I Am So Over This...

....so you must really want this kitchen to get finished!! Not a lot of talking in this one...I'll just share the minimum....

Steps to the first level Family Room are done. Yay.






Window sills along the floor are done. That's part of the back porch you can see through the window.

Inside of the shower is done....

Even the shampoo shelves have been added.

Hey...check out that diamond tile shower floor.

Okay...I have to talk a bit more about this. This is the center beam in the kitchen. See that skinny little piece in the middle of the beam?? Believe it or not, that's the cover that goes over the wiring to the small chandelier...and it's actually white plastic.....but.....

The guy that has been doing all of the painting specializes in faux looks...and he painted it to match the beam!! Isn't that so neat?? It really looks like part of the beam. So very talented...

And...finally...The Sink!!! Not installed, but I had them take it out of the box and just set it in the sink place so I could look at it....

Love. It.

They will be doing some grouting and then maybe taking a couple of days off...like, maybe I can tell you about other stuff....can't wait!!

Granite, Shmanite...I Just Don't Get It

This is the biggest decision making part of the kitchen, I think. Colors of the cabinets were pretty much determined by the big beams in the kitchen...that kind of sets the standard. So...that was pretty easy. Appliances...also easy, mainly because it doesn't really matter to me. My biggest issue, as we all know, was getting that copper sink. We did and the rest of it is not such a big deal...I can go along with just about anything.

But...we had to decide on color and "flow" of the granite. It's a piece of rock. I don't really care for granite. It's way too shiny for me. I wanted concrete counters...but it's like $100 a linear foot! Go figure...so I lost that one and granite it is. We went out to the granite place and chose something light-ish to kind of match the floor and, if possible, make the kitchen look bigger. Our kitchen is tiny, tiny, tiny....

So...that being explained...here's the granite....

After choosing, the template guy came out and measured everything and I had to go back the next day to decide where they will be making the cuts. They just tape it out and you can see what the actual counters will look like. And, the bathroom vanity will have a matching top, too.

And, at the last minute we got them to add a round tabletop piece for the small table that will be in the sit-in area across from the kitchen...

Now...just wait 10 business days and they will be ready to do the installation. We were really hoping that all would be done by July 4th...looks like we will miss that by a few days!!

I'm kinda excited about getting to the end of all of this so I can talk about something else...right??? Have a great weekend, wherever you are...!

For The Hub

I wanna make you smile,

Whenever you're sad.

Carry you around when your arthritis is bad.

All I wanna do,

Is grow old with you.

I'll get your medicine,

When your tummy aches.

Build you a fire if the furnace breaks.

Oh, it could be so nice,

Growin' old with you.

I'll miss you, kiss you,

Give you my coat when you are cold.

Need you, feed you,

Even let you hold the remote control.

So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink.

Put you to bed when you've had too much to drink.

Oh, I could be the one,

that grows old with you.

I wanna grow old with you.

Happy Anniversary, Dear Hub. xxx

We Are Definitely On A Roll!

Cabinets are in! We are missing some crown molding, but everything is in it's place...







The corner cabinets are "lazy susan's" and the drawers are deep enough to be "pot drawers".....







Because the bathroom is just a couple of steps down from the kitchen, we wanted it to match everything...so, the flooring and half-walls are the same travertine and so is the bottom half of the shower! Even the vanity is the same type of cabinet that is in the kitchen...









The shower also has a "knee wall" that will have shelves inside the shower for shampoo and whatever...it won't be on display for all to see!!

And...we are really lovin' this little stacked rock trim. It's getting pretty exciting now that we can see the ending...almost...

Anyway...I know I've been obsessed with all of this...but, remember I'm washing dishes in a sink in the garage and writing my name in the dust that covers everything inside!! Just can't wait to get back to normal...haha..whatever that may be!

Have a wonderful weekend....!!

What A Difference A Day Makes

No kidding! The cabinets were delivered and the installation began almost right away!!








Love the color...matches the old courthouse beams perfectly!

You can see where the refrigerator goes with the microwave cubby right next to it...

Finally....some progress in the bathroom! The faucet and handles will be coming out of the wall above the sink...

This is the texture the painter is doing in the dining room...some sort of rough, venetian plaster finish. Then, it gets painted a shade darker than the living room walls....








And...they finished the ceiling in the livingroom and dining room!





Seems like the finish date for everything will be about mid-July...still have to get the kitchen counter picked out and the backsplash. And, I'm just waiting for my copper sink ;)

Things Are Moving Forward!

Okay...most of the floor is done in the kitchen! Here is the marble next to the terrazzo and there is quite a difference!




It isn't really this dark...it's been so rainy here and there wasn't much sun. But, it is beautiful!

Uh...yeah. They are painting everything. Even the rafters. The previous owners had taken out the ceilings in the living and dining rooms exposing just the roof trusses. A unique look , but we like it...kind of big barn-ish. Anyway...they are spraying it all!

See that long thing covered in plastic? That's our chandelier.

And...the ceiling fans....

And...the fireplace. Yes, you read it right, a fireplace in Florida.

Remember the dust I mentioned?? The dust I couldn't keep up with?? Sure you do. These are our dining room chairs and they are sitting in the entrance foyer...scary!

Even Jake can't believe what he's seeing! We will have to have the carpets cleaned and really work on the upholstery. It's been covered, but this stuff is everywhere!!

And, we are running out of room to move stuff. This is stuff rom the kitchen and lots of books from the shelves in the living room. Looks like some serious clean out before we replace all of this, hmmm???

