My, oh, my. Where has the time gone? April is almost over, my birthday is in a few days, and life is finally starting to feel somewhat normal again. For those of you new to the blog or missed it, we had a tragic house fire back in November. To say it was a nightmare would be an understatement. I don’t want to go on about it over and over again, so if you’re interested, read here.
I’m sure you can imagine, this has all taken it’s toll on me. I keep telling myself it’s alright, it’ll be alright. It’s just stuff. But the truth is, it leaves this hole in your heart that taks a long time to fill. Most days I didn’t want to get out of bed, I felt useless. Every photo of my little family, gone. My food progress photos gone. My grandmas old recipes and films, gone. Everything I ever owned in my life. I still find myself breaking into tears every couple of days over it, but I do realize that what matters is my family. And we are all ok. I count my blessings every day, and I’m trying to get re focused on my life again. To be honest, without my families, I don’t know where I would be. (Love you guys.)
I have been so darn far behind on this blog that it makes me sick. And not because I feel like I have to post, but because I genuinely love it so much and love connecting with yiu all. It’s amazing how many online food buddies I’ve made the past few years.
So, I’m finally feeling somewhat back on schedule. My kitchen is just about finished, and I’m ready to share lots of good stuff. In the mean time, I’m going to do a Bites of Life post, About our new house and what we’ve been up to, mainly because I’ve been so DIY happy, and I need to share the awesomeness. So bear with me. (Recipes will resume tomorrow, back to a 4 times a week schedule)
Anyway, despite all of the sadness and hardship, we ended up finding our dream house, with lots of woods and waterfall. A 1930s kitchen with lots of light. It’s over 100 years old, so of course it needs some work, but we are finally happy again. Now, not that it’s a happily ever after just yet. It’s crazy how even though you make the lists and document what you lost, you move into a new place and all of the sudden there’s 800 things you need immediately just to get by!
That being said, I’ve taken a whole new outlook on being crafty. Everything and anything that people donated or we found for free, I take with open arms and an open mind. I try to make the best of things, and turn them into my style. Now, you don’t have to lose everything like I did to follow this example. I hope some of what I show you will inspire you to look at the good in things before tossing. Them. To appreciate all the little things you have and make the most of them!
I was given an older blender, in perfect working condition, but the outside was a little sun faded and, well, ugly looking. So, I used some non toxic paint, and gave it a sunny yellow coat on the base. Now I love it!
I found a few of my cast irons in the rubble after the fire, and after sitting through the weather and soot, they got unbelievably rusty. But, I wouldn’t give up on them! I soaked them in 1 part white vinegar, 1 part water for about an hour. Then, I took a potato cut in half, and a bunch of salt, and scrubbed away the rust. It came off so easily! Then, I gave it a nice coat in coconut oil, and baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. It came back from the dead!
We found these little foldable snack trays by someones garbage one day, so we took them home and painted them. Now we use them as little night stands.
We found a box of our old records tucked away in my parents house. I was so happy to see some of my favorites were in there!
Did you know there’s quite a few vegetables that you can grow in your kitchen from scraps? Leeks and green onions are two of them. You just place the root in some water and give it some sun. Ours are quite impressive, now!
I have been reading this book, “French Women Don’t Get Fat”, by Mireille Guliano. It is such an amazing read about the differences in food culture in the United States and France. It teaches you how to portion better, eat slower, and ENJOY your food, as well as utilizing seasonal ingredients. I highly recommend it!
I loved this new vintage hat I got so much, that I actually selfied. That doesn’t happen too often, friends. 😉
Happiness is a Warm Bath, and I have an awesome, really old clawfoot one! 🙂
I love my pretty blue back door that goes into my 1930s Kitchen!
‘Tis the season. I purchased some lovely herbs for my kitchen. It’s so nice having fresh herbs to cook with all the time!
If you enjoyed seeing some behind the scenes, and want to see Bites of Life on a daily basis, head on over and follow me on Instagram.
xo Jessica
A Pinch Here, A Dash There 