So we’ve picked a contractor [Drumroll….]
It’s Mr. Younger-but-Enthusiastic Contractor – ta da!
Gerry’s been elected to tell Mr. Established Contractor we’re not going with him. He has the whole pathos thing going, and we think he won’t get yelled at or anything. We’re really losing a good bet by not taping this whole thing for a reality show on HGTV!
Today we went to the cabinet showroom suggested by our contractor, ALL, Inc., to pick out – well – cabinets. They happened to be having a scratch & dent sale, and we completed our appliance buying needs by picking up a floor model wall oven and stackable dryer. Both were more than 50% off, and both are VERY necessary!
Our current kitchen is pretty appliance poor – part of why the price of the house was so good (the not very inspired kitchen.) We’re not setting out to “flip” the house or anything, but that same nagging feeling that told me [Okay, YELLED at me!] that we should move to the Twin Cities is telling me to be intelligent and thorough in any upgrades we do.
I hear and I obey.
Now we have to sell our current (wonderful) non-stackable dryer on Craig’s List, and we’ll be golden! I think we may be able to sell it for just a little less than the new dryer – we’ll see!
There’s so much arranging, organizing, lining up of ducks still to do before we all leave town and the contractor comes in. I’m meeting with him tomorrow to set up a schedule that will work for all of us. Thank heaven I shine at this – and dig it – but it is wearying. It’s gotta happen, though, and evidently I’m the woman to do it.
Earlier folks were asking, “When are we going to see the FUN stuff – the colors for the kitchen, etc…”
Well, you asked for it, here it is. The photo in the upper left is from a local house that was for sale. I liked the feeling so much that we’re trying to match it with our own kitchen. It seems good for the period (1918) and do-able on a budget (without sacrificing style!)
Please don’t tell me that I have no business enjoying this part of it, I can’t help it…
We’re trying to be frugal and intelligent in all of our choices. Doing something cheaply and badly won’t be a help to anyone in the long run. As we said to our contractor – we’d like to be frugal – but not cheap – in our decision making.
With the scratch & dent appliances we’ve bought, the bargain slate tile for the bathroom, the sensible wood floor & locally made and reasonably priced cabinets, we think that we’re getting a very good value for the home equity loan we have to take out tomorrow. Hoo-ah.
DEM BUMS
Tonight was another ball game – Max is so great – he’s definitely not the best player on the team, but he has so much heart & enthusiasm. Being on the Dodgers (I prefer to think of them as Bklyn, even though their hats say “LA”), which turns out to be a remarkable team, has been the BEST thing for him this summer.
He gets a lot of good male attention, bonding with teammates, gets to run around and he’s finally figured out how to hit the ball. Every time at bat tonight he connected, getting a double 3 times and making it home twice. Go Maxie!
Hannah showed me that she can do something I have NEVER been able to mistress – whistling through a blade of grass! And she’s GOOD!
After the game Hannah, Max and I walked over to Grand Ol’ Creamery and bought cones, then we walked home on this lovely and cool evening.
There’s something about a couple of red-headed kids (one in a Dodgers baseball uniform), eating ice cream cones that makes the whole world smile. Well, it made the folks we passed on Grand smile.
POTTER LINE
Tomorrow night we’re going to a Harry Potter event at Red Balloon (near our home on – you guessed it – Grand Ave) with our friends Catherine & Lucas. The kids are absolutely THRILLED to be going – and so am I! I’ve ordered the book from Amazon, but the waiting in line will be fun for the kids. We can pretend we’re the Weasleys!
KNITTING STUFF
I finished the Wimple (excellent word, thank you!) and will be sending it out tomorrow.
Now I start on an Alpaca Ruana for a book about Fiber Festivals a friend is writing. It will be a mitered project, worked so that the natural Alpaca colors accentuate and compliment each other.
A simple project, but sort of a large one and the deadline is mid-September. Thankfully, I’ll have a lot of mindless knitting time in August, and this is DEFINITELY a mindless project!
The front porch has become an excellent place to knit – I turned one of the bookshelves on it’s side – it still holds the same amount of yarn, but now it’s counter-top height so I have a working space out there.
I needed a place of my own to spread out – now I have it!