My phone rang at 8:30 this morning. I was more than half asleep and had my earplugs in - but I still heard the phone. It was Randy from Irving Countertops saying a guy could be here between 10:00-11:00 to take measurements for our kitchen. Hmmmm. I asked him if they could make it in the afternoon. I am so NOT a morning person and Louis Dean had not gone to sleep until the wee hours of the morning so he would NOT be up and in his right mind before noon! So we decided on noon - 1:00 PM. Perfect! I went ahead and got up, made my coffee and let the kitties out, gathered all my morning devotional things along with my diary and climbed back in bed. I was still there at 10:00 - a couple of coffees later. The phone rang again and this time it was Jack from Irving Countertops. He said he knew our appointment was for later ......but he was just 10-15 minutes away.....and could he come on over?
Hmmmmm. I told him I did not look good and neither did my kitchen.
He said he didn't mind.
I told him, "Well, come on then - but DRIVE SLOW!"
Then I did a 'dress in a flash' routine, slapped on a little make up,cologne and a pair of earrings, combed my hair and gulped down another cup of coffee!
Jack is a nice guy.
He chose his words carefully and was very tactful.
Bottom line - he had to make some modifications.
Our countertops have been here since 1983.
They were not installed by professionals so one counter is done one way and another counter is simply sitting on top of the cabinets. Lots of quirky things going on here and he was skilled at figuring it all out and how he could make it work. Our sink is not in the center of the doors....he will move it down a bit allowing for a cut across the counter instead of a diagonal one like we have now.
We also must choose another sink.
They will not install the sink below the counter.
We worked out all the details and he said they would send the revisions to Home Depot and then they would contact us.
THENNNNNN.....he took pictures and said we would have to remove EVERYTHING!!!
From the counters and walls. From the cupboards - top and bottom.
And from the TOPS of the cupboards way up by the ceiling!! ??
It will take us DAYS to do this and the countertops will be installed in a few HOURS!
But I am not doing all that until it's time for them to come install them.
That will take a few weeks.
I have been dreading this but I have been wanting new counters for ever so long!
They have to test for lead since the house is so old, but since it was gutted in 1983 from the house fire, I don't think there will be a lead problem.
My the end of Jack's time here, Louis Dean was up and we all had a nice little visit.
Jack's wife is a school teacher and Louis Dean was one for 25 years so they talked a little about that.
I went on to do housework today.
You can't tell what I did by looking, though.
I did this needlework back in the late 1980's and it is so true!
There's a lot of routine things you do - make the beds, clean the bathrooms, vacuum the floors, empty the dishwasher, wash the laundry, dust or Pine Sol surfaces....it never ends.
I spent a good bit of time in the guest room - aka the cat house!
I cleaned their beds - keeping them washed up just like we do our sheets.
Then I deep cleaned the litter box.
Vacuumed the loose litter from inside the litter box house and then I wiped the interior and exterior of the house down with Odor-Ban. Checked the Glade plug ins to make sure they were still going.
Dusted and put a cloth on the dresser.
It just seems to 'anchor' things when there's a cloth on there.
I worked my way from the bedrooms and bathrooms to the hall and dining room, sewing room and kitchen. Nothing looks much different. Except the floors are clean. And I changed a thing or two here and there.
Our home is highly occupied and I have a lot of 'stuff' which Louis Dean calls 'debris!'
I made dinner tonight - small salads -
and a steak, potato and onion dish with a cheese sauce and French fried onion rings on top.
That was my day!
Louis Dean spent half of his day making a metal frame to cover his Aloe Vera plants that are outside to protect them from the freezing temps we are expecting tonight. Except that didn't work!
So he made a wooden frame instead.
I helped him pull the plastic on.....
And we hope this works!
It's supposed to be 30 degrees tonight and Louis Dean dearly loves his Aloe Vera plants.
I do love a clean house!!!
12 comments:
Do you use the aloe for burns? We got all new kitchen cabinets, counters, and sink over 10 years ago. It took weeks, and we had to put the fridge in the living room and eat out every day. But it is really worth it! Are you getting cabinets too, or just the counters? What kind and color? Take before and after pictures!!! I wish I had done that.
Your home looks so cosy and inviting and I adore your 'debris'! Best of luck with the countertop reno xoxo
Linda, I think you will love new counters in your kitchen. But boy that sounds like a lot of work. I do not even like emptying the cabinet under the sink to change the R.O. filters. LOL I love the sampler you made. So true about housework...there's always something to do. Stay safe. Blessings , xoxo,love you, Susie
Hi Linda. When I had new windows installed in my house two years ago, I had to take everything off the walls of every room, empty the bathroom cabinets, take all curtains and window blinds down and push all furniture away from the windows so workers could get to them easily. What a job it was to put everything back but it was worth it in the end. You'll love your new counter tops and new sink when it's all done.
Reminds me of when I got new carpet and they emptied all the rooms at once and stacked furniture everywhere imaginable. I am sure the new kitchen will be wonderful once it is all done. Wished you would have shared your supper recipe it looked good.
Any kind of home improvement involves moving things it seems. Then I find out exactly what I have missed in my cleaning.lol You will enjoy your new countertops once they are in.
Tell me the truth, Linda. Is your decorating style easier for cleaning? Sometimes I think all the stuff on my piano top keeps things "anchored" as you say. Places that are clearer require daily dusting as every bit shows. You are going to love your new counters and new sink...not sure why they can't undermount, but Jack's the expert. It's going to be a process. Keep us informed.
we love our aloe plants also. we never get to freezing so I don't know what the cold will do. hope the cover works. I think it will.. if it stayed several days below freezing it might not, i am sitting here shuddering in my rocker just thinking of the amount of work/time to remove everything and just where you will store it. I could remove everything in my kitchen including the stove and fridge in 20 minutes. love from your opposite self..
It will be nice to ihave the new countertops but that will be a lot of work clearing everything out of the way who the work can be done, but will be worth it in the end.Hose work never ends. By the time i get done, it's time to start over again. Right now I have laundry to do and haven't finished putting away last weeks. Hope the plants surfer the cold. The only way we can keep things living in the winter is to bring them indoors.
What a lot of work for new counters - at least you'll be able to decide a new arrangement for your 'debris'. Cheers
Whew...I'm exhausted just reading what you do on a daily basis.
I had to laugh at Sandra's comment about being your opposite self.
It looks like you have a big job ahead of you dismantling all your "debris" in the kitchen. I love that word and use it all the time now myself (:0)
New counters and sink will be wonderful when it's all done.
Looking forward to seeing how this all goes.
Hope it doesn't stay too cold for too long and your aloe plants survive.
Sue
Yay for new countertops! Sorry it is creating so much extra work for you! As for house work...I’m not a huge fan but I love a clean house. Stay cozy!
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