I started watching the Gilmore Girls on Netflix. Have you ever seen it? For some reason, I had never seen it before and now I’m wondering why it took me so long to watch. What a great show! I just got done gobbling up Season 1. There was 21 episodes and there are seven seasons total. (Yay!) Of course, I had to know more about their ‘Stars Hollow’ town and a quick search on Google revealed that the whole thing sits on a back lot in Burbank!
And get this: Lorelai’s house backs up to Sookie’s house! The front of Lorelai’s house is on one side:
(source)
And the front of Sookie’s house is on the other:
(source)
Apparently all the interior scenes (other than the ones at Luke’s Diner, which really were filmed inside the Luke’s Diner building) were shot on a sound stage nearby. I loved reading that the Seaver family’s house (from Growing Pains) was also located in this neighborhood!
(source)
I don’t know about you, but I definitely don’t remember the them living in a house that looked like THAT. Wow! I must have been distracted by Kirk Cameron. 😉 I also read that one corner of that house serves as Lane Kim’s apartment in Season 4. How cool! I’d sure love to take the tour of that back lot some day. It’s hard to believe those houses aren’t really houses!
And speaking of houses…I cleaned up our kitchen and snapped an updated photo of it on Friday. But first, here’s a look at the space when we moved in in 2012:
Functional and clean, but definitely not our style. We started personalizing it with Gray Owl wall paint (lightened by 50%), and Simply White trim and ceiling paint about a year later:
Fast forward to a photo of how it looks now:
(The microwave lives on a shelf in our pantry now.)
It’s not a huge space (and I wish it was about 200 years older), but it serves us fine, and it has been neat to see it evolve into a more cottage-style space over the years. You can see our new green stairs in the background there now too. I love how they speak to the green in our backsplash!
We’re making another Home Chef meal in there tonight. I’ve been ordering two a week lately, and who knew how much more we’d enjoy their service this year. We’ve got Mushroom-Smothered Salisbury Steak with Cheddar Jack Broccoli and Boom Boom Fried Fish Tacos on the way today. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!
What else…what else…OH! One of my neighbors (a man named Dale) highly recommended a book called Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain last week, and after reading the description on Amazon, I immediately swiped the Buy Now button. Here’s what it’s about:
The plan is simple. George and Ben have three weeks to cycle 1000 miles from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland. There is just one small problem… they have no bikes, no clothes, no food and no money. Setting off in just a pair of Union Jack boxer shorts, they attempt to rely on the generosity of the British public for everything from food to accommodation, clothes to shoes, and bikes to beer.
During the most hilarious adventure, George and Ben encounter some of Great Britain’s most eccentric and extraordinary characters and find themselves in the most ridiculous situations. Free Country is guaranteed to make you laugh (you may even shed a tear). It will restore your faith in humanity and leave you with a big smile on your face and a warm feeling inside.
The reviews are off-the-charts good. One reader wrote, “Spent last night laughing so much my coffee came out my eyes!“. Another wrote, “Not many books keep me up ’til 4am, endangering my marriage in the process. Read it now!“.
I shared about it briefly on my Instagram stories, and threw out the idea of a doing a May book club, and the response blew me away. Over 1900 followers pushed “I’m in!” on my poll, so it looks like I’m organizing a group next month!
I’m in the process of putting together a plan now, and I look forward to sharing all the details soon. If you’d like to join us in May too, just grab a copy of Free Country and stay tuned. Amazon originally said my book wouldn’t be here til May 1st, but I received a shipping update this morning and it apparently it’ll be here by April 20th now. Yay!
Til next time,
Layla
PS – Mom, I ordered one for you too and it should be there by the 20th as well. 😉
I love what you have done especially love the backsplash-can you let me know what the name of the tile you chose. It is such a pretty and soft pop of colour.
Thank you, Dorothy!
It’s called Sunflower and we purchased it from Caledonia Tile & Stone in Indiana. It’s a Thassos White and Ming Green marble and we have really enjoyed it!
My daughter loves Gilmore Girls so much she named my oldest granddaughter Lorelai. She (and her younger sister, Adalyn, are my heart. Oh, I’m in on the book club!
Oh, that is so fun Carol! Your granddaughters names AND that you’ll be part of the book club! 😀
My daughter, now in her early 30’s LOVED Gilmore Girls in the early 2000s! I was never a fan, I was too busy being a Mum and running around like a headless chicken in those days! Yet something lately has been calling me, and guess what? My darling daughter gave me a Netflix gift voucher to watch whatever I so please. I think with my love of the parts of the US which are Maine, Vermont, and Connecticut, I ought to watch it. (My great-great-grandfather lived in Providence, Rhode Island before he came to find his wealth in the Australian gold rush. Not that he did find his wealth! Perchance, that is why I feel such a connection to all those old areas?)
I SERIOUSLY can not believe it was 2012 you guys moved into your home! I have been following you all that time?? I admire you all so much!
Now, that book; Free Country has piqued my curiosity! You dear Layla, have shown me a wonderful new world to explore, and I thank you.
Much love from a topsy-turvy world here in Australia!
P.S. Message for Steevenson; G’day mate! What has the face of a duck, the tail of a beaver, and lays eggs? Time for you to look up one of our weird yet lovable animals! 😉
Good morning, Maria!
So fun hearing from you today!
I loved reading about your daughter, and your voucher, and your great-great-grandfather!
And I do hope you’ll join us in May for the book club. I think it’s going to be fun!
I’ll pass along your message to Steevenson. I don’t know if he knows that animal yet or not. 😉
You have inspired me to paint my stairs. again. I love the soft look of yours!
