The Icebox

I'm in Atlanta right now with Mom & Dad but Carrie sent this picture via text message to me yesterday! The Icebox has arrived! From what I can tell it was probably best that I wasn't there to witness this great event as it took several hours for the delivery men to get it in. They had to disassemble the whole thing after my contractor insisted that it was not going back. We've waited since mid May for this fridge to arrive (It is the MOST popular model of fridge right now)! Yeah! It's finally here. By the way - it's not blue - that's just the protective coating that gets peeled off after final installation. I love peeling it off - very satisfying!!

Good Eats

Grilled Chicken, Avocado, Cucumber, and Lettuce from the garden(ftg).

Spicy Tacos with tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, lettuce(ftg), cilantro(ftg), homemade guacamole, cucumber, and salsa.

Corn tortillas prepared on the griddle pan of the new stove!

It's Heating Up In Here

Gas Stove/Convection Oven Installed Today

Wishy Washy

We swapped out last week's dishwasher (right), with its huge and bulky handle that blocked my drawer with the sleeker and even cooler - ultra high functioning dishwasher shown on the left. It even has "smart dispense" which allows me to dump the whole bottle of cascade into the door of the dishwasher instead of storing it under the sink. The dishwasher then dispenses the soap as needed. Inside it has several nice features such as the china clips and flaps for all of the silverware baskets.

(double click to enlarge)

New Hardware

Getting Closer

The kitchen was a buzz on Monday. Lots of "little" things took place including the installation of all of the lighting and the ceiling fan. I ended up finding a reasonably priced brushed nickle fan at Lowes. It is definitely the right fit. As I type right now, the faucet, garbage disposal, and dishwasher are being installed. Yippee. The stove and microwave will follow sometime this week. On June 7th my refrigerator arrives. I am very excited to have the appliances arriving. It makes it feel like we are getting close.

I think you should petition . . .

I was going to write a post today about my favorite microwavable meal.  It's what I had for lunch today:  Trader Joe's Chicken Tikka Masala.  Oh was it good.  It's not just me who thinks so, there are tons of reviews out there on the deliciousness of this fine frozen feast.  I thought that after reading the post you might make your way to your local Trader Joe's and pick up this delicacy that can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes and perhaps even grab a bag of frozen naan.  Mmmmm!  After I indulged and before I wrote the post I did a little research to find out where your nearest store is and well . . . you might have to come visit Pete & Emily in Chicago or myself here in Detroit.  Oh the tragedy - no Trader Joe's for you.  Oh my heart is breaking.  Mom and Dad in Atlanta drive nearly an hour in order to stock up on their favorites.  So I'm not sure if I should mention that Trader Joe's is so fabulous.  That they have a good $3.00 bottle of wine (three buck chuck), chocolate covered everything (sunflower seeds are my favorite), tomato bisque soup, frozen salmon roulette's, pretzel loafs, nuts of every kind, organic vegetables and fruit, should I go on?

So, I have concluded that I think you should petition . . .

Love, T

ps.  new pictures from the garden (antique irises) and the kitchen (new lighting, new fan, and hopefully by tonight some of the new appliances) are on their way!

Espresso Anyone?

(double click to enlarge this photo)

The cement countertops were installed today along with the sink. I think they turned out just great. The color is perfect (I call it espresso bean) and I love all of the slight variations and imperfections that give it a hand crafted look. I can't wait to see the backsplash installed in the background of these beauties. For the next 30 days we'll have to be careful with the countertops while they do their final curing and once a year I'll need to put on another coat of the finish on top that makes them so shiny (not bad if you ask me). Mr. Franke also took up residence today. He'll have a garbage disposal attached and faucet installed soon. It will be very exciting to have an operation sink again. The laundry tub is not my favorite place to fill up my water bottle. Appliances were ordered this week and I picked out pendant lamps and a fixture for above the sink. The ceiling fan that I picked out (remember I don't actually have or need air conditioning) for the dining area didn't match like I'd hoped so I am still on the quest for that. It's really starting to come together!

It's Not a Pain - This New Stain

Loving the stain.
Friday they sanded the kitchen floor and the floor in Carrie's bedroom and laid down the first layer of stain. Saturday the floors received a second coat of stain and it matches perfectly with the rest of the floors - so the entire first floor is hardwood stained in the same color. I am so happy with this decision. I believe that the countertops will be installed sometime this week or next - Woot! Woot!

Latest Before & Afters

The pictures on the left are from the night before demo started. The pictures on the right are the current status of the kitchen. There still is a lot more that will be happening but boy, oh, boy has this kitchen come a LONG LONG way. I couldn't be more pleased! (I take that back - I was disappointed that we didn't find a stash of money hidden behind the walls, oh well).

Evolution of the Display Cabinet

Her Royal Majesty

Espresso Bean

The countertops were poured this week (done offsite) and will probably be installed next week. This is the sample countertop in the color I had been wanting - Espresso Bean. I like how the chocolate glaze on the cabinets, the countertop, and the tile coordinate so well. My color palate was inspired by nature. I figure that colors of nature are timeless. So imagine a robin sitting on her bluish green eggs. I will use some form of red or burnt orange in my accessories to bring it all together. I love robins - but that's another story for another day.

Hello Mr. Franke, You Look So Fine I'm Seeing Double

After much debate and thought I have decided to go with a double sink again:  the Franke PCX 120 LH in 18 guage stainless steel.  She's a beauty with a smaller scraping and prepping bowl on the left and a large cookie sheet sized right hand bowl.  I chose the big bowl to be on the right since the dishwasher will be on the right instead of the left. This way there will be less drips = less clean up!!

The faucet is a simple Delta faucet with a seaparte sprayer.  Simple.  Pictures coming soon.

Continued Progress . . . :)

Can You Say Cabinets?!!!

I'm ecstatic! That's All!

Cabinets & Floors

What a pleasant surprise. Alan thinks he might even start installing these tomorrow! Woot! Woot!

Continued Progress

Very Very Exciting to see the wood floors start to take shape. The walls will be painted the beautiful new creekbed color!

Fresh Coat

It's only paint. My first instinct was to go with the darker creekbed. Somehow, someway I folded under the pressure of picking a "dark color" (probably bad memories of Carrie's RED room - don't remind me - it was oppressive.) I sent Alan an e-mail and said Shabby Chic it is. Well - that was a bad mistake. After just one coat I knew I should have gone with my gut instinct. The next day the painter tried some samples of Creekbed #1006 - it was the right choice (I think). We'll see when everything is installed!!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Well, Alan's team is cruisin' right along. Rough electrical finished up, venting is in place, drywall was hung, sanded, and mudded (not sure if its a word - but I'm using it anyway). I'm working on paint colors. Right now I'm looking in the brown shades such as desert light, hazewood, and creekbed. I think they each could be a nice back drop for the antique white cabinets with chocolate glaze, espresso countertops, and the tile I picked out. Yes, I have decided to go with my first love on the tile!