The Final Stretch

Yes, it's hard for us to believe, but we feel we are approaching the final stretch of our kitchen remodel.   And boy, are we ever ready for it to be done?   You bet!

Sunday afternoon we decided it was time to tackle the subway tile backsplash.   The application was pretty straight forward....the only hassle was the 450 lb. stove that could only be slid part of the way away from the wall.   Joel came up with the idea of screwing a small board to the wall to support the tiles so they wouldn't go sliding down the wall (behind the stove) while the adhesive dried.  Worked like a charm.

 It was a bit of a stretch for me to reach the middle sections of the wall behind the stove, but we got it done.   Joel and I have done tile jobs before and we only get cranky with each a little bit during some phase of the job or another.    By the time we're done, though, we're high five-ing each other about how great it looks.

Putting up tile is actually a lot of fun.   I get to use my quilting skills for measuring the cuts and I even use my quilt ruler since it's much more accurate than a tape measure.    We only goofed on a couple of cuts, so, that wasn't too bad for a bunch of amateurs.

Pretty soon we had the job done....just in time to watch Sunday Night Football.  Yippee!    I really like how the tile turned out and after waiting overnight it should be ready for us to grout.

Grouting.  Yuk!   I despise grouting.   It's hard on the arms, especially when you have to reach over cabinets and up at an angle behind the stove.   After dinner Monday night Joel asked me if I had enough energy to tackle the grout.   Sure, why not?   After all.....the only thing we had happen was a lightning strike earlier that morning and lost our phones and tv and who knows what else?   Yeah, I had recovered from the scare of a lifetime.  Ok, let's have at it.

We grouted and scrubbed those tiles until 10:30 PM.   I could hardly wait to clean the counters and have the guys push the stove back in place.   Ahhhhhh.....now that's better.   At least we went to bed with our mess cleaned up.   There's nothing like waking up and walking out to view your work from the night before and being able to enjoy the fruit of your labor.

Now we just need to return the sanded caulk that Joel mistakenly picked up at Lowe's and get the smooth stuff.   Once the caulking is done, the only job left is to install the under cabinet lights which will help eliminate the dark corners.   Simply amazing.   As I put more items away I'll post some final pics of the kitchen.....ALL DONE!!!

Meanwhile, the dry wall guys made good headway yesterday hanging the drywall in the studio.   They ran 3 sheets short so they brought those with them when they returned today to start taping all the seams.

This is going to make such a great space for my sewing, scrapbooking supplies, and extra, much needed storage in the back room.   I can hardly believe I'm going to have a studio once again to work in! 

Meanwhile, the DISH repairman came this morning to straighten out our lightning strike mess.   And would you believe, in the middle of his repairs our electricity went out for over half an hour?   These storms are wreaking havoc with our area.   As I type, the wind is blowing, we have intermittent rain or drizzle, and a fog keeps trying to blanket our whole farm.  By the end of the morning, the power was restored and the phone guy came a day early and he was able to repair our phones, too. 

Whew!   What a crazy start to our week we've had.   We're heading into town now to pick up some more supplies and hopefully settle into a quieter week.  

Almost there,

Debbie

And Then It Rained...

Yes, because we didn't have enough adventure in our lives, Mother Nature decided to add some more spice to our life.   Today started out as a typical Monday, we knew we had the dry wall subs coming to start in the studio and the electrician was on his way to finish up connecting the studio to the main power in the house.  

I had decided to take a quick shower before anyone showed up and the wind had picked up considerably, so, I was super quick about getting in and out of the shower.   I am deathly afraid of being in the shower during any storms as our house was hit years ago during a storm and the lightning traveled down the plumbing system of the house.   Not exactly the place I want to be during a storm!

Joel had just walked into the bathroom when a tremendous "BOOM" shattered the quiet of our house.  I screamed and jumped out of the shower so fast it startled Joel.   We both looked at each other, trying to figure out exactly what had happened.   As I was drying off, he shouted that I needed to get dressed as he smelled something hot in our living room.   Ummm, yeah, I got dressed pronto.   We both ran around the house, checking for signs of smoke and damage. 

At first, we thought a huge tree limb had broken off of one of the trees over our master bedroom.   But then we talked it through and realized we had been hit by lightning.  He yanked down the stairs leading to our attic and checked it out first, making sure nothing was on fire or smoldering up there.   After half an hour, we discovered our phones were down, our fax machine was fried, and our satellite box and Blue Ray player were also toast. 

