Undercabinet TV, Undercabinet Lighting, Exterior Lighting

I have to admit that I am pretty excited right now.  Jeff bought a flat screen LCD pull-down TV for me today that will fit under the kitchen cabinetry.  I can't wait to use it!  It also has a cd/dvd player and radio tuner with remote.  We're going to put it underneath the corner display cabinet to the right of the stove.  This will really help me enjoy my new kitchen.  I never would have thought that I could ever have a TV in my kitchen.

He chose this model:

This will be used every single day.  I spend so much time in the kitchen since I cook mostly from scratch, so this will be a very welcomed addition.  I love listening to music while I cook, or keeping an eye on the news or my favorite TV shows.  It will also be fun to DVR some cooking shows and cook right along with them.

We also went shopping today for undercabinet lighting.  It's a boring thing to shop for, but lighting is so important for the mood and fuction of a room.  We're still deciding between Xenon and fluorescent lighting.  I like the warmer cast of the xenon, and Jeff likes the fluorescent which also costs less.  Maybe I will let Jeff make that decision.  I am simply just excited to be getting undercabinet lights.  I've never had them before and they will make the kitchen more inviting and more functional.  The kitchen is one area where you really do need to see what you are doing.  And dim rooms annoy me because they are dreary.  They just look wrong.

While we were shopping for this I discovered that the exterior lanterns that I love were on clearance.  We decided to go ahead and purchase two pendants and two lanterns.  This is the Portfolio Antique Rust Wall Lantern.  We're going to flank our front door and the two back doors with these.  I think they are fabulous! 

And this is the Porfolio Pendant:

We're going to hang two of these under each porch in the front and in the back.  One will go on each end.  I think the antique rust color will look fantastic on our 1920s home, and will coordinate well with the white siding we'll be putting on and cranberry shutters & door.  We will really be able to enjoy our porch more, and a well-lit porch looks so inviting when you come home.  I have always thought that a home's entryway sets the tone and the mood of the home.  Great lighting sure helps with that!

We may not be able to get the electrical wiring done right away, but at least we will have some gorgeous lighting when we complete the electric.