My Very Own Kitchen

When I was house-hunting, I knew I wanted a nice kitchen. I enjoy trying to cook, 'trying' being the operative word. Here are a few more 'before' and 'after' pictures. In my previous posting, I talked about the huge sink and wall tile. I loved both. But the seafoam green color was over the top, especially since the ceiling and some of the light fixtures were painted the same color. This first picture shows 90% the kitchen storage space (other than the pantry).
I decided that I wanted warmer earthy colors in my house, but I couldn't figure out what colors would go with the cream, seafoam, and black wall tile. I found a natural cherry wood stain that I loved. It took me about a month to make that decision. I chose a cream color on the walls to try to tone down the green.

And now, the kitchen is my favorite room in the house. Every part of that kitchen is something that I picked out, so it really is my Very Own Kitchen. It's a great feeling!

More House Pictures

This was the view of the living room from the front entrance. I loved the fireplace instantly. But the paisley wallpaper and green and teal shag carpet were just too much.

The first thing we did was to pull up all the carpet on the first floor. The pad beneath had disintegrated into powder in some areas! But that day was like Christmas in February for me. The pegged hardwood floors beneath were gorgeous. As we went from room to room, I kept getting more and more excited with each unveiling.

My Hobby

So this is it! This has been my project since January. Can you believe it took me until April to move in? I walked through this house back in August of last year, and something about it struck me. I was never able to forget it. I didn't want to tackle a renovation project... but I kept coming back to this house. I loved the big rooms and the wall tile. And unlike most houses this age, the basement and garage aren't too terribly scary. It's 1500 square feet on a 0.1 acre lot. It takes me 20 minutes to mow the lawn! Good thing since I didn't get the green thumb gene in our family.

The house was about 40 years out of date when I bought it. It was built in 1937, and I purchased it from it's second owner. They hadn't done much to it (good or bad) so it was in great shape.

The room that needed the most work was the kitchen. I had one appliance when I moved in (gas stove). There was a pantry, a stand-alone cabinet, and cabinets beneath the sink. They were originally seafoam green and black, but had been painted white, with chrome pulls. Even the ceiling was painted seafoam green! I hated to rip out the wall tile, so I decided to keep it. I fell in love with the huge sink, too, so I decided to keep that. Good thing, because the tile was laid AFTER the sink was installed! Ripping out the pantry was a huge task, and incredibly messy. I also hired an electrician to put in canned lighting and replace my entire fuse box. That fuse box was older than I am... I had Lowes do my cabinet installation, but Meghan, Leah, Dad and I put down the floor. It was all a ton of fun!

Where in China?

My destination in China is a town named Guangzhou. It's just inland of Hong Kong. Actually it's more like a blossoming industrial hub of about 12 million inhabitants. And it's a 2-hour train ride from Hong Kong. The time difference between there and home is 12 hours.
A one-way trip with 2 layovers takes roughly 24 hours to complete, plus or minus the 12-hour time difference. I'm so glad my company is willing to absorb the cost of a business class plane ticket!

I will not be allowed to drive while I'm in China, but private transportation (taxi) is relatively affordable. I've been told to collect business cards in the local language because most taxi drivers can't speak English, nor read the English alphabet. If the address isn't written in Mandarin or Cantonese characters, I'll be out of luck! But this is one of those tiny little details I've worried about well in advance - I've already started my collection. :)

The Best Roommate Ever!

I am sure most of you know, but my roommate and sister # 3, Meghan, recently moved out of my house to go to graduate school, after living with me for over two years. I'm so proud of her for going back to school! Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - can you believe it? It's hard for me to even say.

But she left a big hole in my life. I know our mom was worried that we wouldn't survive being roommates for so long. My house is so quiet now when I get home in the evenings! And I really miss learning how to cook with her, too! One of the last nights we spent together was after we watched the beach volleyball AVP tournament over Labor Day Weekend. Who knew she was a beach volleyball fan?? Lots of good memories from that weekend. And of course, we were decked out in our Flyers gear! Check out those eyelashes! Miss you Meg...


And for those of you who are interested: This tournament is on Labor Day Weekend in Cincinnati in 2007 and 2008 as well. I'm hoping this will be me next year! (Right Jaimie? That's a mile!)

Welcome!

I thought this blog site may be the best way for me to keep in touch with friends and family while I'm traveling! But before I leave town I will be posting photos from my new home, complete with before and after pictures of the renovation! I'm so blessed to have a family that was so supportive and helpful getting my house ready to live in. But look for updates on my trip and on other life here. Who dey!