Hey, if that's all, we felt pretty fortunate.   I just kept whispering, "Thank you, Lord.   Thank you for protecting us.  Thank you, Lord."   It took us the better part of the morning to shrug off our initial shock and shakiness.   Our electrician arrived just after all of this happened and he helped Joel check out everything to make certain we were safe and nothing was going to start a fire. 

Just after the lightning hit, the heavens opened up.   Joel was watching out the window and said it was hailing.   By the time I looked for myself, this is what I saw.

 The noise was deafening in our house as the hail continued to pelt our buildings.   And the wind was crazy ferocious.

Doesn't the pavilion look like it has snow on the roof?    See all the hail on the pavement and how far inside the pavilion it blew?

When I looked out front our lane looked like it had snow on it, the pieces of hail were so large.

When the storm calmed down a bit, I dashed outside and grabbed this hailstone.   After laying it on the floor, I fished around in my purse for some change and placed the quarter next to it so you could see how large the hail was that pounded us.   When the rain, lightning and hail finally stopped, we went outside to survey any damage that may have occurred.   There was most definitely no huge tree limb on our roof, confirming that we had to have been hit by lightning.

The only other damage we could find was one of the windows on my new studio broke from getting pelted with the hailstones.    I've already put a call in to our builders to order a new window as they can't repair the upper portion that is broken without replacing the whole window.   Oh, well, if that's the worst of it, we feel we got off easy.    It'll be a couple of days until our house phones are repaired and the DISH guys said they will be here tomorrow to work on that end of things.

So, yes, it rained on us this Monday.   The sun came out just after noon and the wind is still pretty brisk.   The weather channel says we are to get more severe storms this afternoon.   And now I can see the dark clouds moving in once again.    I can handle more rain, but this time I hope the severe stuff goes somewhere else.

Moving right along,
Debbie

Project Updates

We're chugging along here.   Just one simple project after another.....ha!    Our handy electrician came last week and did his thing installing the wiring for the studio.   Then it was our turn.  

Joel and I hung insulation on the walls in preparation for the dry wall guys.   Yes, we are actually paying someone to put up the dry wall.  Sometimes you just have to know when to let the pros do a job.   We both know how to hang and tape off and mud drywall joints, but we hate it!    And those sheets are pretty danged heavy, too.

That's a lot of insulation to put up.....but it will go up....one batt at a time.

And a few hours later, ta-da!   The walls are done!   Now, let's switch gears.  Yes, welcome to our world......two major projects going on at the same time.

The cabinet guys came back and installed the upper cabinets on either side of the stove hood.   They also put all the knobs and drawer pulls on for us.   I really like the dark finish on the metal against the white cabinets.

Now we wait for the counter tops to come.

And here is the first one going in!   Yea!!!!    We picked white quartz with grey veining and blotches.....it looks like French marble....so pretty.   And it will be a dream keep clean and to roll dough on, too.

A little fine tuning was needed to fit a couple of the counters in place.   But, oh, how pretty it looks now.

The one special touch I requested when we ordered the counters was that the center island have a different edging.    The owner of the counter store calls this his Kentucky Edge....because a fellow counter maker in Kentucky showed him how to do this pretty corner treatment.   I just love it!

I'll be showing you more shortly....
Stay tuned,
Debbie

Happy Fall, Y'All

Just wanted to wish you all a lovely Fall.   The leaves have barely begun to turn here on the plateau and I'm enjoying each day as the temperatures slowly start to decrease.   It's time to start putting the garden to rest, but first I have to finish cleaning out the last of the veggies still ripening.   Joel and I went into the garden this morning and cut some of our dried corn stalks to use as a decoration at the mailbox.  

Joel was laughing and asked me who I thought was going to see it way out here in the country?   Seriously?   Doesn't he know me well enough by now to know that I did it for me to enjoy....not to decorate for the folks who pass by our farm.   It only took us 10 minutes to cut and bundle them so I could attach them to the mailbox post, but I think it turned out charming.   I'm having too much fun!

Maybe I'll plop one of our pumpkins beside the mums when I harvest those next week.   For now, I'm just tickled to be "getting my country on".  

