Wednesday, March 3

Extreme Makeover, Wallace Home Edition, part 2 - The Kitchen

Can I just start by saying what a beautiful day it is? It's GORGEOUS out there! I should be out with my babe in the stroller and dog by my side. But I am determined to get this kitchen started, and I know that if I let myself do anything else first, I will just put off the kitchen because it's such a big, daunting job...

But I can handle it. I was only up once last night (yay Haydon! Thank you!!!).

And I've had my coffee, which was free (yay McDonald's! Thank you!!!).

I even got groceries this morning before James went to work. Now that's efficient (and rare, for me).

So, now, my kitchen.

My kitchen is one of the only things I was sad to leave behind in our old house. It was big, had a great window, tons of cupboards, and lots of counter space. I LOVED it! I also spent a ton of time taking the seventies out (read - scraping off orange and brown floral and crazy patterned wallpaper) and painstakingly painting the cupboards white. It was so fresh and nice (and I can't find a picture. I know I took one before we moved. I also started bawling everytime I went back in there before it was finally sold. It was lovely).

Anyway. My new kitchen. It's long and narrow, with cupboards and counter on one side. Not much counter space, not much cupboard space. It does have a window, thankfully. But not a nice one over the kitchen sink like the old kitchen had. This is what I see now when I stand and do dishes.

I know. You're jealous. That pattern is just so lovely.

So, anyway, there isn't a ton of cupboard space, and it's certainly not used most efficiently, which means it's frustrating to work in there, and it gets messy easily 'cause I'm not sure where to put things, so I just kind of open a cupboard and shove something in, hoping the rest of the items in there will slide to accomodate, and allow me to close the door. Here are some of the spots I'm hoping to make more efficient:


The top of the fridge. This is the black hole of the kitchen. Too convenient to toss random stuff that has no real home, or I'm too lazy to deal with. I also need to make an space in this kitchen for the breast pump and bottles and stuff.
Crazy cluttered counter corner. Home to phone, pens for messages, dishes to be washed, recyclables and other randomness. Should probably be completely clear, except for maybe a small basket or something to hold the phone and the pens. And the dishes to be washed, I suppose.

This cabinet, it holds our microwave. And all kinds of other randomness. This is the main place that I just open and shove whatever I need a spot for.

Top of the microwave cabinet, where random stuff just gets placed. Like that green tupperware bowl that needs to go back to my parents (I need to create a space for stuff that is meant to leave the house like that), and that chicken that I bought this morning that I apparently forgot to take to the downstairs freezer... The small space in front of the bananas and cookie jar is often crammed full with mail or stuff to go downstairs, and the utensil bucket probably makes more sense over by the stove.

Finally, under the sink. Plastic bags overfloweth, pots are making they're way over from the cupboard next door and cleaning supplies are surrounding the bucket they belong in rather than in it.

So. That's my project for the day. Kind of afraid to get going - this is one of those ones that I know will get way worse before it gets better. I know that in about 3 hours there will be stuff everywhere, a bunch of empty cupboards, me unsure where to put stuff, and inevitably Haydon will start crying right when I'm ready to throw in the towel.

In the meantime, I sure am glad I have a baby that is contented enough to let me take on these projects.

1 comment:

  1. Is it time to put in a new Ikea kitchen? :) Or maybe just paint the cupboards and put a nice mural type pic on the wall at the sink! You could pretend you were looking out the window. Does your kitchen have a window?

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