{pretty, happy, funny, real} on September 21

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Brought to you by Like Mother, Like Daughter

{pretty}

Amidst a lot of grey days of late, this was a pretty-ish sort of afternoon spent on the front porch.

Bouncing baby boy - now 5 months old!

Too cute.

This is a new activity I've set up for Arden - pretty simple, only a little sweeping required!
Now she can drive her trucks and tractors like the ones that are working on our bridge. 

Cooking and tractors are two of her favourite things!

{happy}

I recently did some kitchen and pantry reorganization, and I must say I am quite satisfied with the results! We moved the microwave to the kitchen, and created a dedicated bread counter in the pantry. All this was brought about because I wanted to try a beverage station in the pantry, out of the way of whoever is working in the kitchen, with a place for all of Micah's coffee paraphernalia and beans. I also relocated Arden's kitchen where it wasn't spilling out so much into the kitchen traffic. So far it's working out great!

~ Lots of detailed description of photos... especially for you, Mom!

As part of the process, I took Auntie Leila's advice and cleared off all the surfaces I was trying to clean and organize. This was all the stuff that had collected on the pantry counters and the top of the dryer!

Yikes! A summer's worth of odds and ends. I did end up getting it all put away. :)

The new view from the dining room, through the pantry, and into the kitchen.
The microwave used to sit on the corner of that counter to the left.
It wasn't until I moved it that I realized how much more spacious
this view really is without it there!

This is the microwave's new home, in the kitchen. Makes more sense here.
Our bread and cutting board used to sit on this table. (Far away from the bread machine!)

The new kitchen set up. We turned the fridge to face this way, so we had room for the table and for a chair for kitchen company. The fridge was also overburdened with clutter on both the sides and top. I pared down what is stuck on the sides, cleaned off the top and put cleaned items back on. The fridge top is still a little cluttered for my liking, but I haven't got to organizing all my extra and speciality dishes yet. Plus, the pen jar now stays up there, to keep ink away from Arden! My taller cookbooks and cooking magazines are on the shelf under the microwave. (They used to be on a counter in the pantry, which gave it quite a cluttered look. Now most of the cookbooks are in a cupboard in the kitchen.)

The view from the kitchen into the pantry.
Bread counter on the right, beverage counter on the left. 

The bread counter! Bread machine, bread and board, and toaster all together.
The peanut butter and honey and such are in the pantry cupboards above.
This counter used to have the microwave, toaster, coffee grinding stuff and green coffee beans.

Arden's kitchen fits neatly into this space. (It used to have the ironing board and a random chair.)

I reorganized the drawers below too! This used to have tea (as far away from the teapot as it could probably be), cake and cookie stuff, and medicine. I moved the medicine up to a high cupboard for safety purposes, and moved the tea to a new spot, as you will soon see. Now it has cake and cookie stuff and napkins. 

Ah yes, the junk drawer! This used to have napkins in it too, which just got all mixed up with the plastic bags. Now it's plastic bags, food wrap, and organized odds and ends. Much better. :)

And now, the reason I started all this shuffling - the beverage counter! Bags of green beans, roasted beans, coffee scale, coffee grinder, coffee pot, kettle, tea pot, sweetening accessories. All together in one place instead of spread out in the pantry and kitchen - hooray! 

The only thing we have to go and get now is water to fill the kettle. Better to walk to the kitchen to get cold water than to have to walk back from the kitchen with boiling water. We also have to walk to the kitchen to clean out the Bodum. Now Micah wants to put a little bar sink in the pantry! The top right cupboard now holds tea and our most used mugs for easy access. 

Inside the cupboard. Tea and chocolate on the bottom shelf, mugs and extra coffee stuff above. 

I had another stroke of genius here. I remembered I had this sugar dispenser in the back of a cupboard, so now I can still keep my canister of sugar for baking in the kitchen where I need it, with beverage sugar here! And a small jar of honey. AND, spoons! (I have an overabundance of these teaspoons, somehow.) I tell ya, I'm all set. 

{funny}

These two had quite the set-up on the living room floor the other day. As soon as I put Jack on the floor these days, Arden wants to join him! Every blanket she can find is put into use. And then, of course, the dollies have to have their own bed as well.

Doesn't this look cozy?

Playing peekaboo.

They really do entertain each other!

{real}

We had to say goodbye to our darling cat Scratchy yesterday. It was a sad day, but her time had come. (Scratchy's memoirs can be found here!)

Cat love!

Scratchy

Giving Scratchy a hug goodnight.

Scratchy has tolerated quite a lot in the name of affection! 

More cat love.

We had a family funeral under the old apple tree.
(But isn't Arden's outfit rather hilarious?)

Good-bye Scratchy! 

~lg