Swept Away

Are there days when you want to sweep life under the rug? Many days life becomes too overwhelming. Maybe it's the kids getting on your nerves or your job isn't going as planned. Maybe your house is disorganized and you don't know where to start to put things back in order. Or maybe, you are trying to pick up the pieces of a broken relationship.

Brooms, like the one featured in the picture here, have a rich history. Flat brooms made of broom corn were first crafted by the Shakers during the 19th century. Baseball fans bring brooms to the World Series to taunt the losing team. The military often tied brooms to the front of their tanks, ships or jeeps showing that they had swept away the enemy. And, of course we can't forget the place brooms have in witchcraft and Halloween celebrations.

Brooms and sweepers have been essential in the daily clean-up of our kitchen demolition. Without them our house would be covered with a haze of dust and small chunks of tile, wood, drywall and insulation.

Daily clean-up is also essential in our hearts and minds. If we don't sweep away the hurt of yesterday, we'll be covered in a haze of disappointment and grudges. As we continue to tear down the kitchen and clean away the debrie, it becomes a constant reminder that sweeping away daily unmet expectations keeps me from becoming Peanut's character, Pig-Pen, a revolving, dust storm of hurt and regret.

Don't sweep your unmet expectations and hurts under the rug. Bring them into the light, sweep them into the dustpan and trash them forever. It's really where they've belonged all along.

What the Heck?!!!!

Ever hear some news that is surprisingly shocking or see something you weren't anticipating? Remember the feeling of awe or fright as you gathered your emotions? I do.

I love treasure hunts, the thrill of opening an old trunk or cabinet drawer and finding something unexpected. When you open the lid or drawer you find something of great value or nothing at all - it's usually a "shake of the dice" which one you will get.

Last week while tearing out the kitchen floor cabinets the return air vent was exposed. Low and behold we found a mess of balls and other toys left behind by our beloved white boxer Lily. What was she thinking as she squirreled away her special toys? You've gotta wonder "what were you thinking old girl" as she forced those toys into the vent? I wonder if she ever looked for them again, or just plain forget she had buried them there?

Life can be that way at times. You go looking for hidden treasure only to find nothing at all. Or, perhaps the buried treasure follows you and when you open it once again, you find only disappointment. Digging around the hidden places of our minds or hearts can bring a lot of forgotten emotion. Be sure you have an idea of what you're getting into - if you don't, you might find lots of dust, old utensils and some old toys that are no longer worth the price you originally paid for them.

hi·er·o·glyph·ics

Hi·er·o·glyph·i·cal - "designating or pertaining to a pictographic script, particularly that of the ancient Egyptians, in which many of the symbols are conventionalized, recognizable pictures of the things represented." (dictionary.com)

Wires & studs, drywall & 2x4s - where are they, where should they be, and how will they affect the final outcome? It takes lots of thought to make decisions about lighting, appliances and accessories. And, it takes a plan.

I love Larry's sketches on the wall - everyday they change. Such attention to detail. The thing I love best about his work. Do you think the ancient Egyptians had such attention to detail? They must have for their monuments to last for thousands of years. We're not building a monument of mortar and stone, but a place of warmth and caring.

The kitchen is always the hub of the family. Build large, inviting family rooms and decks and such - friends and family always navigates back to the kitchen. Our desire is to build a place where future generations can laugh heartily and eat scrumptous food - a place that years from now will be remembered fondly - a place full of laughter and love.

Hieroglyphics? Ancient man has nothing on this modern man of mine!

The Upper Crust

"The upper crust" is an English-language idiom that refers to a society's social or economic elites. It is derived from the housekeeping practices of the pre-industrialization British gentry, whose servants baked bread for the household but were permitted to eat only the pan-scorched bottom portion, with the unblackened "upper crust" being reserved for the landowning family"(Wikipedia).

Today, some of the upper cabinets came down. Before we can bake bread and Larry's famous cinnamon rolls again, we must remove the old and replace with the new. It's interesting how much man relies on hard work and good food.

What kinds of things do you bake in your kitchen? Can you easily find all of the utensils, bowls and ingredients you need to do the job? Just like a recipe a kitchen comes together, one ingredient at a time. What are some of the ingredients you left out when you remodeled or updated your kitchen, or what are some of the things you wish you had in your kitchen today to make food preparation a bit easier?

