I Can't Belive I'm Still Blogging About the Kitchen

Yesterday our back splash was grouted, the crown molding went in, and our knobs and handles were installed! While we are still waiting on shelves and one last door {could it be in a more obvious spot?!}, I went ahead and moved my stuff back into the kitchen mostly because I just couldn't take another week of eating out! Even spaghetti was starting to sound like a five star meal!

It sure is wonderful to know that we are finally on the other side of this little project. And the best part is now we get to enjoy and use it!

AND my right eye has finally stopped twitching!

 In fact, I love it so much, I keep telling Jer that I think employee productivity and overall work morale have increased dramatically.

I think he'd agree that his benefits aren't too shabby either...

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 This weekend, as a way to get rid of some old stuff and recoop on some slight overages in our remodel, we had a yardsale. 

While we had SEVERAL offers on this guy...

...not many people wanted our junk.

I raked in a whooping $71.60. 

Needless to say it didn't do bupkis for my indiscretions at the tile store.

But our garage has never looked better. Right, Rene?! : )

Back Splash

A Littler Closer

Our counter tops are in! Our dishwasher is hooked up! Our stove is ready to cook! Our fridge is makin' ice and we are starting to unpack a few things! 

And we are mostly back into the swing of things around here. Man were we getting sick of eating out! And washing dishes in the bathroom! 

We also have a sink-hallelujah! Cleaning up after a meal has never been so fun! 

While there are still several things to finish up, we are hoping that by the end of next week we will be completely done!

I also picked up part of our back splash today. I wish the camera did it justice. It's a mixture of travertine and matte and glossy glass tiles. I LOVE it!

Another thing I am loving...

O.R.G.A.N.I.Z.A.T.I.O.N

Does it thrill all of you like it does me?! 

Take this cabinet for instance, it holds baking sheets. And that's it. 

Be still my heart! 

And don't even get me started on the fact that all of the drawers open! We'll be here for a week!

Cabinets, Pt. II

Most of our cabinet doors went in today! {Still missing is some of the doors, shelves, and crown molding!} Tomorrow our counter tops go in and the hope is that by Friday we will have a sink/fridge/dishwasher/stove and and microwave. I would be one happy girl if that was the case!

Let There Be Cabinets...Kinda

This last Saturday our cabinets went in...sorta. Really only the bases went in and the doors, shelves, veneer and crown molding are holding out on us just a little while longer. No worries though. The bases will let us do what  we are so anxiously waiting to do; template and install our granite so we CAN INSTALL A SINK! Who-hoo! I will never, I mean NEVER take my kitchen sink for granted ever again!

We're also waiting on three more cabinets that will run over the top of the sink where that lovely wallpaper currently resides. Such a tragedy it will be to cover that stuff up :)

It's really hard to tell from this picture but this corner cabinet is so big The Deuce could both stand up in it at the same time and have their picture taken. And no, we will NOT be trying that.

Here is the new home for our stove. It is anxiously awaiting it's mate, the over-the-stove microwave, to arrive so they can be reunited. Fun fact: Did you know that "almond" appliances have been discontinued? Across the board, appliances now come in white, black, or finger-print stainless steel. We learned this the hard way when we tried to order our microwave a couple weeks ago. Fun Fact #2: Four years ago when we bought all of our appliances, I chose "almond" because I figured it was a classic and it would never, ever, EVER be discontinued. Go figure.

On a funnier note, our boys spend most of their days talking about Mr. Baca {our contractor} and using the "measure-tape" and hammer all around the house. If you ask them what they're doing they say, "I work-in! I work-in!" As a result, many a times we've had to have ridiculously redundant conversations that go something like the following, 

{Boy hammering away on perfectly good and painted wall}

{Enter frantic parent trying to figure out what said boy is "work-in" on}

Parent: BOY! You don't hammer the wall! Well, actually you do hammer the wall but YOU don't hammer the wall!" 

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Fun times! Bring on the start of week #4! Can't wait to get this project wrapped up!

Progress

Today our tile went in{!} and I could not be happier with the way it looks! Although to be completely honest, I must confess that I have been checking on it every two seconds so often just because I kind of forget what it looks like and then I panic that NOTHING WILL MATCH! Is this normal behavior?! It's terrible! All Jer keeps saying too is, "Nothing you can do about it now!" Buyers Remorse, at it's finest, I'll tell ya!

