~KITCHEN REMODEL STILL GOING STRONG~

   

 ~PREPARING TO OPEN UP WALL THAT LEADS TO Mr. AGP Man's OFFICE~

Before I say anything about our ongoing IT'S TAKING FOREVER TO DO KITCHEN REMODEL I want to say a huge thank you for the kind notes you left me after my recent fall.  I'm much better today...still can't go out, drive, etc.  But I'm hoping by the middle of next week I'll be better and back on track with my life!

 

 ~FRAMEWORK FOR THE DOOR COMPLETED~

Our kitchen remodel started sooo long ago and we've been living with some sort of rip-out ever since.  Again~when you are do-it-yourselfers and you are saving and paying as you go it can really take a long time to get things done.  Add to it about an 18 month hiatus for my hubby's school and it's easy to see how projects can be left in limbo.

 

 ~OFFICE POCKET DOOR IN - PANTRY DOOR NOW A POCKET DOOR~

Since January we've done a lot.  Moved tons of wiring in the attic to accommodate the repositioning of appliances, etc.  Load bearing walls needed support...all the things that need to be done when a kitchen is literally torn down to the bones.   This isn't a makeover...it's a total remodel...

~OLD FRIDGE REMOVED~WATER LINES SOLDERED CLOSED~

Both the doors you see at the top were actually the corner of our original downstairs bathroom.  The pantry door (the right one) was originally the door that led into the tiny half bath.  We hated it as it was right by the breakfast table...in other words...no privacy (especially for guests!).

~FRIDGE IS GONE and MORE CABINETS, TOO~

This is the opposite side of the kitchen.  The fridge is being moved to the other side of the kitchen which I HOPE I'm going to love.  Originally it was right in the opening of the once galley-style-kitchen and if you were standing there with the door(s) open no one could get by you! 

 ~ANOTHER CABINET GONE!~

 ~UGLY COUNTER-TOP GONE~

~OUT AT LAST~

After much thought and planning we still don't want it right in the doorway...so it's being moved.

 

 ~ORIGINAL WALLPAPER PEEKING THROUGH~

I haven't shown too much of the left side of the kitchen because it was pretty much left in place while the really tough stuff was done first.  Living through a remodel is horrible...but it is what it is.  Can't afford to move out of our home while it's being done and since the main worker also works a full-time-job most of the work is done on the weekends.

Now...see that wallpaper above?  The entire ceiling of our den and breakfast room showcased this lovely avocado/medallion style print.  After moving into the house in 1992 I tried my best to remove it.  Since it was hung directly onto the sheet-rock that stuff was NOT coming off.  Anyway...ended up texturing over it.  This little bit was around a grill we have HAPPILY removed. 

~RIPPED OUT GRILL IN UPPER RIGHT CORNER~

You can see the grill in the upper right corner of this picture.  This photo was taken a long time ago and after we removed the center wall that separated the bathroom and laundry room from the kitchen.

~ORIGINAL KITCHEN BEFORE RIP OUT~

In case you forgot here is a picture of the kitchen before we started the remodel.  Simple galley kitchen that was totally non-functional!

Our target date for completion is December...or at least by January 1st.  I would NEVER have dreamed it would have taken so long to get everything done.  But...I have stood by and watched my hubby work nearly every weekend doing everything from plumbing to electrical and he's a master at what he does.  No slouching here.  Just a one-man-crew working non-stop.  The boys (Brandon and Micah) come over and help when something big needs to be done...but for the most part my beloved has done everything by himself!

 (SOURCE)

I've looked at tons of pictures and I've come across one style I love the most.  You can see it above.  Love everything except the steeple style cabinets.  But that can be changed!!!

I'm hoping that after all the wiring and plumbing, moving of doorways are completed it will look something like the one you see above.  I'm so excited as most of the super-tough-grunt-work is done!

~More Photos of Inspiration Kitchen~

I'm going to say it again.  Total remodels down to the studs are NOT for the faint of heart.  It's back-breaking work and requires tons of life-altering sacrifice.