Today's "comment" space is dedicated to you. Share you ideas for what makes or breaks a kitchen.

The Wish List

Be careful what you wish for can certainly apply to the kitchen remodel. As I've dreamed about building my dream kitchen, I've collected articles from newspapers, magazines, the web and TV programs like "This Old House", "Flip This House", "Flip That House", "DIY" and the list goes on and on. Cute ideas, beautiful ideas, practical ideas, crazy ideas, impossible ideas!

Wishes come with a price tag. Be responsible and practical, settle on a budget for your remodel. Adding a little extra here and there can make a big impact on your budget. Take lighting for instance...did you know that light fixtures can cost you anywhere from $12 to $1200 (even more than that if you want to go that expensive)?

Adding trim to your cupboards costs extra, the type of ceiling you plan to install can cost extra. Even shelving that you add to a pantry can raise the amount of your budget by more than you expect.

I'm pretty much a practical gal. You won't see me shopping the specialty "cook type" stores. If I need a utensil, I'll go to Kohls or Walmart. If I need a new small appliance, you'll probably find me shopping the same stores. Think about how you work in your kitchen, how you entertain, and what's really necessary.

What I'm enjoying most about this journey is the simplicity in which I will approach my new kitchen - less is more. Packing away the old kitchen taught me that I really don't need all of the things I had hidden away in the drawers and cupboards.

Wishes can come true and wishes keep our minds fresh and our daydreams alive. But, wishes can get us into trouble and give us things that later we wish we had the cash we'd spent and the desire to rearrange or remodel in a much simpler way. Later will be too late. Think now about what you really "need" and enjoy watching the rest on HGTV.

There's Just Something About Demolition

The feel of the hammer hitting walls, tiles crashing to the floor, wall being exposed in their natural state. Layers of paint and wallpaper - yellow, green, blue & orange.

I used to the love the TV show, "If Walls Could Talk". If our kitchen walls could talk, they'd be telling the story of three families who've lived in our 1948 Cape Cod. The first family not as fortunate as us to have the kitchen space we've enjoyed these past 32 years. Their kitchen was much like the kitchen rendering that I included in my very first post. The second family added on the structure we have today, and us, well, we're gutting it all to make our own signature.

My friend Marie asked me this past week if I felt spiritually refreshed with all of the old going away and the new coming. What a great metaphor for life. We often have to destroy the things of the past in order to experience the new. Marie, I think you're on to something.

Today's picture shows some bare walls - a fresh pallet and new designs to add. It's an exciting journey to wipe the slate clean and add fresh touches. Guess all of this talk about demolition is making me a bit philosophical this morning.

It's a Saturday - what can you get rid of today that will lighten your load or give you a fresh perspective today? Hope it doesn't involve hammers and crashing tiles, but it just might!

Eve of Destruction

Even though Barry McGuire's 1960s protest song, "Eve of Destruction" was banned from many American radio stations, it still became a major hit.

Well, speaking of major hits, the kitchen took one for the team yesterday, without any protest from me! It's interesting what can happen in just nine hours. I went to work in corporate America as usual. Larry did what he has a tremendous talent for - beautification! But, like most things in life, something has to be destroyed before it can return as beautiful.

Before we can put our new ceiling in, he needed to remove the ceiling beams, ceiling trim and oak shelves around the soffit (which by the way, I've always loved). He'll also need to extend the soffit for placement of the new cupboards. Sounds easy enough, and to look at the pictures, it seems easy, but you gotta remember that we live in a house where craftsmen build things to last for 100's of years.

Coming home after a "hard day at the office" was exciting. Seeing the beginning of the destruction meant that my new kitchen is a reality! Seriously, I can live with the mess (which by the way is minimal when Larry is crew chief - I'd hire him just for the fact that he cleans up at the end of every day of work), in order to have what I know will be a beautiful kitchen. So, beautiful in fact, that I just hope my girlfriends aren't so jealous of the results that they stop talking to me!

It's 6 a.m. the day after destruction - curious to see what day two will bring?