Thank you, Cheri! I think I’m going to work on the landing at the top a little today. Have fun with your project too!
I’m obsessed with Gilmore Girls! Once you watch all 7 seasons, watch Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life on Netflix. You’ll love it! It’s so interesting all the facts you found out about the show too. I knew some but not all. In the fall they have a Gilmore Girls Fan Fest in Kent, CT. I hope to go one day!
How cool! I’m definitely going to watch the ‘Year in the Life’. So cool they put that together all these years later!
Just started watching Gilmore girls for the second time! We live in Connecticut so love seeing some of the landmarks show up in scenes and hearing ours towns and cities’ names being mentioned (Hartford, Groton). Such a good show!
Your stairs came out amazing! Love how you are transforming the home to your taste, been a follower since you where doing amazing things in your previous home!!
I can hardly wait to visit the New England area when we’re allowed to travel again. I have a feeling it’ll be my favorite place in the whole country!
I just finished all 7 seasons of Gilmore Girls. I loved it but the Netflix reboot ruined it a little for me. If you haven’t watched “Parenthood” put that on your list next. It has a similar feel.
Ooh! I loved Parenthood too! I watched it when it was on regular TV. May have to watch again now that it’s on Netflix!
I absolutely LOVED Gilmore Girls! It just gets better and better so keep watching! So glad you are back to blogging! I missed you! xoxo
I watched a series on Netflix called the Happiness Diaries. There are 2 seasons and it sounds pretty similar to the description of the book you selected (except it is only 1 man alone). His name is Leon Logothetis and he travels the globe with no money relying on the kindness of strangers. I really enjoyed the 2 seasons. I don’t know if they are still available on Netflix, but if so, I would really recommend them. They warm the heart (and sometimes bring a tear to the eye!) Here is the link if you are interested. https://www.netflix.com/title/80156137
Good morning 🌄, Layla! Thanks for the updated photos of your kitchen. God has blessed me with the kitchen of my dreams! Now I get to replace the brown granite, well, when”this” is all over. 😀 Would you please tell me what kind of countertops you have? Looks like quartz. Also, I love those wooden scrolly thingies under the counter. Did you buy them online? I’d like something like that under my island. And finally, I’ve loved following the story of your little Bubba’s adoption and your family life with him! Blessings to you and your family!
Hi Karen!
I’ve never used Alabaster, but I believe they were Simply White or Moonlight White by Benjamin Moore. I’ll double check! We had gray base cabinets in our previous home. I’ll look back to see what color that was too.
This is totally not related to this post
But I do have a kitchen design question.
What is the color of the base cabinets from your previous house. I know the uppers were SW ALABASTER HOWEVER FORGET THE BASE COLOR NAME. I DO RECALL IT WAS IN THE SILVER GREEN FAMILY.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE SW COLOR NAME?
I LOVE Gilmore Girls! I love the look at the mother-daughter-granddaughter relationships. I started watching the series in 2016, and then was diagnosed with breast cancer about halfway through the series. I told my husband there was no way I could die before I finished that series! Ha!
Happy to report I finished the series and am a four year survivor!
First thing I thought of when watching the news today was if your family weathered the storms last night. Very happy you are all safe. Thanks for the great book list. I had my husband order me one of the Susan branch books as a Mother’s Day gift. My family always asks me what I’d like for mother’s day and this year I can tell them to order me books! Easy for them and wonderful for me.🙏❤️
Love all that you’ve done to the cutest house that could totally be on Gilmore Girls, btw! But if you need something else to watch with the entire family… YOU MUST CHECK OUT THE CHOSEN!!! It’s brings the life of Jesus to life. And I cried in every single episode. Just so grateful for what He did for us. I think Stevenson would like it as well. Let me know what you think! Oh, you can download the app The Chosen and it lets you watch it through a streaming service for free. Perfect time of year to start it. Big hugs!
I only watch GG for the first time like 2 years ago but I LOVED it. I didn’t love the new episodes on Netflix like the regular seasons. And I love your home transformation!! Please tell me about your floors?!
I love the book recommendation! I also loved Anne with an E and wish there was something like that again to get lost in and get away from the virus news! Have you ever thought of doing a get out online segment on Etsy? That may be interesting to see what you find and help artisans too during this hard time for small business owners!
Love your blog, thanks for all the uplifting posts.
Hi, I’ve just ordered the book, mine comes 27th April. Looking forward to it.
Thank you for your blogs I love to hear your news.
Take care during these worrying times.
xxx
Yay! I’m so glad you’ll be joining us for the book club, Lynda! 😀
Love your book recommendations. I’m wanting to get into reading more with beach season upon us.
I’m redoing my kitchen and have a couple questions about yours. Can you provide information on your backsplash? Love how it ties into the new color on your stairs. What type of countertop do you have? Last question, did you get rid of your microwave? I’m considering but just can’t seem to do it yet.
Hi Sandra!
Our backsplash is called Sunflower and we ordered it from Caledonia Tile & Stone in Indiana.
We used Caesarstone Quartz (in Frosty Carrina) on the counters, and our microwave is in our pantry. 😉
I can totally picture your kitchen island hunter green!
I love blue so it’s crazy for me to say that lol
Ya know what’s funny? It WAS painted dark green for a while recently! 😀 It just didn’t feel like us, so we re-painted back to the color it is now. 🙂
Love Gilmore Girls! I started watching it when Jason was deployed in 2006. It got me through those lonely evenings. I loved the wittiness of the characters…such a great show! I also loved the show Parenthood in more recent years. I always catch the shows after everyone else has already watched them all. 🤪
Jennifer! Hi! So fun seeing your name pop up here! I usually watch shows after the fact too- ha! 😀