Very nice!
Someone called these types of projects by a catchy name that's gone out of my head. Broken teeth?

Essentially, they're things that hang around and around forever. When you finally do them, it is so easy, they make such a change, you wonder why you never did them in the first place.

I like your fabric a lot! the rest, too, but that stands out. I like the very simple (nonruffly) flat panel valance.

Look at you go! Great job(s)! :)

Love your fabric! Just the right amount of light and dark to complement your light and dark elements. You've been much more productive than I have been. I've spent the day coughing on the couch; however, I did install an Elfa closet last weekend, so I claim brownie points on that.

What a lovely sitting area next to your kitchen! Hope you can now put your feet up and enjoy your beautiful home.

OMG! I have so many broken teeth! Looking for a little motivation this autumn to at least get to the ABBS stage. LOL!

Sweet!

I really like the valances and the fabric. It ties in so nicely with your cabinets and counter. Looks great!

And your labor was not for naught! Very lovely complimentary color in fabric and nice pendent light. Love those rattan (I think) sitting chairs. Can imagine many a cup of tea or coffee spent browsing the paper or a book while you cook or bake or simply rest.

It's always so nice to see others spaces. Thanks for posting yours.

Looks wonderful! So bright yet calm.

Great! It looks wonderful, and I really like your comfy chairs for settling in there.

So I was sittin' here thinking. (Don't worry, I didn't strain myself.)

The reason I'm home to read this thread.
First, I did ab.so.lute.ly. nothing today. I double shifted (11.5 and 12 hours) Saturday and Sunday and am/was exhausted. Staring into space was productive.

Can't stare at the boob tube because there's something wrong with my DirecTV and they're coming tomorrow.

Hauled myself off the couch & got ready for work.
Not a mile down the road (thank GOD!) my truck blew a belt. I know because I got under it and looked.
Ok. Work is 40 minutes away. I called my body shop, which was about 1/4 mile the other way and do you KNOW what he had the nerve to tell me!?!

Frank, "Christine, no one's there today and I'm going to a funeral!"
Christine, "Frank, I'm sorry about the funeral, is everyone going? Do I know the person?"
Frank, "No, it's an inlaw. Christine, there's no one there because it's Labor Day!"
Christine screamed over the traffic, "LABOR DAY? WHO CARES ABOUT THAT!?!"

OK.
So I backed my truck up and rolled it down the road with the engine off and left it at the body shop. I walked the 1.5 miles home in 100% humidity and crankiness.

Now, this evening, I've contemplated all my many tasks and projects. I have looked in my empty fridge about 100 times. I've enjoyed 2 beers. I've spent hours petting & brushing my cats and cursing DirecTV. Alphas is on.

So there.
I love your kitchen, but I'm just gonna go to bed. I thought at least today, since I did nothing, I could make some money to pay a legal retainer!!! Now? Just gotta pay for the truck to make another dime.

I hate everyone and everything.
Except my cats.

Oh.
And my neighbor can't find Audrey, his chicken.
I'm afraid of the foxes eating her.

I hate them, too.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments! We are really enjoying the new kitchen. And with every "broken tooth" we get fixed, we enjoy it more (thanks for the wonderful analogy, Christine)!
We have spent many a morning sitting in those chairs reading the paper or a book while enjoying our coffee.
Christine, I am so sorry about the awful end to your weekend! Hopefully you felt a little better after your vent (and 2 beers). Here's to a brighter day tomorrow!

how about a close up of that fabric? looks great from what I can see. when I try to zoom in on it, it just pixelates.

how about the granite too? that looks good. what'd I do, miss your kitchen when you posted it?

love the light and great way to use the extra drawer front! nice laundry room too.

CEF - what a rotten day! good thing you had those beers in that empty otherwise fridge! no, don't bother offering me one - unless you're aiming to kill me. booze don't mix with my pills (drugs would have sounded better...OTOH, maybe not so much!). heck, that walk would have killed me!

CEFreeman - can I just say that I love your personality? You had such a craptastic day but still left a nice comment for Abfabamy and mustered up some humor for the rest of us. I really hope tomorrow works out better for you and sorry that today sucked. I hate to use the old "things happen for a reason" quote, but they do. Just be glad you didn't have to find out for sure :)

Abfabamy - your kitchen looks great. I love your ceiling fan! How do you like it? Does it move a lot of air?

Dear shedding Chrysalis.
Stomping all the way home I was thanking the universe out loud for either stopping me from driving into a bad situation, or from me causing something bad.

I evidently needed to sweat like a pig and stop at the convenience store for 3 packages of Reese's cups (that melted, of course).

I live for Kharma. Some people live for their jobs, their kids, Jesus, or whatever, but I (try to) live the "one reaps what one sows" philosophy. I've been very blessed to be allowed to see Kharma in action.

