Here are some random facts about the past two weeks of renovation and transition into the new kitchen (which is nearing completion).
1. We went for 5 days with no hot water, and 2 days (during the day time) with no water at all.
2. Before the “team” came to work, I tried to cook as much as possible and put things in the freezer…even in a rather destroyed and evacuated kitchen. I made chicken pot pie one night and had to use two forks as a pastry blender and my hands as a rolling pin. Yes, I know stores sell these things…. The night before Stan’s dad and neighbor came, I think I had three burners going as well as a slow cooker on an end table in the living room. The next day I lost the sink. I still don’t have it back…which means…
3. For now, I am washing dishes in the bathtub. Not fun. The worst part is finding an acceptable place to put a clean dish in a bathroom while you wash the rest. I usually shuttle the clean ones to the kitchen and then continue. I should get a sink back on Friday.
4. I am wondering how I ever did laundry once a week in NY when we didn’t have a washer and dryer. I had to go for a week before they were hooked back up…..and I washed 5 loads on Friday. For someone who doesn’t like a basket of dirty clothes to accumulate, this was a marathon.
5. We began hosting a small group for our church on Thursday night. I spent the day trying to get this place back in order…it took all day. I’ve never mopped so much (which I do with a rag and bucket because I think it gets things cleaner than a mop.)
photos to follow….
Things are progressing around here. Stan’s dad and neighbor arrived yesterday and hit the ground running….they’ve been working tirelessly. They spent the first day finishing the demo (which took quite a while) and today started replacing sheet rock and putting down backboard in preparation for laying tile.
Here’s a photo from this morning. Taking the cabinets down and everything out explains why this kitchen was so dirty! Look at these walls!
The kids and I stayed away as much as possible today to protect Jamey’s lungs. He wanted to be in the middle of the work so badly. He got in the kitchen for a few minutes to give Stan some screws.
Here are the walls with new sheet rock….worlds better!
It is incredible for Stan to have some great help!
After almost two years of on and off breathing troubles, Jamey’s doctor is finally calling this phenomenon “asthma.” We’ve had a rough week together….Sunday night he started having really labored breathing. We were up giving breathing treatments and hearing him cough most of the night. We took him to the doctor the next morning, and she gave him a couple of different treatments in the office while listening to his lungs between them. She sent us home with orders to administer SIX treatments a day. We were reminded that the albuterol we have had to give him in the past only dilates his bronchioles but does nothing to reduce the inflammation that is causing his problems. So we are now also giving a steroid treatment to help reduce the inflammation.
The poor little guy gets up in the morning putting on his mask and trying to turn on his machine. He is getting better…but we are looking forward to better breathing in (hopefully) a few days so that we can wean him off the meds. They are making him crazy! I knew albuterol could cause him to be hyper (which it does), but it also makes him get MUCH more upset that usual about little things…and it is making him rather aggressive. Not like Jamey at all…. This afternoon he got desperately upset about the route I chose to take him on a bike ride. I had to stop and sit down on the side walk next to him while he was sitting on his bike screaming for about 10-15 minutes, talking quietly to him to get him to calm down. Thankfully, Ginna was patient with him today!
I’ll have to post some photos…he gave his doll a treatment yesterday!!! He was sure to make sure the mask stayed over the doll’s nose.
Things are progressing around here. We tore out more of the kitchen, including part of the wall and most of the cabinets and floor. We left the sink so we can still pseudo-operate for a few more days. I never imagined the repercussions of taking down a wall in an older house….removing plaster has resulted in what seems to be about 300 pounds of sandy, gravely mess to shovel out in buckets.
Here’s a photo that shows one part of the process of taking down plaster. Behind the plaster was a metal mesh (pictured) that we had to cut through and take down.
Here is a photo of the floor after taking down a small piece of wall. Imagine this much stuff to clean up times 50….from the wall and floor demo, I think that would be about accurate.
Here is the current state of the kitchen.
Here is the new doorway between the kitchen and dining room framed (the new opening is twice as wide as the old one). We’re now in the process of patching and sanding.
Stan was very happy to have me involved in the process this weekend moreso than in the past. More photos to come…..
Have you ever remodeled while living in the house being remodeled? How about an 1100 sq ft house…having to relocate appliances and all kitchen related items in that space? How about with a 1 year old and 3 year old??? It is CRAZY around here! And now Jamey’s daily aspiration is to find a tool and try to destroy something with it. I keep telling him that eventually, rebuilding will start. Then we will build rather than tear down. But for now DEMO is the word. Here are some photos. What is the plan? All new windows, a new room (office/library), and a new kitchen/utility area. As in, we are ripping out the entire kitchen.
This was last weekend…removing the ugly paneled walls from the patio. This has served as a useful playroom, but has been an eyesore….Stan has wanted to tear it down since the day we moved in but I objected. We’ve spent a LOT of time on the patio enjoying the openness to the backyard this week!
This photo doesn’t really show how bad these cabinets are. They are very old, don’t close, have nasty paint and dust inside that can’t be removed by cleaning….really. I can’t wait to remove a pan from a cabinet and not have to wash it before using it.
Here is the existing laundry area. We will add a door to shut this off from the kitchen.
Here is the beginning of the kitchen demo.
Here are the kids trying to pitch in.
Here is one of four loads Stan hauled home…..IKEA cabinets to assemble!
Yesterday, we went to the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station to attend an air show. It was amazing. The kids had a great time (and so did we) watching the planes, parachutes, etc….and going in helicopters and planes. Here are some photos.
