Smith & Gardens

We are starting the final interior redo of our new old house. It comes with the biggest budget so it'll be incremental and take anywhere from three months to fifteen years to complete. It is...the kitchen & family room. The two are more like one largish room so they go hand in hand. Pictured here is the kitchen as it looks now, this photo from Christmas cookie baking with Lexi, Beanie, Mac & me. The dark cabinets will be given a face lift in antique cream with the addition of a substantial crown moulding. A creamy laminate floating floor will cover the blue and white linoleum. The beige ceramic back splash will remain but a new counter top is on the way. The goal is light and bright to wash away the dark paneling and blue carpeting. Our own stainless appliances from the old house are already here, thank the Lord! One less major expense! Home decorating is one of my favorite things that also happens to be an anxiety inducer as I watch money go floating out of the bank! Everything costs at least 50% more than I think it should and it just rankles me. I'm sure you've seen the commercial with the couple pricing flooring? They look at the price tag and keep repeating, "Really?" That's exactly how I feel! So I wander around behind the Mr. who has no problem spending all of our money saying things like, "I'm willing to pay $20 a foot for granite counter tops and that's it!" "I would pay $30 for that ceiling fan, any more and I don't want it!" Oh, it's lots of fun. Actually it is fun and the most satisfying way to spend money, far more so than clothes or jewelry and I am so not about expensive restaurants. Vacations for me are usually something to get home from. And this will be the first time since we married in 1986 that we will have a home completely redone just how we want it! I'm beyond grateful and excited to see the finished product. I'll post some pictures, I promise. I currently have a bunch of pictures on my cell phone that I don't know how to get to my computer, a digital camera that doesn't work and a second digital camera that was my mom's that I don't know how to hook up. And a camcorder/still camera. It seems I should be able to produce a few pictures! Or maybe I'll google a fabulous kitchen from the internet and just post that. How are you gonna know? You guys live in Greenland or something like that. Hush up mom, Margie, Sta', Trish, Loueeth, Kell, Becky, Amber, KayMac. Buncha tattle tales.

Small grace: Reading my new library books enjoying the warm breeze and wind chimes on my deck. Mmmmmm.