Getting Dishy With It

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had wonderful Mother's Days.  I spent mine with my favorite people in the entire world - my little animals.  We lounged around, played, rode bikes (ok, they rode bikes and I laced up my running shoes and did intervals/sprints and "raced" them while they rode bikes) and had a delicious lunch where the most amazingly touching thing happened.  The kids wanted to "take me" to my favorite local pub, Casey's.  I usually get the same thing: hot roast beef sandwich with extra horseradish (the real stuff, not the horseradish mayo).  Anyway, it wasn't very crowded because, I suppose, most mothers and their children were at a lovely brunch.  So we settled into a booth and ate our food and had a good time.  When it was time to leave, the waitress came over and said that our bill had been paid for.  I was confused.  She said "someone saw you all come in and wanted to pay your bill.  He said he didn't know you and just wanted to wish you a Happy Mother's Day."  I was floored.  And of course, I immediately started crying.  Such true kindness.  I was touched and also happy that my kids were able to experience it, and from a stranger no less!  So, thank you random, anonymous stranger.  I promise to pay it forward somehow.  

Up today is a little project I tackled in the kitchen: hanging plates over the table.  I don't have a lot of wall space in the kitchen, and this expanse seemed to be begging for something.  I just love the looks of hanging plates in kitchens and dining rooms, and I had these on hand from my first home.  Here is the before (apologies for the light in these pictures: that window is a bear to photograph).  

Hanging was so easy.  I had the plate hangers on hand (I think I got them at Lowes).  I just measured the center of the wall for the middle plate and hung that first.  Then eyeballed the right spot for the plate to its left.  When I was happy with that, I measured for the plate on the right so they were even.  Here is the wall now.  

Improvement, but not done.  I had my little 5 year old photographer take a picture of me with another plate on the end. I wasn't sure if I should leave well enough alone or if the wall needed two more plates (one on each end).  I think I will go for more plates.  Little asked me to "take a good picture Mommy" so I hammed it up. 

So stay tuned for, well, more plates!  I may hang an oblong plate over the microwave too.  I'm also dying to paint the kitchen chairs (white) and upholster their seats (yellow chain link print - fabric ready to go) and paint the little stepstool in the corner (also yellow).   My logjam of painting projects is getting bigger and bigger.  

See you swoon,