kitchen update

It's starting to feel like spring so we are really getting antsy about finishing this project so we can work outside.  This weeks progress was on little things that really don't show much.  AH got up the bead board for the sink cabinet that faces out.  We went white to break up some of the black.  I had to paint a previously black stained cabinet that opens on that side.  2 coats of primer and 4 coats of paint and it finally is white.  It just didn't look right with that part being black and the rest of the cabinet being white.  The garbage disposal is finally installed and now that AH is finished with the sink cabinet I can finally drag out all his tools, clean and start filling up the space and attaching the pull out drawers, doors, handles and turntables.  Got to find a new trash can though our present one just doesn't fit.  We seem to be the trashiest people I know no matter how much we recycle.  This weeks goal is tile, handles, unpacking and sorting all the plastic ware.

I've been doing spring cleaning along the window side of the kitchen.  Sorting out cabinets, hanging the summer shades and redoing the accessories.  I think painting the table and chairs will really make a difference.  With all the antique pieces and floor being wood there is just too much wood tone in here.

This cabinet is where I sit and paint or use the glue gun.  It's also where we set up food for large meals.  I think the outlet will come in real handy.

This is the cabinet at the end that went from black to white.  Now it just needs the handles and pull outs installed.

new signs

I wanted a couple of large signs for the kitchen.  With almost 11" ceilings I needed something big.  I recycled left over plywood from the remodel project and had AH cut some 1X2 for the frames.  The table saw and router are two power tools I'm really afraid of. I sanded and base coated each of the pieces.   For the eat sign I cut strips of luan to size., painted them, formed the letters and attached with glue.  I also painted the frame white, glued and stapled it on.  For the Grocery sign I cut the letters from black card stock on my Cricut and glued them on.  I did the frame the same way. The reason I did the frames is because 1/2" plywood will warp in time if it doesn't have something to stabilize it..  All that is left is attaching hangers and putting them up..

spring cleaning

With all the work going on in the kitchen the living room has been a mess. Every square inch was covered in the dust from the remodel.   There have been sinks, wood, lights and cabinets filling every space.  Once I got all those things out of there I decided it was time to do  a major cleaning, put away all the winter decor and bring out the spring summer green, aqua and whites.  I've been  washing, sorting, purging and storing for several days.  Just getting the dust out and the window washed have brightened the room.  It's not quite done yet but that will require a tall ladder and someone to climb it.
I have a few sewing projects to do,whip up a couple of pillows and I am going to order an off white slip cover for the couch.  I am ready for spring!!

Some times looking at a picture lets you see things better.  I think this display is too crowded . I will remove all the black to brighten it up.

I moved this desk from the LR to the kitchen and drug the secretary desk into the LR 

This pile is my goal for today, I will put away, sort and purge to clear it off.

kitchen update

WE HAVE COUNTER TOPS AND RUNNING WATER!!!!!!!  After months with only an 18" counter to work on and over a month of washing dishes in the bathroom sink, these are both things to make me do the happy dance.  The new sink is deeper than the old one and the faucet is tall with a pull out spray arm for rinsing larger pots, I love it.  AH did a fabulous job with the counter tops and they look great.  Of course we still have a long way to go with the tile, electrical and the little things but at least now it is a workable kitchen.  We have spent every free minute over the last 31/2 months working on this remodel so seeing this progress is a great feeling.
I have to give Andy the praise, he is stubborn, opinionated and a perfectionist.  In this case those are all very good traits.  When we couldn't find anyone to help lift the 150# sink from the floor to the counter his solution was brilliant.  He borrowed a hydraulic lift from work and we slid the  sink on to it, wheeled it into the kitchen and let the lift do all the work.  A couple of pinched fingers and a few curse words and the sink was in place.

10" deep, great for big pots or giving the dog a bath.

loving this spray wand

The very first thing that had to go on the new counter was the coffee pot.  The little corner of a box on the right side is chocolates.  Got to keep the head worker fueled up.

All three kitties have just worn them selves out supervising the projects.  Here they are finally able to take a break late Saturday afternoon.

cute table

I found this little table at the Habitat Restore for $8.00.  It was in great shape and I grabbed it up, nothing lasts very long there.  I think I will put in a bottom to make a hidden storage area and paint it white or cream.  It will make a cute side table.

