Days 45-50 a sunny kitchen

This was my February vacation. It didn't feel much like a vacation - but it feels good to be sitting in an almost completed kitchen! YAY!

This is what's been happening since day 44...

Sunday: We grocery shopped and did our usual. We made a trip to Home Depot and picked up primer, 3 cans of paint (different colors), brush cleaner, door knobs, hinges. I had a rehearsal, and it was Den's homework to remove the basement door, bathroom door, and bathroom closet door from their hinges.

Monday: I woke bright and early and ready to tackle the kitchen. First on the agenda was to use oil based primer on our wood trim. I used that blue painters tape to tape my edges. This took a little longer than I expected. Next, I came to the realization that after I painted, I wouldn't be able to sand the wall anymore - because the dust would fall onto the wet paint. So I went through and patched any last spots on the wall. There were quite a few. At this point I picked up Grammy. She was my helper this week!

I know what you're thinking. "You made an 88 year old woman paint your kitchen?" Well. Not exactly. First, let me tell you that she loves painting. She told me that "Nothing is better than having a paintbrush in your hand." That's an actual quote. So I told her we could lay the doors flat between two old chairs and she could keep me company and paint those. We also discovered that she could sit at the table and paint the cross things I took off of my windows.

So anyway. I picked up Grammy. After a much needed trip to Dunkin' Donuts (Gram wanted a little "zing". Another quote!), I sanded the walls. This also took longer than expected, but I know that the sanding is one of the most important things about prepping a wall. I think I did a good job. Of course, there are places where you see imperfections under the paint, but as my father-in-law told me on the phone, you'll never get it 100% perfect. I'm fairly close though! Gram painted, I sanded.

Have you ever used oil based paint? Because it smells worse than anything I've dealt with during this renovation process. We tried opening windows, but of course it IS February in New Hampshire, so it was for short amounts of time. I went to bed with a rockin' headache. Another fun fact about oil based paint - it does not come off of your body. Latex paint is easy to clean. Oil? Not so much. I was covered - hands, legs, hair, parts of my face - and it was there until Wednesday when I finally scrubbed it until my skin felt like it was coming off.

After sanding, I used a damp sponge to get the dust off the walls, and then went to priming my wood trim with the stinky paint. This took - you guessed it - longer than expected. Especially since I had to remove our ugly blinds (those screws were not wanting to come out) and the hinges/doorknobs from the doors. It was a productive day - we got a lot done. I brought Gram home and called Dennis and said - you'd better pick up a pizza or something. (Part of me was afraid of lighting the stove to cook... all those fumes may cause the house to burst into flames!!) I had my pizza and finished the trim, showered, and fell into bed exhausted!

At the end of the day, things pretty much looked like this. Primer on, the walls all patchy looking and everything's a total mess. The refrigerator was literally in the middle of the room, with a door suspended between two old chairs. All my appliances were stacked on the breakfast bar and table in the dining room. Newspaper everywhere. Drop cloths everywhere. Also - did I mention that the space around my kitchen window is so small I had to use a watercolor paintbrush to get in the space?

Tuesday: This was the day of our snowstorm. I decided that Grammy needed a break - and I did not want to have to drive in the snow. So I was flying solo for much of the day. I used painters tape to outline the walls, and then primed the walls. After that was finished - about halfway through the day - I took my white latex paint I'm using to paint the wood trim and gave the wood trim a first coat. Dennis came home early because of the snow! He did a first coat on the doors while I finished the trim. Things were still all disoriented in the kitchen, but it was beginning to look like something - we were excited. We worked together to make a batch of fiesta rice and steamed some tamales MJ from Den's work sent home for us. We played XBox. It was a nice reward!


Wednesday: This day was the longest, yet the most rewarding.

I grabbed Gram - who continued to work on the doors and those cross things for the windows. I put a second coat of white on the trim. It looked great! Then, I took my little paintbrush and used our wall color "Quiet Veranda" (a pale, buttery yellow) to edge around the windows. Yes, in an ideal world I would have waited until the next day so I could tape the trim, but I had time restrictions here - and I needed the kitchen DONE. Plus, I have very steady hands and was very precise. Dennis got another call and I asked him to bring home subs or something because there was to be no cooking break. After I brought Gram home I used the roller to fill in the spaces around my edging. I was up until 10:30 painting, but it looked like a real kitchen. I was so excited! By the way - under the bar I didn't paint all the way to the floor because our heater will be attached there, as well as baseboard - which is currently in the basement!

Thursday: I had some private lessons to do in the morning. After that, you guessed it, I picked up Gram. She did a second coat on 1 door, and then relaxed and kept me company. We listened to the "Frank Sinatra station" on pandora. I used a roller to apply a second coat. I cleaned the counters and bar. I put things back where they belong! I love the color of the kitchen - it's bright and sunny! After I brought Grammy home, I made some dinner. (A great recipe for chicken piccata - I will share it later this weekend!) We had a relaxing night! Here's the finished product below.

So, like I said, we're almost done. What's left to do? The light over the kitchen sink needs to be replaced (it doesn't work!). I need to get white outlets and outlet covers and put them on. The lights on the ceiling are low on the priority list, but they need to be replaced too. They work, they're just ugly. I need to clean and seal the grout on the floor, and around the inside of the bar we're putting up white wood along the edges.

Next room you ask? The bathroom is my vote because the doors are not on yet! We'll take it a piece at a time - with me going back to work (tear...) I won't have the time to bang it out quickly.

Oh - PS. Day 50 (Friday) was spent in Boston with some fabulous ladies!

Weekend agenda time. Clean and grocery shop.