The kitchen!!!!

This is such an exciting post! The kitchen looks so different empty and OMG do I love...well you'll see.

Wonderful helpers: my dad, J's dad, and friend Chris.

J begins to cut away the window that will connect the kitchen and living room...at long last! I'm so excited.

O M G

Seriously tell me that doesn't already look amazing! And huge! It's about 8' wide.

From the living room...

Let's get ready to remodel!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope the song from "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" is in your head right now! Here are some images from the last days of the old kitchen:

One empty cabinet!

Fridge sans my photos and cards...

The pantry is packed up--thanks to my mom and my grandma for their help!. This small pantry held a LOT of stuff!

Items stacked in baby's room and ready to be boxed (once I buy boxes and tape--don't worry I did that on Sunday!)

This wall will not be whole when you see it next...

Mostly packed and put away, we are ready to demo. It was bittersweet taking these pictures this morning knowing I'd never see this kitchen again (as I'll be at work when J starts demo)

I won't miss this cooktop. It sucks. :)

Really won't miss this oven. It sucks more!

All in all, there are really not any elements I will miss, so I'm not saying I'm sad to see it go. It's just that there are a lot of things changing around here these days and it's getting overwhelming!! Especially when I come home and, as usual, J is pounding away and things are different. That's a little hard to take. But I promise you I won't miss that HORRIBLE, UGLY linoleum at all! It was its time to go. Also, I want to tell you all that your kitchen holds like 75% of the "stuff" in your house and really isn't fun to pack up! My mom was making fun of me for complaining about it ("I just hate getting a new kitchen! Waaa waa waa!") and I don't mean to complain, but two solid days of packing just sent me back to last September, and it doesn't seem that long ago that I packed and unpacked this same stuff! It takes up both of our bedrooms just to store it in boxes and  bags!!

On ward to our latest adventure...I am really excited!

The calm before the storm

Your typical, 1960s kitchen.

The calm before the storm.

This is the kitchen I've been walking into every day for almost a year, and it's all about to change.

As you read this, I am probably packing up said kitchen to prepare for Monday, when J rips it all out.

Stay tuned...

Have I shared the kitchen window updates?

The side door is being deleted...

 

Clean house

My mom helped me to do a lot of cleaning this weekend! It was wonderful. I thought, since it was all shiny and clean, I'd make a little photo tour of our house.

Those vacuum lines...I love them. :)

On the dresser you can spy a painting I found at the Sawdust festival this weekend for Baby O.

A darling book from my mom on the table.

Koal the protector!

And finally I get to climb into my clean sheets and go to sleep!

Living Room updates!

The living room is just about done!

Sorry for the blurry picture; I have better ones to come! 

 If you recall, there used to be an un-drywalled frame-only spot in the wall above from the door we deleted!

Look! No wires under the tv!

Beautiful doors!

Drywall is up!

Before we close the wall...

Two more from the living room

A before and after? Maybe I should call it before and during...

Friday I came home to this big hole in the back of the house! This is where our sliding door was.

And this morning: doors installed, plastic covering the area that once was door and now will be wall.

The home reno process continues!

Well, folks, we are at it again!

Welcome to Remodel Phase 2

The slider is gone and a new door frame is in place. J removes wood paneling from walls

Our new door will be 1.5' narrower so that we have more room for our tv (which will go back where it was)

The un-drywalled patch has been there (left) since we closed in the door to what is now the closet and master bathroom. That wall also has nasty wood paneling which...must also come down!

Panes of glass are in

J forms an electrical system for the wires that will lead to our tv (which will be mounted on the wall) and new surround sound bar.

Doors are in

Wood paneling off!

This clever system of gangboxes and black tubing will enable the wires to run behind the tv and receiver in an organized manner

Another clever "j" solution: He makes tent-like zippered doors from zisqueen to keep dust and debris out of non-construction-zone ares. It really keeps the mess contained. If there is interest I can explain how they are made. In other news, how do you spell visquene? visqueen?