I am in charge

This is a rant about my medical care and is not a recommendation to change your medications or care without your doctors involvement.
 I started to take levothyroxine for low thyroid twenty five years ago.  When I first started I  was on the lowest dosage possible and didn't really notice any side effects.  A year later at my annual exam I mentioned to my doc that I was having a hard time sleeping.  He chalked it up to a high stress job and raising teenagers, I thought He might be right.  Fast forward a few years and the dosage was raised and the sleep problems increased.  The Dr said it was my kids graduating from college, marrying, job changes and menopause all rolled into one and offered me an anti depressant, which I refused.  By that time I was sleeping an average of five hours most nights and just thought it was part of getting older.
Fast forward again to late  last year when my dosage was increased again.  I told my Dr about the sleep problems again and he started asking me questions about my diabetes, diet and life style but never answered my questions about sleep..  When I started taking the new pills the sleep problems went up significantly.  By then I was averaging less than three hours five to six days a week.  Many nights It was two hours or less.  I know there are many people out there who can function of very little sleep but I am not one of then.  I was exhausted and my brain was so foggy I started to think I might be developing dementia or Alzheimer.  It was so bad that I was afraid to drive and couldn't remember the simplest things.  It wasn't until a chance remark by a friend that I even made the connection between this tiny pill and my problems. Yes I had read the inserts that come with the meds one time 25 years ago, but never since. I started doing some on line research and the people suffering from the same thing was staggering. About the same time I was at an appointment with an endocrinologist.  When I mentioned the sleep problems he immediately told me it was probably the thyroid medication.  He suggested I try not taking it for a week and see if it made any difference.  Cue the angels singing and fire works going off.  That one suggestion changed my life.  That week I slept 8-9 hours every night.  The next week I started taking a half pill and the sleep has stabilized to 6-7 hours a night and I feel great.  I've checked many different sites on the internet and can't find many side effects that not taking as much medication as needed.  I will check with both doctors and see if there is some alternative besides sleeping pills, other wise I'm ok with  things the way they are.
I am the best advocate for my care.  It is my body and I have the final say in what goes into it.  Doctors don't know everything and some times they miss things.  When something is wrong it is up to me to keep digging and asking for a second opinion.  Be persistent, don't let anyone tell you it's all in your mind or brush it off as stress.
   Don't get me wrong I really like our family doctor he is caring compassionate and is never afraid to suggest a second opinion.  He has seen us through raising our kids, plenty of stitches and broken bones.  We have gone from young adults to senior citizens under his care and will be really sad when he does retire.
 Saying all that there is one thing I hope you remember from this long rant:  I am in charge and so are you.

kitchen update

Week 10 and I'm starting to feel like this project may end someday.  There are still many little things to do but we are making progress.  We picked up our subway tiles for the back splash and the bead board for the outer side of the sink cabinet.  We debated doing this in black but decided we needed more light .  We did the curves for the counters with a router into the MDF.  The dust even with a shop vac running under the router(my job) was horrible and is in every nook and cranny of the kitchen and living room.  We've vacuumed over and over and it still seems to be taking root.  We were covered with so much dust we had to strip butt naked (I know not a pretty visual)in the laundry room so we didn't leave a cloud every where we went.  The batch of clothes had to be washed twice.
We have such crooked walls and funny angles that we decided to make a template before cutting the laminate.  We just taped pieces of poster board together then trimmed, fit and trimmed some more for a perfect fit.  AH is working on the edges getting them ready for gluing this afternoon.  After they are in place the top pieces will go down with contact cement.  The animals will be put in our bedroom and I will have to leave.  The fumes make me nauseated and with a constant headache.  Going to see Cinderella with a friend then out to eat.  AH will need to use a respirator and have all the windows open, nasty stuff.

the mess continues

template

this looks just like granite the picture doesn't do the colors justice

signs

I have had a little time to work on some new signs.  The dream sign could be used in the garden or in a bed room..  The garden sign will have hooks and would be great for holding garden gloves and small tools.

signs of spring

Winter seems like it will never leave.  Last week we woke on Sunday morning to 9" of snow and it was bitter cold most of the week.  This week it is suppose to get close to 60, can't wait.  To make the wait a little more enjoyable I stated some bulbs I had stored in my frig since last fall.  They have started to grow and a few are already in  bloom.  They do give me hope that I can be out playing in the dirt soon.

