over the past 6 months or so – all new.

The orange handled cooking utensils I purchased with Mona on our trip to Asheville in the spring.  I always wanted some like this – they have a bend in the handle that will rest on the edge of the pot without the ladle or spoon sliding into the stew so you have to go swimming for it.

The gifted towel reads: “Here in the SOUTH we don’t hide CRAZY – we parade it on the front porch and give it a cocktail!”  LOL!  Oh, I love this!

I love the divided drawers!

However, the dividers do not lift out – they are built in.  So you can’t lift out the divider and just lay down a solid piece of shelf liner.  I had to trim bits to fit – and get this – they are all slightly different sizes!  I used the remnants from lining the shelves to do the drawers.

Oh yippee!  Service for 36 – 3 sets of 12 seatings -

I found a great deal on Oneida, and they had what I needed in this lovely simple brushed pattern.

There is something about washing flatware and putting it in the drawer – actually IN the drawer that made me feel like I was accomplishing something big.

There is still a bit of lining to do yet for more cabinets above – but I’ll get there.

Pretty soon it will be plates, bowls, coffee bugs all going up on nicely lined shelves. YAY!

And I had the brainstorm that any leftover big pieces of liner could be used by quilters to keep their machine foot pedals from sliding around the wood floor in the quilting quarters. I think I'll keep a basket of those in the sewing room for "borrow" so that they can be used again and again by visiting groups.

This also makes me smile.

Just outside of the kitchen attached to the wall where the back staircase goes up to bedroom number 4 and number 5 – how long has this vintage pencil sharpener been a resident here?  I’m leaving it.  I don’t know how often anyone will have cause to use it – but it speaks of the families that have lived here and the pencils that have been sharpened in the past.

Yesterday’s visitors!

Sharon and Melody arrived around 2:30 yesterday afternoon – driving up from Asheville where they enjoyed the Chihuly exhibit and the Biltmore Estate.  It was a 3 hour drive up from Asheviille to Mouth of Wilson, Virginia – but it is all Blue Ridge Mountains and lovely drive.

It was fun sharing the house with them, my plans for it – getting their feel for how things were going to fit and furnish and run.

And Sadie of course was right in the middle of it all.

Sharon on the porch with Sadie!

House at dusk – after bringing them back to their car.

I stole these two sweet ladies away, up to the cabin for steaks on the grill and all the fixins – it was wonderful to spend the time with them, and I cant wait to be seeing them next year about this same time on our Quiltville Kenya trip – Click the tab at the top of the blog for more info – it’s going to be amazing.

Also – please notice the diagonal stripes on the lawn!  That is son Jeff’s handiwork – he was also here with us  doing some yard care as the ladies were visiting, and then joined us for dinner at the cabin as well and stayed the night.

Melody’s side view of the Inn, rain coming.

This was so funny --

I sat in the rocking chair where Sharon was sitting (above) to upload a post to Instagram, I looked over at Sadie and this is where she was – not moving, not anxious for us to be leaving – just relaxing.

My commentary: “This was going on while I posted my last photo. She still hasn't moved. Neither have the trees.”

I think there is wisdom in that.  Sometimes we don’t NEED to be doing anything other than just watching the trees grow.  I seem to be doing a lot of just that this week.

September and  impending autumn bring about a lot of foggy conditions!

I’ve waited just long enough for the fog to burn off, though it still looks like rain out there.

We are watching the hurricane conditions rather closely – hoping it will not affect our travel to Arizona on Thursday.  If it looks like it will be a problem, we may try to bug out of here on Wednesday instead.

I’m off for a shower, and then over to the Inn to tackle some more kitchen stuff.

Quiltville Quote of the Day.

Vintage Dresden Plate quilt from the American Museum in Bath, UK.

Sometimes we can move forward in big leaps and bounds, sometimes we move forward in tiny baby steps.

As long as we are moving forward, progress is progress.

I’ve never made a Dresden Plate quilt – they never really captured my interest before.  But there is something about this one – the fabrics, and the Baptist Fan quilting that just speak to me.

Maybe I will make one – some day!