Still Stunned!

I am still stunned every time I walk into the kitchen.  It is hard to believe I am in my own house!  Truthfully, I haven't cooked but two meals in there so far...as usual life gets in the way!

I am still waiting on the cabinet front doors for the dishwasher and fridge but it should take much longer to get them.

I am looking forward to doing a little entertaining soon...but first the house is a mess...the dust is still every where!  My vacuum cleaner is still broken...and I have about two more drawers to organize..

Cleaning up the whole house is next...but not today...!

Ambitious

Ok, so having a beautiful and well appointed kitchen does not make one a great cook!  I might have been a bit ambitious when I attempted Bernaise sauce last night for our first dinner out of the kitchen.  The taste was good...but I didn't get it thick enough..so Tabb used it as a dipping sauce!  Oh well...I will try again.

And I guess I should say that the bulk of the meal was prepared on the grill and outside...steak and fries..(done in the fry daddy on the deck) I didn't want to grease up the kitchen!  I did do the salad and a rasberry sauce for ice cream!

Favorite things

One of my favorite things so far is the kitchen sink...I really love the big sink and single faucet.  I have washed the sink and dried it (a big deal for me!) already at least twice a day!  I doubt that will last for ever...but right now I am loving the sink...and June Cleaver would be impressed!

Moving In

Have you ever just opened your cabinets and drawers and looked at all the things we stuff in them? I believe it's part of our good old American philosophy of keeping stuff because we can. And maybe a little of listening to our grand parents talk about how they saved everything!  I packed up a lot of things that we had been storing for years.  Some of which was coated in layers of dust from non use.  I packed it up anyway and stacked boxes up in the living room when we started this project.  Now comes the hard part-deciding what will go back in the cabinets and it's going to take a while.

Have you noticed on HGTV the tiny cupboards (European word for cabinets that sounds so much better!)  and appliances that are in those houses and flats.  I think they are on to something that makes sense.  Why keep things you don't use? And why not keep only food that is going to be used! It's fresher and better for us...and it's got to be cheaper too!   I'm trying to go through all my things to see what is really used.  

Take for example the sweet little crystal parfait glasses that had been collecting dust on a high shelf in the old kitchen.  I don't remember the last time I made a parfait!  Will they stay or go?  If I decide I have to do parfaits I can always use a wine glass--and I know I won't be getting rid of the wine glasses!  Well, that's not quite true-- I am getting rid of a few that have been around since the 80's!  It's these kinds of decisions that I am making with the opening of each box of things.  It seems to be taking me a bit more time than I thought.  

When planning the kitchen I wanted a place to store all my fine china...yes, I do use my china.  Maybe it's a southern girl thing...but I like using the good stuff for more than just holidays.  I had originally stored them in some cabinets that were hard to reach. Then, in my last rearrangement of the kitchen the china moved to some open shelving in the dinning room that I was never pleased about.  Now, I have two sets of fine china stored in one of my drawers in the kitchen.

Ok, so back to work I go moving back in this kitchen!

FWIW..When planning the budget for the kitchen try to leave room for some trips to the organization store for some of the neat stuff you can use to organize things!  I have made only one trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond so far...but another one will happen today!

The Reveal!

There are a very few details that will be finished next week...but I couldn't stand it..I had to share what it looks like now!  More about it all soon...I am still trying to get moved back in...

FWIW...It takes much longer to put it all back than you think it will!

After

Before

The left side Before

The left side After

The Right side

Right side After

Just one more thing Cinderella

As my kitchen project is winding down I am amazed at the "one more thing's" that have to happen.

Yesterday the appliances were installed.  The tile was  set and the grout was applied this morning.

The refrigerator and dishwasher will have have the same doors as the cabinets..(cabinet front) and the cabinet people will be back to measure and get those done.

There is one piece of baseboard to be applied...and some shoemold (I have no idea how to spell that!) to be applied and stained and of course I don't have the stain...and one tiny little piece of sheet rock to be redone...which then means one tiny little bit of painting that has to happen.

FWIW My point is...when you watch HGTV and they do the installation in a day and the family comes in and lives happily ever after...it really doesn't really happen that way.  These are details that take a bit of time and effort to work through...  Expect the one more things and don't expect an HGTV reveal in a day or so.  It's like believing that Cinderella really does meet her prince, the glass slipper fits, and they ride off into the sunset!

BTW...hang with me and I will add some photos soon!  Oh yes, and I love the tile! 

This is the week!

It looks like I will be able to prepare a meal by the end of the week!  WOW!

The schedule has been:
Cabinets installed --Monday and Tuesday of last week
Floors finished--by Friday
Floors Dried all weekend (we couldn't walk on them)
Monday morning the vent hood and most of the rest of the electrical was accomplished
Tuesday the counter tops and the sink were installed.  The cabinet people  put the finishing touches on the cabinets.  The electrician will be finished.
Wednesday the appliances will be installed and the sink hooked up.  And the tile installer will be here to install the back splash tile!  I understand it is a two day job...so by Thursday we will have working kitchen!

