Joining the crowd

I'm going to join the crowd and throw out a bulleted list of updates, too!

• I've been a busy knitting bee. I finished a hat for my sis, I'm most of the way through a catbed for Smidgen, and I've started making the cutest little knitted trees - the house needed more christmas decorations that the cat wouldn't eat or destroy - garland and glass ornaments are not a good idea. Plus, I started my new sweater....of course, I will lengthen the sleeves because we all know I'm always cold. And can I say that I am digging Ravelry! Thanks to Miss Tooleri for letting me borrow her account to learn all the ins and outs.
• I have been brainstorming more yarn business names. Not that I've gotten anywhere, but at least I'm trying! Jumping through loops? Sweet tooth dyeworks? Maybe I'll just be "Nameless."
• I had a birthday. We won't be discussing my elderly-ness, but it was a fun day, and now I get to prepare for my party. House cleaning - here we come. I'm going to be having a terribly yummy cake and champagne and my favorite friends over and it will be fabulous! I was going to make an icebox cake, but decided that for my own birthday party, the less work for me, the better.
• I am not doing so well on my Christmas shopping. I just can't seem to find what I want at decent prices. Come on, stores! People are foreclosing on their mortgages - a little sale action, please! Plus, it is tough without a car. I can't just jump in my hyundai and pop off to the mall. Sometimes, I miss my car. :)
• The bathroom renovation has stalled. With everything else going on, I haven't been in the mood to make a big spackly mess. I think painting will have to wait til after the holidays. I've got a bit of tile work to do. Plus, I want to replace my medicine cabinet and bathroom lighting, and that's probably going to require some drywall action. So, it won't be a quicky job.
• I've been working on my kitchen remodel. I was originally going to leave the appliance as is, but now I'm thinking about migrating the fridge, flipping the dishwasher to the other side of the sink and extending the kitchen by about a foot or a foot and a half. This would make more sense with a visual aid, but that will come in a future post.

Okay - gotta run - so much partying to do, so little time!

Kitchen v. Plants

Whoa - it's a busy time here in good ol' DC. Street cleaning days are back, cherry blossoms are blooming, and the tourists have arrived in full force.

And me? Well, the kitchen has been put on hold due to design complications. And due to the fact that, well - I've been assessing my time, and I'd just rather play outside than think about cabinet box construction. I think that's okay, as long as it's a conscious choice, and not a method of escapism. After all, my plants need me to amend their soil and build raised beds, and keep Smidgen from using them as her next snack.

Uncertainty is the name of the game these days. Steve-o's med school tour 2007 has had an unexpected tour date added. As it turns out, the reviews of prior tour dates are not turning out as anticipated. So, his uncertainty is my uncertainty, which means uncertainty about the house (how much to fix, to sell or not to sell), when (not if) to switch jobs, etc. So, considering all that's going on, I'd say I'm doing a pretty good job of dealing....I mean, I haven't gone postal yet. Perhaps indulging in a little too much Ebay and yarn shopping, but a little retail therapy is better than a lot of psychotherapy. :)

Update

Spent last weekend running around DC and murr-lynd looking at kitchen design places, and getting folks to price stuff out. Spent this past week in sticker shock. My damn soffits are creating the need for custom cabinets....very expensive custom cabinets. One person I called said 50K for my tiny little kitchen. Are they on crack? Must be. For that much money, I'd have to be selling the stuff.

So, I tweaked kitchen lady's design a bit, getting rid of the spice cabinet (very $, but not something I really feel compelled to have), and the appliance garage doors (as she called them), deciding they were a little bit country. Even so, the rough estimates are coming in higher than what I'd hoped for. And my ball of savings was just starting to look pretty decent.

Plus, there are so many choices, even though I already know what style I want. Oddly, enough that's part of the problem. Every company makes the door style I like. So, there are a zillion places to get my cabinets from. And then - should they come from a place that handles everything, or should I buy the cabinets, countertop, sink, etc. from different dealers, and perhaps save myself some mula?

Unfortunately, I think the kitchen has to be done whether I stay in the area or not. The wall cabinets are starting to take a dive....like, right off the wall. Damn kamikaze cabinets! On that topic, I've also been busy on Steve-o's school tour 2007. Fortunately/unfortunately, I think we're done with those. Interview season is quickly drawing to a close. It's bitter sweet, cause it's nice to stop worrying about who will invite you for an interview, but it's not so nice when you don't get one from a place you wanted to go. Hmm, I'm talking about this like it's my process. Guess I'm a little vested in it, huh? Kinda snuck up on me. :) Now, we just wait for our...I mean...his acceptances. (I did that one on purpose.)

For those interested in something other than house stuff - I spent this past weekend at a yarn dying class, shunning kitchen stuff entirely. No photos from the class itself, but I came home inspired, and took stock of what I've got. Several pounds of dyeable fiber, and three lonely skeins that may find their way to someone, someday.I also dyed a skein for a pal's birthday, but she might check this, so no photos just yet.

I can see you

Got a drill bit, and now I've got a peephole. Not a reverse peephole, though. So, I won't be able to tell if ninjas are waiting for me inside. But, I will be able to tell if holy rollers (did we only call them that in PA?), UPS men/women (though I've never seen a female UPS delivery person), Ryans, or wayward knitters are lurking outside my door. Of course, I could just use the intercom, but it's more fun to try out new house toys. Hurray!

I tried to go meet with a kitchen designer at the not-so-great indoors, but when I called, they failed to tell me the designers go home at 6, even though the store is open til 9. Losers!

Oh, and my pocket door kit has arrived. Wall destruction, here I come.

The kitchen lady came-th

Right to my house. She even pet my cat. Turns out she has one too. She got points for being a cat-lover. She got even more points for doing an awesome job talking to me about possibilities in my kitchen. I learned all about cabinet types, cabinet makers, cabinet installers. Okay people - this is exciting stuff for me....and stuff that as a renter I never had to think about. Did the door open, and was there food inside? That was about the extent of it.

So, she and I drew up a plan, and talked about a few different possibilities. But I liked what she suggested. I have a complicated place - a crazy soffit, low ceiling, and a small kitchen. So, basically, if I walk into a cabinet store and they balk at that, or ignore those facts, I should run screaming the other way. I'm guessing the Home Despot and Low-Low home improvement will fall into that category. So much babysitting involved! And amazingly enough - not the cheapest option.

So...natural maple cabinets, a pantry, glass fronts, silestone countertops, undermount stainless steel sink...and a low bank account. Most of my cabinets should be easy to find in the style I want....but there will be one or two custom or semi-custom cabinets. Luckily I've been saving up. I'm thinking either a slab or a craftsman-type style. Something with nice lines. I'm not a big fan of the curvy country, or something with lots of bevels - it just means more grooves to clean.

Plus - even though she wasn't there for any other room, we talked about the living room and how we can better arrange it, which confirmed what I'd been thinking all along - built-in bookshelves! And...she's on my side in the Projector v. Couch face-off. Loved her! She also convinced me that I can totally tile my shower....it will just take a while....and I only have one bathroom, so I may end up contracting that, but they're going to be watched like a hawk. You can bet on it. She was so positive, which was great, and got me all excited about my kitchen....which is a little weird.

I also ordered the pocket door kit for the bathroom, so more demolition coming your way!

I'm away some of this weekend, so I'll be setting up appts. with cabinet places when I get back. The good news - now I know what I want to do, at least theoretically. The bad news - I may not be living there long enough to enjoy it once it's done.