Third Time's the Charm

Remember waaaay back in September when I said they were coming to install the new shades?
Well, after several tries (and misses) and reordering and waiting....and waiting....and waiting.....
They finally came and installed two totally new shades! And they WORK!

We’ve Been Busy

Which is why I haven’t been posting much lately……

We’re putting the final touches on the house, so we've been shopping. 

We ordered new shades for the sliders

Preparing for the shades that will be installed some time this week......

 A new fridge for the lanai, new lanai furniture, re-planted the horse troughs with pretty PINK hibiscus...... 

Got a small tabletop ‘fire pit’…….

I’m drowning in debt but gosh it’s going to look nice!

I will post pictures as the items are delivered. Or maybe I’ll just wait for the BIG REVEAL!

In the meantime I’ll just be sitting here, paying for things that haven’t been delivered yet, waiting impatiently…..

Kitchen Remodel: The Finale

 New chairs BUT we 'saved' the table Husband made years ago by changing the legs. 

 The new plantation shutters....which is a whole story to itself....they sent the wrong shutter and Husband had to 'retrofit' it........and then, of course, the house is askew and he had to shim out the center one. 

Don't even get me started on the placement of the handles and the anxiety THAT created! :-/

 The HUGE island!

 The comfy new bar stools.

 Look at allllll that countertop! 

 I'm still learning how to cook on the induction cooktop....thank goodness stuff doesn't stick to it when you turn away for a SECOND and the pot boils over......not that it ever happened......just sayin'.....

   

 The view out the sliders.

 The biggest sink ever! 

 I can watch TV while doing dishes and meal prep. 

 My 'artsy' spot on the island.

I can do artsy stuff and still be with Husband AND see the TV! Win/win! 

New Kitchen Chairs

They are perfect AND comfortable! 

Now we need new legs for the table.

Something less 'Early American' and more in keeping with the chairs. 

And the Plantation shutters are slowly being installed by Husband. It's all coming together and looks EXACTLY  like I pictured it in my head (which is a miracle in itself, lol!) 

I wonder what I'm going to do when it's all done and I don't have to make any more decisions or spend anymore $$$$?!?!?!?

I Love the Smell of Leather in the Morning......

The new couch is here! YAY! 

Things are starting to come together. 

Believe it or not what you are looking at cost more than my first car! 

Husband Has a Talent......

.....for building haunted furniture.
This is the new banquette in the breakfast nook in the kitchen. You can never have too much storage!

.....And to Answer Your Question About Where I put The Art Supplies

I don't know where anything is......but, I managed to get it all in. Husband says he's going to make me pull-outs for here too. That will make it easier to access 'stuff'. And I might just take over one more cabinet....you know.....for future supplies I might, possibly acquire......
This is the end cabinet on the outside of the island. The end that I plan to use for 'doing my thing'!

I like that it's all out of sight....and best of all, it won't get dusty! 

The Greatly Anticipated........

......(semi-finished) reveal!
Just in time for Turkey Day.......it's functional. Not that I know how any of the new appliances work....lol. (There is a strong possibility we might end up eating out on Thanksgiving because I burned the turkey in my new oven that I don't really understand.....yet.)
But we are tickled pink at how it looks! There is still a bunch to be done....trim, shutters, banquette in the eating area, new table and chairs, pull-outs for the cabinets, retro-fitting those two drawers where the island outlets are, etc......but that will come in time (and with more $$$.)

Into Each Life A Little Rain Must Fall

....and then there's total failure.......

So, things here in remodel land have been going along swimmingly....until they weren't! LOL

Husband was plowing through tasks left and right. We got the oven/microwave into it's cabinet....I helped (it was HEAVY!) It went quite well........

Then it was time for the tile to go up on the wall behind the cooktop. No big deal. Husband is a pro at tiling by now......except maybe not......

We chose marble tile, a natural material. We knew that it being a natural material there would be differences in the coloring/striations. We KNEW that in such situations you are supposed to open ALL the boxes and mix them up so you don't see one 'block' of tiles looking too much alike and then blam another 'block' that look different. Except in our excitement to get it up on the wall and see it we.....forgot that step.......

Sooooooo halfway up the wall we stood back to admire our handiwork, and open the next box of tiles aaaaaand.......EEEEEEEEKKKKKK.......they were all mostly WHITE! Up to that point what was already on the wall was.....all grey!

OH CRAP! Now what??

Well, we could pry off some of them here and there and fill in with the 'white' ones.....maybe???

Long story short...... Husband pried off ALL of the tiles he had already installed (except the ones he cut to fit around the outlets) scraped the thinset from the wall and off the backs of EVERY SINGLE TILE.......he was NOT a happy camper.

The next morning we laid out two shipping blankets, opened ALL the boxes of tiles and laid them out in a cohesive design that we liked.
I think it's going very well.......second time's the charm!

Lesson learned: Open ALL the boxes BEFORE you start your tile installation!

