when making some decisions regarding our kitchen remodel.
Every now and then I head down the lumber aisle first,
hoping to find some discounted boards
to use for sign making.
A measure of moxie.
"...You soak up
others’ moods
and desires
like a sponge.
You absorb
sensation
the way a
paintbrush
grasps each
color it touches
on a palette..."
I scored big time that day.
A customer had asked to have some lumber custom cut, and he didn't want the leftovers,
so they just left them in the discount bin.
When I asked the Lumber Guy how much those random boards would cost
at the discounted rate, he said,
"They're free. Take 'em all if you want 'em."
He went on to explain that once a customer purchases a sheet of lumber, even if they have it custom-cut before leaving the store, it's store policy that the product has been sold to a customer
and they can't turn around and resell the remnants to another customer.
We've been planning a kitchen remodel since mid July. Here it is the last week in September, and we're FINALLY gonna see the action. Wow, remodeling takes time -- and lots of patience. Far more time than I realized. Planning, research, bidding, budgets, costs, ordering, working out the scheduling nuances between the construction team and the floor guy.
Knowing that we plan to put our home on the market in three to five years and relocate to NC, we are aware that updates will be necessary to attract quality buyers, especially given the age of our home. Our kitchen is dated, and it is in bad need of a facelift. It should have been done years ago, but raising our sons, we seemed to never have the resources for such a huge and costly project. There were two other updates that HAD to be done, non-negotiable --- a new roof, replacing the air conditioning unit for the upstairs.
Though not essential, a few years ago we decided to build a stone patio to add aesthetic appeal to the exterior. And THAT project was my husband's baby. His forte is landscaping. It's what he enjoys, and he takes a lot of pride in our lawn, plants, garden and special exterior touches. He collected stone from his mother's farm and hauled load after load to our home, painstakingly designing, placing, cutting and laying the stone over the course of a few weeks -- with the help of our two oldest sons. The stone, fortunately, was free. The monetary costs of that project were rather painless -- except for his labor, of course. And he did a fantastic job!
As I think about how anal he is when it comes to our lawn and landscaping, it reminds me of the time I thought it would be nice to surprise him while he was away for the weekend and have the yard mowed when he arrived home. MISTAKE. I butchered the hell out of our yard -- the blade had gotten dislodged, of which I was unaware (long story for another post), and one side of the mower was cutting short, the other side rather tall. Atrocious sight! And I couldn't figure out why it looked so horrible, so I just kept mowing and mowing and mowing ... to FIX it! I've not offered to mow since.
Back to the kitchen update. So we've done our homework, the cabinets we ordered have arrived and are sitting in our garage. I keep peeking inside the box, running my hand across the smooth beautiful cherry/chocolate glazed finish.
It seems like forever trying to get this show on the road, but so much has gone into the planning, and ordering, and budgeting. Kitchen remodels, we found, are NOT cheap. We're looking at twice the cost of what we THOUGHT we'd have to spend. OUCH. Expensive undertaking! But hey, it needs done. So overdue. We figured we may as well get this done now so that we can enjoy our new kitchen for a few years before we put our home on the market and relocate south. So we bit the bullet and schmoozed our man Eddie (Eddie the banker -- he's a good guy that Eddie!) at our bank to secure a line of credit to help finance this. We're confident that this is a wise investment and trust that we'll profit with a nice return on our expense when we get ready to move.
Make it warm, please: We have oak trim throughout all of our home, and oak flooring in the kitchen, dining room and foyer. As a result, we've had to stick to a warm color palette. The oak? Hate it. It MUST go. But having to go with warm shades is actually right down my alley, since autumn hues absolutely intoxicate my senses. A coziness unsurpassed.,,,,,,,,,,,,I think of the warms of Spain ... THAT feel. YES. The color of warm.......It's like an innate thing with me...deep down into my soul....like warm whispers.....
So in choosing cabinetry, we knew without a doubt that the oak cabinets and those hideous shiny brass pulls HAD to go. Our new cherry cabinets will have oil-rubbed bronze pulls, and the cabinets will be staggered -- tall, short, etc. One set will be lighted with glass shelves, and seeded glass doors that reminds me of rain. We're going with stainless appliances, and they're due to arrive on Monday. My youngest son is most excited about having a new stainless frig. He hates our current frig -- we all do. It's old, and ugly and somewhat falling apart. But it still works, and so we've just put up with it, waiting for it to die so we could replace it. It's TIME.
The only snafu we've run into is our granite. We've been to the local granite dealer several times trying to find the granite we want, and because we didn't get our line of credit finalized in time, they sold the granite we'd chosen to someone else. It was one of those show-me-the-money-or-your-granite-gets-sold. So another trip back to the yard when the new shipment of that line came in, and since not all granite is the same, sure enough, it had some peachy, weird hues vs. more cream. Nah! Not digging that. And I'm not paying that kind of money for granite unless I find exactly what I want. So we either wait and gamble on another shipment -- which could screw up the schedule and delay completion -- or make a road trip this week down to NC to another granite dealer to see if they have what we're looking for.
Of their choices on their website, I'm leaning toward Kashmir Gold. We need to keep it light. Our cabinets are cherry with chocolate glaze, and our oak floors, badly stained in places, will be stripped and finished a little darker, a light walnut of sorts -- out with that yellowish-orange-y ugliness. So we need the contrast of lighter counter tops with a little warmth added in. Our contractor says he won't need the granite for another two to three weeks, which is when he'll need to measure for the plumbing, so we have a small window of time to find our granite. The hunt is on!