This candy cane amaryllis has 8 huge blooms on it.

Pink hyacinth is just opening and smells wonderful.  i just pushed tooth picks into the bulb and put it in a narrow glass.

kitchen update

Hard to believe this is the start of the third month of this remodel.  Originally we had planned for the whole project to take 8 weeks, so much for plans.  Living in the chaos has taught me a few things.  Don't tear up your kitchen when it is cold and nasty out, it's better to be able to open the windows to get the noxious fumes and dust out.  If you don't think you can afford to pay for the things you aren't good at, redo your budget.  Don't change your mind too often.  Don't start a big project like this when the major worker already works 10-12 hour days and is on call 24/7.   They need to take vacation time and tell work they are out of the country.  Plan on take out or eating out lots more than you would like.
After working with the counter top makers for Menards for weeks we came to the conclusion that we were unwilling to trust an off site company to make our tops.  The walls are bowed, there are funny angles and nothing is completely level.  We are unwilling to pay $5000 to have someone come in and work in the house.  After much deliberation AH will be making the counters himself, probably adding at least 4 more weeks to the remodel.  We were able to find the same material we had picked out to use and the process of making the tops is not too difficult for some one with his skills.  The underlay has been precision cut and is in place.  Screwing additional supports and filling in the gaps where the seams are is happening as I write this.  Hopefully by the end of the day I will have sliders, baskets and dividers in all the lower cabinets and can start filling them up this week,YEA!!!  So far except for a couple of splurges like the convection/microwave oven and higher price handles we are close to budget.  Making the counter tops ourselves will save at least $1300.  Of course both the kitchen and living room still look like a bomb hit, I'm calling it a new decorating trend, Chaos Cottage, maybe it will catch on.

The plywood is to protect the underlayment from anykind of damage until the laminate can be applied

AH has many talents, being organized and neat are  not among them.  I think he spends almost as much time searching for tools as he does using them.

Not everyone can say they have a vacuum, faucet and the kitchen sink in the middle of their living room.

birthday fun

Last week was my birthday.  I decided to keep it low key and just meet a few friends for dinner at our favorite pizza place.  Pizza was great, the company even better.  I dearly love my friends and we don't get nearly as much time together as I would like.  I appreciated all the cute cards and presents.  Thank you, thank you , thank you.

Kathy and Charlie, he's from Boston so he doesn't think this recent snow storm is such a big deal

Kathy and Nina

Next door neighbors Irma and Gary

winter wonderland

We have missed most of the snow that has hammered much of the country this year.  Now it's pay back time.  We woke up to a snowy day on Sunday morning.  It really is pretty if you don't have to deal with it.  Unfortunately this is the day AH has to crawl under the house multiple times while redoing the plumbing for the remodel.  Crawling around on his belly under the house is not his favorite thing, when you add 7" of snow on top of the 3 we already have he is not a happy camper.  Chocolate and coffee will see him through.

out the front door.  Diva just looked at me and tried to sneak back inside, it was up to her chin

car is burried

across the street

kitchen update

Well the mess has increased in direct proportion to the progress being made.  The old kitchen cabinet is out and the new one is being put in to place.  Right now there is no water in the house but AH promises he will have the old sink temporarily;y hooked up before dinner tonight.  It amazes me how many times I reach to turn the water on in an hour.  Upper cabinets are filled with dishes and food and a couple of the bottoms are filled with pans and misc.  All of the piles that were in the living room are gone, although some of them just got moved to the bedroom for sorting.  How do we end up with so much stuff we think we need?  Still no progress on the counter top, I think Menards is getting very tired of hearing from us almost every day.

yes that is the kitchen sink in the middle of the floor

cleaning the floor where the old cabinet was, how does it get dirty under a cabinet that doesn't move?