goals20 pounds lighter by July 17/20 pounds | In yesterday’s post, I asked for your general advice about remodeling our kitchen. Today, I’d like to present you with some before pictures to show you how small it really is and to gather additional feedback. To answer the question that always comes up: no, we can’t remove the wall behind the stove for several reasons. If you’d like, you can take a look at the room’s basic layout here as a PDF. On to the tour. (Click any image to go to a bigger version where you can mouseover and see some notes about the room)  The view from the back door The above is what you see when you come in the back door (where most people come in). Cluttered! And tiny! The back wall with the sink is about ten feet long. As you can see, the bottom cabinet along the wall by the range is unusable. This has been an issue since the day we moved in. Jeff built a small cabinet to fill in the gap by the stove and to gain some storage space. We want to get rid of the range. It’s old, the temperature in the stove is 75 degrees off, and it can’t possibly be insulated with the amount of heat it radiates. We’re looking at something mid-range (HA!) to replace it. The big black thing near the top left? That’s a countertop dishwasher made for RVs. That’s probably the single thing that’s let us put off remodeling for so long. It’s sitting on a cabinet that Jeff had to build for it since our original built-in cabinets are too low for it to sit on the counter.  The view from a corner by the sink looking towards the pantry. OK, now you’re standing with your back to the dishwasher looking toward the pantry (that we want to keep) and the doorway to the living room. The back door is off to your right. That’s the basement door you’re seeing in the picture. On the very left edge is the doorway to the dining room. Oh, and to make things extra fun, there’s a step down there to the back and basement doors. That strip of wood to the right of the fridge is one of the edges of the step. We’re keeping that fridge unless we hear a VERY compelling reason not to.  The view from the doorway into the dining room. Now you’re standing in the dining room doorway and have a better look at that back corner. The wall with the dishwasher is about eight feet long. The sink is lovely white porcelain, but it’s impossible to keep clean. I want a new stainless steel one. The white vintage kitchen cabinet you see under the (non-countertop height window)? We’ll keep it, but we don’t know where it’ll end up yet. Probably in my sewing room, though I’m not sure where… So. Thoughts? Suggestions? How would you lay it out?  We’ve lived in our house for almost nine years now, and I’ve finally had it with our kitchen. It’s time to remodel and I want your advice!
We are staying within the footprint of our current 1920s kitchen and it’s about 80 square feet, but because of the layout, not all of it is terribly usable. We’re definitely getting new cabinets and appliances (except for the fridge, which is only a few years old). We’d like to keep the pantry, which you cannot see in this picture (though you can see pretty much ALL of the counterspace). So, questions. If you have done a kitchen remodel… - What was your best remodeling decision?
- What would you do differently?
- What space-saving devices did you add?
- Do you actually like and use said space-saving devices?
- Is there anything you thought you’d love but don’t?
- Is there anything you wish you had spent money to upgrade, but didn’t?
- Is there anything you spent money to upgrade, but wish you hadn’t?
- What should we ask the remodelers before we start?
- How did you survive without a kitchen during the remodel?
Our current thoughts on what we’d like like to do: - Keep with a traditional/vintage style
- Go with gray, white, and black for colors and add color with accent pieces
- Keep it as simple as possible to make the room look as big as possible
- Cabinet doors! I’ve lived with dusty bowls for long enough, thank you
Though it’s a big step, and will be messy, and take time, I’m really looking forward to it! Comments and suggestions are very, very welcome! Life has happened and gotten in the way of posting, but the garden doesn’t pay any attention to that and has been going gangbusters.  Happy, happy tomatoes!  The blackberry bushes are trying to get into the house.  One day's haul: blackberries, raspberries, eggplant, tomatoes, hot pepper. One of my mom’s kittens, Pixel, helped me with my embroidery. 
