It's beginning to look like a kitchen

The guys have been back the past two days. The project is starting to wind down. The new patio door was installed. The hardwood is finished. The door just needs a bit of trim work done on the interior side.




The appliances are all in place, if not yet turned on.


I have under cabinet lighting!

Garden talk

Between the wedding and the kitchen, I have pretty much neglected the garden this year. I threw down some preemergent and then sprayed the lawn with a weedkiller/fertilizer combo. Other than pulling a few weeds and mowing, I've done nothing else. I made it outside today. It is glorious out there. Warm and sunny without being too hot and humid. My peonies will bloom any day now. The irises are starting to rev up. Some of these were planted last year and are finally blooming.


Cancan Red



Caprice



Champagne Elegance

More movement

Things have been at a standstill for the past week. The granite guys showed up yesterday and started installing my counter tops. (YAY!) Whoever did their measuring, however, messed up. I have a peninsula/bar part of the counter that was supposed to have an 8 inch overhand. The granite was cut without this overhand and was only the width of the cabinets. Big oops. After a phone call or two, Melissa, my kitchen redo organizer, kicked some but and got them to cut a new piece of granite and install it the same day. The plumber and electrician will be in next week as will the tilers and I will be all done except for a bit of paint.



It reminds me of the beach.

Kitchen updates

I was out of town this weekend for a rockin' Hawaiian luau themed wedding shower put on by my lovely sister and mum. Great food, great friends, great time. I'm very grateful to everyone who took time out of their day to spend it with me.



The flooring is done.



The cabinets are in. Randall is here today finishing up the crown molding. The dishwasher and deep freeze should arrive a little later this afternoon and then it is off to a hair appointment and a dance lesson for me.

The flooring guys did a fabulous job today. They finished up the living room and kitchen.



I couldn't figure out why they had started using the upstairs bathrooms. These guys had been very polite and wouldn't even venture up there when I've been home and they had a question. Then I figured it out. They've gutted the downstairs half bath and put the flooring in there.

I leave for PC, OK tomorrow morning. I'm trying to pack up and herd the cat into the Rodeo. I'll leave her at C's house and he can kittysit until I get back on Tuesday. I'm off to do the last of the wedding planning and attend the nice shower my mom and sis have put together for me.



They got most of the entry way completed. They've laid out stuff for the dining room. The main floor should be DONE tomorrow and they should be working on the stairs.



The cabinets showed up tonight.



I really like the color of the wood.

Brazilian Cherry!

The flooring is going in. Juan and his boys work fast. I imagine the kitchen and living room will be completed tomorrow and there will probably be some pretty generous work done on the entryway and dining room as well.



Here's a sample of the wood next to my pale, pale foot so you can do a color comparison.

Flooring progress, sort of

More flooring was ripped out today. I have a pile of old, used nail filled boards in the garage next to my neatly stacked Brazilian cherry.




Got the duct work for the vent hood in.




Lots of electrical cables in place for my new lights.

No photo updates today, the battery on my camera died and I'm still looking for the charger. The contractor ripped out the flooring in the kitchen and the stairwell in preparation for the Brazilian cherry flooring. There are also a bunch of new walls in the ceiling and walls with electric cable hanging out of them. This is a good thing. A lot of other things were going to be hung up if the electrician didn't get out today and do some wiring. He even got the 220 in for the stove....now I just have to order everything. Except for a new patio door which will take _4_ weeks to get here, everything should be done by the end of the next week....barring any complications. And there are always complications.

I thought the colors on those last pictures seemed a bit dark. Here's one that's color corrected.

More kitchen stuff

Here are samples of what's going into the kitchen. On the left is a sample of the granite and the maple cabinets. On the right is a sample of the tiles that will make up the backsplash. The darker rectangular tiles are just an example of the shape and texture, but will be the same color as the hexagonal tiles.

Kitchen renovation

I've mentioned it in a few previous posts, but I've never made direct reference to it. C and I are renovating the kitchen. The impetus for this started a year ago when I bought a new refrigerator and was convinced by the slick saleslady to go up a size. Needless to say, the new fridge was too big by just a smidgen.