Here's How You Do It

How do you and your wimpy wife lift a 250 lb. oven/microwave up and into the cabinet without causing all sorts of damage/pain and possible divorce proceedings?????
You 'bunk' it, that's how!!!!!

Sometimes Husband's ideas are a bit.......questionable.....but in this case he was downright BRILLIANT!

I had never heard of this procedure but it really was pretty easy, if not time consuming.

First you measure how high you need the bunk to be, multiple times just to make sure your math is correct.......then you cut as many 2x4's as it takes to reach that height making sure they are long enough to support the oven. Then you get wifey to help by stacking the boards underneath the oven as you hold it up.

So.....picture Husband lifting one side, as I slip a 2x4 under that side. Then we switch to the other side and repeat. When we've gotten two 2x4's stacked Husband screws them together for stability. Then we repeat the process for each side....lift, slide, screw....lift, slide, screw.....alternating the direction of the boards for steadiness until it's just the right height....except it's not because....well, let's just say SOMEONE mentioned that the weight of the oven was compressing the 2x4's and the math might not be exact.....not naming names here....

So......we have to 'unstack' the last four rows to get it down to where SOMEONE had slipped in  unauthorized pieces of wood......un-screw, un-slide, lower......un-screw, un-slide, lower.....and then reverse the process AGAIN using the CORRECT pieces of wood...........lift, slide, screw....lift, slide, screw!

We finally got it to the right height and were able to slide the oven into the waiting cabinet. It was perfect! It all lined up and worked just like Husband said it would.

And I apologized for doubting his math.........

We are READY FOR TURKEY DAY! YAY!

Unexpected.....Benefits?

We had to buy new pots and pans.....for the induction cooktop. I thought at least some of my old set would work....ummmm....apparently not.....lol.
I didn't want to spend a fortune. These looked like a good set. Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 13-Piece Cookware Set....I had a coupon so I got 20% off! They have a nice weight to them and the handles are very sturdy. I haven't used them yet but my old ones were stainless too so I don't anticipate much difference other than getting used to induction cooking.

Right now they're on the table we're using in the living room.....sort of like showing off wedding presents....I like to sit and admire them! LOL 

I Am Over the Moon!

The countertops were delivered/installed last Thursday.......

The owner came to supervise. 

He said in eighteen years in business this was the largest slab they have ever installed! It's ten feet long by four feet wide and weighs over 800 lbs!  

It's the perfect place for a buffet for a large gathering. Too bad I'm anti-social! LOL 

This is where the cooktop will be. I might even enjoy cooking again now that I have some space to spread out!    

Now I have to decide on and order bar stools....... 

The sink is so big you could do laps in it! LOL

....and the plumbing is a work of art! 

This is becoming my favorite kitchen EVER!

I Bit the Bullet

.....ordered the appliances......and went into debt!

But we now have lovely new stainless steel appliances! They didn't have the induction cooktop in stock so we have to wait for that. And I didn't take a picture of the dishwasher because it's still in the box and I didn't think a picture of a box would interest you.

You'll get to see it all once the kitchen is complete (more or less....lol) pretty soon!

I didn't even wait to peel off the protective film I was so excited to show you! 

(or for Husband to put the handles on the fridge! LOL)

Before....and Almost After

My 'art corner' is gone.......

Before

After

 ......but the new pantry is going to be AWESOME! 

(I had no idea the kitchen reno was going to necessitate a studio remodel.....someday.....later......much later! LOL) 

MY KITCHEN IS HERE!!!!

Now all we have to do it put it together! 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahahahahahahahahaha.........

Decisions, Decisions……

Soooooo many kitchen decisions!

Like….to pendant or not to pendant, that is the question:

Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of Husband’s disagreement,

Or to take arms against his opinions

And by opposing them……..risk A HUGE ARGUMENT……..

Here’s the quandary…..we were going to have pendant lights over the island. BUT……once we took down the pantry and plant shelf that divided the living room from the kitchen it opened up a great sight line. And I don’t want to disrupt that sightline with pendants. Husband thinks it will be too dark and shadowy over the work areas on the island………I think the answer is pot lights.

Not only will they be flush against the ceiling but they are aim-able…..thereby eliminating any shadow problems…..shall we take bets on who is going to win this debate? Any takers?????

PLUS….I love the little ‘triangle’ where the different ceiling heights come together and I don’t want to take away from that by hanging anything in front of it. You couldn’t see it before but now I think it’s a great focal point! 

We’re on the Cutting Edge of Design!

I was going to title this ‘The New Normal’ referring to the upheaval going on while we’re renovating the kitchen. But as I took the picture to go with the post I remembered seeing something on TV…..

HGTV’s Smart Home is supposed to be the cutting edge of technology and ‘coolness’. In the master bath they’ve put a ‘pop up’ coffee maker. I guess when you’re on the cutting edge you’re too ‘cool’ to go to the kitchen for your coffee.

HGTV's coffee in the master bath.

Our makeshift coffee 'station' in the boys bathroom.....

Somehow it's just not the same.......

Into Each Life Some ‘Dust’ Must Fall

I crunch when I walk around the house!