Kitchen Renovations - Day 4052

Okay, so we haven't really been at it for 4000 days, but the mess is getting to me at moments. Renovations are so much fun that I can stay perky for quite a while, but if we start to use the kitchen soon it will be okay with me.

That being said, the renovations are coming along splendidly. John is doing a great job of the cabinets. He has the face frames (outsides of the cabinets) pretty much done, and I can probably start the first steps of the varnishing treatment tomorrow. Tomorrow is my day off, since I work next Saturday.

The countertops arrived late Wednesday, and John installed them on Friday. They look beautiful, and the neutral brown arborite that we chose has a greenish tinge when set in the kitchen with the red linoleum floor. It's not what we planned the colour to be, but it really works. Choosing wall paint will be tricky with a red floor and brown-green countertops though. Art Boy and I are up to it, though. We cruise a mean paint chip.

A few stressful moments Friday for John and Jimbo: the sink that we bought is supposed to fit a 24-inch countertop, but it really didn't look like it would. It was so close that J and J were afraid to cut the sink hole for most of the day, without a plumber consult. In the end, though, they read the schematics one more time, took a deep breath, and made the cut. The sink just fits with about a 1/4-inch to spare. Whew. We thought we'd need to buy another sink.

John also put together the final cabinet, which is a case for our spanky new dishwasher. The kitchen as a whole looks so great. We were nervous about doing our own design and ending up with something boxy or unbalanced, but it's very functional and at the same time spacious and elegant. The cabinets look like bookcases, they're so fabulous. I think the whole thing will look a bit different once the cabinet doors are on (that always makes cupboards more weighty), but I think it's going to be excellent. Thailand tourist will be green with envy. (If not already green with tourista.)

Our cats are still at Auntie Lauveen's house. God bless Auntie Lauveen. I think they're happier than they are here (they get spoiled), and they will be ticked at us for weeks when they have to submit to the cat diet regimen and to being chased by the Sproutlet once again.