Photos will follow on the finished product..I think I am going to love it!    Looks like I get to learn to cook again!

Pinterest recipes...here I come...

First Steps

Last Friday I watched the last coat of floor finish be applied to the floors in the kitchen.  It was applied with a brush--by hand.  When it was finished we closed the doors and put chairs in front of them and couldn't walk on the floor until Sunday!

So what did I do?  I took a brief vacation from the kitchen and went to Birmingham.  I spent all day Saturday shopping with our niece as she shopped for furniture, fabric, and accessories for her living room and dinning room!  Saturday night we moved furniture around and tried out several different looks.  We drank some wine and ate some cheese and planned an plotted her redo!  It was great fun!  

I have decided home decorating is my guilty pleasure.  I love it.  I always have. Lacey and I used to lay in the  floor and look at decorating magazines and plan our first apartments and homes.  I can't say I am all that good at it...but I do enjoy the hunt, the plan, the creative part of it all!

Sunday when I returned home the floors ready!  All by myself. in a quiet house I slipped my shoes off and I walked barefoot on my virgin floors.  They felt wonderful.  The finished floors really make the cabinets look great!  I can't wait to share it all in photos soon!

Stay tuned!

Happy Woman

It must be nice to be the cabinet guy on install day because he sure gets to see happy women! 

This week brought the first glimpse of what the it's really going to be!  The cabinets were installed on Monday and Tuesday!  I can't tell you how pleased I am with the cabinets!  They are beautiful and it is exactly what I wanted.

I must say that I tried to plan the kitchen and think about where I would put things.  Since I was changing from all drawers and no cabinets I tried to think about what I needed to store and how would I store it.  I am not good enough to plan out every detail--like where each pot, pan, and utensil will go.  I know people who are that good...but that's not me.  As with most things...I have a general concept...but hard specifics...not really.

FWIW.  When doing the plan, Lacey drew the kitchen and we labeled where things would go.  For instance, we wrote on the design, "dishes", "glassware", "pots", "bowls", etc...Now that I can see it all I am rethinking what I had planned.  I do believe I will have a place for it all...it is going to be interesting figuring it all out!  And I am committed to not storing things I don't need.

It took Monday and Tuesday to do the installation.  The floors are being stained the rest of the week and we won't walk on them for a few days.  The electrician is scheduled for Monday to do more of the lighting and install the vent hood.  I chose one that vents out of the house.   The counter top is scheduled for Tuesday, and the cabinet people come back to drop the top one of the cabinets down on the counter--I have two appliance garages.  Then the appliances and tile are scheduled for Wednesday.  I will be amazed if it all happens as smoothly...but keep your fingers crossed...this time next week I may be able to move back in...

Well, there are plans for a small dinner next Friday...!  If the kitchen is ready...great...if it's not...no worries, I have a plan for something that doesn't require cooking...improvise, improvise...!

Shattered Dreams

The cabinets were supposed to be installed on June 1...supposed to be installed.  It didn't happen and so we wait. I am not complaining..it's what happens to everyone I know who has done this kind of project.  But UGH.. On a positive note I cleaned up the dinning room, washed another load of dishes in the bathtub.

It's progress...sort of..

And...I didn't let the lack of a kitchen stop me from having a welcome home party for son Tabb last night.  Grilled hamburgers (thanks to Dad) and chips and beer on the deck with Tabb's friends.  Martha Stewart might not have approved of the open bags of chips and squeeze bottles of mayo, mustard, and ketchup...and the paper and plastic on the table...but I did drink some champagne out of a glass!

Ain't Paint Great

A fresh coat of paint just does wonders.  The kitchen has been painted, as has the office, and my bedroom.  I love a little change!  The kitchen is now ready for the cabinets!

The ceiling is a beautiful shade of blue, the wall and cabinets will be cream colored.

The house is a wreck...furniture is moved to the center of rooms, boxes are stacked up here and there.  The dust is everywhere too!  I like it all.  I am sure it's the Army Brat in me.  I am just as happy as can be with all this mess and change.

With the kitchen project I had also planned to do work on my bedroom. I have new drapes being made, and the room has been painted a beautiful light cream color.  Just painting the room has made a huge difference...More on the bedroom later...

About the cream color. It's really pretty. It's fresh, crisp and calm all at once.  Lacey, the queen of color has chosen this one...and as usual she was right on...I can't wait to see it with my ikat blue and cream colored draperies!

Crazy About Sinks...or Just a Little Crazy

I have decided that a kitchen sink is a very personal sort of thing.  The sink seems to be the center of the kitchen universe. Maybe my sub conscience can still see Beaver's mom always standing at the kitchen sink dispensing words of wisdom and exasperation at Wally and the Beav.  Alice, from The Brady Bunch seemed hang out at the kitchen sink too-I don't remember Carol Brady hanging out in the kitchen--unless she was talking to Alice--but if I had had an Alice...I probably wouldn't hang out in there either.

