I play Damsel In Distress, and Martha Stewart in a day.

I had meant to spend the day yesterday working on the kitchen in Salem House. Eldest and I drove through the snow to get there, roads weren't great, but I wasn't expecting much more than flurries. We arrived at the house and proceeded to get to work shoveling the driveway. It is a short drive- lucky for us, but iced over, so it still took about 40 minutes. In that time the cleared area behind us was getting covered with snow again, and the flakes had saturated our heads, and found their way under my collar. I abandoned the idea of spending the day there as the snow continued in earnest.
So, I dropped Eldest at her dorm, and proceeded to head home. I was doing okay until I got behind some slow moving cars in the section of road Huz calls the "whoop de dos". They are thusly named because the road goes up and down and curves like a roller coaster (well, a pretty tame one anyway, this is Ohio).  I tried stopping at the top of a hill to give the cars in front some time to clear the next hill before I went down then up again, but cars behind meant I had to continue on. Sadly, about the third "whoop", my car, which had little traction to start the hill, lost most all it's purchase and we crept along by inches, wheels spinning wildly. But it soon became apparent that I was "going nowhere, fast" ( I finally understand exactly what that means), as I pushed the gas and moved not a bit. So, about 30 yards from the hill's crest, I put it in park. After a few minutes, folks started going around me. My main option was to push, or be pushed. But, this is minimally a two man job. Someone needs to push, someone needs to steer. I watched a blue pick up truck come over the crest of the hill towards my stationary vehicle and slide sideways for about way too far. But, he corrected before running into us. Yay. I got out of the car to attempt to recruit a likely pushing candidate, wishing I was looking more helpless. Paint-smeared coveralls and well worn muck boots don't scream "HELP ME" nearly as much as more lady-like fashion. And, no matter my fashion choice or my sex, I needed help. One lady rolled down her window as she passed and asked "Are you having trouble?" I thought that funny! And another two drivers thought honking at me to move would help. Also funny.
Eventually, a kind fellow offered to push. He was shortly joined by a mother and teen aged son who all joined in to get me pushed up the hill. Thank you, thank you, kind strangers. You paid it forward.
I also had an offer of help from a friend via telephone, but, frustratingly, my cell phone just for this period of time, decided to not accept button pushing, so as my supporter made the phone ring and ring, no mashing of buttons would allow me to answer. UGH. God is in all things.
Which brings me to the relief of finally getting back to Cowfeathers and watching the snow fall from the comfort of tea and the windows of a home.

With the wonder of unexpected time, I embarked on an experiment. The evening before had been our 4-H Club Chinese Auction. There was nearly 450 items available to win, including some really big, amazing things. Alas, I was the winner of but one lot. Two pressed glass, heavy bowl shaped candle holders. I appreciated their simplicity, and we do live in the pressed glass capital- Anchor Hocking country. So, I dug them out of the box of 4-H paperwork and decided to experiment with bake on enamel paint. I had picked some up on my last trip to the craft store, and then God (again, in all things, did not think I needed the paper shredder or the soft leather couch, or the enormous gas grill, or the garden cart or the..... ) thought to put these little candle holders in my hands, and brand new enamel paint with no home.

So, I selected the green apple color and proceeded to paint the inside of the candle holders. In between stages, I did a cross word, and read "Dear Abby". Above is one painted, and one pre-paint. After I was done with these, I like them so well, I delved into the pantry shelves to claim the array of cheap floral vases on hand and continue to play.
 I added royal blue and a happy yellow to my repertoire. Then I put them in the oven and baked the suckers. 

 Note that there are three green, three blue and one yellow. Odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye in groupings of things.

Now, I'm not sure where they will actually end up. I think they are most suited for display- up high, because the paint shows streaks when seen from above. But, they are dishwasher safe, if not food safe, so I think they can be given a chance with flowers again.
I see a handful of dianthus "pinks" in the petite yellow vase with their little spear-shaped curly blue leaves and cheerful pink faces, and a collection of generous, boozy peonies in the tall blue one. How about lilacs in the tall green? Or a strong-stalked purple globe of allium?
Could I be hankering for spring? The joy of warm feet and hands? Certainly plausible!

Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread, and true confessions.

