The final finishing touch

With just a couple days left before Lisa's parents leave, it was very fitting that we were able to get the remaining element of the kitchen done today.

Lisa and I had a bit of trouble deciding what to do for a backsplash, and we finally came up with a simple idea. It turned out wonderful, and a bit unique!


We ordered a vinyl decal from Etsy (and even better -- the artist lives less than 2 hrs. from us, so we score some local economy points). There are so many artists who do these and they are all really cool. Some are so big they fit on an entire wall. We liked this simple little clump of flowers best (it does fit us rather well).




It's sort of striking in its simplicity, don't you think?

I'm glad we took these photos, because soon after putting up the decal, we installed the glass over top that will protect the wall. The glass looks really great, it's just challenging to get good photos because of the reflection!


I think Lisa was sitting on the floor for that one. Here's another:

Now our kitchen is officially done! Hooray!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Here's a little food preview:


It's just about time to put the turkey in, and I think we might be taking a break to cut into one of those loaves of bread. Gotta make sure it came out ok, right?

And look at all the extra countertop we gained with our new microwave. Thanks Mom and Dad!


No better time to enjoy the new space of a new kitchen than Thanksgiving!

***Update***

Lisa's loaded plate:


The sweet potatoes are what my sister refers to as "crack whore" sweet potato casserole. They are incredibly delicious, very sweet, and a bit addictive...

And even with all her Jedi mind tricks, Vivian couldn't get the turkey to fall on the floor.

So sad...but we did put a little morsel in her dinner!

If you can't buy it, build it!

The majority of the rooms in our house are outfitted with hideous square recessed lighting.


The light in our front hallway didn't even have a cover on it, so it was hideous lighting with an exposed bulb. It's always bothered us, but it is nearly impossible to find anything to replace it.

When we were in Taiwan a few months ago visiting Julie, Lisa instantly noticed this light in her apartment:


We loved it, and began to think up ways to replicate it in our own house. We never could find any type of fixture that looked anything like it. With just a few days before Lisa's parents go back to Ohio, we pitched it to her dad to build it.

And voila!


It's practically identical! Now our front hallway light issue is fixed. I think we might do a few of the others the next time they come to visit...

The final reveal

OK, I guess you all have been patient enough. We finally got our kitchen nice and clean and took a bunch of photos for you. To jog your memory, we'll start by reminiscing...









Now, a few tummy tucks and butt lifts later, here she is!!!!













And the photos don't really do it justice...so here's an open invitation for anyone to come and visit. Now that we have a proper kitchen, we are ready to entertain!


A bonus: here's a cute close up of our new roof:

Has anyone seen our marbles?

We are getting to the very end of our kitchen remodel, with just a few minor details left. So, last week when we noticed it was going to be beautiful and sunny all weekend long (and then some), guess what we decided to do to celebrate a job well done?

Go to the beach and have a picnic?

Nope.

We re-roofed our house.

On Friday, a large dumpster was deposited in our driveway, along with 2 pallets worth of shingles.



Jen and Dwight drove all the way from Asheville to help out, and we used just about every hour of daylight. It was exhausting.



I like how everyone is hard at work here, but I've been caught taking a beverage break:



This project was powered by Babsie's oatmeal raisin cookies....

Of course as Murphy's Law would have it, we didn't know when we got started that the storm of the Century (or something like that) would be landing on our doorstep on Tuesday. So we plowed through to get as much done as we could and got her ready for the storm (nail gun at 6:30 AM -- I'm sure our neighbors love us). The carport will have to wait until this weekend. After about 8 inches of rain, so far so good!

It looks really nice -- we haven't taken any photos of the front of the house yet but we will soon!

And we promise to have finished kitchen photos soon. Here's a sneak peak: