kitchen renovations

Merlin’s Newest, Newest New Spot

/ Katie / 20 Comments

Now that the kitchen is finished, I spent some time this weekend rearranging things a bit. Nothing major – just some tweaks to how I’d decorated, because it’s always nice to change things up and make things fresh, right?

Well, Merlin must agree, because he found a new spot (yes, another one), and I’d say he fits right in, wouldn’t you?

Yes, he’s quite the showpiece.

Alas, I evicted him shortly after taking the picture, and he had to find another comfy nook to look handsome in. But he managed. As cats do.

Figured we could all use a smile on this Monday morning, and Merlin always obliges, doesn’t he? 😊

Upstairs bathroom renovation starts this week. Short story hopefully on Friday. Happy creating, y’all!

It’s Official: I Have the Kitchen of My Dreams

/ Katie / 26 Comments

Y’all, it’s done. The kitchen’s done, and it’s the stuff that kitchen dreams are made of.

We still need to move things back in, and the range hasn’t been hooked up yet.

But other than that, we’re all set and sorted, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. To remind you, here’s the before…

It’s so much brighter, and lighter, and I just love the butcher block countertops.

It’s so nice, I really don’t even want to cook in it.

Better get over that, though, because three-ish weeks of takeaway dinners is certainly more than enough!

Now, onward to the upstairs bathroom. We’ve got about 11 weeks until Baby Girl arrives, so here’s hoping the work goes fast!

Happy Friday! (Or, Lots of Good Things)

/ Katie / 21 Comments

And it is a very happy Friday indeed! Why? Well –

First of all, I passed my 3-hour glucose tolerance test. “With flying colors,” said my provider. The test itself was just as awful as I thought it would be, but I’m still grateful for it, and I’m grateful to know the results. The momentary discomfort is worth the knowledge, and if things had turned out differently, I would have been glad to know that, too. Once upon a time, I wouldn’t have known at all, and the outcome for me and Baby Girl might very well have been affected. I’m thankful to be alive and pregnant in a time when testing like this is available, routine, and designed to help both mama and baby stay healthy.

So, yay! I can still have cake and other lovely sweet stuff, which is nice, because yesterday was our ten-year wedding anniversary, and Graham and I celebrated with a really good dinner capped off with a very tasty dessert.

White chocolate bread pudding with apple gelato and jam. So, so delicious. (If you want to get it, too, and find yourself in our little corner of Virginia, then I’d encourage you to check out The Ashby Inn and Restaurant in the beautiful village of Paris, Virginia.)   

Ten years married, almost fifteen together, and Graham is still my favorite person in the whole world. 10 out of 10. Would marry again.

And on top of the other good stuff this week, work on the kitchen is coming along wonderfully and should be done quite soon.

The tile looks great, the cabinets and countertops complement each other exactly as I thought they would, and the retro-style appliances fit right in.

Not every week is a great week, but this one’s been pretty good, all things considered. I’m 28 weeks pregnant today, which means I’m officially in my third trimester, and I just can’t wait to meet this baby. I know our world will look very different soon, but I’m ready for those changes, and excited for them. Right now, the future sure does look bright. And I’m just very, very happy.

I hope you are, too.

Time Marches On

/ Katie / 18 Comments

As of today, we’ve got 100 days left until Baby Girl’s due date. It feels like forever and way too fast to get everything ready.

As of yesterday, Merlin (the Magic Cat) is a year old.

As of this week, the kitchen’s coming along nicely. New paint.

One section of countertops and a new sink.

And lots left to do. But even small steps are steps forward.

It’s short story time, and I’ve got nothing. I plan to work on it throughout this week and weekend, but it will be next week before August’s short story gets posted. We’re visiting family starting tomorrow, and I just know I won’t have time.

Time, time, time. Funny thing, isn’t it? Infinite, theoretically, but it certainly doesn’t work that way for us. But as the old song says, it certainly marches on.

I’ll be taking a break Friday and Monday, but I’ll be back on Wednesday, hopefully with a late short story for August. In the meantime, I wish y’all happy creating! And if you’re in the US, a lovely holiday weekend!

Kitchen Things!

/ Katie / 22 Comments

Good news for a Friday: work on the kitchen has started! It’s feeling a little like barely controlled chaos at the moment.

And it’s certainly a challenge to be without countertops and other functional kitchen things for a little while.

But it’s just a temporary inconvenience, and it will be worth it in the end.

Progress is progress!

/ Katie / 12 Comments

Alas, work on our kitchen has yet to begin, but we did order our new appliances, and they look so good! We went ahead and installed the refrigerator, since ours was broken, and y’all…

…I love it so much. It’s bright and fun, and I think it’s going to look perfect in the space. We also got a new, retro-style microwave, because why not?

