Monday, February 17, 2014

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Oh boy…I just went to write my blog and realized I was the last one to post a blog. Last Monday. Yikes. We really blew it this last week. In our defense, we were a bit busy. I'll give you the full scoop. Sorry this will bore you.

We started in on a kitchen remodel. It was a bit of a "if you give a mouse a cookie scenario." Every homeowner knows exactly what I'm talking about. It started with our refrigerator. To put it nicely, it was horrible. A side-by-side that had just enough room for nothing that hadn't made ice for months. (Anyone else need bigger fridges because they have two shelves full of meds? What's with Cayston packaging? It's really well laid out and helpful…but it's HUGE). We were going to get a cheap additional fridge for the garage, but it seemed silly to not just replace our current fridge, that at some point needs to be replaced and was worthless, and use it as the extra fridge. But our previous fridge was white. And well, we prefer stainless and if we want to resell the house at some point, people will be hoping for stainless. So that would mean a stainless fridge. Which would mean all new appliances so they'd match. Which wasn't a bad idea since our microwave would randomly turn on (seems like a fire hazard, doesn't it?) and the dishwasher was rusty in spots. So there was it was, we made the decision to get new appliances. But wait, new appliances? Let's look into getting the cabinets re-stained like we planned to do all along. AND wait, if we are doing the kitchen cabinets and they are already staining, let's see if they'll just throw in the bathroom cabinets. And that my friends is how you end up redoing your kitchen, and re-staining your bathrooms, all from wanting extra refrigerator space.

The project was supposed to take a week. That was 3 weeks ago. Gotta love contractors and home renovations, right? Well I'm happy to say, after 3 weeks of hard work by our trusty new friends, we are very pleased with the outcome.

The kitchen looked like this to start...

Then it looked like this…for a very long time because we got held up. For a girl who considers organizing just hiding things behind a closed door, this was like airing dirty laundry…Anyone that came by saw my dirty little secrets.

Then it looked like this. Please note all the murder scene plastic that cloaked the house for weeks. Thankfully we trusted our helpful contractors, or I would have been nervous they were preparing to kill me while Ronnie was out of town.

Now it looks like this! The back cabinets are a dark walnut and the island is an off-white with brown "antiquing". We are still waiting for the appliances that started this whole mess. They get here today.


The desk area…usually the mail covers the whole thing. So if you ever stop by for a visit, you won't be able to find said desk.

The roses are a nice touch thanks to hubby for V-day. He had flowers show up to keep him out of the dog house for being out of town on the day of love…well played, Senior Sharpe.

Another angle.

This is what the bathroom looks like now (used the be the same color as the kitchen). The other 2 are the same color now but too small to really stand in and take a picture.

Meanwhile, Ronnie was in San Fran all week for work…that's his excuse for not writing. (He can thank me later for making an excuse for him.) Mckenna and I had fun having a girls week full of fun with friends, playdates and lots and lots of playing outside in some gorgeous weather.

And lastly, a cute, exciting, and semi-sad update…we signed Mckenna up to start preschool in July. Yippee and boohoo. She is so excited. We went for a school tour last week, and I had to carry her out kicking and screaming…literally. Our little social butterfly can't wait to spend two and a half hours, two days a week with friends. And the best part is her best friend since the day she was born will be in class with her. They will be so good for each other. Mckenna is uber outgoing, bossy, and doesn't think before she does anything. Her friend is more careful, shy and  we can't wait to watch her step into a new stage in her life. It will be a proud moment to see her walk into school for the first time, knowing she's headed into a chapter that will be full of trials and triumphs for her. Our prayer is that we all navigate the chapter well.