My morning began with a cold nose (only thing peeking out of the multiple layers of warm-making items) and a voice saying "TEXT FROM: AMY. READ NOW?". Why does it talk to me? Why when my cellphone is silenced that irksome voice doesn't comply? Is it a politician?
Anyway, there are much worse ways to begin to stir, and a text from a beloved pal is most appreciated, so I allowed hand to join nose and come out from under the covers.
The text concerned the baking of non-glutenous breads. My friend had suffered an unsuccessful attempt at baking and was looking for tips. I imparted that I had a favorite recipe, and would send it on.
It is ridiculously easy. And tasty. Thus a favorite. I mean easy. 
At the risk (great and imminent) of revealing my lazy core, I thought I'd not only share it with Ames, but with anyone so interested.

And, while I'm having "true confessions" I will be up front and tell all that I have taught my son, Youngest, to bake this bread. Yep. Lazy.

It is from the cookbook "Gluten-Free on a Shoestring" by Nicole Hunn ( okay, okay, I'm lazy and cheap!).


Crucial is the oven-proof skillet. I use a Calphalon skillet given to us as a wedding present 20 years ago. Also important is that it uses GF APF (Gluten Free all-purpose flour). Many bread recipes use about 9 different flours, and that would not qualify in the lazy category. Oh, in the following, t. = teaspoon and T.= tablespoon.

3 C. GF APF ( I have tried several brands of Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour. Most do fine.  I'm least fond
                        of Bob's Red Mill. Great GF brownie mix, terrible, grainy GF APF)
1 1/2 t. xanthan gum
3/4 C. sugar
2 1/4 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. cream of tartar
6 T. unsalted butter, diced and chilled
2 C. raisins (I don't use these, ever, but you're welcome to try)
2 T. caraway seeds (also optional, but I LOVE them in this bread)
1 1/2 C. milk (lowfat (or 1%) is fine, but skim doesn't do. So, if I have skim, I add a bit of half-half or cream)
2 t. white wine vinegar
1 extra-large egg (the only kind my chickens make!)

Preheat the oven to 350* F. Grease a 10 or 12 inch oven proof skillet with sides on it using unsalted butter.

In a large bowl (Okay, true confessions, again. I do the WHOLE DARN RECIPE in my food processor. So, if you're the owner of a large capacity food processor, just add it all in there).
Anyway, in a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Whisk to combine (or pulse a few times on the food processor).

Place the cold, diced butter into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Using a hand held pastry blender, or two knives, (OR THE FOOD PROCESSOR) cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles small peas, or a bit more crumbly than dusty. The idea is for the butter to be in small pieces, and each small piece is surrounded by the flour mixture. Stir in your optional ingredients (at least try the caraway). 

Add the milk, vinegar, and egg and mix with a spoon (or pulse with the food processor) just until the mixture  comes together.

Scrape the dough into the prepared ovenproof skillet, and with wet hands, smooth the top of the dough, piling it a bit higher in the center and pulling it about 1/8 inch away from the edges of the skillet. With a sharp knife, cut a deep "X" into the center of the loaf.

Place the skillet into your preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes. Turn down the oven temperature to 325*F  and bake for another 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out completely  clean. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 30 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Add impatient. Impatient, lazy and cheap. (But well-fed).
I never let it cool. I just slice big chunks out of the skillet, slather it with butter and feel the ecstasy.

Before and Afters- Bluebells- Morphing one room into a master suite and dining room.

Ah, the memories of Bluebells. The kids were little, I had wonderful neighbors, we were discovering the joys of central Ohio, and rehabbing a sweet little place in town.
I have blogged the exterior changes and the brightening of the sunroom. So, I figured I'd keep going from back to front and show you what happened to the room that had been added in the 1950s. This room spanned the back of the house, was one story, had a linoleum floor, aluminum jalousie windows and real, thick pine paneling that was lovingly stained and assembled by the original owners. During the rehab, we found mementos Mr. Bell  had left behind. A church program left in the wall, a newspaper, things that marked the date and times in which the addition had been built. I found a place to put them all back during the reno, and added our own, perhaps to be found again someday.

On move-in day, prior to the arrival of the PB& J's from our realtor "Kuyper", I busied myself taking photos of the starting point. The room at the back of the house opened from the living room (Huz is standing in front of that opening, likely speaking to Eldest) and another door from the kitchen- later photo. The door Hannah (the dog) is going through leads to the sun room. The cutie with the pacifier stuck in her mouth is Middlest. She is inspecting the sills for bugs and dirt. Successfully.
Note in this room, an area rug of sorts, indoor/outdoor type that covers linoleum. The put up ceiling will need to go. The aluminum windows are great for brightness but a failure at energy efficiency...and beauty.

