Inconceivable!

I've been getting added to a bunch of people's circles on Google+ and I'm not sure why or how they found out about me. Then I saw on my profile that I've inexplicably had over 37,000 views? Of what!? I don't even post anything! TELL MEEE

Remember how I renovated my kitchen and we couldn't move the refrigerator into its designated spot yet? Well, my mom's making yet another effort (3rd time's the charm, right?) to have someone git'r'dun. Next Thursday we'll have the contractor remove the ancient swivel door that's blocking our way and he's going to just roll her right on into that kitchen, it's going to go very smoothly. Yes, it will, don't backtalk me, fate.

My mom and I are planning a trip to Maine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. It's gonna be awesommmmme.

Renovation Update III

These photos are rather dark, so the colors are a bit off... but you get the idea! Here is the kitchen pre-appliance installation!

 Lookin' pretty snazzy! So far, we have had the dishwasher and stove installed. My first cooked meal in the house was potstickers! We wanted it to be either broiled salmon or banana pancakes but my mom wasn't going to be home when I cooked and I didn't want to have anything fancy by myself. Oh, well!

The refrigerator, on the other hand, is still in the garage. The installation people were apparently not qualified to move the refrigerator from the garage to the kitchen, so now I have to call "delivery" people instead. Honestly, with all the money I've been spending, I'm just going to go ahead and wait to schedule that particular appointment. I don't mind going out to the garage to get food for a while.

Some paint touch ups still need to be made to the trim and some of the wall and cabinetry, as well as having my cabinet guy re-drill some of the drawers he messed up on. That was a whole lot of drama I really didn't want to deal with, but at least he's still going to fix it on his own expense. Maybe deep down he knows he effed up even though he's verbally blaming everyone but himself for his mistakes.

I'll probably put in some final photos once all the appliances are in, but this is about it! I'm happy to report that I am no longer brewing coffee in my master bathroom anymore.

Renovation Update II

Lots of fiascos and stresses have been going on at the house over the kitchen renovation. The tile I ordered was poorly represented by the sample piece I used to select it. The sample piece appeared to have a nice, clean look, but when the tile arrived, the other pieces were so much more rustic feeling and it would not have fit in well.

As a result, I had to go tile shopping again and was able to find a replacement for less money and still looks good. It's just a shame that I can't return the other tiles without a massive restocking fee, so I'm saving them for another project in another room for another time.

My mom and I were stressing out about money, and she'd been itching to put her past home on the market, which finally happened this week. The agent she's working with had suggested she paint some of the rooms a grayish color to replace the midtone yellows and greens, only there was yet another fiasco with the painter not getting the right swatch, so the walls looked terribly white against the existing yellow trim and it didn't match the existing floors or fireplace... So we had to tell him to stop and find a new swatch to use, and now the issue has been fixed to some extent, though still ugly and not even gray, which wouldn't look good with yellow, anyway. We wish we could have left it as it was before, which honestly looked a lot better. So sad.

But the cabinets have been put in, the backsplash is up, lighting, sink, faucet, garbage disposal, and dishwasher are all in! Unfortunately we were lead to believe that the dishwasher was ready to use when our carpenter said it's "all hooked up", so when we turned the thing on we were surprised to find smoke instead of water. The water wasn't turned on! At least it was under warranty. That's what they're for, kids. So we have a repair specialist coming this weekend to fix whatever damage we may have caused.

All that is left to do now is tile the floors with the replacement tiles that should be delivered today, installing the rest of the appliances, and adding knobs and pulls into the cabinet door and drawer faces. I expect I should have some before/after photos some time next week! Hooray!

New Homeowner

Hooray! As of last Friday, I am officially a brand spankin' new homeowner. My first visit there with the keys in my hand involved lugging a camera around into every room to take "before" photos. We intend to change quite a lot of things cosmetically and some structurally, too, over a very long span of time. This past weekend involved spray painting some of the brass fixtures around the house into more pleasing palettes. We no likey brass fixtures.

The first visit as a homeowner also involved our real estate agent taking silly photos of my mom and me enjoying the house. She left us a gift on the kitchen counters welcoming us to our new home with a bag full of new tools, which we broke in over the weekend.

 

The first major renovation on the list is the kitchen. The existing cubby for the fridge is too small (we are replacing the refrigerator with our own), and there is no ventilation over the stove. This for the most part requires us pulling out the old cabinetry and replacing them with new ones, so we are essentially re-doing the whole shebang. I probably won't ever see it this way again myself: my mom is helping demolish the room today.

 

Don't worry, we are keeping those adorable breakfast nook cabinets.