The Making of a Pantry

When we first came to look at our house, the first thing we noticed was the entry way. The side door opened up into a walkway/storage area right off the kitchen. The perfect place for a pantry! We put a plastic shelf there knowing that someday we RJ would put in some shelves.

He wanted to tackle the project a few times, but his old drill just wasn't cutting it.

For his birthday, his parents got him the perfect gift - a new, improved, better drill! He put in the shelves literally days later.

Believe it or not, the after picture is post-organization! It still looks a little disheveled.. oh well.

I know it's nothing fancy and it's very utilitarian, but we love it. It provides so much more space and just feels more homey.

I know we're renters and all (and loving it!), but I guess we can't help our tendency to want to fix it up while we live here.

I love my handy husband!!

October..

It's October already which means something important happened a few days ago..

RJ turned 28!

We had a great time celebrating at the annual Stith Family Clam-Bake at Reed and Laura's. It's always a great event and I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of the clam preperation! Next year...

I was really excited to give RJ my gift.. so much so that I gave it to him to open the day it arrived, about 6 days before his birthday. It was a Jensen Record Player and Bob Dylan's Greatest hits album. We set it up on our mantle and over the last few days have loved listening to our record.

It worked out perfectly on Saturday (his birthday) because he got some great records as gifts and was also able to pick out some records from his parents' collection. Some of the records actually belonged to his Uncle Mike so that was extra special.

Other things that have been going on (according to the pictures above)...

*Now that I'm down to one job (yes!), I've had more time to cook which has been really nice. I actually really enjoy cooking, but only when I don't feel rushed and can take my time. I've been making weekly batches of croutons, usually on Sundays. My favorite kind so far has been the pumpernickel rye swirl.

*We went to a little local art and music festival around the corner last weekend. It was really neat to be able to walk over and enjoy the vendors and musicians. It was great to see our neighborhood so busy and bustling.

*Our peppers and herbs have been growing like crazy! It's been nice to cook with. The peppers are so spicy though.

*I got to visit an alpaca farm! Mary's friends from her bible study were nice enough to let us visit their farm and meet some of the alpacas.

*Lots of walks. Harvey's surgeon suggested short walks to keep his legs exercised and stretched out. He loves walking around the neighborhood. Over the weekend we took him on a great hiking trail. We ended up carrying him a lot since it was a longer walk. He loved it.

Here's to a great October!

Love,

Rachel