Day 10: Come and knock on our door!!!

We've got a new back door! It's awesome! We'll eventually get new blinds for the windows and doors...


The under cabinets lights are in...


Over the sink lights...



Fun, cabinet thingies...


More cabinet hardware and window trim...


Uh oh... hmm... This will be tricky...


A shorter drawer front and cabinet door (below) have been ordered to fix this issue :)

Bill is working on fixing our appliance debacle. Turns out, sometime between when we picked them out and now, they've become discontinued. So, when Bill ordered them, the newer models were were sent automatically in place of the discontinued ones. Ugh. So, now they are trying to track down the ones we originally wanted... to be continued....

So, I don't know if Adam will be able to make cupcakes on Tuesday... But it is coming along! And looks great :)

C (& A)

Day 7: And on the seventh day...

We've got floor!


And granite! And a sink!




Crew at work...

Day 6: Stain, Compare, Sand, Repeat

Change of plans today... floor will come later this week. Granite tomorrow, I think. We finally, after an exhausting search and much inner turmoil, selected a faucet. Good golly miss molly.

Today, the crew added some finishing trim/molding pieces to the cabinets (see along top of cabinets, in corner, above window).


Adam also is busy sanding trim.

A lesson learned for us: When you have 15 pieces of trim to stain, it is a good idea to stain one and then compare it to what you are matching. Assuming you like it, stain the rest.

OR, you can stain them all, THEN see if they match the cabinets.

Uh oh.

Note the pic below: the light is on because it is 10pm at night. My husband is the best!


More trim. The red boards are another project Adam is working on for the comic room! Are you excited? (BTW, it is Comic Con this weekend... do you have your shopping lists ready?)


BTW, a couple of you faithful blog readers have asked if we are getting a new back door. Yes, indeed, we are. The old one is barely hanging on at this point.

We also got a new kitchen table and chairs. Our old one (yes, the one with the fun wheeled chairs) is for sale on Craigslist. It is still available for anyone out there who, after viewing our video, feels they need to spice up their evening meals!

Also, another question. Are we getting new windows? Yes, but not this year. We need to replace all of our downstairs windows and plan to use the same company as we did for the five new upstairs windows we put in last year. However, it is not in the budget at this time. Maybe next year! (We are going to get blinds to cover up the ugly windows!)

Baby steps...
C (& A)

PS: I was just upstairs admiring the cabinets. I have never in my life looked so closely at cabinets. I love them. They are so purdy.

Day 5: Getting closer!

Check out these fantastic soft close doors and drawers! (Video! Press Play)




Floor is coming Monday!

RIP Lady Mate Hammer from Carole's first tool kit (hand-me-down from sister Christine)


:(
Still good for hammering though!

Day 4: We've got uppers!

Presents!





Also, drywall: sanded and primed (new ceiling too!). YIPEE!

So Long, Friend

We can hardly believe D-day is tomorrow! Holy schnikes. This is big time.

Below, our make shift pantry (one of the office bookcases) during the construction:


And, where all our kitchen goodies are being stored in the basement:


Oh, kitchen... we've come so far together. This kitchen has made many a family meal (well, not for our family, but maybe the people who lived here before)... so this kitchen deserves a proper send off! So, to cheers to the *old* kitchen! (Turn up your sound for audio pleasure):



Construction begins tomorrow morning at 8:30am and is supposed to last 2-1/2 weeks. I have started a new poll above -- will the kitchen be completed by July 1? You be the judge! Most people I've mentioned this to say "Heck no!". But the promise of a speedy schedule is a big part of why we selected this vendor. So, fingers crossed! Bill, I believe in you and your team! Otherwise, I am going to owe a couple of folks lunch.

I plan to update the blog everyday with one picture, until the kitchen is complete. I won't email everyday, so please bookmark us and check back daily for a shot with the progress.

Are you excited? I AM!

More to come -- daily!
Carole (& Adam)

PS: to the whopping 13 of you who voted in our appliance poll, congrats to the 38% of you (5 people!) who said we'd get our LG appliances, but with a price. That's the outcome! We are moving forward with the LG suite, for a little more money. We think it will be worth it!

Hip. Post-Modern. Sculptured.

Do you feel cool enough to read this blog? "Hip. Post-Modern. Sculptured." is the description from the manufacturer of our cabinets.

Not our old cabinets:


Our soon-to-be-NEW cabinets! See Adam and sample of cabinet door:


He is just as excited about this rehab as me -- really!

So, we've chosen the Bella style door, in Maple, with a Hazelnut finish. Ooo la la.

And here is the hardware style we'll be going with:


All of the hardware will run horizontal, like this picture:


We had a meeting with Bill the Kitchen Man a week ago to discuss the final contract. At that time, he let us take a copy of his drawings:


He comes to take final measurements on April 1. Construction to begin June 16!

Bill the Kitchen Man will also be sourcing our appliances, so that he can control the timing and delivery of them. (No he is not marking them up). Right now, we are looking at stainless steel Maytag appliances:

So, things are coming along! The cabinet style/color is really the only decision will be set in stone after April 1. Then, I think our next big decision will be granite. Oy vey -- so many colors!

OH! Bill the Kitchen Man also gave us references! Three to be exact. I called two of them on Friday and within the first few minutes got invited to both of their house to see Bill's work. So Tuesday and Thursday, we'll be seeing two kitchens done by Bill. Both references were really pleased with their kitchens. We are excited to see them in person. On another note: if we disappear on Tuesday or Thursday, well, check the address scribbled on the notepad on my desk :)

Decor updates:

Look at these guys! Aren't they precious?

I found these wonderful animal portraits on etsy.com, my favorite source for original artwork. The artist Ryan Berkley also writes these silly descriptions for the portraits he sells, so I printed them and hung them underneath the portraits. I originally planned to hang these in our stairway. However, they are SO special, I decided to hang them in the hallway by the first floor bathroom, on the way to our bedroom.

Neato! The frames: $10 for all eight from the Salvation Army. Plus a $3 can of bronze spray paint. Viola!

Also, after a visit to my grandmother's house, my mom brought me some quilt squares she found that she thinks used to belong to my great Memeré Airoldi. After thinking and thinking about how to display them, I found inspiration on one of my frequently visited design blogs. So, here they are:

The quilt squares are hanging in embroidery hoops, which you can purchase at Michael's or Hobby Lobby for about $1 each. Hip. Post-Modern. Kitschy. No?

And finally a shout out to Sandy, a faithful blog reader. She saw our wall hanging:

from Textile Arts and snatched one up for herself. Here's her new wall art:

Happy Easter everyone! If you don't celebrate Easter, I hope you had an awesome weekend. Here is a cute picture of us from Easter dinner:


PS: Dear family, some of you emailed to ask how our Easter was... I am married to Adam, right? Here is a little taste of our holiday at Grandma Nemec's:


Till next time --
C (+ A)

PSS: Like the new blog layout? I hope so. See the poll up top people! Vote! Vote!