Kitchen Makeover: Prologue

When I bought my house, the kitchen looked like this:

Yuck. I hated nearly everything about the kitchen. The oppressively low ceiling with glaring fluorescent light. The ugly bank of ceiling-mounted cabinets. The odd layout. The grungy appliances. The water-damaged floor.

No problem. It was nothing a complete gut-and-rebuild wouldn't fix. ;)  I began to plan and budget for totally remodeling the space.

Then my employment status became uncertain, and kitchen remodeling fell to the bottom of the spending priority list. With no way of knowing when I'd again be comfortable putting money into a kitchen remodel, I decided to move forward with a low-budget makeover. By recycling what I had and using some unconventional solutions, I ended up with what I think is a pretty good result.

Over the next several posts, I'll be showing what went into making over my kitchen, so check back to see the details of my projects. And stay tuned for the big reveal at the end. :)

Na Na Na Na...

Na na na na...
Hey hey hey...
Goodbye!





Today was my last real day at work.

I am freeeee!  :D

But it also feels odd... bittersweet. I don't think it's really sunk in yet.

Overall, the situation has worked out even better than I imagined. I'll be on paid vacation for the next two weeks. Then I'll begin working part-time at home. I'll have an income stream but no stress or commute or being stuck in an office for 9 hours a day. Perfect!

I had hoped to slip out quietly -- I'm uncomfortable being the center of attention -- but I wasn't entirely successful. The Board of Directors happened to be meeting yesterday, and they called me in to express their appreciation. Today, several of my coworkers took me to lunch. This preempted another group of coworkers, who say they'll take me to lunch sometime in the future. I received cards signed by many people, and several stopped by to say "good luck" and "see you later." It was nice to hear all the positive comments from everyone. :)

The lunch was amusing. I can count on my fingers the number of times in the past 4.5 years that I've gone to lunch with a coworker. Then when I'm leaving, suddenly everybody wants to take me to lunch. ;)

The lunch group consisted of five mothers and two women who want to have children relatively soon. They spent pretty much the entire time talking about pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood -- topics that don't pertain to me in the slightest. So I sat there eating my food, saying nothing, inwardly amused at the fact that I don't fit in even at my own lunch.

The Choice is Made

I have chosen to leave the company. That's right, I've decided to intentionally make myself unemployed. There might be more than a little insanity in that decision.

There were many, many variables to consider. In the end, it came down to this: I want my freedom. I feel trapped in the monotony of the routine, in the daily commute, in the requirement of sitting in my stuffy closet of an office for nine hours a day. I want out of this box.

There are risks, of course... that I won't be able to find work later, that I'll run out of savings, that the isolation will bring on depression, that I'll die and my poor dog will starve because no one knows I'm dead... but I will take those risks in exchange for my freedom.

Be it for good or for bad, my life is about to change drastically.

Time for a Major Life Choice

It's time to make the final decision about my job situation.

I've been with my current company for 4.5 years. After a stressful four years as Executive Assistant to the CEO, I transferred into a new position.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be a very poor fit for me, and I gave my notice back in November.

In the weeks since, the Chief of HR has suggested a few other positions that might be options for me. After much discussion, I have concluded that one of the positions might be a good fit.

Now I have to make the big choice.  Do I...

• pursue the new position in the company,
• get a full-time job elsewhere, or
• get a part-time job elsewhere and pursue my own business (organizing) on the side?

As with most big decisions, there are many pros and cons. With 4.5 years invested, it's hard to think about leaving the company. I believe in the company's project and want to see it succeed. Plus the pay is good and the benefits are outstanding. On the flip side, the environment is intense and chaotic, with enormous workloads. The company culture leaves much to be desired; sometimes it feels like high school, with cliques and silly competitiveness.

Of course, leaving to find a new job would carry financial risk. Pursuing my own business would be an even greater financial risk. I am pretty confident I could do the work of a professional organizer, but obtaining clients is another story. I am TERRIBLE at selling myself and even worse at networking.

The good news is that my finances are in pretty good shape. I live well within my means, so I've got savings to fall back on. And I'm frugal, so I don't need a huge income.

I am grateful to be in the position of having so many options.  Nonetheless, my head swims a bit at all of the variables.