Happy Fall, Y'All,
Debbie

Quilt Retreat-2014

Because I didn't have enough to do around here (just kidding), I took 5 days off last week and went on a quilting retreat with 24 ladies.    Read all about it by clicking on the link to my sewing blog @ www.pinkfloridathreads.blogspot.com.

  A fun time was had by all!    And I was fortunate to start some new friendships, too.
Debbie

The Studio Has Arrived!

Yes, the very next day after the kitchen cabinet installation began, the studio was delivered.  Um, yeah, we like to keep things hopping here.   Nothing like 2 major projects happening at the very same time.  

I'm not sure if I was more excited to see the kitchen cabinets arrive the day before or if the studio getting delivered took First Prize.   I guess it's a toss up which one won.   Let's just say that getting closer to a fully functioning kitchen and sewing room are both at the top of my "happy place" list.

Mose was driving the truck and he took a running start to pull the heavy load through the small gulley between the road and our yard.   I held my breath but he's an old pro at delivering these buildings and it was just another day at the office for him.

He was able to maneuver the truck and studio into position perpendicular to the enclosed porch where my sewing room is currently located.    To do that he had to thread his truck in between a giant oak tree and one of the grape arbors.   It really was interesting to watch him continually adjust the angle of the truck and the studio....all the while keeping an eye on the obstacles in his way.

And now for the fun part.    His truck is equipped with an intricate system that allows him to slide the building off the trailer and then continually adjust the angle and height of the building until he can place cement blocks underneath it as he levels the building.   It took him the better part of 2 hours to accomplish everything, but when all was said and done he had leveled the new studio to within 1/2" of the old sewing room porch.  

The new studio is now perpendicular to the house and the door at the left end short wall is perfectly lined up with one of the windows in the old sewing porch.   The plan(plan?   really? ha!) is to remove the window in the sewing porch, replace it with a door and build an enclosed breezeway to connect the new studio with the old sewing porch.   That will allow me access to the studio without having to go outside in inclement weather.  Yes, I do love spending the day sewing in my jammies.

Now this looks like a fun gizmo to play with, doesn't it?  Each side of the trailer can lift or lower independent of the other side.   It was very cool to watch them ease the studio into the perfect position.

Now that the studio is in place it's time to level it and put the blocking underneath it.

See what I mean about the huge oak tree?    And you can see the arbor with it's white painted posts behind the trailer.   Not exactly the easiest place to deliver a building, 'ya think?

We chose to have hardi-board put on the studio that matches the workshop and the chicken coop.  Eventually we will have to remove the brittle white vinyl siding on the house and then we plan on matching the house to the new outbuildings.   But that's a project for another year.   Thank goodness.   All the buildings on the farm have matching green metal roofs, white trim and white windows.   As we change out the house to tan hardi-board, we'll incorporate some stone work around the foundation of all the buildings and that should give the farm a cohesive look.   But, like I said, that's a project for another year.

As all our neighbors drove by the house that day they slowed down to see what in the world the new city folks from Florida were doing now.   At least they all smiled and waved as they drove by....

Gotta love living in the country,
Debbie

Phase One: Kitchen Cabinet Installation

Yes!  The cabinet guys were here today and began putting our kitchen back together again.  Can you say,"Debbie is so happy!"?

 But before any new cabinets could go in, the few remaining old ones had to be removed.   Boy, were we ever glad to see those bad boys go outside.  Not the cabinet installers, the old cabinets.  The installers were wonderful!

And now we're starting with a blank slate.   The door to the right is our laundry/butler's pantry where the canning shelves that Joel built and old cabinets are now in place.

As two of the cabinet guys were preparing to install the new cabinets, one of the men took on the task of repairing the sub-par work of a previous carpenter.    Right after we moved in, we hired someone to built this pantry surrounding the refrigerator.   On the right of the refrigerator is a bookshelf that holds all my cookbooks.   The problem is, the drawer slides were installed underneath the drawers instead of on the sides.....and the weight of the canned goods was causing the drawers to collapse.

Um, yeah.  Not good.   Especially since this is supposed to be a pantry.....a place for canned goods.   Hmmmmm......well, it took the better part of the morning but they now work like a dream.    Thanks to the conscientious  work of one young man.   It's amazing how well things work when they get installed as they were meant to be installed.

