Things to buy

I spent hours at Lowe's on Friday.  Why?  Because I needed tile and faucets and a garbage disposal and a hot water dispenser.  Oh, and some lights.

I chose a slate tile for the laundry room but of course after I carried 5 boxes of it to the car and brought it home I decided that it didn't really look like the display sample they had grouted.  It was far too bumpy so I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it or not.  If I don't, I'm making Frank come with me to return it.  The boxes weigh a ton. I ended up buying the hexagon tiles for the powder room so that will be pretty. 

I also had to buy a new ceiling fan because the other one is so hideously ugly it can't be in the lovely room anymore.  And that's saying something because the one in my golden yellow bedroom is pink.  Dusty rose to be exact (it used to match the dusty rose carpet and ugly rose wallpaper...all of which are gone).  Someday I'll replace that one too.  I also got a new outside light for the back door.  Nothing fancy but nice.

Someday I'll post a run down on how ugly my house was when we moved in.  Dark green carpet, drop ceilings all throughout the downstairs and really ugly wall paper everywhere.  I mean every single room.  But that's a post for another day.

Countertops Selected! (Finally)

After much torture and many visits to granite yards, I've finally gone ahead and chosen the countertops.  We went yesterday and I brought home samples and I still liked it when I got up this morning.  Very unusual for me.  I've already bought and returned floor tile twice since I liked it one day and not the next.  Very fickle!

Anyway, I'm getting honed absolute black for the perimeter counters.  It looks like this:

This is river white and it's for the island:

I really wanted marble for the island but didn't want to deal with the etching and staining that goes along with it.  Anyway, the cabinets are quarter sawn white oak stained a medium color with a bit of a reddish under tone and the island is stained black so I think this will look nice.  I think my mother disagrees but I figure I have to look at it a lot more than she does.  Actually, she just doesn't like the black ones, she does like the river white.  I wanted soapstone on the perimeters but it's too soft and I'm not willing to deal with that.  Some that I saw you could scratch with your thumb nail.  I would prefer not to have chips and stuff all over the place.

Overall, this is such a stressful decision to make.  The cost makes it very unlikely that I'll be able to change it any time soon.

Anyway, another decision I can check off of my list.  Yippee!

Done with week 7...

I'm afraid I'm starting to lose it.  I honestly don't know how much more of this basement kitchen thing I can stand. 







See how my head is tilted?  That's how I have to walk in the basement so I don't clock myself on a pipe.  It's actually getting really painful but there's not much I can do about it.

Anyway, we are getting floors put in and who knows what will happen next.   I hope the cabinets will be ready to install when they need it.  I'm going tomorrow to finally make a decision about granite or marble countertops.  It's all so expensive and permanent.  If I don't like it, I won't be changing it any time soon so I'm getting a little paralyzed by the process.

Also, word to the wise.  If you ever decide to do something like this, make sure you budget a lot extra (like 15% or so) because stuff comes up all the time.  Things you want, things you have to do and a million other things as well.

I'm off to take some advil.  Maybe it will help.

Yippee!

We have walls!!  Wanna see?

We also have wood flooring sitting in the middle of everything.  It almost looks like a real room now.  I'm really very excited but I know we have a long way to go.

My dh and I were talking about why it seems like we have been at this for so long.  We started moving stuff and packing things right after Christmas because we thought things were going to start the second week of January but then it got pushed back two weeks.  That's why.  It's really been a long time of upheaval but it will all be worth it.

I need to pick a hot water dispenser, garbage disposal, a faucet and a few more things in the next few days.  It's killing me.  The choices are making me nuts.  Plus I tend to read far more reviews than I probably should which only muddies the waters further.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring.  I'm sure I'll have something to say.

We Survived Week 6

It just keeps going.  I spent 3 hours with the electrician and the rest of the gang discussing placement of recessed lights and switches and outlets.  It really took that long.  I never really thought about all of that stuff before.  I really just want to be able to turn on the lights when I walk in a room.  We actually do have all of the electrical work done so you can turn on lights in there now.  I just ordered the fixtures that I need.  I hope they get here in time.  I bought all period reproduction lighting from rejuvination.com.  They are really pretty.