   

Before

 This picture is from the other direction. Standing in the living room opening looking back at the other side of the room. You can see the expansive wood stove in the corner, bricks stacked behind it for safety? The keeper in this room is the real pine paneling. I will sand it and paint it, giving wonderful texture to the walls without the overwhelming "pineyness".

 From the door to the sunroom, looking back to the kitchen, you can see there is a "window"- presumably the original to the kitchen. Now it has a mirror in the back and shelving. Middlest is wandering into the tiny kitchen.

 

For perspective on that wall, here is the "window" on the other side. It is over the stove and has pegboard attached to the wall. You can see the kitchen is teeny, and feels closed in. The original cabinets are terrific. The floor is not. 

Upon moving into the space, I made the changes necessary to keep me sane (that butterfly wallpaper had to go!) but otherwise waited to see how the house "lived" and what it needed to make it really wonderful.
There was a half bath downstairs, and a full bath upstairs with the two bedrooms.
What it really needed for modern living was a master suite, and a guest room, a more open kitchen, a brighter indoor space, office space and a good flow for entertaining. Tall order.
My best space to work with was this pine-paneled big room. So, with my Dad, some graph paper, and sharp pencils, we started sketching. The kitchen was opened up to the room by removing part of the wall, and adding a laminated beam (it was a load bearing wall, so needed some special consideration) The dining room was placed there, with the door to the sunroom just beyond. A wall was erected through the center of the big room, with the half of the wall closest to the sunroom notched out for a mudroom bench and storage hooks for jackets, purses etc. and the other half  housed the master bath, opened to the bedroom on the other side of the wall. The bedroom opened up from the living room, and then opened up on the other side to the patio in the back. Aw, heck. I'll just draw it for you.

Original room layout:

 After

See? Now, we have a dining room, mudroom, and master suite instead. It is now insulated, has wood floors, a drywall ceiling instead of dropped tiles, and changed the whole house.

Oh, pictures? Okay!

 This is a view of the dining area, looking into the newly opened kitchen wall. This is where the window with the mirror behind it had been in the original room. You can see the pine paneling is now white and bright. The china cabinet built-in was designed around the doors. They were in a neighbor's basement, and she was tossing them out. I gleefully snatched them up!  The built in storage below is concealed by a curtain. The era of the house lends itself to charming features like this. It incorporates a fabric, adding softness, color and is easy to create, clean and replace. The chandelier is the least expensive one I could find at Ikea that I loved, and then put shades on the lights to soften the black cast iron simpleness of the light fixture.
You  can kind of see into the kitchen where all the cabinetry that was not original to the house has been taken out, making the room bigger, and then to use the space open shelves have been added, and an island for counter work space.

 This is the mudroom area. When the framers were framing up the walls, I realized- mid framing- I wanted windows in the wall. Even if they don't open to outside, they open up a wall space and give it interest. So, while they took a lunch break, I loaded kidlets in the car and jetted around the neighborhood. Wouldn't you know, I spotted a van with window glass on it a few blocks from the school. I knocked with a "yoo-hoo anyone home" and found them pulling out windows in the second story of the house. I loaded the windows in the van, and zoomed back home so the framers could frame them up to the correct dimensions.

I covered the bench cushion in the same fabric as the china cabinet lower curtain for continuity, but added other fabrics into the pillows. I even attempted a monogram pillow with my sewing machine that says "bluebells". I did it with the zigzag stitch and not lowering the foot pedal. Not perfect, but respectable. Storage under the bench for hats, gloves and such. The soft lambskin was toted back from New Zealand by my traveling incarnation.

From the living room, with the french doors open to the master suite, and the patio and back yard beyond.
I have to point out the ceiling fan here. I am not a great fan of the ceiling fan, but we do not use air conditioning, and the fan was a pleasant way to help cool the bedroom in the summer months. The french doors here are new, but wood divided light, and old glass knobs were used, so you'd never know. The wood floors are new, because there was sub floor under the lino that was not "refinishable". Jute remains my favorite choice for large area rugs. It's naturalness and fibers are like having woven rushes. Plus it's relatively affordable!

Once inside the bedroom, to the right is the ensuite bath, with another one of the pirated windows in that wall. Again, it is a super small space, and the window opens the space up and it doesn't feel like a hole-in-the-wall.