I’m getting sort of antsy knowing that the work hasn’t started, and we’ve still got our upstairs bathroom to finish, and Baby Girl will be here in about 16 weeks. But whatever happens, I know it will be fine. And when I do get anxious (which is a lot), Merlin reminds me to slow down.

Cats, y’all.

Our basement bathroom is also (finally) finished, so I’ll post some pictures of it soon. In the meantime, I will repeat to myself: Small steps are still steps forward. I’m grateful for progress.

Time to Write

/ Katie / 23 Comments

Things have calmed down around here after some unexpected stress in the middle of the week, so I feel like I finally have some time to sit down and really write. That’s how I’ll be spending my weekend. So, expect July’s short story on Monday – a little late, but life happens.

And in the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at our butcher block countertops!

Work on the kitchen starts next week. It’ll be a whole different kind of chaos from this week, and I can’t lie, I’m looking forward to it.

Onward, and happy creating, y’all!

So…where’s the July short story?

/ Katie / 9 Comments

Alas, here we are at the end of another month, and while I’ve got a pretty good start, I just don’t have a good enough finished short story to post today. Why? Well…

Our refrigerator broke over the weekend, and suddenly, I had this brilliant (read: crazy) idea that here was our opportunity to replace ALL of our appliances with the retro-style, bright white stuff we’ve been ogling for years. The problem? Money. (Usually money when it comes to renovations, right?) Luckily, I think we found a good option, but it’s been stressing us both out, me and Graham, since Saturday. I expect we’ll get everything ordered by tonight though. And I promise to post pictures when things arrive.

Also, I started working on our baby registry over the weekend. I am. So. Lost. I’ve got a checklist I’m working from, and I’ve gotten advice from lots of very wise people who’ve done this before, but I just feel so intimidated by everything we need to get, and by how many choices we have. It’s just…a lot. It’s a lot. It’s worth it, and for a few minutes, it was even a little bit fun. And I know I’ll be relieved when it’s done and shared, because people have been asking, and it’s so nice and very appreciated that they’re thinking of us, and I feel like I’m behind. One thing at a time, right?

And now that we’re past 20 weeks, though I don’t think I’ve ever been so grateful and happy in my life, I’m also anxious in a whole new way. Like, we’re over halfway there. She’s going to be here in no time. And if something goes wrong (God, I hope nothing goes wrong), it’s going to shatter me. I’m not thinking fatalistically. I’m actually very excited and feeling like everything will be fine, but anxiety isn’t rational, and those fears just creep in without warning. Often at the worst times. Like today. When I’m trying to finish this short story.

Anyway, if you’ve been reading this long, I suppose I just really wanted to give an update and share that July’s short story will be a little late. I want it to be good, not just to exist, and to do that, with how scattered my brain clearly is, I just need more time. Expect it on Wednesday, which means two short stories in August!

I’ll end (it’s past time…this has gotten pretty wordy, hasn’t it?), I’ll just say that I’m so grateful that these are my problems. They are good problems, and I know that. I am privileged to have this kind of stress in my life. This is just a moment, and it will pass. So, onward. The future is bright and happy and filled with very cool new appliances and a beautiful baby girl, and it’s so close.  

Choices, Choices (Or, The Great Backsplash Dilemma of 2023)

/ Katie / 11 Comments

Well, just as I suspected we would, we went for it. We chose butcher block for the kitchen countertops. Specifically, a beautiful, oiled cherry. It just felt right. It’s going to look incredible next to the blue cabinets, and will really pop against the bright white we’re going to put on the walls.

The questions now is: What about a backsplash?

This is NOT the thing I thought we’d have the most trouble with. But here we are, and I’ve got no idea what would look best, and what would look right and not piece-y and would blend well, in our small kitchen.

A simple white subway tile? I don’t hate it, but we’re using that style in the master bathroom, and I feel like you definitely don’t want bathroom vibes in a kitchen.

Something more colorful? Great idea! But it’s going to look really busy in such a confined space.

Pressed tin? Yeah, it just doesn’t look…correct.

Just go without it? I actually would be totally fine with this, and I think it would look great, but butcher block requires some kind of backsplash, since it needs to expand and contract and can’t sit flush with the wall. Didn’t know that before. Do know that now.

We’re at a loss. And we’re up to our necks in tile samples. I know we’ll figure it out, but man, I just really wasn’t anticipating putting so much thought into this. The good news is, this is the last thing we really have to choose. I shouldn’t complain.

So, onward. Another day, another decision. What would you do?