When I need a big pan to cook with I have to go into the garage and dig one out of the boxes that hold almost all my cookware and bake-ware.

Someday!  Someday! Someday!

Someday it WILL all be done!

If you want to see more pics together you can visit my PINTEREST page that shows more of the progress!

Hope your Saturday is lovely.

Love to you...

 

~FALLING DOWN DOWN DOWN~

Not really sure how I did it...but earlier in the week my backside met up with the concrete walkway just outside of our local Tuesday Morning Store.  I don't remember much about the fall except that it knocked the wind out of me and I felt pretty sick to my stomach while trying to regain my senses...  I knew the fall was serious enough to where I couldn't get up on my own.  The shooting pain up my back was my first clue.

I must have been making some noise (I don't remember) because a precious lady named Kathy A stopped to help me.  She was able to get my Mr. AGP Man on my cell phone and my daughter as well.  Then, without me even asking, she put her hands upon me and prayed.

I will never forget her kindness.  She waited with me until Steve was able to get there (about 20 minutes) to take me to my doctor.  After a round of hip and back x-rays I found out nothing is broken, cracked or fractured.  Just a humongous bruise on my left side and more soreness and pain than I can ever remember having.

For the past two previous weeks my Miss K was with me so I had lots of things to do...errands, shopping, sprucing up of my booth and a house to clean.  So...I was excited about my day and planned to get a lot done only to have everything fall flat (pun intended) at only my second stop of the morning.

After a burning shot in my hip and some pretty heavy duty medication (which I hate taking) I slept only OK.  I feel like I've been in a car wreck or something even though I'm very grateful that my injuries were fairly minor.  Today I'm thanking God for his protection and for KATHY A for getting involved.  I've already hunted her down (thanks to my hubby remembering her last name) and plan to do something special for her as soon as I can.

Your prayers are appreciated.

Love to you...

~SNAPSHOTS and SEPIA DREAMS~

When your only grandchild comes to stay for two whole weeks at her Nana's house you've got to get creative to keep things interesting...  If not the long summer days can go bust in a big fat hurry!  So~what did I do to keep one amazing ten year old from getting totally bored day-in and day-out?

Well...after days of doing the usual...swimming, shopping (lots of shopping!), reading, movie watching, taking walks, working on my booth (yes...she helped me) we had to find something different and out of the norm to do...  And so....

We played DRESS-UP!!!  Or at least my Miss K did!

Together (um...it was more MY idea than HER idea) we decided to pull the clothes off one of my display mannequins and with the trusty aid of a few safety pins my favorite little girl in the whole wide world was dressed to the nines.  We curled up her hair and added just a wee bit of lip-gloss and mascara to her already beautiful face...grabbed an old hat and shoes for some props and away we went to the backyard for some picture-taking-fun!

 

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had and what a trooper my Miss K was during the entire process of photographing her.  Even when it started to get a tiny bit warm outside (imagine all the clothes) she didn't complain one little bit....

I always wanted to do something like this when my daughter, Adrienne, was little.  But...back then we didn't have digital cameras...no Photo Shop, no Paint Shop Pro, and certainly no way to manipulate photographs via the computer like you can today!

Adrienne grew up and I never did get those dress-up pictures taken...  I'd give almost anything if had some photos taken with my old 110 camera or 35mm...

Anyway...by the the time Miss K and I were finished with all the pictures (only took about 10-15 minutes) we came in and snacked on peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwiches and sipped on sweet tea.  A fabulously FUN MEMORY TO MAKE and a day I will never forget.

  

I told my girl how special she was to me and promised her that one day...hopefully a long, long time from now...the pictures would mean a lot to her as well.  I told her I knew it was hard to picture herself as an older lady, but that one day she would be and she would have grandchildren of her own.  I hope she will look back on this afternoon and the memories we made and will remember it as a special time in her life.

In November Miss K will turn eleven.  Not many more chances to snap photos like this.  Before long she'll be a teenager and moments like this will have passed us by.  So happy we were able to carve some time out of our busy lives to create something lasting...and forever.

Make your day count!

Love to you...