The bathroom sink was a salvage find, and my neighbor and I tackled building the cabinet one Saturday. Again, the legs and open design to the sink cabinet makes the space feel larger.

 You can see how small the room is, but the maximum sized tub was added anyway. I put in a shower for resale value, but never used the shower head. I'm a tub girl. I had fun with the tile, even though it was same-old-same-old 4" squares, I added interest and texture by putting in a border and then setting the tile in diagonals on top. The bathrooms all got beadboard, because it's timeless. And this bathroom got a fairly deep shelf for display and storage. Under the window is a little vintage bench for non-toilet seating and for a stack of plush towels.

Ta-da! Ground floor master. 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths become 3 bedrooms 2.5 baths.... but I'm not done. I want 4 bedrooms. And that office...

Before and Afters- Bluebells Sun Room

We are a bit snowed in at Cowfeathers today. Well, mostly iced in. The snowfall was fast and furious, but then it was followed by rain. So, encased in a layer of ice, if the sun had come out (which it did not) we would've been a diamond.

In honor of sunshine and light, I thought today's Before and After should be of the Bluebells sunroom. Bluebells original building was your typical two-over-two. Central front door and stair, living room to the left, dining room with kitchen tucked in behind on the right, and upstairs big bedroom to the left and bedroom with bathroom tucked in behind on the right. Sometime in the 1950s, the Bells put on a room across the back of the house, a big room, with jalousie windows and real pine paneling. Aluminum jalousie windows being amongst the greatest conductors of cold, they added a behemoth of a wood stove at some point, covering over a window to the backyard behind the stove. Then, after that addition, they added the sunroom with 8 sliding glass doors around the room, opening it right into the tidy, sweet back yard. I am a fan of indoor/outdoor rooms. These rooms feel outside but have some protection. For starters- a roof. So, this was a big selling point for me. The optimist eyes of mine could overlook the actual covering of the room to see what it would be- later. The pragmatist knew that the transformation would require a LOT of paint. And, pregnant ladies shouldn't do this overmuch. So, Huz gallantly stepped forward to do the painting in this room- the room I chose for the first makeover. While he painted, I eliminated layers of butterfly wallpaper in the big bedroom...but I'll show that B&A another time. 

Before

 Here is the sunroom on move-in day. As you can see, I wasted no time taking down dusty outdated window treatments. I think my darling realtor was alarmed at my focus on ridding the house of it's vacancy dust, so arrived with staple groceries for my children, and paper plates, making them PB&J's. Which I then served on the brown indoor/outdoor carpeting- my goodness, was there not someplace cleaner?You can see the ho-hum clamshell moldings around the doors and the closet behind Middlest (who, at the time was Youngest). The closet is built in front of a window. Nun-uh. Not staying. The door at the back of the room leads into the pine paneled big room- which will become a mudroom, dining room, and master suite after I get done building a baby.

 I had forgotten about the hanging stained glass lamp-on-a-swag-chain. I wonder what I did with it?
Probably what I did with everything else I could rip out. Most of the time I try to salvage stuff, but sometimes I just get in a "get-rid-of-it and get-it-done" frame of mind.


So, Huz painted. And painted. Ceilings, walls, all those moldings, and the floor. The closet was demo'ed and left plenty of room for sunroom dining.

After

With the windows all open, it was a breezy, divine place when the weather was nice. With them closed, and a space heater, it was cozy and bright on winter days. And, when you enter the house, and make your way to the back, it was an unexpected surprise. I do like surprises!

Before &After-Giving Bluebells curb appeal and exterior charm.

I have finished day three on Salem House's kitchen. Demo is finished, and now into re-creating a kitchen space. But, I'm keeping it to myself until it is done. Isn't that the joy of "before and afters"?
But, I do so love them, I thought I should periodically share some other "b & a" moments.

I chose to start with "Bluebells". I should say, here, that my parents introduced me to the idea of naming houses. I grew up at Puckihuddle. They now live at Wing and Wing. With several houses in between. I find it easier to name the houses than to try and identify them by other means. When I talk about "Bluebells", my family can orient themselves to my thought. Now, y'all can too.

