Good thing we like our microwave

Remember how I said we weren't going to eat out every day during the kitchen remodel? Um, yeah.

But it's been two-and-a-half-weeks now, and leftovers are getting old, literally and figuratively. I have a list, and today or tomorrow I'm going to the store to buy actual food for an actual recipe: pork and vegetable stew, in the slow-cooker. I'm making it Wednesday, partly because there were still some spots on the sign-up sheet for bringing meals to one of our preschool moms who just had a baby. I guess that was the kick in the pants I needed...

Not much visible progress on the kitchen in the last week or so, but James has been here every day spackling or priming or something. He just put a coat of paint on the ceiling, so that's done. The floor is done, too. He says he's going to move all the cabinets into the kitchen today, and get started on installation. He has to finish the cabinets by Thursday, because that's when the countertop installation starts.

Floor tiles are in! Tomorrow there will be grouting. Some other miscellaneous work Thursday and Friday, then James is supposed to install the cabinets on Monday!

It would have been nice, though, if the floor tilers had told us that we wouldn't be able to walk over the tiles to get to our laundry room for a day before they laid that tile. Oh well.

Rock and roll!

James and his crew have been "rocking," aka putting up sheet rock. There is still "taping" and "mudding" to be done in advance of the tile installers coming tomorrow.

Still no ceiling

The electricians are done, and James claims he'll be giving us walls and maybe a ceiling tomorrow. We can actually see daylight through the vents in the roof, which reduces the efficiency of our furnace quite a bit. Fortunately, it doesn't get cold here...

WE HAVE A DOOR!!!!!!

Regaining the door between the kitchen and the dining room is roughly half the reason for doing the kitchen remodel (drawers is roughly the other half). Here it is! Of course, there are no appliances, cabinets, walls or even a ceiling. And there's a pantsless toddler with cupcake all over his face. And this crazy guy on the left in charge of it all. ;-)

Tomorrow: more wiring (you know, codes and stuff)

"As long as that wall is open..."

I'm sure there has never been a home remodel during which that phrase or something very similar hasn't been uttered. It first happened the other day while Nathan was staring into the attic, which is completely exposed to the kitchen. He was dreaming of the skylight he has dreamed about for years. Turns out that dream is dead (though we are still determined to put one in our living room some day -- we even made sure the solar panel installers left room....).

I said it again when looking around the living room and thinking about lighting and landing strips and realized the living wall opposite the kitchen could use a sconce or some other light fixture...

As it turns out, that's not going to happen either, thanks to budget constraints. But there's always room for dreams...

Schedule change

Remember in my last post I said the floor install would start next week! Just kidding!! Nathan talked to the tile place and they said our tile wasn't in stock yet! As it turns out, this makes James happy, because he decided to switch electricians and the new guys can start Monday. Nathan also was starting to think the walls should go in before the floors, so maybe that will all work out, with the floor tile install starting one week from Monday.

Tonight was a leftover night, and I think tomorrow may involve more cooking at the neighbors'.