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Showing posts from March, 2015

Bits and Pieces

It's hard to measure progress on the kitchen project this week, but I will give a brief recap of what I can gather together. Ron put the hardwood back in the refrigerator closet....what he could salvage that is.  Then he filled in with some leftover pieces.  It won't matter because.... on Sunday I met with the floor guy to talk about screening the hardwood and putting on a fresh coat of poly.  Turns out a screening won't do the job, so a full sanding is in order.  There are some badly worn spots by the back door and in front of the sink.  Ugh!  More dust!! Because the finish is coming off completely, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get rid of the golden yellow in the floor.  The sander guy gave me a sample of the only gray he offers.  That didn't really work for me.  So I set off to see my guys at Paint Supply on South Grand.  Doug worked with me to mix a gray.  It looked way darker on the board I took with me than it does on my floors at home.  I

My New BFF

This week has been a flurry of activity with my new best friend.  We have crisscrossed the city checking out appliances in an attempt to find a dishwasher that has a door short enough to open fully in the allotted space.  The refrigerator also has parameters so that was on the list too.  The stove is the standard 30" so it was a bit easier to select.  Finally after four days haunting appliance departments, T.M. and I settled on a trio that we hope will work well together even though they are not all the same brand.  While that was going on, the guys were busy hanging drywall and smoothing out the textured finish that has graced my kitchen walls for several years. They extended the flue wall, moved an outlet, and did their best to level out the wall on the left. It's good to have that behind us. You may remember I have a piece I want on the wall behind the stove.  This is the piece I bought from Craig's List.  It will be surrounded by 6x6 tiles. Dan mar

About that Window

As with any remodel there is always something that does not go according to plan.  If it's only one thing then that's pretty much a miracle.  Another rarity is finding something interesting in the process. Turns out both of these things were true for the part of the job that involved the window over the sink. As a refresher, this is how it looked when the remodel started. The plan was to remove the window sashes and replace them with two 46 inch high windows and raise the sill up about 12 inches.  Oh, Oh!  Looks like the plan has taken another turn.  The casing had to come off?  OK, it had to be shortened to adjust for the raised sill and it would be easier to cut to fit if it was off the wall. The next bump in the road came when it was discovered that the window opening measured 34 inches at the front of the sill but got narrower as it went towards the back.  So now those double windows were not going to fit.  So, off came the jam to be replaced in a tidy a

The Elephant in the Room

Guess I have been tiptoeing around yacking about everything but that big monstrosity referred to as "the fridge." Fortunately I can keep it in the closet, but from there on my plans are sketchy.  Here is the before picture to refresh your memory. And all I've really said is that the doors and the casing will be removed. I decided the only way to know exactly what I wanted to do here was to see what would be revealed in the demo.  I'm hoping it opens up more possibilities than it extinguishes My 38 year old refrigerator has been delegated to the back porch until new appliances are chosen.  In case you are wondering the original finish on this was almond.  I painted the front with chalkboard paint at least 10 years ago....maybe more. Obviously the stairs to the second floor pass overhead.  The guys decided it would be OK to cut out the section where they have removed the plaster creating a little more room over the refrigerator. That done th

Cheese Cubes

Yes this is a Pinterest recipe that I saw, I pinned, I tried and I thought it was great.  Therefore, I am passing it on with my recommendation to give it a try.  It's super easy too, so all the more reason to give it a whirl. I served it with grapes and crackers for happy hour. Someone else brought the beer and wine. It received good reviews. Marinated Cheese (adapted from " Prime Meridian " Cookbook) 80 cubes Ingredients: 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup white wine vinegar 1 (2 oz) jar diced pimento, drained 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 3 tablespoons minced green onion 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar 3/4 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 (8 oz) block sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes 1 (8 oz) package of cubed Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno pepper (pepper jack) Directions: Combine all ingredients, except cheeses in a jar or plastic container with a