Since I don't have room for one of the kitchen islands that are the rage now, my kitchen sink is the hub of my little galley.  So naturally it became an important place to consider.  I also don't have a window over the sink.  I tried hard to figure out how to place the sink where the one window was...but alas..the window is large enough and set low enough that it just wouldn't work without taking out the window and installing a different one...which wouldn't match the windows across the front of the house and would have sucked up more of my budget..so we worked with what we have.  Not changing the location of the sink also helped with the budget.  We didn't have to move plumbing.  

The choices are mind boggling...and yes, I stood in the big box stores staring at the displays of sinks. I scoured the internet looking at them.  

There are porcelain sinks, concrete, stone, bronze, bamboo, and standard  stainless steel sinks.  There are the apron sinks..they are vintage looking and somewhat trendy at the same time.  They also come in a variety of colors and can help define the style of the kitchen.  Kitchen sinks can be set in on top of the counter top (what our mothers all had) and now they can be under mounted-which means the sink is attached under the counter top.  A great place to look at the unusual is http://www.bluebath.com/farmsinks?gclid=CM2A1-CEo7ACFQiynQodSUuaWQ .

There are double bowled sinks, double bowled sinks with the same size bowl on each side, double bowled sinks with one sink larger than the other, triple bowl sinks...yada, yada, yada.  The price of all this can run from a few hundred dollars...to the thousands.  

This decision was one of the easier ones for me--much easier than the cabinet hardware decision.   I wanted one that was large enough to do the large pans and bowls that I use when having large gatherings.  After considering the apron sinks and the porcelain ones, I am going with good old fashioned stainless steel.  It's really easy to clean and I don't have to worry about stains and chips.  I also will have one of those little pull out drawers in front of the sink with a tray that will hide stuff.  I couldn't have had the apron sink and the place for sponges and scrubbers.  This time function won out over the look.  The sink is 31" wide and I think about 10 inches deep.  And I have been so excited about it!  Maybe more so than about anything else I have chosen.

How weird is that?  Excited about the sink!   June Cleaver would be proud.   But don't look for me to be standing there in a shirt waste cotton dress with a belt!  I am still amazed at how June could keep that tiny waist after having two boys. 

Hungry

It's truth time.  I am not a passionate cook.  I enjoy being in the kitchen sometimes.  I work full time and coming home to put a big meal on the table isn't on the top of my list.  Sometimes I have thought it was because the kitchen was so gross and difficult to deal with.  That's been my excuse anyway.  So now with a new kitchen coming the pressure is on.  Do I like to cook?  Will I cook more?  Can I do better than I have before?  We'll see.

I will say this.  I am getting hungry.  I am tired of eating somewhat fast food and eating out.  I would like to have the ingredients on hand for some real food.  It's summer in the South and the squash, okra, and tomatoes will be really good soon. 

So to torture my self...or to prepare working in the new kitchen...I am looking at recipe books and planning what kinds of things I would like to cook.  Today I have checked out three Ina Garten cookbooks from the library.  I will spend my early mornings looking at the Barefoot Contessa's lovely recipes and wondering if I will spend more time in this room of my own design! 

Due to the limitations of the kitchen for the last several years--take that to mean at least the last decade--my menu's have been fairly limited.  For company, grilled meat, roasted potatoes, something green like beans or broccoli, and a salad with my homemade vinaigrette, and some french bread with butter.  At least a couple of times in the summer I do my grandmother and mother's summer southern fried vegetable supper which includes, fried okra, squash casserole, roasted new potatoes, green beans, some homemade slaw, sliced tomatoes, and corn bread.  Topped off with some fresh strawberries, store bought pound cake and real whipped cream. 

Waiting and Accounting

I can't really do much more about the kitchen.  The walls will be finished today.  The painting on Tuesday--Monday is a holiday, and the cabinets installed on Wednesday...it's getting to be a little like waiting for Christmas morning!

The electrical work is finished..and due to some wiring issues beyond anyone's control...I had my first real surprise with the budget.  Thankfully I had planned for a few surprises.

Let's talk about the budget for a moment.

My process went something like this.
I studied the appliances first and got a price to put on paper.

Next came the cabinets.  I got a couple of prices, for stock cabinets, and custom cabinets.  I talked with a kitchen designer at the big box store locally and she estimated the cost of the cabinets while looking at the drawing I had.  And I visited the cabinet shop with the same plans and also got a price on just the cabinets.

Counter top exploration came next.  I have chosen a marble.  Yes, it's a bit of a splurge.  But one that will really give my small space some wow factor!  Along with the counter top I chose the sink and added the cost.

Next, Lacey estimated the cost for the electrical and carpentry, and painting etc.  I added about 10% to the estimate.