Wasn’t he thoughtful? Saturday! My last day at Comic-Con, sadly. Late flights to the Eastern timezone are hard to cheaply come by. Next year the plan is to fly into San Diego and fly out of the Los Angeles area on Monday where G. & S. live. Surely I can con one of them into driving me there and keeping me over night… So. Saturday started with Leverage and a line out the back of our hotel to see it.  Leverage line We got to see bananas delivered while we waited.  Banana delivery I FINALLY got to see Wil Wheaton after missing several chances during the con.  Leverage panel (Wil’s waaaaaaay over on the right and really you can’t see him.) It was a very, very fun panel. My third-favorite panel (but keep in mind, several panels, including one not yet mentioned, that tied for second). Also, I got THREE t-shirts for Jeff (#s 6, 7 &  and one for myself. Next, S. and I stood in line for Ballroom 20 and saw lots of fun costumes. The indoor line for Ballroom 20 is my favorite place to see costumes.  Cutest superheroes ever  Lounge lizard Vader & Fett  ... I think it's an anime thing ... Then we caught the last quarter of the Futurama panel and the whole of the Simpsons panel.  Al Jean & Matt Groenig at Simpsons panel Both were fun, even though it what we weren’t there to see. Next was the panel for V, which I also wasn’t terribly interested in. The showrunner did admit that they didn’t reveal enough fast enough, which is exactly the problem I had with the show. Then came Fringe, which I really wanted to see. Last year’s panel was fantastic, and this year was no slouch either.  Fringe panel It. Was. Amazing. Tied for second with Burn Notice and Psych for Best-of-Con. Joshua Jackson is hilarious, and watching him interact with John Noble is just fantastic.  John Noble & Joshua Jackson Again, it was a group that seemed to enjoy each other’s company and seemed happy to be there. That’s what makes a fun time at Comic-Con. … And that was it. We intended to see more and do more, but we decided to hang out together, have dinner, and drinks, and listen to S.’s rendition of the Event panel, which only she went to. It sounded pretty good; I’ll watch it. Then bed, then … home. Lessons learned/reminders to self for next year- Plan meals better. We way overestimated on food.
- Take a jacket or sweater in addition to a wrap. The wrap was perfect during the day, but a jacket would have been easier in the evening.
- Exercise. I felt like a slug. Since I wake up early, finding time won’t be a problem.
Friday! Always a little more crowed than Thursday, but the crowds meant I was thwarted in my plans to see the panels in Ballroom 20, including the Big Bang Theory panel. I think it was so crazy because of all the people camping out to see Joss Whedon. Why didn’t they put him first on the schedule and let people who actually wanted to see the panels before him get in the room? So instead, I ended up in the Hawaii 5-0 panel.  Hawaii 5-0 panel My main question: “Why?” Why remake it? I just don’t get it. Tellingly, they brought two secondary, but geek-friendly actors (Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park), not the two leads. On the other hand, I got a free t-shirt for Jeff (#4). Next was the Walking Dead panel, which was really good. We saw a ten minute clip, then the stars and production staff came out.  Walking Dead panel - looks like it'll be fantastic It looks like it’s going to be really great. As an added bonus, on Friday night, Robert Kirkman, the writer of the comic book, won an Eisner that night for Best Continuing Series. Next was crossing the street to grab some swag downtown (free t-shirt for Jeff #5). The others took off for panels and I took a turn ’round the exhibition hall to pick up some art. More on this later. Then, the Teen Wolf panel. “What?” you ask. “A Teen Wolf panel?” Yeah, but I wanted to see the next thing in the room, so I sat through: “The first ever look at MTV’s new one-hour drama based on the Michael J. Fox movie.” They showed the first ten minutes or so of the show, and I can say without reservation that it’s going to be appalling. Of course, I said that about Vampire Diaries last year and it’s an unbelievably big hit. But, man, is this awful! What I wanted to see was next, Falling Skies, “They’re coming. Get the very first look at Steven Spielberg’s new series that envisions a world where aliens have invaded and the fate of humanity lies in the hands of a few survivors. Noah Wyle (ER, TNT’s The Librarian movies) and Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation) join co-executive producer and writer Mark Verheiden (Heroes, Battlestar Galactica) for a Q&A on the new series.”  Falling Skies panel They have only filmed the pilot and showed a “sizzle trailer” that didn’t really show much. And the panel? They didn’t seem to want to be there or answer questions. They really weren’t great ambassadors for the show. Yawn! Next, though, was my very favorite panel of the whole con: Being Human. 
