MORE progress

Knobs are on!

And (most) of the appliances are in- the stove/oven and microwave- so i was able to cook our 1st MEAL IN OUR NEW KITCHEN!

I made:

Smokey paprika shrimp and polenta AND Southwestern Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Delish!

Had a great 1st meal!!!

Now- we still need our:

-fridge

-lighting put in

-pantry closet built

-backsplash (!)





I start nightfloat on Sept 18th. I already have told them that if they are STILL working then, they will be working at NIGHT when i am working and not during the day when i am SLEEPING!!!!!

Progress people- we have counter tops!

The estimate of a 2 week renovation is gone- haha- i was stupid to believe my beautiful kitchen would be done in 2 weeks (10 actual working days).

I should have realized it would be about double that. My mom told me to double their estimate of when it would be done. I had friends have MONTHS of work done on their kitchen. And of course there were the days last week when nothing was being done in the kitchen...... I would wonder "why aren't they here working?" And now i know- the 2 week estimate was just a myth. The truth is that it will be at least another week.....or two.





But we do have progress- yes, and that is a good thing. We have counter tops. Beautiful granite counter tops. And don't be fooled when i say granite- we went with the least expensive kind!



But here they are!

There is still A LOT of work to be done. But the counter tops are in- which means the sink is in, which means i can wash dishes in the sink now.....instead of my bathtub! LOL!

New cabinets!

As you know our kitchen is being remodeled- which has made our house a DISASTER ZONE.



Last week they took everything out.....now it is time to put everything in.

Here are our cabinets- in their boxes.

And here are the cabinets put up!

We of course don't have:

-the counter-tops

-our appliances (microwave, oven/stove, fridge, dishwasher)

-the knobs to the cabinets

-the sink isn't installed

-the backsplash (which we FINALLY picked out) hasn't been put in place

-the lighting isn't done

-AND eat-in kitchen bar isn't done either

BLAH! This is taking forever! And i am getting tired of our grill!!!

And it starts.....

It is all anyone can talk about- on the news, internet, all social media outlets- Hurricane Irene.

The big, bad, hurricane- a Category 2- is taking aim right for the south carolina/north carolina coast and is predicted to make landfall saturday somewhere between charleston and myrtle beach. All eyes are on the weather channels- waiting too see if it will turn ever so slightly and have the government pull the trigger and call for an evacuation.

And only 22 years ago (almost to the date), Hurricane Hugo slammed into Charleston and the lowcountry, forever changing the way the way people viewed hurricane preparedness.

I was living in Charlottesville (and was 10 years old) when Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston. The only reason why i remember it at all is that we had the day off from school "just in case." And we didn't even get a drop of rain. It was great- for us. Not so great for Charleston which was devastated.

This is a picture of Lockwood Blvd- about 1/10 th of a mile from the hospital. It was under water for a week......so was the 1st floor of MUSC. And the story that gets passed around Medical School is that Baruch Auditorium, where our 1st year classes are held, had fish swimming around in it for weeks!

Well, i have to admit, my eyes are on the news too......not really interested in surviving a hurricane without a kitchen!

Tips for surviving a kitchen remodeling- adapted for our family

I "stole" these tips from http://wherewomencook.com/tips-for-surviving-a-kitchen-remodel/ and adapted them for my family.

They have been really helpful and wanted to share them with y'all so you can see what we are going through. :)





1. Set up a makeshift kitchen in your home. Move your refrigerator, microwave, and table to this area. Keep paper plates, napkins, paper towels, utensils, cutlery, and cups on hand.

For us, our dinning room is now our kitchen- with our fridge and microwave handy.



2. Keep meals simple. Stock your refrigerator with sandwich and salad fixings, milk for cereal, fresh fruit, and foods you can grill or microwave.

Salads? Ewww. Grill or microwave please!

We have made "foil packet chicken," kabobs, and hamburgers. Taylor said our meals have been "great."



3. Stock your freezer. Plan ahead and make meals that can be frozen and reheated later. Soups, stews, lasagna, enchiladas, and casseroles all freeze well.

Oops. Didn't do that.



4. Borrow a kitchen. Offer to cook dinner for your friends or family. I am sure they would love to let you use their kitchen if you are providing the meal.

Didn't do that either.....



5. Dine out. Dining out can be expensive and sometimes the options aren’t that healthy. Look for coupons, split meals, or bring home a doggy bag to reheat for another meal.

Dining out can be expensive....so can kitchen remodeling. I would rather save money and cook at home than eat out and spend $ we don't have.





6. Move your fridge and microwave to this temporary kitchen zone along with a table. An electric hot plate along with at least one pot is a good idea as well.

Check. No hot plate though- too dangerous! I already worry about our house burning down with the whole kitchen being gutted. So no additional dangers will be added to our house!



7. Stock the table with basic supplies: microwave-safe dishes, utensils, paper or plastic plates and cups, cutlery, paper towels, napkins, baggies, plastic wrap and garbage bags. Remember a can opener!

The only bad thing is that plastic knives and forks break easily! With my "foil packet chicken" i think i ate a few plastic fork prongs. Bleh!



8. Don’t forget coffee! Set up a coffee station: coffee maker, coffee, sugar.

No thanks! I don't do coffee!

Don't forget the diet mt dew!!!



9. Have a supply of dry foods in boxes under the table like: cereal, granola bars, bread, Kraft Dinner, microwave popcorn, tuna and soups.

Check



10. Stock your fridge with BBQ foods like chicken, steak, hamburgers, sausage and hot dogs. The barbeque will become your new best friend during a kitchen remodel.

Double check. The grill is a life saver!



Well folks, these past three days make me feel like i am camping- although i get to sleep in my own bed each night. I am surviving but am really hoping our contractor was correct in saying the kitchen will be done in 2 weeks (by the 26th). I am READY for my fabulous kitchen!!!



xox

lara

Going....going....

Gone.........

BIG progress for one day!

:)

Goodbye Kitchen!

Goodbye kitchen.

Built in the 1960’s.

With no counter space.

With few cabinets.

With little lighting.

Welcome Southeastern Kitchen to our home.

http://www.sekitchens.com/

Thank you for working with my (limited) budget. I can’t wait to have my new kitchen with LOTS of counter space so I can cook. With LOTS of cabinets for food, dishes, and anything else I can think of!

This is the granite for the countertops.

And these are the plans (sorry for how dark they are).

Today starts the demolition of our kitchen. Can’t you tell I am excited!!