Sunday, January 10, 2010

The Kitchen, Before & After

We finished another room on the house last week!

Or I should say Jono did.

He squeezed it in during his three-week break from classes before they start up full-time next week. (He got into grad school - woot! Congratulate him if you see him.)

Here's a before and after of the kitchen, which was under construction for about six months. We should learn not to start these things - but now that it's done, I love it.

Before:




This room already had cabinets up to the ceiling on all sides, so Jono just built and replaced the doors and hardware on them and painted them. We also decided to do away with the fake-marble hunter-green counter-tops and replace them with something more earthy-looking.
The fridge was moved from one side of the room to the other, since it used to open out onto the top of the basement stairs (handy, right?). He had to do some demo work on the old cabinets to make a new place for it. He then built the cabinets on one side of the kitchen from scratch, including the new pantry and lovely open ones I wanted. All that's left to do now is put in the cork floor we want. Eventually.

After:




It's very green, in a pleasant way. Notice the coffee-maker and grinder have their own separate counter space next to the pantry, as if they're the Holy Grail of our kitchen. Which they are.

My finish work at the end included succulent plants on the windowsill and telling Jono where I wanted things hung on the wall. He likes to use a measuring tape and level to hang things, while I prefer to eyeball it. So when he sees me "eyeballing" a wall, it makes him nervous.

I also filled and arranged stuff in the pantry and on the open shelves. Oh yes, my wooden bowls and dry beans in mason jars now have their own special spot. Arranging stuff and organizing always make me really, pathetically happy. Unfortunately we TOTALLY fall into male/female stereotypes when it comes to these sorts of projects. I'm freely admitting this.

We've made some progress on a few other rooms lately too, so more to come for those of you who like to snoop around in others' homes (I'm one of you ;)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

70's Blue Suitcase



On New Year's Eve this year Jude had his first overnight stay without mama and daddy at Grandpa and Grandma G's. We met at an exit off the highway between Grand Rapids and Holland to exchange him, and couldn't resist a few pics of him with his 70's blue suitcase I found at a thrift store.

I couldn't wait to have him bring it with him to the grandparents' house - especially if we weren't coming, which somehow makes it cuter. It will be so funny when he's three or four and can carry it around himself. I'm sure we'll find lots of creative uses for it (mini-car storage unit, coloring book box and overnight bag all rolled into one.)

It was weird to wake up on New Year's Day without him. But... we got a whole lot done that had been sitting on the back burner for months, and felt pretty good about it by the time we picked him up in the afternoon. I couldn't keep my hands off his chubby legs and cheeks for a few hours though - not that I ever can.

Friday, January 1, 2010

It just had to go.

Jude had a major mullet until a few days ago. After some deliberation, I felt his "party in the back" needed some taming. I finally broke down and trimmed it over Christmas - his first haircut, done by mama, just the back. I left the long locks cascading down his forehead, and his elfish sideburns - which I LOVE. The mullet? It had to go.

before

during

after

Now he's all "party in the front". Much more acceptable, in my opinion.