I priced the cost of the tile and the installation and the faucet.  Ok, I splurged a little on the faucet..but heck, what is the one thing you probably put your hands on every day in your kitchen.  The water faucet!  So I got a nice one.

It does't take long for the amount of money to add up...no matter what the budget!   So as I have started paying the bills I have kept a running tally of where I am in the process.  I have a list now of what's left to pay for and as I pay a bill I cross it off my list--and add it to the paid list.  It's a simple thing, but one that is working for me. i can see what I have spent, and what's left in the budget and I can tell how much if any I am over and under my estimates on things.   Oh yes, and there is a separate check book for this project..I have a budget and I am sticking to it!  So far!


FWIW.  It's really easy to get caught up in all the cool things that are out there. At first I was all about the microwave over the stove and the stainless hood all attached.  When you have lived with 20 year old decrepit  appliances your eyes light up at the sight of new and shiny. (I think the appliance sales people know this.) It's kind of like seeing a big piece of chocolate cheese cake when you've been on a diet.  You feel deprived and want to really go for it all whether or not you need it or really even want it!

After getting the price of all my appliances and coming home and continuing to think about the kitchen it dawned on me...I don't really use a microwave all that much. The over the stove combination microwave and vent hood with the pretty stainless hood are glitzy and expensive.  Then I thought about exactly how I use the microwave.  I defrost some things in it, pop some popcorn and steam some vegetables in it.  I didn't really need an expensive microwave for those tasks.  I also talked to a coworker who told me that she didn't really like opening hers to get things of it.  She was always afraid she would spill the contents on her because you have to pull things out from above a natural height for your arms.  So I opted out of the expensive microwave. Mine will be inside my pantry and I am going to pick one up at the Home Depot or Lowe's.  A plug has been installed and the cabinet will be just at my level.  And my cabinet maker has given me the sizes I can look for.

When I opted out of the overhead microwave and stove I had to choose another vent system.  I was told by the appliance salesman that "everyone" uses the self venting hoods now. "That's all we sell anymore.  All you have to do is change the filter every so often and it works great."  I asked about one that vented out of the house. I was told, "No one really uses those anymore."  So I went home to ponder this  and I talked with the guy who installs them.  He let it slip that the self venting ones are much, much easier to install.  So, no wonder that's what "everyone" uses.  That is what they like to sell.  I really like the idea of the food odors leaving the house.  I am a southern cook...and I do fry okra on occasion!  So we are going the distance to put in a hood that vents outside.  It will be vented out into the carport.  I realize some people wouldn't do this..but the one I have now does and it doesn't bother me to have the vent where I can see it in the carport. It's a carport, not my living room.

FWIW.  Take the time to think about what you are being told.  Just because "everyone" does it doesn't mean it's what you want. And don't get caught up in all the new and shiny

Obsessing

Did you know you can obsess about cabinet hardware?  Who knew?  It's such a small thing but with so many options.  Chrome, stainless, wood, glass, novelty, antiqued brass, rubbed brass, nickel, brushed nickel, knobs and hinged pulls or just pulls.  The price ranges from just a few dollars to hundreds...yes, hundreds of dollars for just one pull!  And then there are the sizes. They can be anything from 3.5" to 12" long!  And yes, size does matter!

I spent hours looking at photos on houzz.com looking at the hardware.  I walked through Lowe's and Home Depot and looked at the pulls and what kinds of pulls were used for what kinds cabinets.  I touched lots and lots of pulls to see what they felt like in my hands and fingers.

And then when I went to the cabinet maker to choose the cabinets, I chose some hardware-and two hours later I had no idea what I had chosen!    So this week I made the trip to see the cabinets...yes, they are there with my name on them...just the boxes, no doors yet.  I looked at the hardware I had originally chosen.   Many of the magazines and photos I had looked at have a large over sized pulls on the drawers in kitchens now.  I like the look and thought it made the cabinets look modern and up to date.  I had a photo of one I had seen in Birmingham that I like.  I chose that one and picked the largest one-which is 12" long for the bottom drawers in the kitchen...there are at least six on one side of the room.  The drawers are anywhere from 30" to 32" wide.  Driving home from my cabinet preview I kept thinking about that large pull.  It nagged at me all day and in to the evening.  I imagined my opening the cabinets.  Those handles got bigger and bigger in my head.  A quick conversation with Howard, the cabinet builder this morning confirmed that I could make the change.

The bottom line. I liked the look in the kitchens I was seeing in the magazines.  Mostly those are all large rooms with walls lots more space than I had.  I also imagined bumping in to these large handles in my little room.  So I have the same pull but in scale with the size of my room and my house.

Who would have ever thought you could spend days and nights planning and imagining the pulls on the kitchen cabinets?


Progress report!  We're getting there!  Painting should be finished at the end of the week.  Memorial Day will stop work on Monday, and then the cabinets will be installed on Wednesday!

