How To Thrive while you Revive Your Kitchen

All my friends in real life #IRL are tired of hearing about my ongoing kitchen remodel, so I’m counting on you, my social media friends, to pitch in and cheer me up.

And I do understand. How patient would I be if every time I asked my friend, “How do you like your new kitchen?” she pulled her hair and shrieked, “They’re sanding the floor and restaining it AGAIN! This is the third time…come back I’m not done telling you!”

It’s like asking, “How are you?” and instead of hearing “Fine!” you hear, “Well, they dented the fridge door so a new one is on order. But the good news is that there’s so much dust on everything, you can’t even see the goof on the door.”

And I also realize that I chose to remodel my kitchen. I went in to this whole ordeal smiling, happy, very willing because, yes, I did want beautiful cabinets, and gorgeous granite, and fabulous appliances and a better layout for my cooking area. And I’m getting all that…some day.

What Have We Learned from This?

My Remodeling Survival Tips

1. I thought I was being so smart- I packed up my whole kitchen in bankers boxes. Neat and compact, I stacked the boxes out of the way in our exercise room. Everything stayed orderly until…we couldn’t find the can opener, and the corkscrew and the grill utensils. I have gone through every box so may times looking for something. So my first tip is- don’t pack the essentials!
2. We forgot to empty a coat closet, so we dumped all our outerwear on the treadmill. But, it’s sued to being a closet!
3. A remodel is a good time to clean out the pantry and cupboards! That felt really good! And I’m looking forward to a tidy, streamlined arrangement…soon.
4. The remodelers helped us set up a makeshift kitchen area in the dining room. They moved our old microwave and fridge for us. We used paper plates, plastic silver ware and ate a lot of lean cuisine. We bought bags of ice, as we couldn’t make ice. (Ok, yes I know I sound like such a baby.)
5. During the winter it was kind of fun struggling to the garage. We couldn’t walk through the kitchen to get to the garage, so we would go out the front door and walk around the front of the house to the garage. Of course, once we got to the garage, we would realize we didn’t have the garage door opener. So we would trudge back. Then, when it snowed a lot…yes I really really do know I’m a pitiful whiner…the trek to the garage wasn’t as much fun. Finally, we realized we could walk downstairs through the basement, and up the service stairs to the garage! Yay!
6. 5. Do not DO NOT plan to have your remodel done by a specific time, such as, “Oh it will be wonderful to have out new kitchen by Thanksgiving, or Allie’s shower.” It won’t happen. So, don’t put that pressure on yourself.
7. I have to say, it’s been interesting to watch the whole project and fascinating to watch the pros install the granite or put in new wiring and water lines, and install the cabinets and run the sander over and over and over.
8. I told my husband I was writing this post and I asked him for his ideas and tips. He said, “Just enjoy the process and know that you’ll be thrilled with your new kitchen when you’re done!

Kitchen stuff…on the treadmill!

We started with tidy boxes.

The Best Tip is Be Patient!

And if you start to feel a bit on edge, check out my friend Pauline Wiles’ Serenity Project. Glide More, Flap Less!