Kitchen Project

I loved my kitchen... cozy, with a feeling of warmth. But there was one problem. My family grew and the size of my kitchen did not. 6 very tall adult children, 6 grandchildren and 1 husband...there just wasn't room for everyone. 

 

So we decided to grow our kitchen too. I forgot to take a photo of my deck before, but you can see the footprint of the ripped out deck below. This is the new kitchen in progress....

 

 

 

 

And then there is the backyard. 

By moving the kitchen and deck farther into the backyard, the backyard shrank. Not only that, but I have large windows facing that direction. The cherry blossom trees are beautiful in Spring, and make a great barrier to the house when the tree is in bloom, but soon all leaves will fall. So I am planning to grow a wall of Ivy. First stage: set posts and put up wire.

A huger feat than one might think when you're afraid of heights.

Zoning rules says we can't have a fence higher than 6 feet, so I built an "Ivy holder" to block the house that is far too close to our property line. Now we'll see if I can get it to grow. Hopefully next year I can show you growth.

The backyard plan: A secret garden, courtyard. More to come after the remodel is done. The Ivy was  harvested from our daughter's yard. The area built up with good soil by two feet.

Now I have more to do. Half the exterior house to paint. A floor to tile, interior walls and ceiling to paint, a fireplace to build and counters to tile. 90% of my kitchen will be stone. When I say I'm doing it, means that I am physically doing it, myself. Delayed cabinets are causing a bit of a problem now, but we'll get there.

If anyone wants to know how to tile the fast and easy way... or how to work with slate, or tricks of working with stone building a fireplace, let me know. There is one way to learn, and that's by doing. The other way is to ask someone else who has done. I am the regular tool-time girl on my days off.

Enjoy your weekend. And hopefully we'll see you at BookFest

XO Karlene