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My *FaBuLouS* Kitchen….Before it Was Fabulous!

Melissa Beene Ford/ before and after+ Big Blue House

I am SO proud of this room….I tore pictures out of magazines for years, and saved them, in hopes of having the 1920’s-style kitchen of my dreams someday! After living kitchen-less for 2 1/2 years (I made do with a microwave and a crock pot!), we finally finished, and I am having SO much fun cooking up a storm. I was never much into cooking before; now I’m a Cooking Channel and recipezaar.com addict! Want to get me a Christmas gift? I’ll take a cookbook! Paula Deen? Love her (y’all).

HERE are the pictures of what we started with. By FAR, the WORST room in the house, the floor and north wall were totally eaten up with termites…you had to really watch where you stepped, or risk ending up falling through!

Check out this ancient dishwasher….it opens from the TOP! And it was full of old dishes when we moved in. (And stinky, standing water…ick!) If you’ll notice, its sloping down and to the left…..the floor was completely rotten beneath it from years of leaking water.

The cabinets held much evidence of years of furry little creatures living inside….and a peculiar smell I’ll never forget!

The fake fireplace was torn out to add a set of french doors onto our new deck, and a built-in banquette (fancy HGTV word for ‘bench’) was built below the double windows for seating at our breakfast table.
As I brought friends through our ‘new’ house right after we bought it, this was the room that left everyone speechless, convinced we were crazy. It was that bad!!

Click here to see the ‘after’ pictures!

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Comments

  1. Steph says

    December 10, 2007 at 1:22 pm

    wow! you should be an interieor decorator or designer. y’all did an awesome job. i’m impressed. did you say you used a microwave and a crock pot to cook in for 2 years or did i miss read that? if it was for that long….you are the woman!

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About Me


Hey there... I'm Melissa! Texas girl. Mom to three + one goldendoodle. Believer. Old house fanatic. Creating a happy + healthy home with purpose is my passion. I'm so glad you're here!

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I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 years of paint off of this door down to the wood and start over… but that person has no business starting new projects. 😅 My neighbors must have thought this project would never end. *I* thought this project would never end. 😰 If you’re thinking of doing this yourself? Just don’t, ok? Throw the whole door away and buy a new one. 😂🤣 Just kidding.  Old house weirdos like me… we can’t just do things the easy way. Anyhoo… after some trial and error, @sherwinwilliams Celestial is what I landed on, and I have to say… I like it. Periwinkle-ish blue looks great with the yellow house and will look even better when the azaleas are in bloom. Was it all worth it? That’s not important right now. 🤭 Will I do this all again in two years? The magic eight ball says… without a doubt. 👏🏻 I’ve already picked the next color. #gluttonforpunishment #somefoolsneverlearn #oldhouselove #oldhomelove #makinghome #southernliving #gardenandgun #azaleadistrict #tylertx
Spring in the Azalea District makes the winters in Spring in the Azalea District makes the winters in an 80-year-old house completely worth it … what broken pipes, icy hardwood floors and drafty windows? 🤔 I forgot already. #comeonspring #azaleadistrict #tylertx
Happy Saturday ☀️ Happy Saturday ☀️
Salt Lake City is always magical ✨ Salt Lake City is always magical ✨
2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrollin 2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrolling through my pics from the last twelve months made me realize how blessed and content I am. Prosperity, love, and peace have been ours in abundance, in spite of the pain of losing my dad. The second picture is the last picture of him… the last time I saw him. 💔 But God has been good to my family this year and 2022 is ending far better than it began. 😄 #2022inreview #thanksforthememories
Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍ Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍♀️
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That’s it. That’s the tour. (Slide two). 
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It’s a new trend I’m starting: bare Christmas tree. Lowe’s tag still attached (so quirky and unexpected)! Christmas ornaments still in boxes. Coming soon to an Anthropologie window display near you. 
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Every year I think, “next year I’ll do better. Next year I’ll have it together.” And then, here we are on the SIXTH Christmas that we’ve been in this house, the sixth Christmas I’ve dragged our chaotic bunch of Christmas mess out of a chaotic garage I still haven’t unpacked from our move six years ago. 
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Maybe this year is the year I’ll organize it all and put it back neatly so that by Christmas number 7, it will be smooth sailing. People will flock to my social media to see how I’ve pulled everything off SO PERFECTLY. Next year will be my year. 
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Seems every year there’s less and less bandwidth for all these things. There’s more grief and stress, less money. More demands, less grace. 
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I put this sign on the wall in my office so I could keep it in front of my eyes: Love. Joy. Peace. And all that. I am SO unlike Jesus most days. So lacking in all of these character qualities. And that’s WITH waking up most mornings and spending my first 30 minutes with God Himself. 
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How lost would I be without that? Geez. I can’t fathom. I REQUIRE being transformed by renewing my mind every single morning, and even then, responding to people and life with love, joy, peace and patience doesn’t come naturally. 
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It’s the goal, though. 
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This weary world needs that from us Believers during this season, more than ever… even more than an Anthropologie-window-display worthy Christmas home tour. 
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I’m working on both.
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