The State of the Butler’s Pantry + Links

I am so glad it is Friday. Andy spent the week at Cape Cod for work. Normally, I am super jealous of his travels, but this week I’m all good. No blizzard for me, thankyouverymuch. I felt the tiniest smidge of jealousy when I saw the video of him and his work friends doing the polar plunge during a sideways snowstorm. I am weird like that. Otherwise, I was perfectly happy to be here knocking items off the to-do list in the Butler’s Pantry.

The current state of the Butler’s Pantry is disaster and chaos.

I am trying to stay focused and finish the painting, but all I want to do is organize cabinets and decorate. Who am I, and what have I become? Tearing things up used to be my favorite part. However, living in a work-in-progress for nearly three years is feeding my need for peaceful, organized spaces.

In other news, I found some buffalo checked bedding for the guest room. Special thanks to our reader Monica for getting me pointed in the right direction. Last week, she posted a link for Gray Sheets from Restoration Hardware. Then, she found this gorgeous blanket from Orvis. After much thought, I decided they were both out of my price range especially since we have two twin beds and need a set for each bed. Her sleuthing did get me started looking with the search term gingham vs. Buffalo check. She also got me thinking about gray vs. black, and that’s when I found this duvet set at Overstock.com:

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The duvet set is on sale right now for less than $45 for the twin size. Although I prefer black, at that price, I decided gray was a decent substitution. Overstock also has adorable coordinating sheets that I opted not to get, but they might appeal to you. I plan to brighten up the gray with a coordinating blanket or throw perhaps in pink, red, or navy blue.

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Here are few interesting links that I ran across this week.

–How to Paint Brick, MDF, Metal, and Plastic – I have saved this link for future reference. It provides great tips for creating a lasting paint job on these finicky surfaces.

-This Buck’s County, PA estate is currently for sale, and it could be yours for 1.1 million dollars.

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While most of us don’t have a cool million stuck between the couch cushions, I posted this because 1) I have a thing for stone houses, and 2) I love the casual elegance of the interior. That is exactly the look that I am going for here in BHH. We have a long way to go, but this stone house is now the inspiration.

-Lastly, I am headed to Myrtle Beach with my good friend Rebecca, for a long weekend in March. Has anyone been there? It will be our first time. I found this fun History of Myrtle Beach timeline link. Sadly, I am 100 years too late to see the Seaside Inn. It was demolished in the 1920s (why?!?)

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If anyone has some sightseeing tips for us, please post them in the comments. We have already been given the advice to go somewhere else entirely, but our hands are tied due to the accommodations. We are two people who can have fun anywhere we go. There will be shenanigans, and by shenanigans, I mean sleeping in and drinking two cups of coffee in the morning. #tiredworkingmomsonvacation

This weekend, I will be thrifting and browsing at our local flea market in search of wooden bowls, plates and/or cutting boards for the Butler’s Pantry. You can follow along on Instagram. If you like flea markets, but do not want to leave the house, I will be sharing it all on our Instagram Stories.

Speaking of Instagram, we are just a few people away from 500 followers. I realize that in social media world that makes me about as influential as a d-list celebrity hawking an MLM product. That said, I just want to say thank you. This past year, BHH has had steady, authentic growth in our readership and all of our social media accounts. It is a good feeling, and we will continue to work hard and provide interesting and engaging content.