Casa of the Happy Sun: The "Dining Room"

This week on Kelly's Korner Blog, she is highlighting dining rooms. Since I have never had a dining room and I missed the blog on kitchens a few weeks ago, I'm gonna cheat and add pics of our "dining room". Otherwise known as the "extension of the kitchen that holds a table".

The picture of our dining room should really be our couch, because Hubs and I LOVE to make gourmet meals and then veg in front of the tube to Law & Order. We're very classy.

*** Full disclosure: my kitchen is not always this clean. My in-laws are coming in town Saturday, so I had to clean before they arrive. And, after the first set of pictures, I realized that I had waaayyy too much clutter on my counter tops and I finally cleared most of it. Thanks, Kelly, for making me see my house through another's eyes - I'm getting rid of the clutter! Besides, I'm due to have my first baby in one week (ahhhhh!!!!!!), so I'm trying to get the house in perfect shape before I deliver - because I know it will never be that way again. . . . . . ***

Now, without further ado. . . . my dining room:




This is the view looking in from the living room area. You'll notice that none of my appliances match and I say - good for you for noticing! Now, forget about it, because do those things really matter? What matters is the paint color that I love (yellow should always be in kitchens, I think!) that we painstakingly fauxed after tearing down the 1970's wallpaper. And notice the ledge - we have these ledges in every room in our house and although I can't figure out what to do with them everywhere else, I love my kitchen ledge. I think I need some more greenery up there, tho. What do you think??



Close-up of a piece of the kitchen ledge. When I first started antiquing, I fell in love with old coffee grinders. Maybe it's the Barista in me. But for $65-100 a pop, I had to be choosy, so I only have two. This is actually my Mom & Dad's coffee grinder that they registered for for their wedding!!! Barely 50 and their wedding gifts are "antiques" - just think what our kids will have! And, yes, we love our spirits. From Lubbock to Denver to Lewisville, NC we have growlers, wine and other bottles that show we know how to have a good time in any state!




A little bit of a dark pic, I know, but I'm not fancy with cameras like Hubs. Squint a little. It helps.

This is the "dining room" part of the kitchen. The table and chairs are real oak and were $20 (!!!!) from a garage sale. Hubs refinished and stained them. Laborious work, but I love the messy look of them. The hutch is my fave find because I spent hours looking on the Internet and in antique stores for the absolutely perfect hutch.



And I found this absolutely perfect one on Craigslist for only $75 (!!!). Amazing, huh? I'm such a yard-saler. I can't help it; I'm cheap. :) We don't have that much space, so a smallish hutch was needed. And what did I find? A smallish one that helps complete my hodge-podge of country eclectic charm. I don't keep china in it, really. Just a few key pieces and then alot of booze. It's our china/liquor cabinet.



One of my other fave things in my dining room is this: a gift from my mom to my Great-Uncle when he became a priest. He has passed away, but I got to keep this remembrance piece. My mom made it out of some kind of scratchy cloth, using the felt letters to remember the most important part of the mass. It's always been one of my favorite things and now it hangs, in a place of honor, in my dining room.

That's it for my dining room. I can't wait to have you come back next Friday and see our nursery - especially since our first baby is due next Saturday. Maybe I'll cheat and post early? Anything for you to see our adorable space!! See ya next time. . . and if you're ever in the neighborhood, stop by and see us!

***Why the Casa of the Happy Sun? When we bought this house, it came complete with a sun-baked clay figure in the front. Complete with big ol' smile and all. And since we always welcome guests and friends that are passing through Phoenix. . . . you have the Casa of the Happy Sun!***