A Gathering Place

Hello again my longtime friends...

Here is the sink side of our new kitchen. We are a couple of weeks beyond this now, but I thought you'd like to see what the cabinets actually look like while you peruse the the other pictures below! If you missed my post from yesterday you might want to check it out to catch you up on what we've been doing FOR SO LONG NOW!

Anyway, today I'm showing you more of our kitchen remodel (complete renovation) pictures. Like I shared with you yesterday we are finally on the downhill slide of things and my Mr. AGPMan and I are beyond thrilled to be to this point. Just a few more things and we will be done...

Whew! Long, long journey!

(Nevahhhhh Again)

I'm trying to keep the pictures in order, but I know a few are out of place. In a few days I'll share more pictures of what everything looks like painted and once our back splash is on I'll be able to take even more pictures of you.

I know firsthand complete kitchen renovations cannot be done in a one hour HGTV show even though they would like for you to believe it's all simple and easy. It isn't. Not by a long shot. Just so you know I 'm not allowed to turn on that HGTV channel until we are completely down with our kitchen. I think my hubby is afraid I'll want him to start another project! (NOT!)

Anyway...I'll be back again in a few days to share more. I ordered our cabinet pulls this morning and they should be here by the weekend.

I've missed you all so much and hope to chat with you soon!

~REMOVING THE OLD WINDOW~

~LIVING WITH CHAOS AND LOTS OF TEMPORARY FIXTURES~

~REPOSITIONING (MOVING) OF DOOR TO LEFT SIDE (LEADS TO LAUNDRY & BATH)

~HAVING SHEETROCK UP AFTER LIVING WITH OPEN WOOD BEAMS WAS WONDERFUL~

~NEW WINDOW AND TRIM~

~PAINTING OVER THE GREEN SHEETROCK~

~CONSTANT WORK~

~PAINTING DONE...TEMPORARY...BUT, DONE!~

~VINTAGE DOOR TO REPLACE OLD BACK ENTRY DOOR~

~MAKING PROGRESS~

~WIRING CONDUIT HIDDEN BEIND CROWN MOLDING~

~I HATE THE HOME D*E*P*O*T ORANGE SHIRT (HA!)~

~LOVE THE MOLDING~

~KITCHEN CABINETS AND GORGEOUS NEW FARMHOUSE SINK~

~MORE CABINETS WITH CUSTOM HEADERS/TRIM & CROWN MOLDING~

~NEW LG REFRIGERATOR...STILL HAS PLASTIC ON IT!~

~WORKING ON ACCENT TRIM~

~READY FOR PAINT~

~NEW DISHWASHER...STAINLESS!~

See you in a couple of days...

Love to you~

Good Morning All...

~APRIL 2015...Remodel Close to being Complete!~

I thought I'd pop in and say and hello and just SEE if any of my old peeps are still bloggin'... Life's been so busy for me the past two years that squeezing in time to do much more than WORK has been almost impossible. I thought I'd catch you all up today on what's been going on with us and to see how you all are doing...

~WHERE WE BEGAN~

First...Happy JUNE and HAPPY SUMMER! Can you even believe that almost half the year is already over? Time is movin' on, isn't it? I realize how FAST the months have passed by when I see that Hobby Lobby is beginning to stock the store shelves with Christmas. WHAT? Say it isn't so. Not at all ready for that!!!!

~THE RIP-OUT BEGINS~

If you've read my blog in the past then you know that in April or 2011 my hubby returned to school to finish up his one missing year of college. He graduated with honors in December of 2012. Very proud of him! Then in early July of the following year (2013) he was laid off from his longtime job (almost 17 years) at Xerox. We were stunned by the termination and were grateful he was only out of work for seven months. Going back to school in his 50's was tough, but it was absolutely the right move. Without his degree in Computer Science he wouldn't have landed the job he now has with a local college (he's still loving it!!!). We have friends who have lost their jobs and are STILL looking for something permanent.That December my hubby lost his father and the following February (2014) my precious daddy slipped away to heaven... In July of last year our daughter and her hubby moved in with us while they began the hunt for their first home. None of us ever dreamed it would take so long for them to find the right HOUSE and I'm happy to say they are now moved in and on their way to building happy memories in their beautiful new home. Secretly I'm hoping a sweet little baby will be on the horizon soon. Still just have my Miss K and she will be 13 in November (I know...CRAZY!)...

~ABOUT TO UNCOVER A NIGHTMARE!~

Lots of life struggles, trials and heartbreak sprinkled with good days and even some measurable JOY! Today My Mr. AGPMan and I are doing wonderful and I continue to be thankful for God's goodness to us. We've survived some difficult days and by God's grace we've emerged to the other side of sorrow.

~THE PIPES LEADING UPSTAIRS WERE A CHALLENGE TO MOVE!~

I share this with you because in the midst of all of the heartbreak, chaos, loss and schooling we've been chipping away at the kitchen renovation I've blogged on and off about for about four years. I should have called it a "Downstairs Renovation" because that is what it became. Couldn't begin the actual kitchen portion of the remodel until so many other things were done... The tearing down and ripping out of the kitchen (laundry room and bath) took so long... And I must add that when you lose your JOB in the middle of such a huge undertaking you DON'T go and spend money on projects until you have another one!!!! Rebounding from being out of work was tough financially, but we've recovered by focusing on each new day as well as our long-term goals.

~VERY NARROW GALLEY KITCHEN~

(See How The Fridge Sticks Out From the Doorway!)

During the renovation there were times when it all became overwhelming and I can honestly tell you I'm glad it's almost over. We knew it would be at least a two-three year long project, but we never could have imagined all the things that would be tossed into the mix to mess up our timeline. My hubby has done ALL the work (hundreds and hundreds of hours) except for installing the granite counter tops and our wood flooring. He is also going to build me a custom island if the one we hope to purchase (a vintage drugstore counter) doesn't work out! Staying on task (and working when our funds got LOW) has been challenging. But, here we are nearing the end of the makeover journey and we are both on cloud nine and still happy we started it when we did. We can see the light at the end of a long, long dark tunnel and we couldn't be happier our home will once again have order. We still have some trim and wall painting to do, installing of our back splash and also the wood flooring. But other than that we are pretty much done. What is left is NOTHING compared to where we were even last January.

~COMPUTER LAYOUT OF DESIGN~

One thing I can tell you is that the vision for our kitchen remodel definitely changed since we first started it soooo many months ago! We had to give up a few things as they just didn't work out with the final layout and design (namely a fabulous vent over the stove!). But, overall I'm totally in love with the outcome even though the work to get to where we are today has been MORE than grueling! I still love vintage, chic and all things French Country and Farmhouse. But, I've moved away from having as much fluff around as I once did. These days I favor a little 'less' for my kitchen instead.

So...if any of you out there are still interested I'm going to start showing you pictures of the process this week! Not sure if they will inspire you or deter you, but either way I hope you will at least see that hard work does pay off. Even if it takes longer to get something done than you might think. During the process I constantly had to remind myself that the renovation was a journey...a project...and NOT a contest...