new year's day and new china hutch

Hello, friends and happy 2023!

As Brian and I do every New Year's Day, we took a hike in the nearby State Park. This year was the first time since we could remember, that there hasn't been snow on the ground. It was cold - 31 degrees F - but no breeze. The clean, crisp air actually felt refreshing instead of brutally cold like it had in previous years.

Since the park is closed on New Year's day, we only passed a couple of people near the walk-in entrance. Otherwise, it was like we had the 2200 acres to ourselves.

We ended up hiking 2-1/2 miles. I learned the hard way that I need another layer of clothing underneath my jeans. It took a long time for my thighs to thaw out!

Those of you who have been here awhile know that my large kitchen wall has looked pretty much like this for several years. We bought the skinny hutch when we were newlyweds from a furniture store in Long Grove, IL. It was perfect for our small townhouse.  We paid $400 for it - a lot of money back then. Now I'll be lucky to get $50 for it. When we moved into this house 32+ years ago, the hutch came with us and first was in the living room, then in the kitchen. It was more of a sentimental piece, but it served its purpose. I also liked the vintage three-tiered cart beside the hutch. It held my Dutch ovens, mixing bowls, and my coffee mug tree. However, the past few years I'd been wanting a larger piece of furniture for this wall to replace the cart and the skinny hutch. I wasn't sure exactly "what", but I had a hunch that I'd know the piece I was looking for when I saw it.

And...here it is! Right after Christmas, I was browsing FB Marketplace and saw this hutch. The woman had already lowered the price by $50. I messaged her and asked if she'd be will to go down another $50. She said yes, if I picked it up that day! Our kind next-door neighbor helped us move the skinny hutch down into our basement (now I need to try and sell it) and this new one into our kitchen.

The vintage tiered cart went into the basement for now too (don't know if I'm going to keep it to use somewhere else or sell it), so I replaced that with a little painted table and ZZ plant. The wall above the plant remained bare, since I didn't have anything in my basement decor stash that would fit in that space. I was running errands a few days ago and first was going to stop in Hobby Lobby to check out what they had, but then decided to try Goodwill first. I haven't been in a Goodwill in probably two years. I tend to stay out of resale shops for the most part now, since I rarely need anything. I've been more focused on donating to resale shops instead of buying from them. Anyhoo, I found this Paris art print and took the chance of it being the right size and looking good in this space. 

Love the detail on the front of the glass. And whoever painted this cabinet did a great job. The woman I bought the cabinet from said this piece was in her house when she moved in.

There's enough room inside to hold all my cookbooks, Dutch ovens, bowls, recipe boxes (they hold old hand-written family recipes), decor items and teas.

The drawer underneath the cabinet holds my dishtowels, pot holders, and extra kitchen decor items. I want to find some pretty paper to line the drawer and organize it a bit better.

Hope the start to the new year is going well for you. Thanks for reading and for your kind comments.
💖