Sneak Peak

I am going to visit my cabinets this morning.  It's kind of like seeing a new puppy before it's ready to  leave the Momma.  I must admit..I am a little excited!  

Well the truth is I am going to the cabinet shop is to look at the hardware I chose.  I was so anxious when I chose the cabinets all those weeks ago--I have no idea what kind of hardware I chose.  So I will drive the 20 miles this morning to get a sneak peak at the cabinets, review the hardware and a few other things with the cabinet builder.  

The floor is supposed to go in today-Monday.  The electrical is supposed to be finished on Tuesday and then the walls are should be finished and painted--hopefully all before Friday so that we can be ready for the cabinets on May 29.  Let's hope this plan works.

FWIW.  Having Lacey to help me with all of this has made the process go so much faster.  I didn't have any idea who needed to do what first.  Example.  About the floor-It's going to be an oak floor..just the same as the rest of the house.  David, the floor guy has suggested that he come in and lay the floor today but not stain it. He will wait until the cabinets and appliances are installed.  He said it would be very hard on the appliance guys to keep from damaging the floor with the installation of the appliances.  

Don Quixote and me

Art by Pablo Picasso, 1955...image from Wikipedia

 I am the self proclaimed Don Quixote of Organization.  Trying to get organized is my never ending quest.

For some reason I love to clean out things..closets, drawers, rooms, etc. I am a clutter keeper but eventually all of my spaces get to the point that I can't take it anymore.  So, I have to clean out and organize.  The good news is that I seem to be getting better at it.

In 2010 and again in 2011 I started a room by room clearing out project.  It took most of a year but I cleaned out every drawer and closet in my house.  I took car loads of things to the Salvation Army and the Loaves and Fishes store.  Boxes and bags went to a storage building that used to be my husband's office building. (Mostly things belonging to our still in school children that they probably don't want to keep either.) I put things in the attic--and junked it up in a huge way.   But I cleared out most of the living space in our house. I find it extremely therapeutic to do the clearing out.   My friends think I am crazy because I enjoy it so much.  It's the Army Brat in me.  I can't help it.

I never started on the kitchen clear out when I did the rest of the house.  So when it was time to pack up for the kitchen reno...that's HGTV speak for renovation....I was ready to purge.  There were lids with no pots, the endless plastic container with no lid, the random wine glass, or the cracked dish.  I was able to get rid of a several bags of junk. But, coming clean here...I mostly just packed up boxes and labeled them.  Ian almost came apart when I tried to throw away the rounded highball glasses that won't tip over. They were in his bachelor house and a great source of entertainment for he and his friends  decades ago. They have been living in the top of a cabinet covered in dust for almost years.  They are now packed up and ready to be put back in the top of a cabinet to collect dust.

The one thing I can't seem to throw away is an old...and I mean old English teapot.   It was a hand me down from my mother in law.  It leaks when you pour out the water. It is grungy and stained and not very ergonomic...but I love the old thing...  I am trying to work up the courage to let it go.  

Since it appears that this project is moving along rapidly I am now thinking about how things will go back in the kitchen and what really needs to be replaced.  So more planning for me and I like it.

Change Comes to all of us...Thankfully!

You know how we always hear people talking about what used to be.  Well hell, I think I have turned into one of those people!   And now with this blog...I am bearing all my secrets!  

Anyway, I was imagining my new kitchen and how lovely it's going to be and I thought back to the first dishes I chose.  It was the 70's...(the late 70's mind you) and as a young bride I chose Mikasa's Strawberry Festival.  Oh, how I loved those dishes.  I planned a country kitchen to go right along with the dishes.  I sold them all in a yard sale less than 10 years later.

Change happens to all of us--Thank goodness! I think back to what I thought was great looking in design and decorating and wow have I changed from those days.  My new kitchen is a grown up girl kitchen and I really can't wait to see how it all turns out. It is a simple palette with clean lines and a calm look. It's going to be cream colored--walls, cabinets, counter top and back splash.  Remember, I am working with a space that's 14 feet long and about 8'8" wide.  And if anyone had told me I would be building a cream kitchen when I grew up I would have told them they were crazy!

I guess I am on the third or fourth set of dishes since the 70's  Today I enjoy the Old Britain Castles by Johnson Brothers.  I love them too...but am seriously wondering if I need to look for something different to go in my new kitchen!  Change is good isn't it?

All at once!

Things happen slowly and then all at once.  It's a favorite saying of a good friend and how right he is!  I got word yesterday that the cabinets will be ready to install on the 29th of this month!  Which is marvelous...but now I am not sure about getting everything else ready by then...

Funny how we got started, and then waited and now it's time to kick everything into high gear!

The tear out started on May 1 and I am amazed at just how fast things don't happen and then do!

BTW.  I had a first this morning.  I washed dishes in the bath tub.  I wasn't in the tub...just the dishes.  It's a first.

