Happy Thanksgiving!

If you're like me, you've been cleaning and shopping the past few days to gear up for the big weekend. We're helping my sister host 22 tomorrow at her house, and then making breakfast for everyone here the next morning. It will be great for them to see the house - the last time most of my extended family saw it was November 2009, when we'd only been here a few months, and let me tell you - it was not pretty.

That said, we've had a lot of details fall into place over the past week to get us ready, and we're pretty excited to show you guys. We're not quite finished here, but getting pretty darn close. 

Lighting has gone in this week, and in case you haven't caught on, I'm a sucker for details like these. I've had our fixtures in the basement for months (one of them for years) waiting for this moment, so it's a bit one. We chose schoolhouse lights to go throughout the kitchen. They create a great warm glow, and add an interesting shape to the big open ceiling. 

Over the sink we opted for a barn-style pendant. We like the simple, rustic look and the glow it casts on the white fireclay of the sink and chrome of the faucet. The brown of the kitchen lights also brings in the brown of the cabinets. 

We're suckers for Edison styled bulbs, so we couldn't resist one in the pendant.This one is called "squirrel cage" which I can't help but love.

And finally, we have undercounter lighting to make our backsplash glow. Here's the effect from in the room:

And here are the lights themselves. We opted for LED fixtures, which cost a bit more but are super efficient and have very long-lasting bulbs. 

Here's the room all lit up from the back door.  It's a huge change from the old room, which had one fluorescent fixture in the middle of the room that didn't even work. I spent much of the past two years cooking beneath the bulb in our range. Needless to say this is a tremendous improvement, both in look and in function.

Oh, and did I mention our half bath was installed? YAY! We dusted off the wall-mount sink and rustic little faucet on Monday when we very enthusiastically welcomed the plumber. He got everything in in a day, and the electrician got this pendant light (this is the one I've had for years) all wired in today.

I'm obsessed with this little room. I just love the quaintness and charm of it, not to mention that I no longer have to go upstairs when nature calls. What an idea!

And here's john, all tucked in his little corner. Doesn't he look right at home? 

Don't miss the fleur-de-lis towel hook. I just couldn't resist.   

But wait, there's more! Our upstairs bathroom is now fully functional. Well, almost. It's lacking a rather minor detail - a door. That's right, it's wide open! Not that we really mind, but we might have to hang a sheet for when my brother and sister-in-law stay with us this weekend.

There are some new additions though - notice our his and hers medicine cabinets, all lit up from above. We had some height challenges in getting these right - they started too low (my 5'6 fault) and then landed too high (C's 6'5 fault) and then we got them right in the middle. We're already filling them and enjoying their usefulness.

Notice the fabric reflected in the cabinet on the right (which is mine, in case you were wondering)? That's a butterfly tablecloth. Don't worry, it's definitely not a permanent bathroom addition. I ordered a custom plantation shade to cover the window, but it will be another month or so before it arrives, so we're making do in the meantime. So . . . . no bathroom door or window covering. It's basically a nudist bathroom for now. Fixes to come soon, we (and our neighbors) hope.

And a bit more his and hers - cute little towel hooks. 

Here's the lighting up close. The vanity lights were inexpensive finds from Signature Hardware, and the overhead schoolhouse light is World Imports from Amazon (same as the kitchen fixtures, except silver instead of bronze). 

So that's where we are for now. The contractor is nearing the end of his time with us - basically the door and some paint/trim finishing to go. I bet he's really going to miss us!

Now I have to go brine a turkey. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!