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Appliances, countertops, fantasy football and the art of decision-making

Posted on September 7, 2011

We had three major tasks this past weekend. Each task involved way too many choices. At the end of the weekend, we were 2 for 3. Two decisions made, one decision not made. Come! Let’s look back… way back to … Continue reading →

Posted in Kitchen, kitchen renovation, NFL | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

What to do when you run out of DIY space

Posted on August 25, 2011

Working on a DIY project? Have you got all your materials? Your paint? Wood? Brushes? Miter saw? Felt? Pipe cleaners? Sequins? Hot glue gun? Feathers? Cut-out photos of Daniel Craig? Have your spread them all out across your table? And … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, kitchen renovation | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

G’s Paula Deen-esqe perfect dye and wood staining recipe, y’all

Posted on August 23, 2011

The 4 blocks of wood you see here are 4 sample combinations of wood dye and stain for the kitchen cabinets. G tested recipes for wood stain until he got just the right one to match the other woodwork in … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Home, Kitchen, kitchen renovation, Wood finishing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Godzilla vs. the DIY kitchen remodelers

Posted on August 16, 2011

There’s so much to talk about I don’t even know where to begin. The cabinets are here. It’s crazytimes. They arrived in 2 massive crates in a truck that couldn’t even fit down our street*. The driver had to come … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, kitchen renovation | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The thoughts I’m thinking on Kitchen Cabinet Delivery Day

Posted on August 11, 2011

1. The cabinets are arriving today on 2 pallets via truck. How are G and I going to manage bringing them into the house? Brute strength? Tae Bo? Telekinesis? 2. Please don’t rain today, sky. 3. We need to finish … Continue reading →

Posted in Home, home improvement, Kitchen | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

How to refinish & resurrect 100 year old floors – part 1 (the good part)

Posted on August 9, 2011

G and I knew for years that under ugly cracked tile, and layers of linoleum, and layers of tarpaper, and layers of crud, there were original maple floors in our kitchen. The question was – after we excavated down to … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, flooring, home improvement, Kitchen | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Choose your own adventure, I mean, kitchen cabinet door

Posted on July 28, 2011

Countdown is T minus 2 weeks (I think? or 3?) until the kitchen cabinets arrive. I keep checking my online order status and it says “You think you’re getting cabinets? Silly girl. We’ve taken your credit card info and are … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Kitchen, kitchen renovation | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

How to buy kitchen cabinets online in 3, no, 5, no, 9 easy steps.

Posted on July 22, 2011

1. Measure your space – don’t forget: standard countertop height is 36’’ – that includes your countertop surface. We measured the height for the base and upper cabinets and G marked it off with blue tape. 2. Go to an … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, Kitchen, kitchen renovation | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Chaos was what killed the dinosaurs, darling.

Posted on July 19, 2011

Can you find the following in the picture above? 2 bottles of Gorilla Glue Our sanity A stepstool The weekend A cordless drill My patience The new window trim G milled, cut and installed Despair An air compressor Sawdust that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in construction, DIY, Kitchen | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Dear Kitchen Cabinet Maker Dude,

Posted on July 8, 2011

It was a joke! You didn’t really think I was serious about the whole “We’re gonna hypnotize you into giving us a low estimate” thing, did you? I mean really, who hypnotizes people besides David Blaine and guys who perform … Continue reading →

Posted in Kitchen, remodeling | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments