So Bright!

Today, BigGirl and I (with a little help from BG's friend Miss B) finished the applying the primer to all the gross green stuff in the kitchen. I just walked in there, and I can't believe how bright it is! How non-oppressive! Wow!

I can't wait until we get the actual paint applied tomorrow! Woohoo!

I got the pictures off the camera!

Stand by, we are currently experiencing technical difficulties!

The "Before" pictures keep loading as pix of my parents yard and my brother, which are nice, but not helpful.

So, skipping directly into the project:
Here is a super fast journey of where we started and where we are now.

We will focus on the back wall, step by step:


Removing the cabinets and cupboards, and revealing the cracked, nasty plaster below.


Removing the plaster! To quote my dad: "Don't force it--just get a bigger hammer!"


After we took off the plaster, then we had to take off the lathe (one at a time, and pull every !@#$%^&* nail), then we had to remove all of the nasty shredded paper insulation (the gray stuff that is visible between some of the studs--also the fluff that is on the camera lens in some shots!)


Putting up the Tyvek moisture barrier, and the wiring (which is not exciting to look at, but wonderful for me!


INSULATION!


DRYWALL! Ironically, the "greenboard" (which is moisture and mold resistant) is almost exactly the same weird shade as the trim (and the dining room).


Cupboards!

The rest of the pix seem to have disappeared into the ether, so...stay tuned!

Just LOVE this!

Check out this AWESOME site! I love the idea behind it, and I love the content she has found!

Wednesday's update

Today we:

got the long counter, the sink, the disposal and the microwave/vent hood installed. I have a stove, a fridge and a sink that all work (although the water pressure has gone all wonky)! All of this on top of a beyond belief gorgeous floor. All of the cupboards and counters on the west (back) wall are in.

The arrangement is the same, with sink and stove where they used to be--but now the sink is awesome, and there is a dishwasher between them!

I am still trying to figure out how to get the pictures off the camera onto the computer. I used to know how to do this--what happened to my brain?

Construction Update

This just in:

3 walls
1 floor

Yes, indeed! After letting LargeBoy, LargeBoy's bestie and BigGirl go to town on the old plaster walls with sledgehammers, we got the old stuff including: 1) plaster mess, 2) Lathe mess & 3) Shredded Paper Insulation mess--all cleaned up, and smooth new drywall installed! YAY! Not only do the new walls have Tyvek wrap and fiberglass insulation (on their insides) they also have MANY new electrical outlets and entirely new breakers! Woohoo! (No wind blowing my hair back THIS winter!) WOOHOO!

And the new floor?

I could just sing! It is SO BEAUTIFUL! It is the hardest bamboo flooring I could find (so hard the pneumatic nail gun couldn't get the nails all the way through, and I had to set them all by hand. Not fun--but worth it!) It is golden and glowing, and Light Years better than the horrible old floor.

Today we hope to get the cupboards and sink installed and the disposal hooked up--then I get to paint everything!

I am so happy (in the midst of SUCH CHAOS!)

More chaos than usual

Those who know me well would be surprised to know that it was even possible to have more chaos than usual. But, let me assure you--it is.

Anyone who has ever cooked (or even been in!) my kitchen has said something along the lines of "If I ever win the lottery, I am redoing your kitchen!"

The kitchen does have some flaws.

There are the functionality flaws:

*It is very small--think "Galley Kitchen"
*No dishwasher.
*A 1950's era single sink.
*Cracks in the lathe and plaster on the back wall (the wall that faces the prevailing winter winds) means that during all the long winter months, every time you open a drawer or cupboard, you get a breeze stiff enough to blow your hair around--no joke.

Then there are the design/aesthetic flaws:

*Rusty metal 1950's era metal cupboards and counters (I like the functionality of them--I am just not a fan of the rust--and honestly the long cupboard that spent decades in the basement does look like it has a fairly advanced case of leprosy.)
*The Vent Hood From Hades (seriously--so ugly, it doesn't work, it collects greasy dirt the way Lady Gaga collects crazy, it sticks WAY out and it is at the perfect height to bash all of our heads against it).
*Horrible gray asphalt tile floor with big (dirt holding) spaces between the tiles.
*Horrible floor was redecorated by SmallDaughter.
*Decorating by the crazy woman who lived here before us--did I mention the algae colored paint that clashes with the '80's green and cream plaid wallpaper?


Well--the good news is--you don't have to win the lottery for me to get a new kitchen!!

We are working on it RIGHT NOW!

My awesome hubby surprised me with it, and my dad is doing the supervising (and the lions share of the work). We went shopping last week and have TONS of supplies ALL OVER EVERYWHERE. Everything that was in all of the kitchen cupboards had to be emptied into boxes so those cupboards can be removed. And the cupboards that have quietly resided in the dining room and office (quietly filling UP), had to be emptied into boxes so they can be installed. And then... all of those boxes had to be put somewhere. Well, truly--they got put everywhere.

This project happened WAY SOONER than I thought it would, and I was not the calm and organized creature that I aspire to dream of despair of becoming.

NOTE: We are currently experiencing technical difficulties getting the @#$%^&! pictures off of the !@#$%^&*!!! camera. Pictures coming soon.

We hope.

Fabbity Fab Fab Fab!

I had an awesome weekend! My sweet hubby surprised me with a "weekend away" for our anniversary. It was especially exciting since A)our anniversary is not until next week and B)because of the crazy busyness of our schedules, it is "traditionally" (ie, happening most years)celebrated in November--sometimes even December!

We had a great time together, and it was unbelievably lovely just to have a long stretch of hours just to reconnect. Bliss.

Also, after a really excellent Fast and Testimony meeting at church, and a rather weird seminary get together, he surprised us (after SmallDaughter was asleep in bed, due to the "absolutely no dairy" restrictions) with an awesome ice cream bar--which, as you may expect, went over really well!