On Halloween, it was time to get the party started. Despite a small turnout, it was a nice "kitchen-warming" party. Below, Chad, Kristy, and Amy catch up while hangin' out in our new kitchen.
Benny D (Doc Brown from Back to the Future) and Joe tear it up on karaoke (my fave!).
Tom, Adam, Joe and Maggie socialize a bit (it was Adam & Maggie's first time at our house).
Chad D, Chad M, Neighbor Chris (Job Hunter--really), Benny D and Neighbor Mike sip their beverages in the new kitchen.
Benny D and Neighbor Mike converse near the chimney.
We're glad everyone came--it was a good time! Next year, maybe we'll do something a little earlier to include the kids...Fischer had a great night at the Neighbors'. He got to try bacon with his frenchtoast breakfast the next morning. Despite the time change, he even slept in for them! What a good little guest :) Later Sunday, though, he came down with a fever. On Monday we ended up taking him to the ER, and discovered he had a double ear infection. Poor guy! The pics below were taken while he was feasting on some pudding and trying to keep his fever under control on Tuesday night. It is now Wednesday night, and his fever seems to be gone. The past 3 days have been pretty scary--Fischer's sick of having his temp. taken, being given Motrin and/or Tylenol, and feeling hot and restless and whiney. At least his appetite and fluid intake weren't affected. We had a follow-up with his Dr. today, and she said it seems as though the antibiotics are kicking in, and she'll see him in 2 weeks to be sure his ears look good again.
You can see Fischer in the background at his spot at the diningroom table. Below, you see breakfast bar in the view toward the livingroom, with our little under-the-counter fridge--which is working pretty slick! On the left is a seat with a mirror and our shelves/curio/coat closet.
In the pic below, where the stove/hood are, there used to be a humongous heater and window. The heater is now a little blower unit under the cupboard on the left side of the stove, and we plan to put a solar collector on the outside of the house where the boarded over window left a space in the siding. The sink and new window facing the backyard are on the right side of the pic.
Here's Fischer hamming it up on the curio seat hours before his fever got the best of him. There are drawers below the seat for hats/mittens/etc.
Below you can see the gated stairway (not my favorite solution, but it's safe--not necessarily permanent--I'd like a half door there!), the chimney, the coat closet/curio, the cubby over the steps, and the end of the breakfast bar. You can also see where the two new floors meet. There are a few re-plastered places we'll have to paint on the walls...
Here's a nice view of my Grandma's old table with our new chairs. The panel under the breakfast bar closest to the window opens to provide access to that extra-deep cupboard. We keep a rug under Fischer to make clean-up easy! Doesn't the floor look great?!
Though the pic below isn't lit up too great, it shows some of the under-cabinet lighting, the ceiling fan in the kitchen, and the view as seen while sitting in the diningroom. Bon appetite, Fischer!
Curtains will go up eventually, and we're waiting on a bar-height padded bench for the breakfast bar. The hall doorway, back door and basement door will get new trim (maybe a new back door, too), the steps still have to be done, as well as some of the crown moulding and baseboard. Not to mention the painting touch-ups I told you about before...But now it's all minor details in the grand scheme. What do you think?! It's a million times more impressive in person :)I can't say enough how pleased we were with our experience with Brian from Distinctive Cabinets, Llc., Dust-Free Sanders (who re-did our dining floor), and H.J. Martin & Son (who did our kitchen floor and back landing). We will definitely use their services again for future renovations. We're really pleased with how all of the colors and tones came together, too--it's a really warm vibe. It's tough to imagine what the big picture will turn out to be when you're choosing colors and textures based on something the size of a playing card!
Thanks to my brother, Nate, who did a first-class drywall job for us--it's great! He's a fierce perfectionist when it comes to that...so if you need a drywall dude, we can put anyone in contact with him :)
A very very special thanks to my dad, Ken for all of the infinite kinds of help and expertise he provided before, during and now after our project. We couldn't have done it without you!
