Look! New Floors!

I know it's crazy, two kitchen posts in two days but what can I say WE DID THIS TODAY!

I just love these floors!  Rob, Tanya and I just keep looking at them and saying how pretty they are and how much they change the room.  I haven't moved any furniture back in as I wanted another little while to just look at them and admire all our hard work!  One more thing off the list.

KitchenUpdate!

Today, I finished painting the cabinet boxes and fronts.  Thank goodness.  No more oil paint until the doors and drawer fronts come-have no idea when that will be, soon I hope.  I spent the rest of the day getting part of my gardens back in shape from the heat and cleaning house.  I don't even want to think about how long it's been since I last cleaned my bathroom!  So photos:

You'll have to imagine the doors and drawer fronts painted white and installed ;) but you can tell where I'm headed.  The back splash is here as is the new sink (I think I have to buy drain parts for that) just waiting on the new countertops.  Tomorrow afternoon Rob and I will go buy the bamboo flooring, maybe we will put it down on Wednesday or Thursday.  The shelves for the big open space are on order as well, so it's all beginning to come together.  I think my plan is working out, it's just slower than I would have liked.  That true of all remodeling projects!

Time for a Kitchen update!

Wow, a whole week has passed!  I worked on the kitchen every day except one and I have nothing to show in pictures!  All the "this must be done before I can paint the cabinets" are finished.  Today I primed a bit over half the cabinets, inside and out!  Rob said I had as much paint on me as I did on the cabinets, even in my hair!  As it's oil based paint I have scrubbed several layers of skin off!  This time next week I should be finished with the cabinet boxes/frames, then I will have to paint doors and drawer fronts-after they are delivered of course.  Tomorrow I will put a coat of paint on, inside and out and then I can return my kitchen to some sort of order!  I'll have to begin early in the morning as it is Brayden's night at Granna's and I'll need to be at the bus stop about 3:30pm and I'll need time to scrape away all the skin-I mean paint!

Kitchen update, three

I know I'm a bit late with this update but some exciting stuff has happened (and I'm tired at the end of the day!).  First, on Saturday I painted the ceiling-boring but necessary.  On Sunday, I painted the walls!

Each time I loaded up the paint roller and swiped it onto the walls I did a little happy dance--I just love this color! When you look at that paint chip or even audition the colors on the wall as I did you are still never quite sure you will like it when you have it every where!  I do, I really do.

Yesterday, I did some of the nitty gritty odds and ends that keep turning up and cleaned house a bit getting ready for Thomas.  After dinner last night he installed this:

A new exhaust hood!  It has a very quiet motor (my number one priority) and four halogen spot lights, I can really see what I'm cooking now and boy is my stove top dirty!

Then he installed this:

a small ceiling fan over the actual kitchen area, I have one over the table but I actually think the cook (me) should be cool while she cooks, go figure.  I've touched up the paint around the top but it will need a medalion to cover a very bad looking spot where the old light was-Lowes here I come, again.
He and Rob also changed out the switches and outlets, now I don't see sparks when I plug in things and those things stay plugged in!  He will be back tomorrow to finish up- it seems the GFI outlets by the sink are troublesome.  Also, he will fix Larry's oops in the basement that led to outlets and lights that didn't work!

Today, I gave the wall behind the bench another coat of paint and painted between cabinets (it will get another backsplash but for now it just looks clean), touched up at the ceiling on one wall (more to go there), put on switch and outlet covers and new vent covers on the heating ducts.  Then I cleaned.  Well, I also put the first coat on the living room side of the openings.  Let me just say here that I should NEVER be allowed to do anything major with drywall!  Patches ok, dings, nicks, holes fine but NOTHING any more complicated than that!

Tomorrow it's more of the same!

Shopping!

So, Wednesday afternoon I hit what marathon runners call a "wall".  I couldn't do another thing, in fact it was a near thing that I didn't end up curled in a ball on the floor sobbing! The  "mudding" of walls and doorways had made my arms, shoulders and neck hurt so bad that even the feel of water in the shower caused me to cry out.  I decided that night that I had to take a couple of days off from the kitchen.  I know myself well enough to know that if I had stayed home I'd have worked on it so I went shopping.

Shopping is not one of my favorite things to do, it's done only when necessary and for as short a time as possible!  I hit the antique mall first and had barely walked through the door when I found the terrarium above.  I fell in love at first glance and knew that if it wasn't way out of my price range I had to have it!  Some things just "speak" to me, those things I buy. I didn't find anything else I had to have so it was on to other places.  At Hobby Lobby I bought the little tea pot in the photo, it's a paper weight-too cute.  Mostly, I bought groceries, oh and 6 new puzzles for the boys to have at my house and one no longer missing toy for my "Space" set.  Brayden will be pleased, and I didn't even have to shop on line.  (Last week Brayden reminded me that I was STILL missing this one car that went with the set. After I said that I hadn't been able to find it in the stores here he said; "Well, Granna, you know you can always shop on line."  He's only five and already shopping on line, grin.)

I'm feeling much better tonight so tomorrow after watching the boys while Zoe takes Beth to puppy class I will paint the kitchen ceiling and the living room side of the door openings.  Maybe I'll have some photos of the kitchen this weekend!

Cross-stitch update for Bri's stocking

 I haven't done a cross-stitch update for a couple of weeks so here on the left is what I showed you last.  Then below (because I can't get blogger to let me move it) is today.  I've made good progress, mostly because the kitchen project has me tired, bruised and sore by supper time so I only have the energy to stitch!  I sit down to watch tv and there is the stocking right where I can see it.  It nags until I pick it up!

Further whining on the kitchen front-my house is COVERED with enough dust from sheetrock and sanding that you can see the cat's paw prints quite easily!  I've cleaned up quite a bit of the kitchen (much more to go) and tomorrow's project is to clean the living room etc as well as touch up on the drywall.  I hope to begin painting ceiling and walls on Thursday,  I really need to see that paint on those walls.  Destruction in only good for a while!

 

Kitchen Update, two

No pictures this week as I doubt you'd notice anything much different!  I have been working at it some each day and I 'd be further along but I keep running out of joint compound! and sandpaper!  I can say that with the exception of the tile on the floor (coming out before the bamboo goes down)  all the "destruction" phase is complete.  I thought that several times but each time I'd find just one or two more things to take down or out!  I have begun sanding the cabinets as well as applying joint compound (when I haven't run out) and sanding that.  Needless to say we are washing everything in the kitchen before be open it or use it-there is just no way to keep the dust out!

Beth and her family are in their new home, settling in.  It will take a while to be completely settled but progress is being made.  I kept the boys during yesterdays move (no kitchen work), took them dinner and cookies the boys had made (okay I "helped") and made up the beds.  It's always good to have the bed ready when your kids are tired and cranky and you are tired and cranky!  Today I went down for a bit and folded clothes,  also got Kolby down for a nap.  Larry always said anyone would go to sleep rather than listen to me sing!  Actually, Kolby likes to hear me sing and can do it while we rock for quite some time unless he's really tired!