Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that make all the difference. For instance, Smuffy’s custom “farmhouse sink” installation. That certainly breathed new life into the old kitchen! But, alas, I suppose I’m one to never be satisfied, because I found myself wanting more of life’s little luxuries.
The last few weeks have brought some advancements that have at least gotten the kitchen back into the kitchen. If you’d like to see my “Not-A-Kitchen” which was in the dining room, click here. With Smuffy’s addition of plywood along one kitchen wall, we now have a countertop (sort of) and I’ve cut my trusty vinyl tablecloth in half and moved it onto the counter to be able to wipe up messes and keep the plywood from getting icky. Just in case you’re wondering, those don’t rank high in durability. The poor thing has lost its luster and has a couple of melted spots and will soon be ready for the trash can. Bless its tacky lil’ heart, though, it has helped it make this giant leap into actually cooking in the kitchen!
In order to allow for adjusting the base cabinets, there are gaps in the temporary countertops. This makes food prep interesting as I try my dog-gone-dest not to drop food and utensils down inside those holes. While I am grateful for each baby step forward in this kitchen remodel, I do have to admit, if I am being totally honest, that there are some days when I’ve had just about as much ugly as I can stand. And weird storage made of cardboard boxes stacked on their sides. And this hot plate that is second only to my old stove in the category of “burners with minds of their own”.
I am loving the giant drawers Smuffy made. They hold a lot of stuff and I’m loving the smooth glide.
This has all gone on for so long now that I feel the urge to go over next week and personally escort the countertop installers to my door for my appointment just to be sure they don’t get lost or end up at the wrong house or something. Perhaps I should also deliver nourishing meals to their door between now and then to reduce the likelihood of them calling in sick on the Big Day.
I like to find my bright spots where I can and when Smuffy finished my pantry, I was over the moon! He advised me to cram it tight “for now” and wait for the final touches until the kitchen was much further along. I vetoed that idea, knowing that it would give me a much needed mental boost to have a spot of loveliness and an area of organization. I added the large red and cream medallion print wallpaper I’d chosen as a backdrop for all my pantry goodies and headed to Hobby Lobby to stock up on lots of nice jars and chalk labels (at half price, of course) for my ingredients. The tall, antique ten-pane casement window will show off my efforts. My theory is that you can always put anything unsightly in a nearby closed drawer.
As you can see, all my ingredients are conveniently at hand for making THM plan-friendly meals – my Gluccie, beef collagen, gelatin, baking blend, stevia, Super Sweet, Gentle Sweet and all the rest. It’s really been a stress reliever to have this small area of the kitchen complete. The pantry goes floor to ceiling, so I overlapped three photos here. That’s the explanation for any oddities in viewing.
All the shelves are adjustable with strips and clips that make them easy to move, but it took me longer to get those exactly where I wanted them than it did to wallpaper the whole thing!
Some of the items won’t stay in the pantry, such as my food processor, blender and mugs, but right now they have no other home, so…
This concludes Part 5 of these special episodes of my Life With Smuffy. With each completed step, I remind him that he’s my hero. He’s not all about remodeling – not by a long shot – so check out his page if you need stories to curl your hair and broaden your smile.
The kitchen makeover chronicles include my embarrassing “before” photos in “Death of a Kitchen”. After that, you can catch up with “A Glimmer of Hope and Stainless Steel”, “Birth Pains of a Kitchen” and “My Not-A-Kitchen Kitchen”.
Next week, when I finally stop kissing and stroking my new countertops, I’ll be back to share the joy!
I’m curious. How do you organize your kitchen? Do you have a pantry? Do you stock it only with food and ingredients or pots, pans and small appliances? Do you have any great organizational tips? Leave a comment!