I've wanted to redo the kitchen since moving in. The original builder totally cheaped out on everything in here and the colors all looked like they were picked off the discount table at Lowe's. After months of talking and looking at plans, this thing has kicked off into full gear. My contractor called on Tuesday to let me know they could start demolition of the kitchen on Friday. After two days of frantically cleaning out the kitchen and multiple runs down the basement steps, I got it all cleaned out. I went to DC on Friday to have dinner with C. Saturday, I had a dress fitting, took C out to the airport (have a nice trip, sweety!), and attended a nice wedding reception. I finally got home to this:





Guess I can't put it off anymore. Renovation is in full swing. Leave it to me to be doing a full blown renovation 41 days before my wedding.

Official Announcement

Our official announcement made it into the hometown paper. Even have one of our nifty engagement pictures attached to it. Check the link here. Click the camera icon to see the accompanying picture.

Finally caught the sick

I'd been doing well this winter....exposed to all the germs and hacking sick people at work and not a single symptom. Now, just as it has turned March and spring looks like it might be within shooting distance, I wake up feeling miserable. My throat is swollen, my nose is stuffed up and I just don't feel right. On top of that, I start a string of overnights tonight. Ick.

On a positive note, C and I picked out our granite and flooring choices over the weekend. I need to get my flooring guy and my kitchen designer in contact and then we can start making some real progress on the kitchen.

Sumptuous

Sumptuous is definitely the word. I saw this yarn in an email from Purl. It's Ozark Handspun, a 50-50 mix of wool and mohair that has funky colors and a great texture. It varies from almost thread-like thinness to thick, bulky wisps.


Here's a piece of a scarf that I was able to whip up in less than 4 hours.


A close up of the textures and colors of this amazing yarn.

I have a friend who is currently freezing in NYC. I think I will forward it to her so she can stay toasty.

For those interested in knitting patterns, this took 3 balls of Ozark Handspun in "Sumptuous". Size 17 needles. Cast on 8 stitches. Knit all rows until you run out of yarn. Bind off loosely. Weave in all ends and be warm.

Pass the butter!

I've been on a bread making kick lately. I have to thank Mom for turning me on to the New York Times No Knead Bread phenomenon. A quick google search shows that I'm way late to the game, but I'm eagerly hopping onto the fan train. It's super easy and the best bread to ever come out of my oven. I submit for evidence:



Have the butter, honey, and jam ready and waiting. Get in line first. This stuff will go quick. Yummmmm.

Aloha!

Yay! C just booked our plane tickets and hotel for our honeymoon. I can't wait to get there! Take a peek...

Wedding anxiety

Everybody knows that I love to throw a good dinner party. I'm approaching the wedding as just another party....albeit a really big one with a caterer and a bartender. Stories like this one set my nerves over the edge and trigger all of my OCD anxieties. People, please promise to behave!

Merry Christmas!

I'm on day 7 of working 8 days in a row. I've been trying to get the house in order, buy all my Christmas presents and pack in the few hours a day that I happen to be conscious and NOT at work. C and I will fly to T town on the 17th. We're going to spend the night at this nice little hotel. The next day, I believe C has a bit more shopping to do and then we will be meeting our photographer for our engagement photos. This lady will also be doing our wedding photos. I love the sound of her voice on the phone. She sounds so bubbly and cheerful. I can't wait to finally meet her.

I should be in PC from th 19th to the 26th. If you are in town, stop by and say hello!

Fall fell.

We went from hot Indian summer weather to chilly end of autumn weather with barely a pause in between. The fireplace has been revved up. Little Zoe loves to lay in front of the blower belly up. I've put the vegetable garden to bed for the winter. The patio is next. Hard to believe Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away.

The hotel has a group rate set up. Info can be found on the wedding site.

I'm headed to the Big Apple next week. I'm going to hang out with my buddy from residency, eat good food, drink good beer, and see the city like a native. (She grew up there)

If anybody knows where I can find silk tulle, please let me know. Google has failed me.

The big poofy over the top wedding dress that has been sprinkled with glitter and sequins and beads has been bought! Not really. It's only partially poofy, not over the top and there is not a bit of glitter or sparkle anywhere on it. The thing is paid for, however, and the ladies at the workshop in New York City are hard at work on it as we speak.