Hallelujah!

Remember this?



Now it looks like this!



As Clark W. Griswold would say, “Hallelujah! Holy sh*t! Where’s the Tylenol?” We are so happy it is done and ready for a nice long nap. We still have a few finishes touches to complete (hence the blue tape around the tile waiting for caulking and grout), but we are all moved in and functional. 119 days without a kitchen. We took the whole room down to the studs, added and moved windows, knocked out a wall to open up the entry, replaced all of the plumbing in the house, built a pantry, and put in new cabinets, countertops, appliances, etc. Of course by “we” I mean John. I tried to be a good cheerleader but might have taken on an annoying project manager persona a time or two – it was not welcome. We got to know the delivery drivers from Snappy D, Pags, and our local Thai joint well. I have an abnormally friendly relationship with the lady at the QFC deli counter because when we got sick of takeout, sandwiches were one easy, reasonably healthy thing we could make at home that didn’t require any dishes. BTW – they have a Cajun turkey there that will rock your world.

I wish we would have taken more photos along the way, but the before and after show just how far we’ve come. HUGE thanks to all of our family and friends who helped out – working on the kitchen, having us over for dinner, providing babysitting services so we could work, etc. My mom brought us a home cooked meal once a week – heaven.

John – I am so impressed by and proud of you. Every time I look at the kitchen I want to make out with you. Thanks to you those nasty yellow and brown tiles are now only a distant memory. I know just how hard you worked. I know how many evenings and weekends were devoted to this project instead of hanging out with Sloane and me. More than just doing the work, thank you for so gently guiding me through this process. You knew when I needed you to give me a hug and agree that going without a kitchen sucked, and you knew when to tell me I needed to buck up because, compared to how most of the rest of the world lives, having to clean the baby’s bottles in the bathroom sink wasn’t really all that bad. You are so incredibly talented. And I’m so glad that this is over. Now relax, crack a beer, and put your feet up...I promise to give you a few weeks off before I start talking about tackling the bathroom. :)

Let the dinner parties begin!