I recently started shopping for countertops too.  That's an ordeal.  It seems the more choices I have in front of me, the more confused I get.  I think I've finally narrowed it down though.  Now I just have to choose a fabricator.  Anyway, I also need tile for the laundry area and the powder room.  Since my house is old, I'm thinking of going with this mosaic tile for the powder room.  I'll probably regret it when I have to clean it.

This is what I want for the laundry area but I'm having a hard time finding exactly what I like when I actually see it.

I brought some tile home last weekend but by the next day I hated all of it.  Who knows what I'll end up with.

I'm still bashing my head in every day in the basement.  It's awesome.

Maybe I'll have walls when I go home today.  I can dream, can't I?

We survived week 4 - and Where's Sid?

We just concluded our 4th week without a kitchen.  It's not fun.  Not fun at all.  I've fried another power strip and everything is covered with white/gray dust.  It's exhausting but we are finally all closed in.  We have siding and windows and a roof.  Most of the radiant heat stuff has been laid and we have plywood floors.  We are getting electric run today and tomorrow and if all goes well, the drywall will go up starting on Monday.  It's starting to make more sense in there. 

My husband told me the other day that apparently I have not accepted the limitations that I have been placed under.  I'm still cooking about 5 days a week.  Lots of simpler stuff although you can definitely make a white sauce in the microwave.  Bet you never tried that.  You can also boil pasta in there if you have a big enough bowl.  It's worked fairly well.

Wondering how the dog is dealing with this?  Sid has been spending his days with my friend Lillian.  She's a truly lovely person and is doing me the hugest favor since lately Sid has taken to darting through the plastic opening that is supposed to be separating us from the construction.  It's all fine when people like dogs but if they don't he seems to sense that and acts like an ass.  Anyway, he's enjoying his days with Lillian, getting treats and lots of walks.  The first week he howled when I left him but like any kid who goes to preschool, he got the hang of it and now could care less if I leave or not.

So, what are we having for dinner you ask?  I've successfully made the following:
- Lots of chicken and steak and stuff on the grill
- Baked potatoes
- Steamed Veggies
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Cajun Chicken Sandwiches (one of my absolute favorite things)
- Breakfast for dinner
- Spaghetti
- Macaroni & Cheese (from scratch)
-  Potato Salad
- Asian Noodle Salad
I also baked a carrot cake in my little toaster like oven. Who knows what I will come up with next.  I refuse to surrender to the confines of the basement kitchen.  I will win even if I end up with a concussion in the process.

How are we cooking?

Our temporary kitchen has been set up in the basement.  We've learned quite a few things about our basement in the 9 years that we have lived in this house.  The pipes overhead are very low.  They hit around 69 inches off the ground which would be great if I wasn't 70 inches tall.  A concussion is in my future.  The one outlet we use for the extra refrigerator goes out when it rains, we get water seeping through the floor sometimes, it's a yukky 100 year old basement.  We did not, however, learn that there are only 2 outlets down there until we decided to put the temporary kitchen and laundry down there.  Since the refrigerator is plugged in to the outlet, we decided to get a big old power strip to use.  Surprisingly enough, you can still only use one appliance at a time.  I've already fried one strip and it's supposed to be for power tools and things.  I did it with a toaster and a microwave.  I'm just good at destroying things.

We just finished week two of being completely in the basement.  It really isn't fun.  Especially when you can only use one appliance at a time.  I had envisioned being about to cook fairly well but that is definitely not the case.  So far my arsenal contains the following:

- Microwave
- A small oven (looks like a toaster oven but bigger and it bakes/broils)
- Toaster
- Coffee Maker
- A Crock Pot (which I am not fond of)
- Electric Skillet (courtesy of Mom)
- Electric Griddle (also from Mom...she had lots of appliances)
- A big electric turkey roaster
- A big weber grill outside

Luckily I also had a stainless steel work table that I bought from Ikea a number of years ago.  That has been incredibly helpful.

I think we have managed to cook about 5 days out of 7 so far.  Not too bad but I still think I need to pare down the dinner plans.  Less elaborate is better.  Also, I've started drinking wine out of plastic cups because the giant 100 year old work sinks down there are hell on wine glasses.