Finally - The Backsplash - the beginning of the end

Not yet Perfect but Almost

I'm still waiting to do the tile for the backsplash and I can't decide what to put on the bar countertop (suggestions?) but otherwise, it's pretty nice:

Running Water - It's a Kitchen!

We still have a few inspections to pass but it functions. Dave swore he wouldn't shave his beard until it was a kitchen. See for yourself.

And then, there was light!

The electrician came today. There are lights! And the refrigerator is in the right place instead of in the middle of the living room.

The plumber comes on Wednesday. Soon - the refrigerator will make ice.

I'm so happy.

So - this is disturbing - No News at all about the Miami Dolphins?

The Countertops are Here

The Countertops Will be here on Thursday!

I'm so excited. Within two weeks (assuming plumbers and electricians can show up and no hurricanes mess things up), we should have a kitchen that works!!

Waiting for Countertops

Well, we've picked out the countertops: Absolute Green and they've been measured and ordered so now, we wait. Here's where the sink will go.

We'll be putting in a blue/green/white tile backsplash after we get in the countertops.

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Rainflowers

One of the nicest things about the rain is that after, these wonderful little flowers pop up all over our lawn. So far, they come in three colors - white, pink and yellow. I like them very much.

The Contractor is in the Building

Due to some aspersions being cast on the industriousness of my contractor, I feel the need to publish updated photos of developments in the kitchen.

The back wall will have a wall oven - the cooktop goes on the island at the right.

Here is where the sink will be - it's a farmer kind - like this one:

 
But we couldn't get started on putting it all together until we finished the ceiling:

Kitchen Cabinets

The cabinets start to be included

well, we made some progress this weekend. We've got the top cabinets in and as soon as Dave's finished with the ceiling, we should be able to finish installing the bottom ones.

It's starting to look like a kitchen!

It's a Floor!

Tiling is Fun (I Think)

We haven't actually got to the tiling part yet - just spending the day laying down a cement underlayment. Let's see a rodent try to chew through that!

Ceramic Tile is Heavy but DIYers are Nice

I went to Lowes today and picked up my ceramic tile. Next weekend, I should be on my knees installing it. I met a very nice German lady at the store while I was waiting for the clerk to help me lift the tile out from under the counter (see title) and she gave me some insights into some of the problems I'm likely to have. She suggested that I keep a few of these at the ready to give a slight boost to tiles that just won't level exactly right.

Then, I went over to Home Depot to check out countertops and I met this great guy named Keith who told me a whole lot about the pros and cons of all the different kinds. I have to do some more thinking but he was sure helpful. I'm definitely going to go back to Home Depot when the time comes to order them - the guy at Lowes wasn't nearly so helpful. All he did was complain that someone had pulled his samples off the wall. I pointed out that it was tough to see the colors of them on the wall like that but he didn't seem to care about my convenience. No - I believe I'll be shopping with Keith.

And the adventure continues and speaking of heavy, tomorrow we're lugging cement board in from the garage and attaching it to the floor.

The Kitchen Today

Everything just keeps getting better, getting better all the time (thanks to Dave).

My Personal Hell

Steve Jobs, Bill Gates
Circle I Limbo

General asshats
Circle II Whirling in a Dark & Stormy Wind

Scientologists
Circle III Mud, Rain, Cold, Hail & Snow

Creationists
Circle IV Rolling Weights

The Pope
Circle V Stuck in Mud, Mangled

River Styx

Republicans
Circle VI Buried for Eternity

River Phlegyas

Jerry Falwell
Circle VII Burning Sands

Bernie Madoff
Circle IIX Immersed in Excrement

Osama bin Laden
Circle IX Frozen in Ice

Design your own hell

Apparently, the last photo wasn't up to date enough

So here is the absolute latest and greatest.

And from another angle:

Notice the nice clean underfloor. Yay!

Things Have Been Happening

Well, it doesn't look much better yet but there has been a lot of progress thanks to Dave and the wonderful people at Doc's Plumbing and Paragon Electric. We now have plumbing (apparently, before, we didn't actually) and super powered electrical stuff. We can't use it all yet (I can't remember why) but soon.

Anyway, here's the current state of affairs - well, actually, it's a little better than this - because the hole under the tarp is not there anymore.

Next week - drywall.

The Beginning of the End - Pizza Every Night for a Month Begins

Tomorrow, the plumber comes and so today my husband ripped the last pieces out of the kitchen. We'll be ripping out more of the drywall and some of the floor later but we feel like we've finally started to turn the corner from destruction to creation. Wish us luck.

Let the Destruction Begin!

It's official! We have the permits. We can now begin to destroy the place for real.

Thinking about Missouri

Well, I can't sleep again. I've been thinking about Missouri.


I found this page on the web.

You could make up a story around it.

One day, I decided to take a trip. I love country music and I'd never been to Branson before. Everyone said it was the best. But, what with my recent remodeling efforts - not to mention brand new flooring, my pocketbook was a little empty.

So, I got down on my knees and did a little praying. As I lifted up my eyes from prayer, I happened to notice my aunt Agatha's old painting on the wall. That got me to thinking - could this be worth something? I called my lawyer to see if he had any ideas on how I could find out. He was busy so while I waited, I studied the painting a little more. It was a landscape featuring some of the local wildlife. When I looked closer, I realized that one of the animals in the picture is actually endangered. I wondered if the local wildlife conservation group would be interested.

I hung up the phone (that lawyer was never coming on the line) and called the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Hmm - this is getting a little long (and it's kind of bad too). I need to polish it up a bit so I think I'll go try to sleep and resume the tale tomorrow.

How to Sleep

1. Get really tired.
2. Go to bed.
3. Close eyes
4. Stop thinking

That's it. That's all I've got. I think I'll go try it now.

Hi Mom!

My mom might come by so I thought I'd tidy up a little. Put up a picture of my demolished kitchen in progress.