Birthday Weekend Fun

Sunday was my 39th and we spent the day doing some more kitchen DIY...

You see where the lower key cupboard is?

Forgot the before picture! sorry...

the one with the jug and nest on it.... well Mr P cut a hole in the back of it and has cunningly hidden the horrible telephone socket and managed to run the cable that needs to go to the telly in the lounge through the under stairs cupboard and through the lounge wall.... so my temporary fix of a telephone extension lead draped around the door like some kind of glitter less tinsel has now been resolved... I was so pleased and he thought me insane as it was not in his opinion very exciting... but its these little niggly things that we "put up with" that really make a difference when they are done...

now as the under stairs cupboard is very deep and gets shallower towards the back its not that usable, I do not like enclosed shed like spaces... and needed the storage to be towards the front and accessible... however we do still need access to the rear of the under stairs as we will have to treat some bricks once we have removed the driveway on the other side of the exterior wall...

the previous owner put in a driveway above the damp proof course and has caused problems... but that's another story for another day... lol

and the above picture is the new solution to my storage problems... this will house baking and preserving and other occasionally used items.... I painted the brickwork between the shelves each a different colour... partly because I am a colour addict and because while emptying the racking (that is still in the cupboard behind the shelves) I found 6 tester pots that I used to paint blown "Easter" eggs a couple of years back...

So I gave them a good shake and started painting while Mr P sat and rolled his eyes at my apparent insanity... lol

Now the great door debacle.....
Paint it white... stable door it..... replace it with a shaker style ready painted door.... or get rid of it completely... Mr P likes doors and the fact that stuff is hidden within... I like openness and space and the fact that its on view means I have to try harder to keep it tidy... a skill I hope to get good at as I grow older... not panning out as hoped at the moment though! lol

anyway!

Our kitchen has 4 doors which feels ways too cluttered for me... all the doors (apart from the white UPVC back door) are pine and varnished... I much prefer doors to be white and blend into the wall... not stand out like a sore thumb... so with this in mind I decided yesterday that the door on the under stairs cupboard had to go....

by far the easiest option and it appealed to me... Mr P... not so much!
anyway Mr P carelessly left a screwdriver lying around and while he was in the garden the door fell off all by its self... honest!

So Mr P set about removing that strip of wood that stops the door from going all the way through the frame and sanding and cleaning it up ready for painting....

I took a photo of the new all improved storage area this morning and its the best birthday I have ever had!

my birthday in the traditional sense was really good...
I expected nothing so everything was a bonus and a real treat

Jamie bought me (with her own money!) a picture and a heart key ring
Daniel gave me (bought on his behalf by Jamie) a lovely picture frame
Mum and Dad gave me a gift voucher for a meal at the pub down the road and a jumper
My youngest brother gave me a BIG bottle of Baileys....mmmm yummy!
Mums friend Janet gave me another gift voucher for the pub
My best buddy Joanne gave me 3 fabulous magazines and a tea time set (you can see it next to the teapot below)
and Parents in Law gave me a jumper and came to visit with a Birthday tea...

and for someone that really shouldn't be eating cake this little caramel cake was perfect...

All in all I had a lovely calm go with the flow day and I loved it....

Mr P is working short days this week as his current employer has given him a quota of hours that he has to work each month and as long as he is at work during core hours he can do the rest when he likes... so this week he can finish at 4 and have Friday off...

with this in mind we are aiming on getting the last part of the kitchen finished....

I might have hot water next week... I have only been without it for a year and a half! lol

finally I would like to thank everyone who has sent me birthday greetings via face book...
I don't really use face book much but it was really lovely to have so many birthday wishes yesterday...

really big hugs to you all!

x Alex