Kitchen-ness and other ramblings

 

I spent the good half of the day yesterday in the kitchen.  I felt bad my husband had nothing to take to work for breakfast.

I made a sweet potato (organic hannah), bacon with greens hash, topped with eggs.  It was so good too.

I also made a pecan sour cream coffee cake with Georgia pecans.  Oh my goodness!  So good.  New recipe I tired.

Dinner was homemade meatballs with a sauce made from home canned barbeque sauce, garlic from the garden and a bit of honey, on a bed of wild rice.  I wanted broccoli in it, but that didn't happen.

Cleaning also resumed, after a mountain of dishes were done, and dishwasher ran two times.  It was a beautiful 60°F day, but too windy to enjoy the front porch.

The local professionals stopped in last night to take a look at our first project - kitchen floor/new joist/new sub floor.  They took measurements and asked questions.  The estimate will be emailed soon.  My husband is 99% sure we'll be doing it ourselves.  He is guessing they will come back with an estimate of $5,000.00 or more.

Today, to prepare for it, I need to box up everything that Daughter K left on one table, and box up what I pulled from the cupboard that will be donated.  I need to take the inserts out of the table that make it longer.  That will help make moving it to the living room easier.  Then I need to box up what's in the bottom of the hutch and move that out, then we will start on the counter and cupboards, then floor.

In the meantime, I've gotten a few suggested outlet locations for possible flooring, but Hubby is not too excited about running from place to place for prices and supply.  We are dealing with his work schedule with all of this too.

This and That

Took advantage of good weather and got the chicken coop mucked, and just before the rain moved in.  I did a little bit of sweeping on the front porch, and swept living room.

Craft stuff put away until big repairs are complete.   I really don't have time to create right now.  I will try to carve out a break time for my self some how.

I guess I'll be collecting more boxes.  I have two more cupboards to empty.

I purchased a new toilet paper holder for the bathroom remodel.  It pivots up, and has no spring thing to deal with.  It should arrive today.

My kitchen is full of boxes that Daughter K needs to come and move yet.  Sigh....I do not like my house looking so chaotic.  In time it will be looking spiffy.

Here is our big job to-do list for this year:

1. Rip out some counter tops and cupboards, rip up flooring and sub floor, replace joists, re-do sub floor and complete new flooring, put cupboards and counter top back in, hutch back in, and re-fill with the dishes that are already boxed up.

2. Rip out entire bathroom off kitchen.  Replace dry wall, all new flooring, install new shower and toilet.  I already pulled a tall shelve unit that I will clean today and put out by the road for free (just needs painted again) and I'm too lazy tired to haul it all the way into town to donate.  I will paint the entire bathroom as well and Hubby will install a fan (never had one for some reason).  We already have the new shower and paint for this job.

Note:  When this bathroom is all done, we will hire someone to re-tile the master shower floor.  We hired family the last time and the grout washed away.

3. Rip up part of front room floor, replace joist, replace sub-floor, replace carpet (painting will be next year I think).  Replace furniture (dogs destroyed it).

4. Rip out and replace all carpet in stairway and upstairs.  Again, dogs, cat and rabbit destroyed it.  Painting and removing old wall paper will be another year.  No time for that this year with a garden.

5. If we have the time, rip out old carpet in our master bedroom and replace with new flooring.  Remove and install closet door to a change where the entry way is (it's in the center of a wall right now) so we can move furniture into place better.

6. Build new chicken coop and covered run.

7. Purge garage

8.  Utility room will get new flooring and paint (next year).

We already hired a friend to finish the unfinished new hallway, and have someone coming out today to give an estimate on the two floors that need new joists.  If it's out of our budget, we are doing it ourselves.  The hall can wait for now, but knowing someone is hired already gives my brain a rest.

Now....what to make for breakfast?  And dinner?  That is top of the list this morning.  I will figure it out after I down some good ol' coffee.