Wonderful week...

As you can see by the photos we are nearing the completion of the kitchen remodel. I know I am not a great photographer however I was so anxious to get these taken and post them that I couldn't wait for Mr. Hubby to take photos.

I am so in love with this new kitchen that is now in my home. I have always loved my home but now it is complete and ever so beautiful and functional.

Mr. Wolf cooktop is propane and I am convinced the food prepared on it tastes better than on the old stove. Mrs. Bosch is very quiet and does a superb job of washing and disinfecting the dishes. Their son Grohe is a very practical faucet, easy to use and very handsome I might add. Their daughter Kohler is beautiful and amazing with a double sink and the new split divider feature. Our granite is from Brazil and named Bianco Romano. It was actually very difficult to find a light colored granite that also had lots of interest with movement and colors. Mr. hubby was determined to find just the right stone and through exhaustive searching and miles of walking huge yards and warehouses of stone he indeed did find the perfect one (not one slab because we had to buy several slabs for this kitchen).

I am so grateful to my husband for working so hard and doing this renovation. I am so grateful to my soul sister Lorraine for spending countless days and hours to sort, organize and reload all of the cupboards and drawers with me. I could not have done this by myself.

So now I love to just come into the kitchen and gaze around the room. I love to clean the granite and polish the stainless steel pieces. I feel energized to cook and eat healthier than we were before the remodel.

Now I have quite a line of friends who want to come and dine and see the new space. I see dinner parties, brunches and tea luncheons in the near future.

I am truly blessed.

A new week...

A new week begins and I have lots to fill it with. We are continuing to work on the kitchen. There is progress...however so much to do. Today my girlfriend is coming over to help me sort, dispose of and organize the contents of the 24 drawers that are in my kitchen. She really has a special talent for organizing and for getting me to pare down. The last two weeks we spent working on the cabinets contents. We definitely have a truck load of items to deliver to the local thrift shop. Saturday was a food drive by the post office workers and that helped me empty out the pantry. I am so thankful for all that I have and therefore I was extra generous with my food donations.
I shall keep this short as I have lots to get busy with.
Maybe next week Lorraine and I will get back to making things and being creative.
Happy week to everyone.

Remodel continues...

Well, the remodel continues...

We now have 6 gallons of very expensive paint on these cabinets you see. No doors or drawers yet. Yesterday I emptied and removed all the knobs from 24 drawers that belong in here. Plus I have 2 large pull out drawers. What a lot of cabinets, doors and drawers this kitchen has.

Interestingly enough in this one month-to-date process I find I don't even really need this kitchen in order to exist daily. Oh don't misunderstand me...I love this kitchen and will love it all the more when it is completed! Maybe I am merely in the exhausted mode of "I want this mess to be over and done with".

Hopefully the ceiling will be painted next week. Then the walls and then maybe we can uncover the paper masking that is soaked with paint, clean my beautiful granite counters that are hopefully surviving under all this and then I will feel better and see hope.

Now that the weather is so much nicer and the sun has come out and warmed us all it is also easier to think of simple meals that don't require a lot of cooking.

I do hope all of you are enjoying Spring in your areas. I even took a few hours to do some weeding and pruning. Then I enjoyed hand watering to wash pollen and dust from plants. I skimmed the pond but the pollen and oak droppings are beyond skimming at this point. The frogs seranaded me and I got to see 9 of them sitting on their lilly pads. I shall post some pics of the pond in the near future. I don't think I shall be lucky enough to photograph an actual frog as they are extremely shy and dive for cover even if I walk as quietly as I can to see them.

Happy Weekend Everyone.

Big Bad Wolf in my kitchen...

Wow is about all I can say. You can see the before cook top, the new island dressed in granite with a new shape instead of the skimpy oval, the scary cut that had to be made for the new cook top and then...Mr. Big Bad Wolf is in place and has flame. I will definitely have to learn to cook for Mr. Hubby now.

I have always joked that the only reason I have a kitchen is because it came with the house. Now I am loving "my kitchen" and want to spend time in it and cook and clean and be domestic.

Of course I do not want to get Mr. Wolf dirty so Mr. Hubby says he will put a big huge pot of chili and let it boil all over so I will get over wanting to keep the cook top pristine and new. Ha Ha Ha...not in my kitchen. :o) When the entire remodel is completed then I will cook something and of course it will splatter grease all over the cook top and the island and the floor and where ever else grease loves to go. It will be so wonderful to have this Big Bad Wolf to experiment with. Simmer to sear? I don't even know what that is...but I will learn. I do watch Food TV. I usually know a lot about how people cook and what they make but I just don't know how to actually do it myself. It seems that when I do make a meal it takes hours and is eaten in a mere 10 minutes. What is up with that? Why can't it last longer and be enjoyable?

More updates next blog.

Happy week to all.

It's Happening...

Realizing this is a lot of photos however I am so beyond excited because since we bought this home I am in love with I have wanted granite in the kitchen. Finally it is happening! We had very dated and very dark green tiles with grout lines and a tulip border tile that was of a peach tone. Therein lies the reason for the peach walls with the one shade lighter peach ceiling.

My husband is quite the hands-on construction do-it-all including electrical and plumbing home remodeler. We are doing lots of the work, with helpers for demo and granite fab/install. My husband refers to this kitchen remodel as our very own personal stimulus plan for the economy.

I emptied the utility room cupboards and turned it into a mini kitchen while the remodel is happening. Actually we have not suffered one bit. The very first night of demo on all the hideous tile we went to our local favorite diner for a sandwich dinner and about halfway through eating my very budget concious husband says to me, "You know you have to add this expense to your kitchen budget". What! Don't you know I have not wanted to go out again...my kitchen budget is very tight and I am determined to stick to it but not by eating out.

In the next few days I shall post more pictures which show progress. My kitchen is getting so happy and content. I am so happy and content. Mr. hubby will be happy and content once all the hard work and expense is over.

Thank you for understanding why I have not been faithfully blogging since being so busy with all of the remodel. My mantra has been..."My kitchen is so worth it!"

Happy Easter to everyone. I hope you each find all of your treasures.