The cast so very obviously likes each other and were having so much fun that it was easily the best panel I attended over the whole con. I laughed so much during this panel! Not only do they have a fantastic show, they have a very talented and friendly cast. (G. ran into the two women in the bathroom, and they were quite nice, despite the awkward location.) I had planned to go to the Eureka and Haven screening, but I was easily lured away to a restaurant to hang with my friends instead.  Bed. OK, to be completely accurate, this is Pre-Day 1 and Day 1. If you don’t know what the San Diego Comic-Con is, go here to find out. For me, it’s a chance to hang out with friends (G., J., and S.) and celebrate pop culture in all its forms. So I flew into beautiful San Diego on Wednesday night.  San Diego! And I stood in line to get my badge. I didn’t have to, but I wanted to avoid the line on Thursday morning.  Standing in my first line ... to get my badge Then I went to the hotel, hung out with my friends, and tried to get my internal clock to reset (with minimal success). Thursday, the morning started with G. and I taking a tour ’round the exhibition hall and picking up some free swag.  Exhibit hall Then it was off to stand in line for Ballroom 20 where the whole gang would get to see the panels from USA network.  View while waiting in line for Ballroom 20 One of the things I love about the USA panels is that everyone involved always seems so happy to be there. )Not everyone’s like that; I’ve been to panels where the people on stage seem to be bored, annoyed, and/or angry.) Each of the three panels opened with a filmed sketch made especially for Comic-Con, all of which were hilarious. Also, the moderators for the panel are cast members or guest stars, which helps the chemistry and flow of the panel immensely. First up was Burn Notice, which ended up being tied for second-best-panel of the con for me.  Burn Notice panel As usual, Bruce Campbell rocked the house. I also got a free t-shirt for Jeff (#1). Next up, White Collar. I don’t watch the show, but it was entertaining nonetheless. I also got a free t-shirt for Jeff (#2). The third and final USA show was Psych, which, while I don’t watch often, I enjoy when I do. They started out with the usual USA sketch, but continued it live when Curt Smith from Tears for Fears came out to sing “Shout” with the stars of the show.  Psych + Tears for Fears = Awesome With a tapdance number at the end, the Psych panel also tied for second-best-panel of the con for me. I also got a free t-shirt for Jeff (#3). Next, G. and I headed off to see the panel “SFX presents The British Invasion”. The description of the panel: “Five top UK writers from the worlds of TV, comics, books, and movies discuss what makes modern British SF unique. Dan Abnett (Ultramarines), China Miéville (Perdido Street Station), Paul Cornell (Doctor Who), Kieron Gillen (Thor), Pat Mills (2000 AD), and Toby Whithouse (BBC’s Being Human creator) talk to SFX magazine’s Dave Bradley in this panel and Q&A session.”  The British are coming! The British are coming! It was a fascinating panel, with China Miéville bringing up one of the more interesting points: the panel was all white men, and where was everyone else? The discussion around that was thoughtful and very exciting to listen to. Pat Mills is actively working to bring women into comic writing and illustrating in comics in Britian, which is a fantastic thing. Next, the gang came back together to see the season premiere of Being Human and the season finale of Doctor Who. To be sure we got seats, we sat through the panel that was before that in the same room, Robotech, which ended up being fairly interesting. The Being Human and Doctor Who episodes were introduced by the cast of Being Human.  Being Human cast Both shows were great, with the season premiere of Being Human my favorite. This season of Doctor Who has not been a fave of mine; it’s too much about Amy, and too little about the Doctor. And then, to bed. I got a bunch of 1953-1955 Workbasket magazines from the antique store last weekend, and one of my favorite things is the pattern adverts! You can see the whole set here, but my favorite is the one in the upper right of this one. Love that midriff & collar! | |
popular? maybe.