This is the front of Bluebells a day or two after the big move. We had relocated from Oklahoma. I had three days to buy a house. This called for help from my Mother- you couldn't ask for better assistance in something like a crunch-time house buy. I chose this one because it had good bones, was affordable, and ripe for a remodel. It was located in an area, called Bexley, which has incredible resale, and fairly resistant to economic downturns. This house was vacant, having been lived in since its building in the 1940's by the Bell family. (Thus part of the reason for the name, Bluebells. The other part was that the backyard was chock full of the flower!) Although it was out of date, it had been meticulously cared for by the Bells for 60 years. Mrs. Bell, at age 90, decided to move to the retirement village so she could travel more. Can you tell she is one of my heroes?

Before

 On the steps are two of the kiddos. The third was still with me. Cooking.
There is a great oak tree, and nice symmetry to the home. But, it is boring. Needs a new roof, tamed landscaping, and interest. It's kind of flat. And the roof is not peaked enough to be truly "right".

 The back of the house was again, a bit boring. the outside space was not a "living space". The backyard was shaded with dappled areas of sunlight. There were gardens already- although a bit in need of attention. But they had daylillies, and bluebells and forget-me-nots, occasional jack-in-the-pulpit, and masses of mayapples. And, the sunroom addition with 8 sliders was a selling point for me. Indoor-outdoor living.

A cement walkway led to a detached garage and the alley.

After

 So, the house got a new, darker roof, a "Naarden green" shutter color (this was a color seen in the town of Naarden, Holland where my sister, Elizabeth and her husband lived for several years). Then, to give the house dimension, I put a rose arbor up over the front door, getting rid of the metal railings, and allowing the house to be a bit more, well, grand.
The front walk remained, as I enjoyed the symmetry of the straight walk, but I added brick to it to enlarge the walk and give it character. A walk should be able to have two people walk side-by-side. (My Dad's sage advice).

The front yard had the excellent tree in the north half, and the only sunny spot on the property on the south half. So, I took advantage of the south lawn, and made it a garden.

This is how it looked in it's second season. To make the project more manageable (I did have three littles!) I divided the project into two steps. You can see the more established plantings that went in the first season. The the rest of the circle was done in the second season. In this photo you can also see the walk with the brick lining it. This is a fairly inexpensive way to get a more expensive look.

This is the second spring of the front garden. You can see how quickly it is becoming established and lush.

The backyard needed tidying, charm and living space.

The back walkway of cement became a "stone walk". I basically just creamed it with a sledge hammer into chunks, then placed the chunks in a more random pattern to look like stone. The thin cement pad next to the sunroom got a new brick patio to augment it's size, and then some tidy boxwoods to create a "room".
I'm not covering the inside redo in this blog, but you can see the large aluminum window at the back of the house has been removed, and in it's place are french doors that open to the new master suite and change the flow of the house. Bring the outside in!

 There was an enormous (HEAVY) woodstove in the house, non-functioning. It came outside to be the patio fireplace.

 I kept the plantings next to the french doors a bit overblown and wild to make more privacy for the master suite, and to keep the area from looking too new. Plus, they conceal my secret garden.

The fragrant hostas along the sunroom wall stayed, but the walkway moved to create this roughly triangular garden beyond the sunroom. Because of the less formal, blousy feel of the backyard, I was able to use bricks that were piled by the driveway.They were somewhat disreputable. I loved them. You can see in the background the new wall of cedar that has gone up where the window once stood.


The side yard was not a yard, atall. It was a jungle. But, I love small mysteries and secret paths (who doesn't want to discover a secret garden!?) . So, I judiciously hacked away, here and there to plant this meandering path that is only found when you peek around the forsythia bushes.
My neighbor and I replaced the old metal fencing with this more attractive version that raised up to give privacy to the porch/patios of both back yards.

 I had a fine time creating a charming gate under a fragrant bower that leads to the secret garden. It became a favorite spot for Hannah to watch the world go by.

The view from the house of the garage also required a bit of charm.

 I divided up the garden by terracing it a bit using the discarded brick and what stones were around. Then augmented what was there with some plants, bulbs and a focal point. The garage door got a coat of bluebell colored paint, and a flower box under the window. A whiskey barrel of spring bulbs, then summer color softened the space.
And, because I had three little kids, I built them a house of their own.

Forget-me-not Hill (I told you we named our houses?) started because I still had a bunch of disreputable brick. So, I laid out a 10X10 floor.  Obviously, it needed walls. And a roof..... a dutch door with a little door in the door, a stair case to a loft with little windows in the gable ends, a tiny kitchen, a cedar-shake roof and a dovecote. Who could resist it's petite charm?

I can't wait for you to see the inside of Bluebells! It will tide me over while I wait to show you the B&A of Salem House.