 And even though you can't really see it very well, we painted the ceiling and walls {with the exception of where the cabinets and backsplash will go} and most of our lighting is wired. It all looks so foreign! Four new recessed lights have completely changed the look and the lack of "stuff" in there contributes quite a bit too, I'm sure. But all that aside, the only thing my mind can dream about is how much easier it's gonna be to roll out some Christmas sugar cookies or decorate Judah's 1st Birthday cake under one of those beautiful new flood lights : )

As for our time line, we still have a good couple weeks left. Tomorrow our grout goes in, next Tuesday is the cabinets and then we can hopefully schedule our counter tops for the following weekend. And while we are mostly through the mess of the demo and cutting and sanding drywall {thankyouverymuch!}, we are now to a point where things are cleaner but still unusable {memories!}. Thankfully, now that the dust has settled, the end is more clearly in sight. And I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl just thinking about it!

Demo Detail

I still can't believe this is our kitchen!

Dump-run ally

The electrical mess that the original homeowner left us. 

How we're managing!

Where we're living {there are four couches in this room!}

Our countertops

Our t.v. room as of Monday

The new opening!

Ceiling is textured!

Today was paint and tomorrow is tile. I can't wait!

The Good, The Bad, and the Just Plain Ugly

 As of this last Tuesday, our family is living admits a complete kitchen and living room remodel. We're talking floor to ceiling here, folks! Jeremy and I have been dreaming about doing this since the day we moved in for a long, long time but our 60 year old fixer-upper of a house always seemed to lead us another direction. Stucco, windows, carpet, bathrooms, playroom, landscaping; we've done it all!  And we just couldn't see putting another penny into this house, especially when our intentions have always been to move once we get close to outgrowing it {Now, we're redefining what "outgrow" really means to us!}. But out of all the things we did consider about our plans to one day move, becoming attached to the house wasn't one of them. So here we are, seven years later. Two college degrees, later. Job promotions and major career changes, later. Three babies brought home from the hospital, later. Life, later. We are attached to our little house with the pistachio green garage door. God is good and we are happy. And Lord willing, we hope to stay here and enjoy it a while more.

Cue remodel.

Our kitchen is not half bad cosmetically. The owners before us put in new tile. And a few years ago, we did sort of a topical remodel, refinishing the cabinets ourselves and having new Formica counter tops put in. We even replaced all of the appliances and cut an opening into the living room. And like I said, it's not half bad. BUT{!}, just like it is almost always the case, appearance has little to do with function! Thus enters our problem. Not a lot in our kitchen WORKS.  

And it is seriously gnaws at my sanity.

And my organization.

Okay, maybe the organization part is all on me. But I can't help but feel like that which is lovely begets what is lovely.

And this isn't exactly begetting anything lovely, now is it?!

So we talked, and planned, and called, and now we have moved forward. Forward with the words, "floor to ceiling" that have so causally graced my lips up until late Monday night. You know, back when my kitchen looked like this:

 And less like this:

 And though I vowed to wage war and win against groaning and complaining during this time of mess and inconvience, I feel it's strong pull. The urge to complain, the urge to be put out, the urge to stress. And it pulls hard. Even now as I type, I am trying  make quiet that whisper in my ear; the one that is so trying to make me second guess our decision just a little bit. The one that causes the mind to wonder if moving would have really have been that bad. The one that says you can't take another second of the drywall dust in your coffee cup or the diaper pail in the bedroom closet.

But then I come across this picture from our kitchen...

Wallpaper {circa 1958}that reminds me of the lickable wallpaper in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. And I laugh out loud and think about our family's Friday night movie nights. And how, just a few weeks ago, Jer and I snuggled our boys in our living room and shared our love for Wonka with them. And how we all enjoyed it. And that it happened here. In this house with a hole in the ceiling that opens to the sky.

And I'm humbed. Humbled because I'm reminded that this old house, this little family, this coffee cup with the dust in it and the movie in the DVD player on Friday nights. All of this. THIS in addition to the great salvation that is Christ Jesus?! It's all grace! Grace from a God who loves us and gives in abundance. I deserve none of this, yet He gives. 

All's grace and I'm thankful and the voice that whispers is finally quieted.

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