Houston, We Have A Kitchen

Getting the kitchen finished was a priority for us this month. We pulled out all of the stops and focused on getting it done.

We decided on this colour for the tile backsplash. We liked the way it tied the stainless steel in with the earthy colours we chose for the walls and it was even made in Canada for the win! We hoped it would warm things up a bit and keep the kitchen from looking too industrial. I wasn't a big fan of the small squares though so we went with the bricks instead.

Phil is trying to help me picture what it will look like on the wall.

Hmmmm, I can kind of see what it will look like. Sort of.

When we don't have the right tool for the job we have to figure out if it's better to buy one or just rent it? Sometimes, it is more cost effective to just buy the tool but in the case of a tile saw, it was definitely a better option to just rent one for the weekend.

Even though Phil has worked in the construction industry for 15 years, there are still some jobs that he doesn't ever get to do. Tiling is one of them. Better to start in a small, inconspicuous area.

And here we go. He used shims to hold the spaces between the tiles.

It looks good to me!

I really like how it contrasts with the cupboards.

It looks much better with the grout in.

Can you tell the difference?

Time to get the hood fan into place.

Ah, the strength of young men. We took the stove mostly apart to make it easier for them.

With a little tweaking of things into place, a kitchen is born.

Just.need.to.pinch.myself!!

I had to come back in the morning to make sure it wasn't just a dream! (That box is the last cupboard that goes above the fridge.)

It really wasn't a dream. It's all still there! We've left the cardboard under the stove for now because we will have to pull it out again for the gasfitter to hook up the gas. I love that I will be able to clean under it regularly instead of every six months or so. (Let's be real, we clean under the stove whenever we have reason to move it which is, right now, almost never!)

One of the first things I bought for the kitchen was this anti-fatigue mat. Oh my, is it ever nice to stand on. Thanks to Phil's sister for the suggestion! The doors under the sink are still off to access the plumbing.

I can't wait to eat breakfast here!!

It's so hard to believe that when we raised this wall just over 19 months ago that it would go...

...from this...

...to this!!

 The Lord is Good. And Faithful.

Everything, especially the floor, is still covered in a fine coat of dust. Hopefully soon, it will start staying clean!

Looking down the hall toward the laundry room.

From the laundry room, looking back toward the kitchen.

The last of the closet doors to be painted.

To keep things completely real, there was a small, almost catastrophe with the mainfloor trim. The colour on the trim here in the living room and in the kitchen is Antique White. We had it specifically colour matched to the kitchen cabinets. See how it looks white in this room?

See how it doesn't look white here in the bedroom? I'm not sure if it was because of the different lighting in the bedroom but it looked just a shade lighter than the colour on the wall. It did not look like that on the paint chip cards. There were calls and pictures sent to the paint expert (Sorry mom but thanks so much for walking me through!). The final decision was to change trim colours in the bedroom. Thankfully, we hadn't bought it all at once so it was easy enough to change. There would, of course, have to be a transition and that brought us to the next problem. Where in the world do I transition from Antique White to Here Comes The Bride White? Inside the room? Outside the room? Well, I won't tell you where we ended up putting it and hopefully you'll never notice. But if you do, please be kind. This really was my first rodeo. 

We found a sink with the right dimensions to fit the main floor bathroom.

All the work that was accomplished left behind a huge mess. The price for getting things done? I don't know but a huge clean up was in order.

Ah, that feels better!  I can think clearly again.

So many words come to mind when I think about the kitchen and the house so far. 

Thankful. Grateful. Appreciative. Gratitude. 

Can these words really encompass all that I feel?  Not even close. Sometimes, there just aren't words to truly express how we feel.

This is one of those times.  

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21