12 Days In....how many more to go?
Eleven days ago our kitchen remodel started. The plan was to have all the new cabinets set in place in seven days.
The last two days the contractor got the island anchored and finished out. Most of the uppers are hung. The issue with the corner cabinets has been figured out so we're ready for another try at the template on Monday.
It's all looking so good and I'm so happy with my design choices. The white cabinets have really made the place brighter and the kitchen looks so much bigger. It's light and refreshing!
Irv has been working nights for the last two weeks so he has access to a microwave to warm food up. I've been surviving on cereal, peanut butter sandwiches, and salads. Last night before Irv headed to work he took me out for a hot meal (thank you Lord). I had shrimp stir fry, but Irv indulged in the "all you can eat" riblets at Applebees. I tried to tell him that anyone who cares about their health should not have anything with "all you can eat" in front of its name. Tomorrow morning Mary invited me out to breakfast. Yay! Another real meal (not all you can eat).
Hanging around the house for the last two weeks has given me a little cabin fever, but it's important to be here when they have questions. Irv sleeps during the day so I have to find ways to entertain myself. I got my knitting stuff out and made my first ever hat. I think it's pretty fantastic for a first try.
I took Maisy to the vet one day and the vet said my little 11-pound dog needed to lose 1-2 pounds. I decided that since Maisy was starting a fitness regime that it was time for me to start back too. I injured my arthritic foot on that hike to the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial last month and gave myself a few weeks off. This week I'm back on the treadmill trying to get my daily 10K steps (5 miles). Of course I'm on the treadmill in the garage by 6:00 a.m. so I can be finished, showered, and dressed before the contractor shows up. It's a bit cold out there in the morning--today it was 17 degrees and I thought my fingers were going to have frostbite. I can't believe how much better I feel after I've exercised in the morning. It's a good habit to keep up with especially if I want to run that marathon when I'm 80.
I've also been working on some of my unfinished paintings. Above is my Pierre Bonnard inspired painting that has been through a couple transformations.
I decided I needed to add a tree and some colorful wallpaper to make it look more like Bonnard's style. A couple more sessions and it should be finished. I'm kind of loving it.
I've also been trying to get through the Harry Potter movies. This week I got the first three movies watched. Just like the first three books, the first three movies put me to sleep so I have to take them in small doses. Sacrilegious, I know.
I can't wait to get my life back next week. Irv keeps telling me it's good for me to slow down a bit. I'll slow down when I'm dead, life is too short to stay still for very long.
Well, anyone who watched HGTV knows that things come up.
One of the things you never want to find is mold. This was to the left of the kitchen sink next to the outside door. (Gross, I know!) Before we moved into this house 14 years ago the outside doors all leaked dreadfully. All construction has to stop when mold is found to determine how dangerous it is. Fortunately, this was determined to be from an old leak and it did not seep through so they removed and replaced the drywall and work resumed.
Then on the other side of the sink this was found behind the cabinets to the left of the refrigerator. (Really gross!) What the heck? This was determined to be from a leak to the line that fills the ice maker. A small bit of water didn't have anywhere to drain so it was trapped under/behind the cabinets and grew like crazy. Again, the wall was ripped off. The walls to the closet behind this area were inspected. Luckily, it was determined that we could proceed. (Thank goodness for contingency funds!)
Once all the old stuff was ripped out the new cabinets could start being installed. I love, love, love, love, love my new stainless steel farmer's sink!
There was a rush to get the lowers anchored by Wednesday when the stone contractor was driving down from Denver to make the counter top template. The measurements are all done electronically with a laser and computer. Very impressive.
The stone guy was not happy. The island was still "floating", the cabinets in the corner weren't square. He wanted Irv and I to take responsibility if things came out wrong and guess what? No way! Quartz costs way too much to have the possibility of wrong measurements. He agreed to go ahead with the measurements, but the next day he through them all out and said the contractor would have to pay for another trip from Denver. (Contingency fund!)
The last two days the contractor got the island anchored and finished out. Most of the uppers are hung. The issue with the corner cabinets has been figured out so we're ready for another try at the template on Monday.
It's all looking so good and I'm so happy with my design choices. The white cabinets have really made the place brighter and the kitchen looks so much bigger. It's light and refreshing!
Next week they'll get the pantry installed. The new pantry is huge--I love it! They will also finish the uppers then install the new microwave, connect the gas to the stove and set us up with a temporary sink. The counter tops will take 4-6 weeks so they're doing as much as they can to get us set up so we can cook.
Irv has been working nights for the last two weeks so he has access to a microwave to warm food up. I've been surviving on cereal, peanut butter sandwiches, and salads. Last night before Irv headed to work he took me out for a hot meal (thank you Lord). I had shrimp stir fry, but Irv indulged in the "all you can eat" riblets at Applebees. I tried to tell him that anyone who cares about their health should not have anything with "all you can eat" in front of its name. Tomorrow morning Mary invited me out to breakfast. Yay! Another real meal (not all you can eat).
Hanging around the house for the last two weeks has given me a little cabin fever, but it's important to be here when they have questions. Irv sleeps during the day so I have to find ways to entertain myself. I got my knitting stuff out and made my first ever hat. I think it's pretty fantastic for a first try.
I took Maisy to the vet one day and the vet said my little 11-pound dog needed to lose 1-2 pounds. I decided that since Maisy was starting a fitness regime that it was time for me to start back too. I injured my arthritic foot on that hike to the Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial last month and gave myself a few weeks off. This week I'm back on the treadmill trying to get my daily 10K steps (5 miles). Of course I'm on the treadmill in the garage by 6:00 a.m. so I can be finished, showered, and dressed before the contractor shows up. It's a bit cold out there in the morning--today it was 17 degrees and I thought my fingers were going to have frostbite. I can't believe how much better I feel after I've exercised in the morning. It's a good habit to keep up with especially if I want to run that marathon when I'm 80.
I've also been working on some of my unfinished paintings. Above is my Pierre Bonnard inspired painting that has been through a couple transformations.
I decided I needed to add a tree and some colorful wallpaper to make it look more like Bonnard's style. A couple more sessions and it should be finished. I'm kind of loving it.
I've also been trying to get through the Harry Potter movies. This week I got the first three movies watched. Just like the first three books, the first three movies put me to sleep so I have to take them in small doses. Sacrilegious, I know.
I can't wait to get my life back next week. Irv keeps telling me it's good for me to slow down a bit. I'll slow down when I'm dead, life is too short to stay still for very long.
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