Finally attacking the kitchen...

...and it's been a challenge.

Remember the "before" kitchen?

There was wallpaper everywhere.  While removing the paper wasn't bad, I had to strip the remaining glue before I could paint.  So, I had bare, rough walls for over a year.  I've spent the better part of the last 3 days stripping the glue, and I can finally say that it's finished!

However...here's my kitchen currently:

Yep, that's my stove in the middle of the kitchen.  Actually, the fridge is in the middle of the room right now too.  Oh, and the old microwave has been removed.  Unfortunately, we had to remove the cabinet above the microwave to remove the microwave...so that part actually looks like this right now:

A new microwave, that matches the stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher is hopefully arriving today.  

Today, I'm planning on patching nail holes, and priming the walls.  The man in the paint department at Menards suggested a primer that neutralizes any remaining wallpaper glue in case I happened to miss any spots. After I get the wall behind the microwave/stove painted, I can put the stove back and install the new microwave.  Phew.  

I'm also thinking about doing a tile backsplash...

  

Now, just so you don't think that life is all work, here's photographic proof that I've also been having a little fun on my vacation...

Jeep hair, don't care. 

We celebrated Independence Day at my sister's house, and had the top down on the Jeep all day.  It was a fun, relaxing afternoon with friends and family!  Now, back to work...

A treat to myself...

Not much of an update, but D and I went to the racetrack on Saturday...and I did pretty okay there. So, as a treat to myself I bought a little addition to my landscape:

Isn't it pretty??

We also worked on the yard quite a bit on Saturday...mowing, more mulching, and some weeding.  Sunday, I did work on my office space quite a bit.  I need to buy a new desk chair (something that adjusts height-wise), but otherwise I feel like I am ready to rock the classes.  Bring it on Syracuse, I've got this!

Expect pictures soon...

There's not much progress to report on the house lately, but expect some updates/pictures soon.  I'm on vacation the first week of July, and the plan is to finally get the kitchen painted.

There have been some accomplishments lately.  Dave ran line from the basement into the back bedroom (my "office") so that I could plug my computer directly into the internet.  Why is this important?  I need a hard-wired connection for Graduate school.  Yep.  I'm finally going to be working on my MSLIS.  I've been accepted into the Syracuse University iSchool program.  Woot!  Classes begin in July, so after that last week of vacation, there probably won't be a lot of time to devote to the house.

I also planted some lilies and decorative grasses in the front yard, as well as some boxwoods to replace the overgrown bushes that we tore out last fall.

I'm still here!

I haven't updated in a while...there's not much to update about right now.  I finally got the Master bedroom painted.  I have my bed in there, but that's about it.  I need to get my dressers in there before I feel like I can hang pictures on the walls, etc.    The master bath remains a true mess.  (Why is bath fitter sooooo expensive!)

I repainted Abby's bathroom, a dark Xavier blue with a crisp white shower curtain.  Nice!  And, we updated the flooring in that bath.

This spring, I'd like to look at getting new siding and windows. I think that will make a huge difference in the curb appeal.

It's fun watching the flowers come up already.  I can tell that I've got daffodils and tulips.  I'm not sure what else I'll find in my yard, but I can't wait to see!!

Here's the excitement from this winter:

 

One of my neighbor's trees fell into my yard, and grazed my house.  Luckily, it was a small tree, and it didn't do any damage.

It's better than a hole in my head...

It's a hole in the wall!

Abby was pretty excited that she got to help Tim knock down the wall.  

I cannot begin to express my happiness with the way that this project is taking shape.  I knew that I'd love the opening, but I didn't know how much.  I'm so glad that I bit the bullet and started demolition right away.

This cabinet will be painted the same color as the rest of the kitchen cabinets, and will get the same hardware.  

 And "just because,"  I bought myself flowers.  I saw them at Kroger, and they made me smile.  I figured that was reason enough.

Kitchen Surprise!

I know...two posts in one day!  Shocking!

I came home from work and found this in my kitchen...

Which can only mean one thing...Kitchen renovations are underway!  

This "island" is going to go into the wall between the dining room and kitchen, with an open "window" area to make a pass through.  It will also provide much needed kitchen storage.  I cannot wait to see this project finished! 

Woot!! 

Making progress...

Slowly but surely, I'm making progress in the house.

This weekend, quite a few projects neared completion.  Most noticeably: the living room, dining room and hall were painted.

I still love the grey/blue accent wall!!

I also removed the hardware from my closet, and built something more space efficient.  

Love it, and can't wait to move my clothes in!  Of course it still needs secured to the wall...but I want to make sure that I love the design before doing all of that!

The kitchen has made great improvements as well...New appliances, and a fresh coat of paint on the cabinets.

   

Hopefully the passthrough from the kitchen to dining room will start this week!  Here's the granite countertop for that space: 

And most important of all, Sierra loves having a yard of her own.