The Painted Garden Paintings

I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite California artists who is also one of my clients. Erin Houghton of The Painted Garden paints the happiest, cheeriest paintings of cottage gardens and flowers! I love her work so much that I commissioned these original paintings for over my kitchen sink. Love them! Be sure to visit her blog, where her beloved dog Bentley helps inspire her to paint!

'Til Next Time!

Kathryn

http://www.kathrynbechenink.com/

2009 "Excellence In Journalism" Awards

I am the recipient of one of the 2009 Excellence in Journalism Awards from the San Diego Press Club. I submitted three magazine articles that were published this past year and I will find out which article won during their annual awards banquet on October 20, 2009. They received approximately 900 entries, so I feel very blessed!

Thanks for your loyal readership!

'Til Next Time!

Kathryn :)

http://www.kathrynbechenink.com/

Taking a Beautiful Blog Break

I'm taking a "beautiful blog break" for awhile and until I return, I leave you with this blooming thought:

"Beauty is God’s handwriting."

--Rudyard Kipling

'Til Next Time!

Kathryn

http://www.kathrynbechenink.com/

Thanks to All For My Magical Birthday!

Thank you all so much for making my 51st birthday a magical day! I was so touched by how many of you took time out of your busy schedules to send cards, e-mails, and do Facebook posts and I loved hearing from all of you! I feel blessed to know such thoughtful people as you. :)

Do you have a favorite way to celebrate your birthday? Or do you have a Happy Birthday memory you'll never forget?

After 29 years of marriage, hubby Steve knows I love nothing more than going to a great romantic restaurant with soft lighting, candles, and fine-dining ambiance! So he took yesterday off from work to spend the day with me and then he took me to this beautiful restaurant for dinner, When In Rome.

The bright CA sun shining through the palm trees, the twinkly lights swathed in chiffon, the white tablecloths, baby grand piano, and more made for simply sumptuous surroundings! And the food and service were superb!


When the stars came out it was even more enchanting! We enjoyed our time together at dinner and then headed to a musical about couples in LOVE where we were laughing so hard our sides hurt!

Thank you hubby Steve for always making a special effort for 32 years in a row to make my birthday magical and memorable. I love you!

And thanks to all of you again, too. I love you too! :)

Love, Kathryn

http://www.kathrynbechenink.com/

My Birthday Celebration

I'm taking the day off to celebrate my 51st birthday with my hubby. May your day be blessed!

Kathryn :)
http://www.kathrynbechenink.com/

De-Clutter Your Kitchen For Divine Dining

I labored this Labor Day weekend by de-cluttering my kitchen cabinets to feel just right for my current lifestyle which means simpler is better! My kitchen is always organized, but there's always room for an update too as we all tend to accumulate things over time. I donated two large plastic bins of stuff to charity from my tiny kitchen above! Here's what I did so it will get you motivated to get going on your own fall kitchen de-cluttering campaign! Good Luck!

De-clutter Your Kitchen for Divine Dining

by Kathryn Bechen

Copyright 2009

All rights reserved.

1. Open Sesame. I opened every single cupboard in my kitchen and if anything had a chip, it was put in a box to donate to charity. You can also use chipped pitchers for flowers or to water plants if you don't want to get rid of them entirely and if the chip is small. Think how to re- purpose things as you go and then decide if they get donated, or stay for a new purpose.

2. So Long Set. If a piece of any set (three floral mugs instead of four, for example) was missing, out went the partial set. I could have used the mugs for pens on my office desk etc., but I already have some colorful mugs serving that function in my office so I hope someone else enjoys them on their desk!

3. White is Right. I've decided that other than our set of rose-motif antique china, I now only want to use white dishware and clear glasses and serving pieces and then use colorful napkins, placemats, tablecloths, and napkin rings to enhance my table setting. I like how nice food looks on crisp white plates and if a piece breaks, I can find another white piece to go with it easily even if it's not an exact match; I actually like a mix of white and clear dishes with different textural designs. And it's less expensive to update your table with new tablecloths, placemats, and napkin rings than to buy new sets of dishes.

4. Drastic Plastic. Too many plastic storage containers! Any that did not have lids or the lids did not fit, I donated. You can also re-use them in drawers etc. for separating small items like tealight candles, match books etc.

5. Let There Be Light. I went through all my candles and got rid of any that had wicks that were too short. I've decided that I'll also only use white candles now for a nice uniform look, and I like to use different styles and sizes for a romantic twinkle when I entertain. I use unscented beeswax candles due to my scent allergies. I often put tealights in my antique stemmed juice glasses and set them all along my bookcases for a soft white ambiance.

6. Utensil Usage. I decided I don't need three large meat forks! I only need one so the others went into the charity box. Ditto stray knives and duplicate measuring cups.

7. Recipe Reveal. Like most people, I sometimes tear recipes out of magazines and put them in clear sheet protectors and put them in a three-ring binder. I looked through the binder, and I decided if I haven't made it by now, I probably won't make it later. Trash time!

8. Bye Bye Bugs. I decided I really don't need a hot pink mesh net contraption to cover food at a picnic in case of flies! In fact, my hubby reminded me that we seldom even have bugs in SoCal! He's right! Bye bye pink mesh bug cover!

9. Crazy for Christmas. Out went the Christmas-motif salt and pepper shakers. White ones will do.

10. Vase Vanity. I'm lucky that people are kind enough to bring me flowers but after awhile the vases proliferate and are duplicates. My new rule for vases is clear or white, just like my dishware. Clean. Simple. Elegant.

If your kitchen cabinets are groaning from too many dishes and appliances, ask yourself if this is the style of entertaining and living that you still want to do today. If so, go for it! If not, why not donate your dishes and kitchen things you no longer want or need so that someone else can enjoy them? There's a college student or budget-minded young couple setting up a new apartment who would love to have them!

As for me, I'm off now to set my table for breakfast tomorrow morning and I can't wait to eat off my simple, but elegant, white dishes.

'Til Next Time!

Kathryn :)

http://www.kathrynbechenink.com/