Another mistake we made was the paint color I choose.   It was too creamy and pretty much looked awful in our kitchen.   So our new guys took off the doors and they will get sanded nice and smooth(they were really rough, too) and repainted to match our new cabinets.  It's my job to use the paint they gave me to repaint the cabinet cases so when they return with the newly painted doors everything will match the new cabinets. 

They even removed the upper portion of the cookbook case so it could be properly sanded and painted in their shop.    Things are starting to look up now.  This will create a really polished kitchen that has all the same quality workmanship.

I just loved walking out to their truck and seeing all our new cabinets lined up, ready to be installed.

That's quite a pile of old cabinets, the one counter I used for the last 8 months and the utility sink.  Guess we'll repurpose the sink in my potting shed some day.   As for the cabinets....good riddance.   They went back with the cabinet guys.

Now for the fun stuff.    Drumroll, please.    The upper corner cupboard is the first to get installed and all the others build off of that one.  These guys were perfectionists about leveling everything.

I'm liking it already!   The right hand wall is where our new sink will go under the curved arch cabinet with the dishwasher to the right of the sink.    And there will be counters everywhere!!   Yippee!

Our guys even installed the stove hood that Joel spent hours and hours researching on the internet.   We were afraid it wasn't going to arrive until mid-October but we got a call late last week that the hood had arrived at the plumbing supply in Chattanooga, so we drove down there Friday to pick it up personally.   It was worth the trip so it could be put up right away.   One problem occurred, though, after it was up as the installers realized the two upper cabinets on either side of the hood were each 1" too wide.   Rats.   I felt really bad that they now have to remake those two cabinets so they will fit in the space remaining.

 Once again our rocking chair porch served as a staging area.   Out with the old folding tables we've used for 8 months and in with the new hood, sink, and cabinetry.

Ok, things are starting to take shape now with the lower cabinets in place.    I'm so excited to have real drawers and shelves and cupboards to store all our kitchen items that have been in boxes for over a year.   It's going to be wonderful to cook in a fully equipped kitchen sometime soon.

This is how far we got today.   After the guys cleared out their tools I took a few pics of the beginning of our brand new kitchen.   I kept pinching myself all day today because I could hardly believe all our planning finally resulted in our kitchen being transformed before my very eyes. 

The huge cabinet to the left is my baking center.   The wide drawers below will hold all kinds of baking tools while the upper cabinets will hold flour, sugar, etc.  The stove looks so pretty now with it's complementary hood(it's hard to tell in the pic but the hood has chrome rimming the curves up to the ceiling with a wide band of chrome in the lower front).  The center island will house my pots and pans and the baking sheets have their own special cabinet with pull out dividers to hold them in place.

The black beadboard behind the baking center has sanded edges to make it appear more aged.   So does the center island.  It'll be wonderful to have actual counters to work on once again.   Our old kitchen was a dream to cook in and I've missed the functionality of it.   I believe I'll have that once again in this smaller farmhouse kitchen.

Once the pantry is repainted and the doors are back in place it should marry seamlessly with the rest of the kitchen.  There will be a place for everything and everything will be in its' place.    Can't.  Hardly.  Wait.

And I almost forgot about the farmhouse sink!    This beauty is porcelain and should provide a lifetime of service.   Pretty soon it will be in working order and paired with a lovely faucet and sprayer.

Please ignore the ugly glue and various colored paint on the wall behind the stove.   As soon as the counters go in Joel and I will commence with the tiling.   Yes, we're going there again.   But we're good with that.   That's my story and I'm sticking to it.   Simple white subway tiles are all this kitchen seemed to call for and I think I'm going to enjoy the ease of cleaning with them in place.  

Now we just wait.....wait for the countertop folks to let me know what day they will be here to template for the counters.    And then the counters should be installed a week after that.   Then the plumber can hook up the sink and dishwasher and I should be fully functioning by that time!   And sometime in between the cabinet guys will be back to reinstall the doors they're painting for us and put up the 2 cabinets they had to rebuild.  Hopefully 2 weeks from now I'll be unpacking the remaining boxes from Florida and lovingly placing my kitchen tools in their new home.

But wait, there's more!   We got the call that the studio we ordered 8 weeks ago (it was supposed to be done in 4 weeks) is going to be delivered tomorrow morning.   Yes!   How crazy is that?   I had been hoping the studio would be here on time so we could work on one big project at a time.   Oh, well, what's the fun in that?

Going to bed early tonight,
Debbie