So, a to be able to view a beautiful kitchen & share someone else's pleasure is a gift I can always appreciate. The pictures here and the clever ways things work out like Abfabamy's Broken Teeth results encourage and inspire me.

If I couldn't laugh about all the ... craptastic things that happen to me, I should just go bury myself in the back yard.

So far, the DirecTV guy hasn't called or shown. I do, however, have a Reese's cup for my espresso.

Love your valances and your kitchen, but really love that light fixture with the fans. Where did you get it? Great job.

Christine--sorry about your carpy day. I'm glad your empty frig had a couple of beers in it!

Gorgeous!

I too love your sitting area! Does the sun blare in during winter and give a nice warm sunbath to you? (Or maybe you live in AZ or FL where 'nice' and 'sunbath' don't go together lol). Great finishing touches.

Christine, hope the belt replacement goes quickly! And, even melted, Reeses are worthwhile :)

cheers

Desert Steph, here is a close up of the fabric a granite. In the photos they seem to not go as well as they do in real life...as is often the case!

ST Chrysalis and Red Lover, the fan came from Lowe's and is one of the best finds! It moves the air over the chairs so well, but they don't operate independently.

Mtnfever, we live in Michigan, and the western exposure is glorious in the winter!

So. The belt took another day, so that's 2 days missing work. It cost me $143. Thank GOD.

The DirecTV guy never showed, then called to reschedule for tomorrow. OK. I have this to entertain myself with.

However, I have no food and those re-refrigerated Reese's only went so far. I work in a restaurant and count on a bite to eat before I hit the floor. Who knew I dog and cat food could look so tempting! Living in the country is hard when you can't walk to a convenient convenience store and eat junk.

Abfabamy, where in MI? Mentioning the western sun sounds like you're on the lake? I grew up outside E. Lansing in Mason, and got edgumakated in Kalamazoo at Western.

I like your valances even more close up.

Boy, Christine! You sure could use a break already! I do appreciate your humor, though. You are an inspiration to me to keep my head up and sense of humor in tact when things start to pile up on me.

We don't live on a lake, and we live on the east side of the state, by Clarkston. Our kitchen windows face west and it gets hotter than H.E.double-hockey-sticks on summer afternoons!

Very cool that you grew up by our state's capital! Nice area. And Kalamazoo is a great place to get an edgumakation...cute town.

Oh, over there! I knew the area when I was younger. That side of the state, unless you're in the sprawling Detroit area, is like a separate country. Kind of like the GRR area, or UP. Still colder than a well digger's butt, though. You're a prime candidate for passive solar heat!!!

Update:
Car's back.
Raided WAWA for salad, ham sandwich, banana, 2 packs of Reese's cups (what IS it about these 'cups this week?), 2 things of their fabulous chicken noodle soup, and some spinach dip thing I ate in the store.

Still no DirecTV guy. FIOS is looking better and better, since I have them for Internet. No "searching for satellite".

Have a great day out there, guys. I have [insert Geico pig squeel]wheeeeeeels!!

Since this has become all about me and not everyone's Labor Day -- which I'd love to hear about. It's such a get-things-done weekend, I thought I'd add the frosting:

DirecTV guy came.
Bad: Cables to barn are shot. They lasted 10 years. eh fine.
Good: DirecTV insurance covers new satellite dish, but on house, not barn. Fine, who cares.

Recently water softener has been telling me I'm using 80 to (today) 166 gallons of water a day. Well, with this new job I've had to do laundry ever couple of days rather than ever couple weeks. I keep hearing my well pump kick on. So...

While out in the yard by the crawl space door with the dish guy, I thought I'd stick my head in the crawlspace & look around. I noticed the vapor barrier on the ground. Ok, DH did it so it's got to have been done 1/2 assed. But .... that sound!!

Water is drizzling, not dripping, drizzling out of the plumbing in the MBR. The whole space is moldy and wet. Somehow, with the installation of my MBR vanities and marble, I'm thinking something got cracked. I got troubles in River City. o. No pun intended.

Good news: At least I found it.
Bad news: Attorney retainer will have to wait. Grrrrrr

Ok. done again.

Abfabamy - thanks for the tip about the fan. I didn't realize it was the one from Lowes. I had been looking at the Minka Aire Gyro fan previously and although I think it moves independently, it also costs about 3-4 times more than the one at Lowes. Looks like I might have to forget my " no hardware store for at least a month" ban and check it out.

Christine - CEF - wow. You left me speechless. I want to say something about the glass being 1/2 full and how at least you found the leak now before it became much, much worse but geez - you need a break! That really stinks!!! If you were any closer to me I'd bring you some chocolate chip cookies, a pint of Ben and Jerry's and a cocktail mix of some sort. That really blows. Sorry...

