no looking back

No more eulogies for old tile! I think my housecleaners are excited as I am to get rid of that hard-to-clean counter with its crumbling grout.

The process we've chosen
You may notice we have those same tiles on the floor. Nope, we're not keepin' em! Those will be going, too, but we're taking things a step at a time on this little remodel. First the counters, backsplash, and undercabinet lighting. Live with that for a couple of weeks, then replace the floor. Live with that for a couple of weeks, and then ... do we need to lighten up those cabinets with a coat of paint or some pickling? I really hope not; what a big job that would be!

Yesterday was consumed with details of the kitchen. Our wonderful contractors, Peachtree Builders, came in the morning, talked over options, and went right to work removing the old countertops and tile. They were surprised to see that the original builder put the wall tiles on plywood. Usually it goes on drywall. The plywood was still in good shape, so we've decided to put 3/8" drywall over the plywood rather than ripping it out and framing for the drywall. There were a few places where some decisions had to be made because of this change, but overall it seems like the best approach. One bonus idea that came out of this brainstorming is the notion of painting the wood that surrounds the windowframe. Since I've been wanting to brighten up this cave of a kitchen, I am really liking that!

Running around
I bought a Whitehaus Dolphin undercounter soap dispenser ... what a nice luxury for not very much money! No more soap rings on my counter, and we plan to position it so any drips land in the sink. I must commend Blodgett's Sash & Door, of all the places I visited, they were the only ones who offered to order a dispenser and have it for me within 1 day. I should have my dispenser by tomorrow! And by the way, if you're looking for cabinet knobs, you have to stop by there. They have an immense selection, so I had some fun looking at all of them while waiting for a salesperson.

I also visited Illuminations, a small full-service lighting store in West Lebanon, NH. The salesperson was most helpful, and sent me home with a spec sheet (which I promptly lost) so I could talk with the electrician about the options. We're going with a low-profile xenon strip lighting, perhaps this one. Xenon lights are warm-colored like incandescents, but take much less electricity and throw less heat. We'll have it on a dimmer switch, and I think it will make the kitchen look really nice!

Respite with friends
The most normal part of my day was meeting some dear friends for lunch. We couldn't hang out and talk as much as we'd have liked to, but it was an oasis of pleasantry in the midst of my currently crazy life. Afterward, I joined friend R to look at a small office she wants to rent for her business. We had to wait for the realtor in front of a pet shop, so of course we went in and ogled the puppies. There was a sweet-spirited miniature poodle whose eyes and manner reminded me so much of Simba, I wanted to bring her home on the spot! It's a good thing we couldn't hang out in there indefinitely!

More running around
A quick trip to BJ's yielded some needed items and a chat with another acquaintance, Marie, who does dog rescue and currently has four big dogs in her huge home with large acreage (I just mention that so you don't envision a passle of labs in a tiny apartment). When I told her about the visit to the pet store, she told me that the dogs in there often have health problems because they buy them from puppy mills. She assured me that if I ever decide to have another dog, she will help me find a small sweet rescue dog. Wasn't it good that I ran into her just then!?

Tomorrow I'll post about the new sink & to-die-for faucet; now it's time for a little lunch and a little more running around before heading off to another 3-hour rehearsal tonight. It's a crazed-busy time, but it's all good stuff!