My Secret Weapon

I have a secret weapon and it's time to come clean about it.  I have loved planning for the kitchen and feel great about the choices that I've made regarding the entire process.  But in the interest of full disclosure I need to say I have a secret weapon in the project.  It's Lacey-my oldest friend (we've known each other since we were 10 and 11 years old.)  We have shared secrets, clothes, make up, shoes, homes, parents, and siblings since 1968.  Note.  The bourbon bottle behind us was Daddy's!

Lacey is an interior designer and she's good.  So when I had read the books, searched the internet and shopped the stores I called her one day and said, "Ok, I've done all I can, I need your help."  And she came with drawing pencil and paper and a tape measure and we talked it through and she drew the plan.  Truthfully, she's thought about redoing my kitchen as long as I have.

She took me to the cabinet builder she has used.  I got a price from him and then I went to one of the big box stores with her plan and talked about stock cabinets.  The estimate I got from the custom cabinet guy was less than the one from the big box!  Lacey helped me know the questions to ask.  One thing I must say about the two of us.  I am slow to get going on things.  Lacey wants to get something started and get it done.  She has pushed and I knew she was pushing--but I needed it.  

FWIW.  If you can find an expert in design to help you it's a comforting thing.  Doing the kitchen is expensive and I didn't want to make a mistake and I wasn't confident in my ability to do this on my own.  If you don't have a professional then ask lots of questions to those you know who have done this before. 

The bottom line...it's great to have the secret weapon but it's even greater to have a best friend who can be there through thick and thin.

Confessions

It's confession time...and there is much to confess today.  While the wait is still on for the the next phase of construction I feel the need to confess a few things.  

How often do you clean out your cabinets?  I evidently cleaned mine out in 2009.  That's the oldest date on some of the canned goods I found in the cabinets!   As stated before...the cabinets didn't work all that well... stuff would get pushed to the back and I would purchase more because I couldn't  see what was there.

One of the most startling finds in the cabinets was the collection of vinegar.  There was Balsamic vinegar, pear vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, apple cider vinegar..the Walmart variety and the organic one with the "mother" in it.  I also had good old white vinegar.  As my mom would say...it must have been the kitchen fairy.   Who knew?  

The new kitchen will have a pantry with roll our shelves.  I am hoping to avoid the kitchen elves vinegar fetish with the pantry.  I am also hoping to avoid the "buy it because I might need it habit" I have had for years.  

When I traveled to England and France years ago I learned to appreciate the small kitchens of my husband's aunt and uncle.  Aunt Jacky had a lovely flat in the heart of Paris and her kitchen would have fit three times in mine.  She was an outstanding cook and prepared us a wonderful meal in that little kitchen.  The idea of using fresh food and shopping only for what you need for a few meals at a time made complete sense to me.  Uncle Ian lived in a cottage in the English countryside and he also prepared a marvelous meals in his small but well appointed kitchen.  Both of them only bought what they needed for a few days.  I realize I won't have the baker, the fish market, the meat market and the vegetable market within walking distance but I do think if I focus only on what I need for a few meals at a time I won't end up with collections of vinegar and small jars of pimento that aren't red any more.  Oh yes, and three unopened jars of capers!  

Stand Still

I knew it would happen and it has.  The project is stopped until the electrician or the floor guy can start.  So while we wait here is the reason we live where we do.  As stated the house isn't all that large...but it sits on a bluff looking over the Tennessee River.

The day we looked at this house 19 years ago, we walked to the front door-which was standing open--and from the screen door we could see all the way through the living room to the river.  Ian looked at me and whispered...Oh *&^%, we're buying this house aren't we?  I replied, "If it has enough bedrooms and bathrooms we are."  And it did and we did.

Kitchen Dreams

Funny thing about dreams.  Sometimes they work out just great...and sometimes you have dream something else.  Excuse me if that sounds a little like a self help book.  I think the kitchen project is a little like therapy-forcing me to think about the past, and the future while living in chaos.

This photo is of the kitchen I really loved.  This is not the kitchen I am building.  I found this in a book titled Great Kitchen Ideas published by the Meredith Corporation in 2007.  I love everything about this kitchen. The vintage feel, the openness, the eclectic look, the hot yellow color.  I liked the open feeling created with the subway tiled walls without upper cabinets.  I liked the utensils where they are reachable.  Other photos showed a wall of pantry in the hot yellow color.  I liked the freshness of the design and aesthetic.....just about all of it.

I spent days looking at this kitchen trying to figure out how I could make this work in my space.  Bottom line...it just doesn't work.  Not now and not ever.  First and probably most important--My house isn't a big old farm house or old bungalow.  I think it is more of a cottage or modified ranch that was built in 1978.   My kitchen is a 14' foot long by 8'6" shoe box with 8' ceilings.  There is one way in and one way out.  And there is only one window.  

For me, it's important that the kitchen match the style and feel of the house.   So I had to really focus on just what would work with the rest of the house.  And it isn't this really hip and cool kitchen.  But a girl can dream.

