New China Cabinet
This week a very exciting event happened - I finally got a new china cabinet. This was my birthday present from Sam in September 2004. It has taken me quite a long time to get it due to the dining room saga. (It is my own fault, not Sam’s that it has taken so long.)
For those of you who do not know about my new love of tables, here is the story. When Sam and I were dating, I helped him pick out a new table for the breakfast room in his new house. When we got married, I also had a casual breakfast room table which we sold. One place to eat - one table. Then we moved to our new house in Lake Highlands. Well, my dad’s mother had recently passed away and her table was sitting in my parents garage not being used. It was not my favorite table, white wood with blue vinyl chairs, but it was free until we got something better. Two places to eat - two tables, the score is still good. Well, then my mom’s mother passed away and there is a really nice, Ethan Alan table from the 1950’s. It is in great shape and much more stylish than the blue vinyl seats. So we put that table in the breakfast room and move the white table with two blue chairs into the multi-purpose room (really a future baby room, but Sam was in denial). It was a great table to leave scrapbook supplies on all the time. The other two blue chairs became office chairs and worked great. Score - two eating areas, three tables.
Well, I searched and searched the city for a china cabinet that would match the table that I helped Sam buy when he was single. I really like the tabled, but it was a lighter color and more casual style than most china cabinets. All I was finding were more casual hutches. So, I started looking for another table!
In the meantime, we started a major dining room remodel. We knocked out part of a wall that was short and built and different sized full wall. We retextured and painted the room red (one coat of pink primer and two coats of red paint). Then Sam put in beautiful hardwood floors. So, the china cabinet was put on hold because there was no where to put it. Not only that, but now we moved the dining room table into the den so that we could accomplish the flooring project. For two months - one eating area, three tables.
Finally, I find a new table. An antique, duncan phyfe, pedistal table. It was a bargain at an estate sale. Sam actually lets me buy it. Luckily the top came off of the legs so we put the top in teh guest room, the legs in the multi-purpose room and the chairs were scattered throughout the house. This happened to be about the time that the dining room remodel was done so now we are back to two eating areas, but now we have four tables.
We decide to have a garage sale to sell a lot of stuff but the main things we wanted to sell were the white table with blue chairs and the table I helped Sam buy while he was single. Amazingly we sold both. Of course we did not get what we wanted, but we did pretty well. Now we are finally back to two eating areas and two tables.
By, this time I was pretty pregnant and not in the mood to start looking all over town again for a china cabinet. So, I waited until last week and found the china cabinet at an antique store. It looks great with the table from the estate sale and on Sam’s wood floors. Mom came over and helped me to organize the display.
Now our dining room is the best looking room in the house. While I was shopping for the china cabinet, Sam was installing recessed lights. He was going to do it last summer after he finished the floors but decided to wait until the attic was cooler. Life got busy and the attic got hot again. There are a few things left in the dining room, finding a rug, curtains and hanging my grandmothers crystal and brass chandelier. Maybe I will let Sam wait until the attic is cooler again.