Before and After

My new best find is Rustoleum paint!  It comes in a variety of colors so I bought oil-rubbed bronze, to match our new hardware,  and decided to try repainting a few of our light fixtures. I wasn't sure how it would work, but I thought it was worth a try. A can of this paint is around $7 which seemed much better than purchasing a new fixture. What would have I have to lose?

 

 

 

 

 

This is our light over the sink before I painted it.

 

 

 

Presto!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 



 



 

 

Baseboards and Grout

Today the baseboards and grout jobs were finished! We are very satisfied with both. Here is an close-up of the subway tile in the kitchen, complete with grout.

This is how it looks against the countertop.

 

 

 

 

The companion tile is in the butler's pantry.

 

 

 

 

Here is how it looks against the countertop.

Now that the baseboards are in, I am thoroughly cleaning all of the new hardwood floors. Then we will finally be able to put the kitchen table back in the kitchen! The carpet cleaner comes Monday which will be another step closer in getting things back together. Slowly, we're getting there! It is taking longer to settle-in than I had thought, but it is definitely worth it. :)

Baseboard

We had the (bright) idea to replace our baseboards with deeper ones since everything was removed for the flooring installation anyway. The 16 foot boards don't fit in our vehicles, needless to say, so we rented a truck from Home Depot and brought them home. We spread them out in the garage and have double-coated them so that they are ready to be put in tomorrow and Friday. This morning there was a gentle breeze which not only brought a little relief from the heat, but also periodically sprinkled bugs and environmental debris on the freshly painted boards! :)

 

 

Update

You probably expected pictures of our newly-grouted backsplash. Unfortunately, that could not happen Friday evening (as planned)  because the tile shop sold us the wrong grout. :(   Randy and I exchanged it Saturday morning so the guys can do the job for us later this week. Meanwhile, I am still moving in and organizing the cabinets and am also painting the breakfast room. Perhaps we will have something to show later this week!

Butler's Pantry

I found the missing picture of the butler's pantry. Obviously, I need to paint the walls in this area. The backsplash in this area is a companion to the onyx subway tile in the kitchen. I know you can't make it out in this picture.

More...

Our power was restored a bit ago and we just got back internet and phone so I can share a few additional pictures. We are most thankful that our family and friends are safe and sound after last night. The tornado hit a few blocks from here (including our former neighborhood). We tried to get out this morning to go to my parents' house and help remove a tree which fell across their driveway. They aren't even two miles away and we could not get to them. All of our routes are blocked due to downed lines and trees. The short time we were out illustrated to us the severity of the storm. Enormous, established trees are uprooted and just lie on the ground with their big root balls resting upon the grass. Woods are sheared-off  and, worse of all, are the homes which were hit. Roofs and windows are gone, fences shattered and walls missing. Thankfully, no people suffered injury and there were no fatalities. It seems odd to be sharing pictures of our new construction while there are families without homes.

 

 

I look forward to moving into this planning center and painting the walls.

We need to add a switch plate cover and the backsplash is not yet grouted. The tiles needed to be better set before they grouted, so they will do that for us next week.

 

 

 

 

If you are interested, check back to see updates as I paint the breakfast room, move back the table and work on window treatments. I thought I had a picture of the butler's pantry, so I will add that. I was able to clean some of the cabinets and begin moving dishes back today. I have TONS and TONS more to do. :)

 

 

 

WE HAVE A KITCHEN!

As I post, we are under a tornado warning and Randy, the dogs and I are hunkered down in my craft room (the most interior spot in the basement). This seems as good a time as any to do today's post.

 

After an 11 hour day, our fabulous kitchen installers have mostly wrapped-up kitchen project 4 us. With permission, I am posting their picture! :) They may have found my request dorky, but are good sports! I wish I could include our wonderful kitchen designer, but I don't have her photo.

 

It's ironic; now that we have all of our appliances, the power has gone out!!! Here is what you have been waiting to see...

 

 

I am not quite sure why the pictures are so small. Sorry! It is the best I can do under the circumstances. Randy is holding the flashlight over my keyboard so that I can type.

 

 

I promise to post more shots tomorrow, but I should probably log-off now. I have a low battery. A tornado was spotted/touched down a few miles from here. We are all fine.