But, cabinets are on the way...can't wait to show you those!!

Still In The Middle Of It All

This project has become all consuming...to the point of not being able to think about or do anything else. We spend lots of time rearranging things...trying to find the best way to cope with this. See, we're not just doing the kitchen and downsatirs bath we are also painting the whole downstairs! We've had to move everything. The first few days I tried to dust everything and keep the house looking halfway decent but I have to admit it got the best of me. There's just too much mess.


Here's part of the reason for the paint job...the drywall guys patched up old AC vents that didn't even do anything.....







And, they made some changes to the door from the dining room into the kitchen.....







And, here's the other side of that plastic sheet...the new Knock-down finish on the kitchen walls....





The Hub is not a big fan of this...he would have liked some kind of textured finish. But, most of this will be covered by cabinets and appliances and backsplash, so maybe it will be okay, right??

You can see the old tile lines on the terrazzo floor...this will soon be covered with travertine marble...

It seems like I keep forgetting the bathroom, but it's going slower than the rest. They are really pushing to get the kitchen floor in so the cabinets can be installed. I hear that's coming sometime this week....

But, until then, here's the bathroom and that's the shower....

Anyway....the floor will be started, the painters will get started and we are planning a very busy week! An outpatient surgery has kept me out of the loop for a few days, but everything is fine and I'll keep you posted on the progress...have a good week!

It's All About The Sheetrock

It's been pretty boring here the last few days...lots of dust but not a lot of change...just hanging the drywall and mudding the strips. Mudding...that's drywall speak for patching the holes. So, I give you ...drywall....





Oh...I forgot...just a bit of plumbing for the new COPPER SINK!!!






Yay...outlets that will actually hold in plugs. The ones we had were so old and worn that the plugs would fall right out. Only 2 in the entire kitchen worked. Great for using a toaster oven and crockpot...






And...this is the spot where the old support beam was that they cut and re-supported. Now when anyone over 5'10''walks down into the family room they won't smack their head or have to remember to duck...

See...I told you...not much to show for 3-4 days, eh?? But, I hear there's talk of flooring sometime this week!! They better not be teasin' me...hope you all have a good week, too!

Appliances~~Kelly Ripa Not Included

I've been waiting for this part of the project, just so I could see what we would end up with. I don't have tons to say about the kitchen...all I really wanted was that copper sink and the rest is not such a big deal to me. Well, except for the granite. I don't really want granite and if we have to have it, I don't want it to be too shiny. My first choice for the counter tops was concrete. Who knew concrete would be more expensive than granite?? But, we don't get to that for a couple of weeks ....

The Hub is a gadget freak. Whatever has the most doo-dads always wins. So, we went appliance hunting and the decision is in. We are going with the new Electrolux appliances and there are enough doo-dads and lights and digital read-outs to keep you entertained for hours. There are no real pictures to grab from anywhere...everything good is protected somehow...but here's a quick look....

The Refrigerator. See that black panel above the water/ice-in-door thing? It stays black but will light up when you touch it. It has many options for ice and water as well as temperature settings, vacation settings (what..like it needs to party while we're away?), energy efficiency, takes your picture while you're getting ice...no, not really about the picture part...anyway, it does lots of needless...er, ah...I mean, lots of neat stuff.

The Microwave. This is pretty neat because it has that complete wrap around panel so you don't see any spaces when it is installed in the cabinet. It's supposed to do all kinds of special cooking, but I really need to make popcorn and that's about it.

The Range. Smooth top with 5 burners. I've had a smooth top before and it's not my fave. But, notice there are no knobs or buttons...everything is in that skinny panel along the top of the stove Again...it lights up when you choose something or walk by it or call it by name...I don't really know. But is does have sliding racks and the bottom is actually a warming drawer. The sales guy said it was great for making bread. Obviously, he doesn't know me very well. It's very pretty and the handle on this matches the handles on the fridge, so I'm happy about that.

The Dishwasher. This is not Electrolux. It's some weird brand that I never heard of but it seems perfect for what we need. Two separate drawers that can be used together or one at a time. I do not use a dishwasher. We had a new one put in about a year ago and I think I only used it about 4 times. I just have a problem with dirty dishes sitting in there for 2-3 days at a time and we don't use enough dishes to warrant running a full wash every day. So, The Hub thought he could get me to use it if he got this one with a small drawer on top that can be run every day. Maybe.

It's all been ordered....no turning back now! I just want to get my sink..... ;)

S-L-O-W-L-Y Moving Forward

This is all that they were able to get done a couple of days ago 'cause one of the guys is on vacation this week. Seems like maybe that's something we should have been told about, because...bottom line...now it's going to take longer than originally planned to finish. Hmmmm.....



Anyway...new plumbing for the dishwasher and sink. Note how that old cast iron pipe has been cut to attach the new PVC pipe. And...new wood for the wall studs...








One of the new outlets that the elctrician forgot to do last week...

Special channel for the connection for one of the lights that will be faux painted to match the beam. These beams are in our kitchen and family room and are originally from the old, old downtown courthouse. They were here when we moved in and I have no idea what the story is behind that. But, they are very cool...

And, finally.....the much missed microwave outlet box. It's not going above the range, but in a separate cabinet near the fridge....

And, because I can only imagine how boring all of this remodel stuff is, I am happy to report that the Agapanthas is going crazy...and I love it!!

Oh...and the Porter's Weed looks pretty good too! This is a great butterfly plant....

Wishing everyone a wonderful week.....