the kitchen, part II

In the past month, the kitchen has come a long way! From gutted walls and sketches on paper, to something that really does feel on the precipice of lived in.

While the drywall crew was busily making the rest of the house look good again after we'd torn everything out to add insulation, the kitchen walls sat sadly blank. This is because I'd had my heart set on replacing some old shiplap and, well, Daniel spoils me.

A brutally late night resulted in shiplap on the kitchen walls (and behind where the wood stove goes, as well):

the cooktop wall, with the doorway to the dining room

the sink wall, with the window and door into the mudroom

the wood stove corner, with all the old beams plastic'd for priming!

Once the shiplap was all installed and the walls primed and then painted, it was time to lay the floors in the kitchen area so that room would be ready for the cabinet installation. When we'd pulled up the linoleum and subfloor (both layers) in the kitchen, we'd found that there weren't the same wide plank floors in there. We were so blessed to be able to order eastern pine from a local friend/wood expert for a fraction of the cost we were finding elsewhere. He delivered the flooring to us-- all 12-18" wide boards that look incredibly like what is in the rest of the house-- and we couldn't be happier with it.

The flooring arrives!

Another late night following basketball practice for kids-- this time one I was not part of and that several friends all pitched in on instead!-- resulted in being ready just in the nick of time for the cabinets!

Old boards, all irregular and not tongue-and-groove make for a more tedious installation, but Daniel and crew persevered and it really does match the rest of the house. In fact, my mom stopped in the other day and mistook them for original floorboards. Mission accomplished.

The cabinets were made right here in the North Country by a wonderful friend and his crew. He is a top-notch cabinet maker and businessman, full of integrity and excellence. On top of that, he brought his boys to help install, which is always inspiring to Daniel and I. They're a hard-working family!

The first cabinets are brought in. Drywall expert and old neighbor stopped in to "supervise". ;)

How many 13-year-olds do you know who can help install custom cabinetry? I was impressed!

Mid-process, but coming along! And perhaps the best picture I have right now of the whole space. This shot is taken from the open-concept family room. Dining room through the doorway. Mudroom to the right.

Who's excited about two ovens? *raising both hands*

Hardware, crown, and shelf installed. The countertops are maple. Hardware is a mix of oil-rubbed bronze pulls/latches/knobs and painted wood knobs. The sink will hopefully be installed soon; it's an inexpensive farmhouse sink from Ikea that I had in our old kitchen, too, and loved so much I wanted to get it again.

Edited to add:

The past week or two this whole process of moving/renovating has started to feel l o n g (and in other arenas life has also felt, well, bumpy). I'm ready to be in my own home again! But the truth is, I'm super blessed. And sometimes I have to step back and make a record/tally up the blessings in my life. The work taking place in this wonderful new-to-us home, largely by my sacrificial husband, is just one of the many ways I see God's provision. Thanks for letting me bring you in on the process and for being listeners with whom I can count the thousands upon thousands of ways I am cared for!