I don't quite remember when it happened but, I want to say at least 4 or 5 years ago, our microwave died. At first it was inconvenient. But I had been hearing about the dangers of microwaves through the grapevine so I figured we'd just let it go and adjust to a new way of living. No, seriously. We really had to adjust our lifestyle! I think there was a year or so when we didn't bring home any leftovers from restaurants. I honestly didn't know how to reheat them successfully. Then, somewhere along the way we started making use of our toaster oven which proved to be very helpful. (And of course I learned you can reheat pasta on the stove. Score!) Over time, we didn't miss having a microwave at all.
But then, I had a baby. And I didn't have 30 minutes to stand around waiting for the cold enchiladas warm up in the oven! I wanted to eat as soon as the baby had fallen asleep. Newborns have these super unpredictable sleeping habits (at least Sunday did in the beginning) and sometimes she wouldn't even sleep long enough for me to take a shower, let alone sit down and prepare and eat a hot meal.
So I called our guy... the one we call for everything. I think one time I called him because the dryer wasn't functioning correctly and all he had to do was clean out the hose. Poor guy. We call him a lot. So he came out and took a look and told me it was going to cost me, easily, over $350 to either fix the thing, or tear it out and install a new one. So I gave up on that idea. Because $350 is a lot of money when you are on maternity leave from your own business.
And then I got to thinking... about big changes. The idea grew for a while (18 months or so? I was busy learning how to be a mom!) but I finally contacted my home style go-to, Carrie, from Dream Green DIY. I love working with Carrie because she is professional, yet personal. Plus, (that's a big plus) she knows what she is doing. She came over, took one look, and started dreaming. She dreamed bigger than I ever would have and a few months later everything had unfolded before my eyes.
I take that back. I worked my tail off and it was hard! I learned a lot of DIY first-timer lessons, but Carrie was there to pick me up along the way. (I needed a lot of pick-me-ups. Like the one time I tried to paint a green wall yellow without using a tinted primer first. Fail.) After all the adventures in DIY kitchen remodeling, I am thoroughly enjoying the fruits of my labor. I introduce to you:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Yes, it is as beautiful and happy as it looks!
There are a lot more pictures and details over on Carrie's blog today (and even more to come later this week!). I really do love how everything turned out. It was super important to me that I not only love the way it looked, but that the space remained functional. I have a very practical husband who doesn't need pretty stuff in his way. (And he does a LOT of cooking around here!) Carrie helped me achieve this and made it seem so easy, too! (I'm sure all of my rules were challenging for her, though she never let me know.)
Thank you, Carrie, for your dedication to the project and for helping me through the mishaps that can come with first time DIY undertakings. I feel like I can change anything in my home, now! I'm on a mission... next up: the dining room!
