Continuing this series, here are some special things in my kitchen, the hub of our home:
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| This window box is one of my favorite things about this house. Not only does it provide a nice view while doing dishes, but it's also the perfect spot for plants. I actually never had any plants until we moved into this house because I just never had a good spot for them. Suddenly, I developed a green thumb! The orchid is my favorite (I took this photo a month ago when it developed its first bloom of the season). To the right is a primrose. I buy one every February, enjoy its continual blooms, and then plant it outside to add to my collection. The Greek cement head planter was a gift my in-laws brought us from a trip to San Francisco that my husband gifted his airline miles towards. The gnome was left by the brother-in-law who leaves things! |
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| This bowl was given to me on my 40th birthday by one of my good friends at the time. She and I were co-leaders of our daughters' Girl Scout Troop for eight years. She moved away after her youngest graduated from high school. We had so many laughs together and I really miss her! This bowl became our fruit bowl and has sat on our kitchen counter ever since, filled with bananas, apples, pears, and kiwi. It's probably been one of the most used gifts I've ever received. |
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| Back in 2019, I did a post about a wine shop that we had visited. My husband was so enamored by the twinkle trees on the tables that he ordered one online. This is our second generation, and I must say, it provides a very cozy, warm glow to our kitchen in the evenings. |
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| Everyone loves a peek inside the fridge, don't they? I'm psycho about organization, so everything has its place. My husband gets the top right shelf for his yogurts and drinks. Besides the berries on top, the produce is in the two drawers with cheeses in the bottom drawer. Jars are organized on the left. |
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This photo is for Suz and Nicole who appreciate proper towel placement.That's it for the kitchen edition. Do you organize your fridge? Grow plants? Have a gift that you use daily? Enjoy twinkle lights in your home? |
I used to have plants- even a ficus tree in my grad school dorm! - but once I had kids, I had to give them up. I would forget to eater them so they'd die. Now, any green thing brought in gets chomped on by a certain cat in residence, so I must content myself with trees and shrubs outside.
ReplyDeleteWhat pretty lighted trees!
We don’t have pets, but I understand. I didn’t have any plants when my kids were young because I did not want anything else to take care of!
DeleteI adore this post, everything about it. Dare I say it's a perfect old-school style blog post! Answering your questions:
ReplyDeleteDo you organize your fridge? Yes, in the sense that dairy goes on one shelf to the left, condiments go on specific sides of the doors, beverages slide on their sides onto a shallow shelf.
Grow plants? Yes, mostly philodendrons and pathos. They're in pots all over the house, every room except the dining room where there's not enough natural light.
Have a gift that you use daily? Yes if you consider an inherited sterling silver plate [a gift?] that stays in the middle of the kitchen table and is where I put a dinner candle.
Enjoy twinkle lights in your home? No, they give me a headache and make me feel queasy.
Awww, thanks Ally! I miss old school posts, like This or That. It’s interesting to hear what our blog friends like or dislike. Your fridge sounds well organized. I bet that silver plate is beautiful. I love objects that have meaning. I’ve never heard of twinkle lights giving people issues but lighting in general can affect us in different ways.
DeleteThe first photo of the window in your kitchen that overlooks the patio and backyard is gorgeous! Between the beautiful potted plants and the view the wooded area, it's magical!
ReplyDeleteAnd kudos to you developing a green thumb. I'm so jealous because I have no gift with plants. In fact, I've been known to kill SILK flowers. Lol!
I love both the colors and quote on that bowl.
And I love how you have a titled floor in the kitchen. Not only beautiful, but practical as well.
I'm OCD about my fridge as well, especially being that it's so small. I have to be very clever with how I organize it, so that every thing fits. I posted photos several years ago on my blog, sharing my entire kitchen. Which is actually a kitchenette (a closet converted into the kitchen). But somehow I make it work.
I can tell, just from these photos, how your home is both beautifully decorated AND cozy, comfy!
And yes, I do have a gift that I use daily (or at least weekly). My friend Kelly gifted me a Dutch Oven several years ago that I use to make vegetable soups and stews. LOVE that thing!
Have a superb weekend, my friend! Great post! X
I love looking out the window in the summer and fall to see all the greens and yellows. The tile floor is very practical, but do not drop a dish on it! Good god, does it shatter!!! I remember your kitchen and Dutch oven posts! It’s so fun to see how other people live, isn’t it? I absolutely loved going to open houses when we (and our kids) were looking for homes. Guess I’m nosy! 🤣 I’m hoping your weekend is grand, but it looks like a lot of rain for us. XO
DeleteWhat a fun post Bijoux!! I love your window and the view outside. It's a great place for all of your plants. I always grew a lot of plants inside but our house now doesn't have a lot of options plus Binx is not plant friendly so I have to grow them in the yard or my large window at work.
