Every year I say next year I'm going to have this house finished. Then of course the next year rolls around and it's still not finished. Regardless of what is left to do on the house, I love having my Christmas decorations up. There is nothing more cozy than having the house lit only by the light of the trees. I  have lots of decorations that have been packed away in anticipation of having all the rooms finished, maybe someday I'll get them all out. This tree is so special to me. My husband and I bought it our first Christmas together in 1992 and it looks more beautiful to me every year.  I couldn't seem to get a really good picture, so I'm using this one anyway. However the view from my couch is stunning... to me anyway. 

   I am so excited about the light fixtures! So far, I've spent $17.00 for paint and I have a beautiful pendant light fixture to hang in my new mud room. Not only am I saving a crazy amount of money, I have eliminated the daunting task of shopping and choosing a light fixture. I am not finished with the project, I am painting a brass fixture now and it will need to have the sockets replaced. I had so much fun with the first fixture I had the urge to go around painting other items in the house, but I refrained. 

This is the base coat. I used a metallic oil rubbed bronze. 

I sprayed a copper paint on a paper towel and brushed it on  lightly  for the accent color.

I dug this out storage. I know what you are thinking, should she paint a perfectly good brass fixture?  Well, it is worth nothing to me if I dislike the color. I am getting much more from reusing this fixture than I ever would having it collect dust in the basement. I have to paint it to like it, I just do. Genuine vintage light fixture this size ordered from a catalog cost hundreds, this will cost me about $15.00. Enough said.

This is the 1st base coat. I used the same metallic oil rubbed bronze.  

A Bright Idea!

These light fixtures are marked Edison Patent 1896.

This beauty will be dusted (oops) and relocated.

  One of the things we loved about our house were the light fixtures. It had several antique light fixtures still being used throughout and still does today. Now, I will confess that we did opt to have ceiling fans in our bedrooms, but we did not get rid of any light fixtures. We relocated the bedroom lights to other rooms where they would still be used and in the house they originally belonged. We have researched the possibility of purchasing a few others for the house and have discovered how valuable our fixtures are, as well as how much we can't afford to buy any others. I am excited that we will be able to use some of these in our new dining room area! 

  This light fixture was in the house as well, and although it isn't as old as the others, it still has great potential. This particular light isn't my favorite and has found itself living in a box in the basement for about nine years. I have been looking for ways to cut expenses in the remodel and I think I may try my hand at a re-do for this light. We need a light that will hang from an angle or a chain for the vaulted ceiling and this guy is just collecting dust in the basement. For about $10.00 in paint I may be able to love this fixture as I do the others, not mention save me about $100.00! I'll let you all know how it turns out!

My son Cameron was so helpful today. He has many talents and this is one of them. He installed the first of many lights. I think tomorrow there may be a few new outlets...yay!

The ceiling would have required too much patching. We are adding a layer of new drywall. I think it will be worth it, more work....but worth it.

This is the opening between the kitchen and dining area. We are so thankful to be able to use our uncle's lift to hang the drywall.

   We are planning to work on the house a little during Labor Day weekend. I'm not going to lie, this excites me. If all goes well, I will be staining the cement floor and Tony will be moving the washer and dryer to it's new home. Also planning to move the radiator out to prep for painting and floor sanding. Realistically, I'm not expecting all of this to get done, but a girl has to dream...right?

Homemade Salsa

 Well I made my first batch of salsa for the season. I would love to say that this was all from my garden, but as you may have read in my previous blog my garden was a bust. I can only take credit for three tomatoes in this pile. A very sweet lady gave us a small bag filled with the  perfect amount of tomatoes and peppers to make a batch of salsa. Here is the "rough" recipe for my salsa. I don't really have exact measurements, you should make it just to suit your taste.

   I like to prep everything first. I wash everything, cut off any undesirables, peel onions. Other than removing the stem, I use the peppers whole....more heat and flavor in the pepper guts.
   When I'm ready to start chopping I get out my handy dandy food possessor. I use to do it by hand and that works to, but this is soooo much easier! I chop everything up separately, but no need to wash the bowl between uses. Pulse it when chopping or you'll end up with soup. Make sure you do the peppers last if you are uncertain about how many you want to use. You may just end up with salsa that is painful to eat ;)

    So after I've shopped the tomatoes, onions and peppers I throw in the minced garlic, salt, pepper and cilantro. I add some sugar and rice vinegar. I don't recommend using a flavored rice vinegar. I tried it once with a garlic infused vinegar and it totally changed the taste of the salsa.

   Taste as you go and add more or less of anything you like. If you like a lot of garlic... go for it. More heat...bring it on! I make it medium in heat so the whole family will like it. It seems to keep in the fridge for quite a while, I'm guessing the vinegar helps with that. I've thought about trying it with lime juice instead of vinegar, but I'm afraid to change what I know we already like. This recipe also freezes well. Tastes better chilled, and develops more flavor as it sits.  I'll post my rough recipe, but feel free to alter it however you like. This makes about 3/4 gallon.

Kim's Salsa 

8-10 med-large tomatoes

2 large sweet onions

6-8 banana peppers

6-8 med-small jalapenos 

2 large T. of minced garlic (I use from the jar)

1/4 to 1/2 finely chopped cilantro 

1/4 to 1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/4 sugar