The Tiles are here, The Tiles are here!

All the turkey and cranberry done and back to real life.

ltt-aftermath

The Tile Guy called at about 9:30 am this morning to say he was on his way! When he arrived he had a whole bunch of tiles. I guess when I made my selection it came with a 3 inch border and then a twisty cap. Very pretty but it wouldn’t look right with the 3 inch lip the counter top people put in. So I decided to get rid of the twisty part and (sadly) the 3 inch trim.  I really love that trim but it just doesn’t look right. (Sigh)

back splash 001 copy

Just the back splash please.

The poor guy has a lot of repair to the wall to make. It was really gouged when they tore out the old yellow tiles. That has slowed him down somewhat but we are making progress.

back splash 002 copy

It occurred to me last night as I sat in a turkey stuffed stupor that the kitchen came out close to the color I had planned for the bedroom. Now I’m not sure if I want the bedroom green after all. That could be a little too much green in such a small space. I will give this more thought once  I get the house back together.  Maybe a light blue?

back splash 004 copy

My friend Jamie gave me another idea for the soffit area. I mentioned I might stencil some vines or something there and he suggested those signs you can get from the craft stores .

back splash 005 copy

kitchen wall

My personal favorite so far is ” A messy kitchen is a happy kitchen and this kitchen is delirious”

Another good one: “Kitchen Dinner Choices- Take it or Leave It”

I could get real tacky and put a neon “Eat” sign up there. Maybe even make it flash on and off???

How ’bout “I only have a kitchen because it came with the house.”?

muisjelach

But there are lots to consider and chose from. images

Tile Guy will be back tomorrow at 9 AM to remove the placers and grout the tiles then I just need the microwave to arrive.

back splash 003 copy

Once that is installed this project will be done…except for some painting that I will now need to step up to do.

Let The Long Weekend Begin

Good evening folks! I don’t have new tile in my kitchen but I do have a new electrical panel…in my living room. It’s the law. You can no longer put that ugly box out of sight in a closet and because of where the old panel is located there was only one place they could legally put the new one. I haven’t quite figured out how to hide it yet. I’m thinking on it.

electrical 001 copy

My own electrician came in and got me all set up for the Microwave range hood. The new hood will arrive sometime next Thursday, December 4.

Rocky has finally begun to get used to all the door bell ringing and men coming and going. He isn’t cowering behind the furniture. In fact this afternoon he was snoozing under his heat lamp when the Electrician came back with the bill for the panel. I don’t think Rocky even opened an eye. Tim (that’s the electrician) laughed and laughed over him. I explained how the heat lamp had come about and he thought that was interesting but the thing that really got him was the way Rocky was sprawled under it and paid no attention to a stranger in the house.

electrical 005 copy

All of the people who have worked on the kitchen have asked about the heat lamp. Most thought I was nuts or that I was taking spoiling over the top. Once I explained I got the lamp in hope of correcting Rocky’s habit of over grooming and how it worked, they all changed their tune.

This evening I was channel surfing (I should have been putting more stuff away but…) and they had something called “Ballroom Blitz” on. I’d never heard of it before so I checked it out. OMG I didn’t  know whether to laugh or cry. It captured that world so perfectly from the expense of lessons and costumes and travel to the addictive nature of the sport. It made me miss it. As much as I wanted to turn it off because of the emotions it was pulling out of me, I was glued to the set. If I ever win the lottery I know I’d be right back at it. Its been long enough that I could be an amateur again. I could dance for exercise and the fun of it.

ballroom_edited-1

Just not at Arthur Murray’s. Nope they will never get another dime from me but that’s a story for another day.

 

 

Slowly but Surely

Sorry there was no update last night. I got caught up in the sorting, cleaning process. Yes I now have water in my kitchen sink. The plumber set up my facet and spray and the other gadgets completely backward to what I am used to but it works. Maybe he is left handed or maybe I’m the backward one. 🙂

updates 004 copy

The plumber said he had never seen cabinets and counters like these. He kept checking them out. He said most places he’s been have had wood grain or white cabinets. He thought my off-green (the color name is “Ocean Floor”) was a nice change of pace.

The cabinet guys came back too and made custom shelves so my new cabinets are ready for stuff! They were impressed with the counter tops too.

updates 001 copy

I went a little nuts at Bed, Bath and Beyond for expandable drawer inserts and a holder for cookie sheets and other baking pans. Then I discovered that I can order them through Ebates.com and get back some $$$. So I finished my order there and earned $5.00 back! It gets paid quarterly so I may do more ordering through that web site. We’ll have to see.

I ran some of my decorative dishes through the dishwasher . They seemed to have a thin coat of grime. I guess the cooking oils had coated them and then the fine sanding grains all stuck to them. They didn’t come clean so I did an internet search and found out that a light scrubbing with baking soda , of all things, should cut the grease and clean them up. And it worked! Cleaning the Kitty Kat Teapot now.

updates 002 copy

Who new that baking soda would become my new go-to cleaning product. This old dog just learned a new trick!

My electrician is coming tonight to put in an outlet box so the tile people will leave a space for a new outlet. Then tomorrow the condo association is sending  their electrician to upgrade my electrical panel.

electrician-3

The tile people are due sometime tomorrow too. Is the end in sight?

 

 

 

 

Just a Lazy Sunday

I spent the day picking at the boxes of kitchen stuff. There are only a few shelves I can use at this point as they all need to be washed down and have new shelf liners. The problem is with no plumbing (water) in the kitchen yet it’s hard to make much progress with just a bucket and running back and forth to the bathroom for refills of fresh water.

I got through 2 boxes and gave up. I really need the shelves fixed in the new cabinets so I can figure out what I can put there and what needs to go back into the existing cabinets. I also have to keep the counter clear until the tile people get here.

counters 004 copy

I have a big box of cleaning stuff that needs to be under the sink but I can’t put that away  until the plumber is done. Oh and did I mention the glassware is covered in dust from the sawing and sanding and all needs to be washed. Of course the dishwasher isn’t working yet either! Same thing with the stove. It’s disgusting. The stove top is covered with a fine dust! No way can any food be prepared on that stove top. I think I know why people add new appliances when they re-do their kitchens. Its to  avoid the clean up of the old appliances!  I hope I have an old toothbrush so I can get into the little cracks and crevasses.

kitchen2 011 copy

I think I’m going to cut back on my Thanksgiving dinner. I’m beginning to doubt I’ll have the kitchen ready for the preparation. I’ll have the turkey and maybe some green beans (from a can), sweet potatoes, stuffing (Stove top) and gravy. Skip the mashed potatoes, glazed carrots and cranberries, and desert. Just stick with the basics. That will be more than enough food for just for me and will minimize the pots and pans I’ll need to locate!

The Thanksgiving Turkey float  during th

Of course, I’ll be watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade 🙂  and I will be counting my blessings because for all my complaining, I still have a very blessed life.