Cottage & Countryside Living
a weekly journal from France
Bon dimanche!
It's another rainy Sunday here in Normandie. My plan was to head to an outdoor brocante in Granville but I have a feeling that it won't be that great due to the weather. There is always next weekend for another one as the season is just kicking off. Besides.... plenty of things to do here at the cottage.
We are officially in a holding pattern for the kitchen renovation after a crazy week which included a minor flood in the cottage, having to reset the cabinet layout and the shops closed at the exact time when we needed something. Our custom window still hasn't arrived & it most likely won't be here for another 2 weeks before it gets scheduled for install. So in the meantime we do have a functioning kitchen with a sink, hob & oven (yay!) and now I can work on my labor portion for the remodel: painting the cabinet bases, adding trim work, starting to install wallpaper, and painting walls. Plus we still have to order the new appliances. We've been back & forth on which ones to get. Here in France, appliances are given a grade based on their energy consumption. Since this is going to be our rental property, we wanted a high grade (A or B), the color we want (black or grey), that fits in the space and at a good price point that can be delivered sooner than later. Doesn't sound demanding but it is like finding a needle in a haystack. Seriously! We've found a fridge now it's the washing machine that is proving challenging. We have one in the Amazon cart but are heading out to a few more local shops to see what's available this week.
Plus these next 2 weeks gives me time to get the remaining bits here for the contractor to finish: open shelving stuff, the tile ordered, the last light fixture, upper cabinet assembled & painted. So we can have a fully functional kitchen available to rental guests when we move out at the end of May.
So excited for you to see the final reveal! We are loving it so far... especially the hubby who was unsure of some of my choices until he actually saw them installed. Sometimes you just need to trust the process... Although I have changed a few bits during that process LOL.
Hope you all have a wonderful week. Stay tuned for more from the French countryside.
à bientôt- Jenna
Sunday Saves
Things that caught my eye this week…
14 Home Maintenance Projects to Add to Your Spring To-Do List
Adding a few of my favorite cookbooks to the cottage for our guests to enjoy (all of which are ON SALE:
Mimi Thorisson’s French Country Cooking: Meals and Moments from a Village in the Vineyards
Audrey LeGoff’s Rustic French Cooking Made Easy
Manon LaGreve’s Simple French Baking
This week’s must try recipe: Chicken au Poivre
I'm eyeing this one from Ruggable for both the kitchen and the living room at the cottage (Ruggable having a huge sale right now (use code BLOOM up to 20% off)
10 Health Benefits of Chamomile Tea—and Why You Should Drink Some Before Bed
Here’s a great link: Our Go-To Cabinet Hardware Placement Guide
Does Your Home Suffer from Hard Water? Here Are the Telltale Signs and Solutions, According to a Master Plumber We definitely have hard water here at the cottage which is why we are switching the shower head to this one.
Looking for a new book to add to your reading list? Check out The Painting Box from one of my followers, Julia Cooper.
BTW… the March Collection of vintage finds has hit the Etsy shop! Click here to shop.
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à bientôt- Jenna