ReplyDeleteThe bowl is pretty and I love the quote and the fact that you use the bowl. My brother made me a really pretty cutting board when he was in high school and for years I wouldn't use it and used it basically as a decoration. About 15 years ago I started using it to cut veggies and I'm so glad I did. It makes it even more special to me to think of how many meals I've prepped on it.
I LOVE your twinkle tree. I may have to go in search of one for my dining room. The light it gives out is perfect.
Enjoy your Friday!!
And I forgot, YES, I am a fanatic about keeping my freezer and refrigerator organized. Everything has it's place.
DeleteThat's nice that you have a window at work for your plants. A bank I frequent has orchids in their small office windows and I love that. I can see how you'd not want to use the cutting board if your brother made it for you. My husband's father made him a huge bird house years ago and my husband has never used it. He thinks it will get ruined outdoors. The twinkle tree was from Amazon.
DeleteFirst of all, I love the window box and all your plants - also the gnome! I was just thinking about orchids yesterday, and here I see you have an orchid thumb! I love houseplants so much. Well, all plants really.
ReplyDeleteSecond, YES on the tea towel, before I saw the caption I thought, "now there is a nice tea towel."
Love a peek into the fridge - very nice and organized! I am a stickler for fridge organization as well.
I knew you'd appreciate that gnome. It's the only one I have, but Middle Child has a bunch! I just adore my orchid. It's lasted about 4 years. I've killed a few others. The small ones never seem to last for me. I also knew you'd appreciate the towel and fridge!
DeleteI love this post! Your kitchen window is TO DIE FOR. I'm so mad I didn't have one installed in the house we're building right now---this is the perfect spot for your special plants and beloved objects.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE LOVE the bowl that was gifted to you; what a sweet sentiment.
The twinkle light tree is so cute. Where did you get that from? Do you remember?
Your fridge is well organized, and I'm glad to know I'm not the only psycho about such things!
*sigh* Look at that beautifully placed kitchen towel. Now, that is how you wrap up a perfect post!
Everyone comments on the kitchen window. I think it's highly unusual in Northern states because of the lack of sun! My husband bought the twinkle tree off of Amazon. I'm sure you'll find plenty of them there and it will turn into a two hour compare/contrast, if you're anything like me!
DeleteFridge photos are my favorite!
ReplyDeleteAs an aficionado of interior lighting, I love that twinkle tree. I feel like it would fit in well amongst all my lava lamps!
I actually thought of you with that fridge pic because didn't you do one once? I thought it was a fun idea.
DeleteI did a post on fridgescaping a few months ago, which is the stupidest trend ever. I think I've talked about my fondness for seeing the interiors of people's fridges, and like your home series, it's on my list of future posts!
DeleteOk, now I remember the dumb fridescaping trend. I look forward to your future posts, as always.
DeleteI love the window box. My daughter uses twinkle lights in a few different places.
ReplyDeleteThe twinkle lights are so fun!
DeleteI love plants and have as many as I have room for! I would love a window box like that! I have three orchids and have yet to get one to rebloom! The twinkling tree on the table looks so nice! Is it battery operated or rechargeable? I'm truly impressed with your refrigerator organization! Mine seems to always be a hot mess and right now it's pretty empty because I haven't been to the grocery store yet this week! I have several gifts that I use regularly most of them from my daughter who is great at giving practical, usable gifts! The latest is a candle warmer which we use every night!
ReplyDeleteOhhh, the candle warmer sounds really nice! I've never had one. My orchid blooms once a year, always in late February/early March. I don't have luck with the mini ones, though. The tree operates on a timer with 3 AA batteries. I go to the grocery store 2-3 times per week because we go through berries and lettuce so fast.
DeleteThe view from that window is simply stunning. I wouldn't mind dish duty quite as much. I love the bowl & the story that goes with. All of my pictures I have hanging each have a story of special people who gave them or I was with during the purchase. I didn't even realize this fact until someone who visited & commented that. My fridge is organized. Everything has its own spot.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I love that each of your hanging pictures has a story behind it. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteOur apt kitchen does not have a window where we can grow anything; however, there is a large window in the LR room area overlooking the river and my husband already has several herbs growing in a large container. He calls it his garden, much reduced from what we had outdoors at our previous homes. We always have candles or an oil lantern on the dinner table and they are lit in the winter months. Our fridge is not as organized as yours, but I do try to keep like condiments together. We keep a supply of fruits either on a banana tree or in a stainless steel bowl.
ReplyDeleteAn indoor herb garden is so useful. I try to grow basil in the summer, but it doesn’t always work out for me. I think I pick it too soon!