BTW - thanks for confirming why I stay with my expensive cable vs direct tv. I've been questioning switching lately but you just reminded me of what most of my friends with direct tv say. Yikes

Shedding Chrysalis, I've actually been just fine with DirecTV. But to dig 500 yards behind the house to replace the cable is out of my budget. A free satellite dish that's 1/2 the size is just fine. But DirecTV isn't any cheaper than cable. I hate the cable people, too, but I've learned they're all the same.

With me, it rains and pours. It never just sprinkles and blows over. I get a little ahead and the universe slaps me back. So I'll waddle through (I think that should be muddle through) until the next bunch of crap-ola.

BTW. I'm a red wino or a Cuervo Margarita chick. If you're ever in the DC area....

thanks for the larger view of the fabric and the granite. gee, both are just beautiful! I can see what you mean that one might not think they'd go together... but they do! great choice in fabric. love that granite - what is it?

also love the fan. wish I had a place to use one like that. my sister has one similar.

CEF - you poor thing! sounds a lot like how my life goes. I've learned ya just have to flow with it. mostly. except for when I don't and I cry a lot - lol!

I just HATE it when my 'ol junker isn't working - even if I don't need to go anywhere. I like knowing I can GO if I want to!

and a great plus for you is - you can do most of that work yourself. If I got that close to the ground I'd need one of those 'help' buttons to get someone to come get me back up! My body just doesn't agree with my mind that often anymore.

Shedding Chrysalis, the one at Lowe's was so resonable for a dual fan, I couldn't resist. But if you go and check it out, just know that I did change the globe from the one that came with it to the one you see in the picture. I liked the look of this one better.

Desert Steph, the granite was named Magma, but it doesn't look like any Magma I've ever seen on Google! It more closely resembles Seinna Bordeaux.

Christine, thank goodness you are a handygirl! Sounds like you get lots of practice using your skills. Keep your chin up (how's that for a daily platitude, I got a pocketful of them!)

Guys, I thought I'd let you know my Labor Day weekend finally came to an end yesterday.

My friend who is a plumber came and crawled under the house.
2 trips to Lowe's and 6 hours later, he cut out 7 unnecessary, leaking couplings, replacing them with three, and straight pipe runs, and fixed 4 different leaks.

STBX hadn't drilled through the joists like you're supposed to, to keep the plumbing up next to the floor for warmth. He'd gone down, under, up, across. Down, under, up and across thru out most of the crawlspace.

One piece that Plumber Friend cut out, where the largest running water (not drip, running water) was, had 2 pieces of copper pipe held together with electrical tape. Not your best choice of plumbing material, but the theme of my DH's work Good enough for now.

Plumber Friend said it had probably leaked since day 1, but over the last 6 weeks or so the tape had finally just plain been washed loose. 166 gallons of water a day!

And people think I make this stuff up.

So my plumbing is fixed after 3 days with my water shut off, 3 days without TV, 2 days of lost work, a new timing belt on my truck, and today...

I get to go to work to pay for all of this.
But, that @@#$! holiday weekend is over.
Did anyone have a better one? Other than Abfabamy!? Bless your decorative heart!

CEF:

...had 2 pieces of copper pipe held together with electrical tape.

My mom's renter hooked his 2nd floor washing machine up with a piece of garden hose and duct tape. Then he took my mom (who was 93 at the time) to Small Claims for his stress. This is after she paid to fix all the water damage. The judge laughed and asked my brother how much he'd like to counter-sue for. Hey, did your STBX move to CA?

abfabamy, I admire anyone that can sew! Those valances are gorgeous up close. They look perfect in the room.

now for you, CEF, omg. you always have me in total stitches. I have read your posts when I am blue and reclusive, and you always manage to make me laugh. You are one strong gal, and I would give anything to have the muster and do all that you have. Thanks for being such an inspiration! I love the reeses in your coffee btw!! after my heart!!

Why does everyone think I'm so funny when I have such drama, trauma, and insane stories!

No, truly. I overheard a friend tell someone that no matter what the situation, I always found something to laugh about. It made her crazy, but helped her look outside her own drama and heart attacks. I guess as I always joke, if I couldn't laugh, I really need to bury myself in the back yard.

I"m glad I can get you out of yourself and into your laughter! :)

CEF - for a number of years when the kids were growing up, I worked with a group of parents of children with "special needs." The black humor factor ran pretty high because if you couldn't laugh, all you could do was cry. Laughing is better, I recommend it.

CEF -
that is exactly what I find so uplifting about reading your posts. Despite the drama, trauma, and insanity, YOU always manage to have a such a great outlook on whatever it is, and always turn it around with a quick spin of humor and way to get thru it. Cheers to you my friend!

Thank you.
Just kinda wish I didn't have anything to b!tch about.
Can you imagine?