Random Thoughts

I think I have stretched out the writing about our kitchen renovation just about as far as I dare. Although there are still a few things to put away, I am, for the most part, finished with both the redo and the telling of it. Now when I walk in the kitchen I get a yummy feeling of accomplishment. And when I read my journal posts I'm proud to feel a little like an Erma Bombeck apprentice - able to find humor in the mundane and meaning in the chaos. For awhile there, the blending of the new with the old seemed daunting. From the day I chipped that first cabinet door off its painted hinges, I had a good idea I was in over my head. Likewise, when I started writing I realized it might not be easy to find the fine balance between humor and whiney drama queen. In my opinion I think I measured up to both challenges. I gotta feel good about that. All in all I'd say it was a good experience. There was a lot to be done and a lot to learn. There were times when my emotions, both up and dow...

"Every project worth doing has a crisis stage." Luther Reynolds One of the more interesting HGTV shows I've been watching lately is called "Mission Organization." The perky young hostess -whom I suspect has probably never lifted a finger in her life or she'd have a job that's more difficult than wading through other people's stuff and saying something inspiring like "Oh, my!" with dramatic flare - leads the cameraman around a room piled high in debris that looks like a tornado blew through. In reality this is the way some poor couple has lived for most of their lives. I am not a pot who would dare to call a kettle black, but I am both fascinated and grossed out by the way some people live. Even my son's teenage bedroom or my daughter's grown-up bathroom would look, if not neat, at least liveable compared to some of these rooms. You get the picture .... After displaying the mess du jour, the hostess turns the couple over to a person ...

After the cabinet guys left, I had the weekend to sit back and contemplate how wonderful everything looks. I'm having trouble deciding which improvement I like best: the pristine white laminated cabinetry, the fine paint job (not counting a few semi-gloss booboos), the new drawers or the cupboards with lazy susan swivel shelves. Oohlala, it is just too much to take in all at once. As kitchen mavens the world over know there is no rest for the weary. Monday morning dawned with sunshine and the realization that there was still a lot of work to do. The floor man called to say he'd be here bright and early Wednesday morning (today). That meant I had to step up my pace. I needed to finish the wallpapering and tackle the job of gently placing old "stuff" on new shelves. [Photo: Old floor autographed by Girl Cat] Wallpapering seemed the lesser of two evils. I've done that before, albeit more years ago than I can remember. I trusted my ability to complete the task. I trus...

Wh at a difference a day makes. Okay, so it was more like five days. Five of the hottest days of the season; yet luckily a week with no afternoon thundershowers. While I have no doubt that my very own "Home Improvement" tool men, BJ, Mark and Zack, could have weathered the rain, I suspect it would not have been good for the treasure trove of a tool trailer wet. Brad, the kitchen Tune-up contractor, was right on with his estimates ... number of days it would take to order all the parts; number of days it would take to do the work; number drawer pulls and knobs. His only teeny tiny discrepancy was the fact that the old cabinets were built in place so when the boys started pulling them off the wall, they sort of crumbled. Oops! This was not a problem for BJ, Super Carpenter. It did, however, become a bit of a problem for Dad's wallet. But what we got for a couple hundred dollars is two cabinets that rival any work of art. I'm talking awesome! So now that the carpenters a...

At the risk of sounding years older than I really am, I want to ask, "do you remember when?" Remember when you were a kid and you had to walk to school, uphill, in the snow, without a coat, or some such thing? Okay, okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But in my case, there IS a true story of me trying to get to the bus stop on a blustery winter's day when we lived at Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago. In my memory, the hill was of Everest proportions, but I'm guessing if I saw it today it be more like a molehill on steroids. The snow and ice were, as I recall, something even Eskimos with sled dogs would have tried to go around. In reality it was most likely just a normal Chicago snowfall. The sidewalk I had to climb was right across the street from our house. It led to a set of stairs from which it wasn't much of a walk to the bus stop. I can only say that now with the benefit of hidnsight; I wouldn't have believed you when I was 7 years ol...

Although it's been awhile since I last posted an entry, don't think for a moment that my renovation project is complete and I've given up blogging to rest on my laurels in a newly decorated kitchen. In fact, unlike the weekend projects on HGTV, my kitchen redo has taken on a life of its own. Don't tell anyone, but I suspect the Project Manager (ME) is in way over her head. Like I have mentioned before, on TV the workers come in, do the job and leave. They are always smiling and high fiving each other like they have found a cure for cancer, rather than applied a few coats of paint. Before starting my own project I thought this was a little bit of overkill. Now that I know what is involved in "applying a few coats of paint" I have a whole new respect for painters. In my opinion they earn their high fives! I have learned that painting is a lot more involved than just picking out a color and slapping it on the wall. It is clear to me after spending the last 72 hou...

Chapter One: A few months ago I decided our kitchen needed an updated appearance. Dad didn't like the word "modernization." His school of thought is this - if something works, why change it? And I have to admit this kitchen has served this family well for 45 years. It is, however, a little tired looking. The paint is peeling off the ceiling; the cabinets show all three coats of paint they've worn over the years - yellow, green and brown. And even though I am a fan of Clorox Clean-Up for most household messes, the grime that has built up UNDER the floor cabinets, is, well, disgusting and doesn't speak well for the person in charge of cleaning. So, remembering the early days of my marriage when my husband would go on an extended deployment and I would spend my time and his money redecorating, I didn't think twice about tackling the job. And, hey, I watch every "re-do" store on TV. Those projects are usually completed in two days and come in under budg...