A Peak Into My Cozy Little Kitchen!

     This week I've began to add some Spring decor into my house.  I love this time of year, because I feel like the light and bright colors freshen up my kitchen!  Here's a look at some of the details and nooks in my kitchen that I love.

I just love the beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas my husband surprised me with yesterday!  He's so thoughtful!  They look perfect on my new tablecloth.

This corner of the table gets the best sunlight, so I usually photograph my food here.

I love the early morning sunshine pouring into our dining area through the french doors.  The lighting is beautiful and makes our table so inviting to sit and drink coffee.  The fireplace, in the background, is our favorite place to gather in the winter!

This mahogany table is an antique.  It was my husband's great grandmother's table, and we absolutely love having it in our home.  The detail of the carving in the chairs are lovely.  I think it ties in especially well with this tablecloth! 

This bowl is filled with some beautiful produce, from The Fresh Market (my favorite place), that includes meyer lemons, blood oranges and heirloom tomatoes!  Something about this tuscan style bowl and fresh fruits and vegetables reminds me of a pretty farm-like setting.    Especially with the flowers being in a pitcher instead of a traditional vase.  Ah...the small things in life!

I love this spice rack!  I got it at Target, and it has so many essential spices and herbs.  The roundy jars are so cute, too!  My "chef's" knife there is what I use to cut all of my veggies with.  You may have seen it before in some of my food preparation photos.  That is one of my new brightly colored napkins I bought on sale at Pier 1.  Aren't they cheerful!? 

On the other side of my stove I have a pretty little spoon rest and more seasonings.  Extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, table salt, pepper grinder (love!) and my beautiful new salt crock that my husband just surprised me with!  It's handmade pottery from Spain!  I keep kosher salt in there. :)  It just makes me happy. 

In this corner I have all of my large jars arranged as a baking station.  They hold everything from flour to nuts to chocolate chips! I bought them at various places.  In the back is a little chalkboard with a European street scene on it.  I was given it about 4 years ago, when my husband wrote a sweet message on there to me.  I haven't used it since.  The message is still there!

In the other corner is my coffee station.  LOVE coffee! Too much?...Nah.  This is a Cusinart Grind n Brew coffeemaker that was a Christmas present from my In-Loves.  I like to store my coffee and beans in different jars for a unique and coffee shop/country look that I think is very cozy!  The platter in the background was a present from my parents for our 1st wedding anniversary.  I love filling my  house with things that mean a lot to me.  

A little bit of European flair.

I like my new kitchen rug I just got (on sale of course) at Pier 1.  I recently added the distressed iron work for a more interesting detail above the sink.

Some of my favorite cookbooks are in my kitchen for easy access.  The rest are on a bookshelf in the guest room. The Keeping Good Company is such a cute cookbook with homestyle recipes and the cutest illustrations. I love Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks, Tyler Florence and Ina Garten's especially.  These are all very good, though!  Oh and the Better  Homes and Garden's is spot-on for reliable basic recipes.  Love their lasagna!  

Mom gave one of these to me and my sister for Christmas.  I've learned so much from her.  Look at the adorable detailed illustration on here.  It is just too cute not to display!

A peek of spring in my display cabinet.  Here are the new napkins I bought, just waiting for a picnic! 

Isn't this just a pretty, girlie spring time mug?  I love the soft colors and detail of the polka dot rim with flowers.  I have several more spring mugs that I love drinking coffee from.  They just make me smile. :)

I just love this new basket to store all of my pans in!  I am going to write on the tiny chalkboard, "Baking Pans"!  A good friend gave me this idea--she's done the very same thing.  I think it's so cozy and cute and practical.  It's a huge basket that stores a lot and makes a statement, but the little chalkboard personalizes it.  This is new to my kitchen, and I'm pretty excited about it!  I think baskets are always a good idea.

So there it is!  A peak at my cozy little kitchen where I prepare everything you read about on here. The kitchen is the hub of our home, and it brings me a lot of joy to share it with you!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Now...off to make lemon tuscan chicken!

~Leslie