June 18, 2018

It's Home...

Our Farmhouse Butcher Block

When we purchased our "new" 100 year old butcher block the end of last month, I wrote about it HERE.  We made arrangements with the shop to have it delivered the next time they were in our area. Friday was the day!!

Two strong, young men, Dan and Cowboy (the tall one) carried it into the house, which we never could have accomplished on our own. But with their strong, young muscles, in no time at all, it was in our kitchen.

Our Farmhouse Butcher Block

When we do our kitchen installation, this will be the centerpiece of our layout. For now, it's situated in our work area near our gas range.

It can't be used yet, as it spent a considerable time in a woodworker's shop space prior to coming to us. That means it's not food prep ready. We'll start with a nice sanding, and then follow the instructions we found on the Internet to complete cleaning.

We've already given it a good scrubbing (Dawn dish soap, water and scrubbies), but we'll repeat that process again. Following that, we'll spray it with a vinegar/water mixture, and then rub it with a lemon juice/salt paste, allowing it to dry between each step.

Once that's done, and all cleaned off, we'll seal the refurbished surface with food-grade mineral oil. Then, we'll be able to use it for food prep in our kitchen. We'll do that this week, as I'm so anxious to be able to put it to work.

Our Farmhouse Kitchen

We changed things up in the kitchen a bit, andt it's actually more functional this way. My plan is to paint the oak china cabinet that's next to our fridge. I'm not set on the color yet, but I'll tackle that in a few weeks.

Kitchen Toward Windows
 
As the sun set behind our hillside on Friday, the last rays of sunshine settled on our beautiful butcher block. The other (blue) piece that I had in our kitchen will now be sold for someone else to love. Right now, the butcher block commands my attention every time I walk through or into the room. I can't help but smile. Lucky farmhouse. Lucky, lucky me.
 
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June 16, 2018

Primitive Gatherings Summer Blocks Of The Week...

Primitive Gatherings "Twilight Garden" Block 1

Don't chastise me, please. Going to those monthly Sit & Sews at Primitive Gatherings is to blame for this. I saw a number of Lisa's blocks for this quilt at the last get together and couldn't resist participating. I purchased the summer-long set; the thread kit; the pre-cut, pre-fused 1/4" circles (there are 1500!!! of them in this quilt); and the supplies kit.

My first kit, along with the ground fabric for all 18 blocks, arrived on Wednesday. There were three choices for ground fabric color (red, navy and gray), and all the motifs are kitted with the same color wools. I chose the gray to fit in with the farmhouse colors - and a happy medium when Labrador and Corgi hair sticks to it. sigh

Lisa suggested that, even if I don't have time to stitch each one as they arrive, it's a good idea to at least set them up (fuse, cut, and place) until I do have time to sit down. I'm definitely going to do that.

Primitive Gatherings "Summer Freebie" Block of the Week - Block 1
 
There is also a summer-long free block of the week. If you stop into the shop and make a $25 purchase, you get the kit free. Otherwise it's $5 a week for the pattern and fabrics. However, if you signed up for the Twilight Garden Summer Block of the Week, the free kit is included with every weekly installment of the larger quilt.
 
I've committed to keeping up to date with the little block of the week. Each finished one is approximately 3" x 5". This one arrived Wednesday, and I finished stitching it yesterday. One down...
 
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