Kitchen Complete!

Today marked the last major step in the kitchen remodel. I just finished grouting the tile backsplash and screwing on some fancy outlet covers. I’d almost say it’s 100% complete, except there's a corner where the doors to the outside, the basement, and the next room meet, with the last doorway converted into a spice shelf. We’re not including that corner as part of the kitchen... so we're done!

With this project, I got a little better at tiling, more confident with electrical work, and I even moved a gas valve. I learned how to plumb for and install a dishwasher, and I’m really glad I left the cabinets, the countertops, and the flooring to professionals; I would have messed them up. Most of all, we learned the good and bad of designing, buying and installing cabinetry with a big box store (rhymes with “Blowes”); there’s a reason this summer project didn’t get done till late in the year. But we’re happy with it now.

Before:

During:

After:

This is the second time I've stripped several layers of paints from an 80 year old chrome heating grate. Here's how I do it:

1. Find a huge metal pot that you'll never cook food in


2. Add about 1/2 cup of washing soda and several gallons of water. Mix.


3. Heat the metal pot on your stove, camping grill, or bonfire.


4. Cook the painted metal grate until the paint starts to peel.


5. Pull, pick, scrub, curse.


6. Break out the chrome polish.

Next up: Finish the garage!

Back to the Tree Farm

This is our third year going to the same tree farm, which we first stumbled upon while driving through the countryside around North Plains. The place is owned by a very nice couple with an incredible house, a beautiful view, and a few acres where they grow Christmas trees. They don’t make a big deal out of it and there are never many people there. This year we found a suitable tree pretty quickly. It was a sunny winter day and we didn’t feel hurried. After I’d cut the tree and lugged it back to the parking lot, Oliver watched as the guy put the tree in a machine to shake out the needles. Then he had hot chocolate.

Back at the house, we faced the struggle of explaining why we hang so many awesome toys on the tree where they can’t be played with. That is an ongoing discussion.