Almost Finished -- At Last!

Even though I hoped the kitchen would be completely finished by Saturday's end, it isn't. But it's dang close!

Friday after school, Corey, Jared (one of our friends), and I picked up my appliances from Sears and took them home. What a comical silent movie that would have been. I had Corey drive around to the back of my house, via the walking trail, where we could just take the appliances through my new 6-foot sliding door. For construction purposes, Wayne has laid a plank on top of a dirt pile and a step ladder, leading into the kitchen. I laid another plank going up the dirt pile. So, Corey pulled each appliance up the planks (with the dolly we borrowed from Sears), while Jared pushed. This method worked great with the relatively lightweight dishwasher. The medium-weight stove required a bit more pushing, and the huge refrigerator created several problems.

First of all, Corey strapped the fridge to the appliance dolly while it was still in the truck, then Jared and I lowered it to the ground with Corey holding it back from crashing. The planks leading into the kitchen are not the thickest, sturdiest pieces of board, so we all jumped on them to see if they could hold the fridge's weight. Hopefully, the neighbors were all watching! Anyway, long story short . . . Corey and Jared pulled and pushed the monster up the plank, only to discover it wouldn't go through the door, so back down the plank it went. Corey took off the sliding door, and they tried again. It still wouldn't fit, -- a mere 1/2" too wide. Intead of going back down, Corey just wanted to take off the fridge doors off. Jared, however, had to leave to get CV's football field ready for that night's game, so Corey and I decided to wait until after the game when Kevin would be there help.

In the meantime, perhaps you're wondering where Wayne, the faithful contractor, was during all this. Well, so were we! You have to realize that once he finally began my kitchen project, he had something happening here every day. And he was the one who scheduled the appliance pick up after school, but he didn't show up. I called and called his cell phone, but he didn't answer and he didn't call me either. I was really worried -- what if he had absconded with my latest cash draft? -- until Corey listened to the operator's message on Wayne's phone that said it "had been disconnected and was not longer in service." When I came home after the game, Kevin told me Wayne had stopped by, seen the fridge stuck in the slider, and promised to return first thing Saturday morning. He had lost his phone at CV's gulf tournament in St. George on Thursday.
(And, you all have to know he would never take my money and run! That's how rumors are started!)

Anyway, Corey and Kevin finally worked the fridge into the house Friday night, and we agreed that we didn't want to do anything else until Saturday morning. Saturday was a busy day. Kevin and Wayne installed the microwave; Corey and Kevin hooked up the stove, and Wayne installed the water line to the fridge and had it cooling down quickly. Audree, the kids, and I went to Home Depot to pick up a new sink faucet, a little handy gadget that will allow me to turn my garbage disposal on at the sink, and all new outlets, switches, and plate covers.

When I came home from school on Friday, I was shocked to discover that the electrician had installed UGLY  ivory outlets and switches. I realized that, even though I had left a note telling him which fixtures I wanted and had attached the note to my sample switch cover, I had used the word IVORY, and that's exactly the color he used. They were awful and were NOT the color I had wanted. When we went to Home Depot, I discovered that the color I wanted was not ivory but light almond. After the appliances were installed, Kevin taught Julie and I how to change out the outlets and switches. Thank heavens he shut off the power to the kitchen! Now I'm very happy with the electricals.

This morning Kevin raised the two ceiling fans which the electrician had hung from 3" extension rods. Now the fans are closer to the ceiling and don't look as gigantic as they did before.

When I began this project, I told Wayne that I didn't want to impose on my children so he needed to have workers here to do everything. But then I realized I needed/wanted more lights, more drawers, more other little things not included in the budget, and I needed to provide quite a bit of the labor. My kids have willingly pitched in and done everything we needed them to, and they have never complained. Kevin spent his week's vacation down here, and he returned this weekend to help. Corey, Audree, and Julie have painted, hauled, advised, and done electrical work. Brook and Porter have helped me carry things from the car and garage into the kitchen, have emptied trash, and have taken care of themselve while everyone else was too busy to play with them. Jason and Rachel have cheered us on from Salt Lake and wished they could be here to help. I realized yesterday that, with all of us working together on my kitchen, my house is indeed becoming the "family home," the place they'll think of when they think of as home.

Tomorrow:  Cabinets will be finished (if drawer pulls and knobs came in on Friday). Electrician will finish installing outside lights, two more lights in the kitchen, and hopefully the phone connection under the desk. Plumber will hook up the water to the sink and dishwasher and install the dishwasher and garbage disposal.

Sometime next week, Wayne will do the remaining trim work.  I think I can say that the kitchen will be finished by next weekend -- I hope!