I will be doing a lot of thinking as I'm working on my kitchen this weekend!

Quick Update

I am making good progress on my kitchen facelift. :)  I've been priming in preparation for paint.

I've been using power tools. (LOVE my brad nailer!)

I've been... doing mysterious things that shall remain unexplained for now. ;)

The kitchen is in a state of disarray, of course, with the stove unplugged, the dishwasher wrapped in plastic, and the contents of the cabinets stacked all over. As I don't cook much anyway, this hasn't caused much trouble for me. Until today.

This morning, I was in bed sick (again... stupid stomach trouble that just will not go away...). Finally the guilt of knowing I should be at work made me drag myself out of bed and get dressed. I started to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, using a plastic spoon because of the kitchen upheaval. Still only half-alert, I dropped the spoon, and my peanut butter-loving dog grabbed it. Before I could stop her, she BIT OFF a piece of the plastic spoon and swallowed it.

Consultation with my vet confirmed there's not much to do except monitor her until she passes the piece of plastic. Oh, joy, I get to join my dog on her backyard excursions and watch her poop. :/ In the snow, if the weather forecast is to be believed.

But I won't let this ruin my enthusiasm. Barring any spoon-related complications, I'll continue working on the kitchen, and with luck, I'll have some finished projects to show you all soon.

In the meantime, feast your eyes upon my new sink.  ;)  Oooooh, shiny!

 UPDATE Jan. 11: My dog yakked up the piece of plastic last night and is now totally fine.

So Begins 2013

For much of last year, I struggled with making a major decision about my job situation. Finally, about six weeks ago, I decided. I chose the riskiest path; nonetheless, I immediately felt lighter and freer for having made the decision.

Even if your decision is a painful one, simply committing to that decision often sets you on the right course. It's an interesting phenomenon.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said it like this: “At the moment of commitment, the entire universe conspires to assist you.”

The universe conspiring to help me?!  Sweeeet!

With the decision made, my brain shifted into high gear. Neurons fired. My creativity awoke from hibernation and ideas began to sprout. I felt energized.

Suddenly enthusiastic, I jumped into my kitchen renovation. In my opinion, any home improvement project that begins with demolition is a good project. :D

smash the tile!

pull the cabinets off the wall!

I LOVE DEMO!

The rebuilding is fun, too.  :)  I have so many ideas I want to implement! I got a good start during the Christmas holiday, and soon I'll have a little time away from work in which to concentrate on my home projects. I can't wait! :)

After a sluggish and stressful 2012, it feels great to begin 2013 with energy and optimism. Here's hoping 2013 will be a fantastic year!

Happy New Year!

(Wow... I have never used so many exclamation points in my life. Clearly I'm excited. :D )

Kitchen Resuscitation

Most of my four-day Christmas holiday was spent in the kitchen. That's not unusual in itself; however, I wasn't cooking or baking. I was working on my kitchen re-... hmmm, it's more than a redecoration but less than a remodel... let's just call it a resuscitation because goth knows the kitchen has been on life support. :P It won't be the complete renovation I was hoping for (more on that later), but I hope to make some substantial changes. I'll document my projects and progress, and later, I'll do a series of posts.

In the meantime, be astounded by the price of kitchen faucets (I was). Sure, I could get a basic chrome faucet similar to the one I currently have for about $39. But it's boring. (Not to mention the finicky lever handle makes it nearly impossible to get water the right temperature. "Warm" occupies a one-millimeter space between "frigid" and "scalding.")

not very exciting

Snazzy faucets are considerably more expensive. Here are some of the options I found while searching for a Victorianesque style. 

Moen Waterhill in a really cool wrought iron = $550

Delta Victorian in stainless steel = $370

Moen Vestige in a unique pewter finish = $358

Danze Opulence in polished nickel $433

This is the faucet I ended up purchasing. It typically sells for $180, which is a good price. But I really lucked out and found that the seller was offering a "used-like new" one for $130. It had been bought and returned; the packaging was a little beat up, but the faucet had not actually been used. Score!

Premier Charlestown in brushed nickel

I am SO EXCITED to finally be resuscitating my kitchen! :D