DeleteWe don't organise our fridge or freezer, we just chuck things wherever there's a space! But the kitchen cupboards are very well organised so we know exactly where to find glasses or plates or bowls or whatever. Window boxes in the UK are plant boxes you put next to a window. We would call your window area a window sill.
ReplyDeleteI have to know where everything is. I’ve seen elaborate plant boxes here. They seem to take up a lot of space, even though they are for people without space.
Deleteyour kitchen looks so lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteI absolutely love your kitchen—it’s so beautiful, my friend! That window above the sink is amazing. Even though mine gets plenty of light, I’ve always admired windows like that, especially in kitchens. And of course, I loved seeing your plants—you really are the orchid whisperer!
ReplyDeleteYour twinkle lights add such a magical touch. Little white lights always set the mood so perfectly, don’t they? The layout of your kitchen is beautiful, and that bowl from your friend is such a special piece. I hadn’t heard that quote before, but I love it.
And your fridge—I appreciate a good organization moment! 💜
Thank you so much! We were so excited when we found this house because of the kitchen. It is fully open to the family room, which is great for entertaining and family get-togethers. The window was such a nice bonus, too. I do love the twinkle lights and have thought about getting the rope kind that you can wind around tree trunks or deck railings. Very magical!!! Yes, isn't that Maya Angelou quote perfect for the kitchen? Hope your week is full of beauty!
DeleteI LOVE your window box! Especially with the plants.
ReplyDeleteI like the little twinkle tree, too. I'm all about adding more light. We have string lights in the kitchen and living room.
Your fridge organization is amazing! That's an ongoing struggle in our house.
Thanks, Danielle. The window box is a nice place to keep most of my plants. I want to do rope lights on my deck to add more light.
DeleteLovely. Thanks for sharing, Bijoux. We got twinkle lights this year for Christmas and we loved them so much that they are staying up year round for the time being. Our fridge starts out well-organized on Sunday when it gets cleaned out then all hell breaks loose during the week.
ReplyDeleteI think year round twinkle lights are so fun! Having two teens makes any sort of household organizing difficult. Embrace the disarray!
DeleteA lovely post and I do like the twinkle lights in your home.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Thank you!
DeleteThat little window is amazing! I wish I had one in front of my sink like that for plants. I'd put all kinds of herbs up there for fresh herbs year round.
ReplyDeleteThe bowl is so lovely and I am sure you think of your friend every time you take fruit from it or fill it. I usually hate material gifts for myself, but useful gifts like these are always so appreciated.
I do organize my fridge. My pantry also. It's not because I am a neat freak, it's because if my family can't see something right away without moving items, they assume we're out and just go buy more. It's sheer laziness on their part.
I grow basil in the summer, but honestly, it doesn’t grow that well for me indoors. I seem to have the best luck with oregano, but don’t use it that much.
DeleteMy family is the same exact way. Even if the item is right in front, my husband can’t find it 🙄
Gosh, Bijoux, that is one seriously organized refrigerator. I'm just happy if I can just close the door on mine.
ReplyDeleteI love the window box with all those beautiful plants. I've been threatening to get some kind of plant in my house for quite a while, but it has yet to happen. It would have to be something that doesn't require much attention.
The fruit bowl is lovely and I really the twinkle trees. Maybe I'll get them instead of a plant.
Take care!
I can't abide by chaos in the fridge! You should totally get a plant. Most of mine only need watered once a week, so it's not much work.
DeleteGood to hear you're psycho about organization. My kind of people! Thankd for stopping by, Bijoux. Been working too much....
ReplyDeleteMiss you, Blue!
DeleteYour brother-in-law leaving a gnome. That seems about right! My bro and sis-in-law had one of those window boxes above the kitchen sink too. It's gotta be one of the greatest home inventions. I have a window over the sink with a small ledge, but my one plant is instead taking up space on the counter. Your plants and pots are lovely. I like the cute little well. Don't you love gifts that get used! I feel that way about clothes that come to be from a friend's giveaway bag. When it's something I wear often, I think, "How did I survive before this?!" That twinkle tree is awesome! Our fridge looks very similar, but one half shelf is missing so we can have taller things on the bottom left side. Fun peak inside your kitchen! ~Betsy
ReplyDeleteYes! And the gnome was one of the more useful things he’s left🤣 We do love the window box. It gets the afternoon sun, which is great. The well was found in a box in my mom’s basement, so I put it to good use. The spider plant in it was given to me at a local brewery we frequent. They were changing out their table decor and just handed it to me. I’ve never received any clothes from a friend. Usually, we trade food we try and don’t like!
DeleteThey just handed you the spider plant. That's amazing and so cool! Trading food is a great idea. I've done that with my neighbors. Love it.
DeleteWere never too proud to take a freebie 🤣
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