Planning is the Secret Weapon

The work has begun on my project.  The tear out is done.  A doorway has been closed up, for the new pantry!  The sheet rock finishing is happening now.  The electrical plan is in place and the electrician is scheduled to start soon.  He's my neighbor and will be working on this on his days off.  So far so good. The cabinet man has been and done his measurements and marked where the electrical would go.  I have paid deposits on the cabinets and the counter top.

I thought I would spend a minute talking about how I worked through the design and planning for this little kitchen.

My daddy was a soldier and so much of who I am and how I approach things comes from what I learned from growing up as an Army Brat.  Soldiers plan--so I think by osmosis I learned to to plan years ago.   I also majored in Theater in college...and while I enjoy watching people do improv...it never was my thing.  I liked to rehearse my scenes over and over again.  All of that to say...how I approached this project may not be how anyone else would...it's just how I have done it.

I have mentioned the books and magazines I have looked at.  I also spent time just standing in the kitchen.  I would stand with a cup of coffee and just look and imagine myself in the space thinking about how I would like for it to function.  I also made lists.  Lists of wishes. Lists of what I didn't like about the way it was now. Lists of questions I would have about what might be possible or not.  

FWIW.   Do some serious thinking about your space.  Look at lots of photos.  Pay attention when you visit other people's kitchens.  But do what works for you.

Originally, I was thinking about the cabinets and what the kitchen would look like.  But over time I quit thinking about the look...and only thought about how the room worked and didn't work and what I could do to improve that for the lifestyle that I live.

So, how do I live?
I am a working woman whose nest is almost empty.
I am usually only home for breakfast and dinner.  I don't get home until usually 6 or after so preparing elaborate dinners during the week isn't my style.
The kitchen has to work for two people-as both my husband and I cook.
We don't entertain all that much...but have always wanted to.  Will we?  We'll see.
We usually have our families which can number up to 20+ for holiday meals...usually Easter and Thanksgiving.
We have enjoyed having large groups for informal hanging out.  Our entertaining usually includes the large deck that is accessible from the living room to the dining room. 
I don't care for the latest kitchen gadget things.  I love my food processor, and blender (for smoothies)  but have no need for a George Foreman grill or a chocolate fountain.
I prefer cooking with fresh food and less canned goods.
I enjoy a good cup of coffee and hot tea.
My home isn't all that large.  Maybe only 2400 sq. feet.  We use every room.  And yes, we eat in the dinning room.  And yes, we are just as likely to take our take out food, put it on a plate and eat it in front of the television in the living room. 

Sandbox Skills

When you get right down to it... It's really all about sandbox skills, or how well you work and communicate with others...and how well they communicate and work with you!    Honestly, and I hate to admit this, I have usually let my husband do the communicating with the carpentry, electrical, plumbing, or concrete laying guys that have done work for us over the years. 

The one time I did try to assert myself and say, “No, I don’t want concrete steps poured down the side of the house, I like the natural path with brick pavers leading me to the back yard.”  I was told, very condescendingly “Awww Miss Nancy, You’re gonna have drainage problems if you don’t do this.”  I finally said, “Fine, if you are going to do this I want exposed aggregate edged in brick.”  There was some mumbling about me wanting a lot…but it was done. (And I have never liked anything about it.) But I have digressed.

Most of the people I have worked with on this project have been great and helpful.  I had one little issue with the appliance salesman—who really was trying to be helpful—but made the mistake of telling me, “Oh, you don’t want that,” when we were discussing something.  

FWIW.  Never, ever tell a menopausal woman what she doesn’t want!

The issue was the purchase of the appliances.  I had wanted the GE Café Line of appliances and then because of some features not available I had decided to get the GE Cafe duel fuel stove, but GE Profile line of refrigerator and dishwasher.  

“Oh no you don’t want that,” he said.  I asked, “Why?” and was told that my handles wouldn't match.  Now, for some people that might be a huge issue…but for me it wasn’t.  Truthfully, I might have been a little hormonal…but I left there thinking…”Don’t tell me what I don’t want.”  

FWIW.  In retrospect it is stressful making these decisions.  I am committing to spending a goodly chunk of change on appliances that I will use for at least a decade… and I don’t want to make a mistake.  I think the thing to remember is that I shouldn’t expect anything to be easy.  It’s another way of me saying to anyone going through this--Expect all decisions to take longer than you think.  Expect others to not see things the way you do.  Listen to everyone but eventually go with your gut! 

The Process

It's all about the research and the planning.

 I have a small library of books and magazines about kitchen design. I started by checking out books from the library :) and then I have bought books over the years.  I have a Pinterest account with a folder entitled Kitchen Dreams.   I have a Houzz.com account on my iphone and have looked at photos for hours.  I have haunted the Lowes and Home Depot stores for years. I spent an entire summer, fall and winter with a laptop in my lap reading other blogs about home projects and kitchen projects. (I'm not sure what this is saying about my life!)  I tore photos out of magazines for several years and ended up throwing them all away a few years ago because they seemed so dated.  And then I began again.  I looked at appliances in stores for years.  I listened to friends who got new appliances, and I read the Consumer Reports occasionally.

