Kitchen Before and After: Phase 1

Were you worried?  Do not be... I have been quite busy!  To begin, I am still, yes, still, working on the art room.  I am getting very close to being done.  When you see the pics, you will understand why it took so long...I hope!

In the meantime, I finished painting the kitchen cabinets...finally.  This took EVEN LONGER than I anticipated because my original coat of white was a different color than my new white (really).

What can I say, the kitchen looked exactly like the rest of the entire house...

We DID replace the faucet right away...also a new dishwasher

Just to get the whole picture of, um, browness!

Sorry, no before of this side of the kitchen, but it was...brown.  Heinrich is helping to demonstrate the striking difference the white cabinets make!  I love the set of black cabinets...they add contrast to the rest of the kitchen and help the fridge to blend a bit better.  The fridge was ours (the original was, um, brown).

Ok, so you can see, the butter from the family room trickles right into the kitchen.  The double oven is not super attractive, but it works amazingly...at least it blends a bit better with the white cabinets.  Above the ovens in that super tall cabinet, we have tucked away the microwave.  It is a great place to hide it!

I am not going to apologize for the sun, because it is glorious today, but it does make it difficult to take pics.  I painted the window red (the same as the fireplace) for a bright pop of color.  It works for me.

Did you notice all of those cabinets on top?  Truthfully, I don't even use them because I have plenty of space in the rest of the room.  So, the kitchen is far from perfect, but at least it is functional.

  So, this is just phase 1...which means it is not my dream kitchen...but at least it is bright, cheery, and livable now.  I have many grand plans, much to Sir's chagrin, so stay posted!

With the kitchen complete, I have started peeling wallpaper from the chamber of Sir E and Sir M.  Let me tell you...underneath that navy and red nightmare is ANOTHER layer of wallpaper...OH.MY.STINK.

Sir has layed the slate in their privy and grouted.  It is gorgeous!  Next he will be carving out drywall and shaving the studs to put the vanity in (did I mention that the boy's vanity space is a "freakish" size).

Here is my completed bead project...to be sewn onto a pouch or something...

Sir spent about 5 hours blowing snow.

AAAND last, but not least, the Blizzard of 2011 was SPLENDID!  We have been playing outside alot!  The cottage is adorable in her winter coat!

Sir E and Sir M on the toboggan run.

Madam Lu and Esther hiking in the 12" snow layer.