sandwiches, apples etc.. and I'm not opposed to the "gently used" look. This house is 120 years old so some aging just can't be avoided. I have been debating upgrading to a solid surface but have yet to find one that I love enough to spend the money on knowing I'll have to live with it forever once I do. Instead I decided to try changing the color of the counter. Natural butcher block once oiled is yellow/orange and with my terra cotta floor tiles and egg nog painted cabintets, I wasn't in love. I bought a quart of Varithane oil based wood stain in "bleached." I love driftwood and thought this would be a great way to neutralize all the orange in the room. After hand sanding the counters I applied and wiped off two coats leaving to dry for two days. I finished the counters with a coat of hand rubbed furniture wax. The finish is silky smooth and the water just beads up and off. I won't be cutting directly on the anymore as I'm not confident about how food safe this wax is, but that's fine. The end result is great. The kitchen looks lighter, brighter and bigger!

into a complete reorg of every serving piece in the house. I decided to give a try to an idea I'd seen on Pinterest for cleaning silver. I collect yard sale silver plated serving pieces so I was looking for a quick way to shine them up. I lined the sink with foil, added some generous scoops of salt and baking soda and filled the sink with scalding hot water. The chemical reaction resulting from the aluminum, salt and soda removed the tarnish! It actually worked! Lesson learned. Dip the entire piece at once or you'll get a line of demarcation on your piece. I also kept adding hot water and more ingredients because the hotter the water, the quicker it works. Remove the pieces from the solution and buff the remaining spots off with a cotton cloth.