As we got serious this year about this project I would just stand in the kitchen and look and make notes.

I am going to add some FWIW (For What It's Worth) comments as I go through the blog.

FWIW Learn, learn, learn and don't be in a hurry.  (Now, in all honesty I wouldn't recommend waiting 19 years to do your project.)  But really, don't be in a hurry.  The more you know...the better off you will be.  I spent two hours in Lowe's once just looking at the edges of counter tops. There are several types and how did I know what I liked and what difference does it make? So I just walked around looking at counter tops and edging...  FYI...there is the ogee, dupont, fillet, float profile with eased edge, 2cm slab with profiled wood trim, slab with full bullnose.  Counter tops can be solid surface, stone, slate, tile, concrete, stainless, wood.  It goes on and on.

FWIW.  Don't worry about what everyone else does.  What works for you and the needs of those who live with you are all that matters---And oh yes--what you can afford!

What has surprised me is that what I started out loving...isn't what I ended up with!   More about that later...

And so it begins...

The last photo taken off the refrigerator was the one of Tabb and Julia at Disney...and then it began.  The first sound of the hammer was music to my ears!  Yes, we have all waited a long time for this...and today it begins.  The tear out!  

But First...Cinderella succeeds!

Cinderella and the Waiting Game

The tear out was supposed to begin last week...then it was supposed to be Monday..next..and the call came this morning...it will be Tuesday...May 1...sounds like a great day to get this project going doesn't it?...I am keeping my fingers crossed.  I have heard enough about working with this kind of project to not be surprised...and I am taking it in stride...but heck..it's just the first delay...and I am sure it will be the only one that we have with the project! :)

I am spending the day playing Cinderella--translate that to I am up in a HOT attic doing a major clear out and rearrangement of the stuff I have forgotten that we are keeping. It occurred to me the electricians won't be able to find the place to put the lights until I rework the attic...It is a mess..photos to follow...UGH..

Prince Charming...where are you?

Nancy and the One Eyed Stove

Blogging about the kitchen project is really an excuse to see if I can figure out this blogging thing. I read lots of them...and wanted to try it out...so this one is my rambling about my kitchen and my thoughts...about the process. 

Nancy and the One Eyed Stove was almost the title for the blog.  We've lived with only one working eye on the stove...for years--so many that I can't tell you how long. It finally quit working..so we have broken down and bitten the bullet...and are about to start the first complete kitchen redo I have ever done.  

TRUTH You can cook just about anything in an electric skillet.

TRUTH  When one has a one eyed stove, one has to be very careful with menu planning.  I had years to perfect a few recipes that would work with my limited appliances.  Oh yes, and the oven door has no handle..hasn't since spring of 2010..it was knocked off by Ian with a sledge hammer...you read that right...with a sledge hammer just hours before we were feeding a lovely lunch to all of his relatives in the spring of 2010.  Ian's family had traveled from California, New Mexico, and Michigan and I was excited to show them some southern hospitality.   My potatoes were roasting in the oven and I opened the door to check on them.  The door stuck at about 45 degrees.  It wouldn't open or close.  I called for help...and Ian came...with a sledge hammer-albeit a small one- and he pounded on the door for a while.  The handle was now gone.  Thankfully my neighbor, Jane let me put the potatoes in her oven for a while.  

Misty Water Colored Memories

This photo is one has hung on the fridge for many years...yes, I was little emotional to take it down!  

Bless it!

I've had close to 20 years to plan this new kitchen...and here I am-literally just days away from seeing the old one ripped out.  And as weird as it seems...I am feeling sorry for the pitiful little room.  It has all of a sudden become a member of my family and I am going to destroy it. But have no fear...it's going to come OUT...next week.  Farewell little kitchen!  I do believe I will miss you.  

The Before

Looking Back and Looking Forward

It's time.  The kitchen you are about to see has worked very hard for many years.  The house was built in 1978 and the kitchen you are about to see is what I would call a true vintage kitchen.  All that has been added is a dishwasher and a disposal...everything else was here from the beginning.  It's worked...sort of... for my family for the last 19 years.  We have hosted family Thanksgivings, Easters, bridal teas and retirement luncheons,  We have celebrated birthdays, high school graduations, and welcome home parties from college.  (Christmas's have been left to other family members.)   We brought in the new millinium with a dinner from this kitchen.  I prepared my Mom's 70's birthday here for her friends and an 80'th birthday lunch for my grand mother.   We have partied here when we won elections.  A lot of life has been lived in this fourteen foot room.  And it is all about to be ripped out and a completely new one built!  So let the fun begin...and forgive me for looking back about my little galley kitchen as we go through this project.