For the lighting, we decided to go with three pendants for over the island. Right now we have only can lights. We'll keep some of those and add a few more in strategic places, in addition to the pendants! Warm...ambiance! Bring it on. I found these amazing pendants that were exactly the look I was going for (antique bronze) -- and with a chandelier to match for over the table -- and Lampsplus.com
Our garage is a maze of boxes -- the cabinetry, miscellaneous boxes of dishes, wine glasses, kitchen goods, non-perishable groceries, and decorative items that I've had to box away to get ready for the demolition Monday morning. I've emptied, and emptied, and emptied -- cabinets, drawers, shelves, pantry -- then boxed, and bagged, and tagged and hauled to either the garage or upstairs to an empty bedroom, their holding place. The old cabinets come down, the lighting gets moved and removed and replaced, the ceiling patched, the plumbing relocated...and the list goes on. The construction guys will drape heavy plastic all around the kitchen area to keep the dust down, and we'll be camping and cooking out in the living room with the bare necessities: coffee pot, microwave, crock pot, and a makeshift table/counter with a few chairs. I'll be washing dishes in a tub out in the garage every evening in the utility sink. I foresee eating out at least three times a week. Their call, not mine. Me? Give me a tub of Trutein protein, a coffee pot, and a grill, and I can make do for quite a while. But the men of the house are gonna want real food and more variety. Whatever.
This is definitely going to be messy and challenging. And it won't be easy. But without a doubt, it will be worth it in the end......Psssst....I can't wait!
We spent most of
last Saturday at the 2014 Pittsburgh Irish Festival. The day was hot and
muggy, but we had loads of fun. Irish music, Irish food and beverages,
dancing, marketplace, Irish dog exhibits (HUGE dogs!). My youngest son
and I both bought hats. I can't believe he wanted that top hat -- and it
WASN'T cheap!
(Poor Gavin...
the day before his NPC competition,
so food & beverages were off limits)
My hat. Love.
One of my
favorite things was sitting down by the river, listening to the Irish bands.
The atmosphere was inviting, lively and electric, an instant boost to
one's mood. Everyone just seemed so ... well, happy. But then
that's what one might expect from the Irish, me thinks?
The canopy of trees provided (some) respite from the heat.
The alarm (barking dogs) goes off. And I think to myself, No! Not yet. I want to finish this dream...Yeah, right, it's not even a good dream...but I'm sleeping so good....just...let...me...lay...here.......
Next thought: I could just skip today and go to the gym tomorrow ... And then that very loud and annoying voice in my head screeches: GET YOUR ASS UP AND YOUR BODY VERTICAL.
Surely everyone in the neighborhood heard that rude and nasty voice.
Grumbling to myself, I head to the bathroom to pee...so thirsty...really thirsty...so tired...where's the coffee...one thought bleeds into another in one big blur.
I grab my gym gear, clothes, shoes, etc., all packed into a small carry bag to make it easier to descend the stairs at dark-thirty without tripping and falling and waking up everyone in the house.
Heading downstairs, I notice the thick layer of condensation on the windows. Ugh. More of the same mugginess again today...for how many days now?...okay, enough, I'm so over this mugginess...fall weather would be really nice about now.
Feeling a noticeable soreness in my back muscles, I'm reminded of yesterday morning's deadlifts. My first internal smile of the day. Yes. This is good. My motivation is reinforced, reminding me of why I'm awake at this hour.
I head straight to the coffee pot. I drink two full glasses of water, take my B complex, my 7 Keto DHEA and my black cohosh. I pour my coffee, add my fat-free half-n-half...blending it, the creamy white fusing with the dark and rich coffee...such a pretty color...it makes me happy. Drinking my Jolt of Goodness, I think to myself: I'd like a leather purse this awesome shade...the ones I've pinned on Pinterest...any of those will do just fine...
I head to the bathroom and splash my face with cool water, then stare at myself in the mirror. I really don't like mirrors at this hour. Grimacing, I look away and put on my gym clothes and shoes.
I stretch. It feels wonderful...the tension willingly leaves my body ... It will be mostly cardio today, I say to myself, feeling bloated from the mindless picking at leftovers we brought home from the Labor Day picnic at my nephew's. Always too much food at gatherings, always leftovers. It's the reckless, shortsighted munching of those leftovers... just a bite of this, just a bite of that...okay, so another bite...and then just a sliver...it all adds up to a lethargic fog, a waddle effect. I gotta pull in the reins the rest of the week, very tight, very low carbs ... rid myself of this extra water retention. Something tells me I won't see a loss on the scale again this week. And if I don't, who do I blame? Moi.
Time for a quick check of emails, followed by my daily devotions and scripture. God's Word rains down on my mind and heart, washing away the weariness and filth ... feeding me with clarity ... like rain to a wilted and tired flower ... and I'm restored and strengthened with hope.
I begin to pray. The Windham Hill station on Pandora plays softly in the background as I talk with God. The gentle music slows me down, allowing me to totally bleed out my heart to Him, stripping away the pretense and rhetoric, calling forth my utmost genuine praise and thanksgiving, releasing the grip on my fears and my worries. The amazing power of music... filling the empty pauses of our lives when words either can't or won't form... when words sometimes just are not enough.
I prepare my BCAA's in my water bottle, grab my keys, my gym bag, and switch off the lights just before heading out the door. It is dark out, the air heavy, the stillness invigorating. I'm thankful to be awake. My mind is clear and made up. I am resolved. It is a new day.
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