It’s a new year and I’ve been contemplating and thinking about changes I need to make in all areas of my life. And a post about that will come soon, I hope. But we have a BIG major change going on at our house right now that is taking up a lot of time and energy. I was going to wait until everything was done and finished and then I thought, “Why? This is my life. Messy, crazy, mismatched and all.” So…
Out with the old kitchen…
and in with the new!
We’ve been building an addition to our home that includes a new kitchen and dining room on one half and on the other half a laundry room, pantry, and school room. It has taken over a year and while there are still some major things to do (cabinets in the laundry room and school room for instance) we are moving in and it feels so good!
We started with moving the rolling can shelves into the pantry. They were downstairs in what used to be the garage. It was a pain in the neck to have to run down almost every meal to grab a can or two. We also had a separate pantry down the hallway by the bedrooms to store other foods like cake mixes, jello, pudding, extra ketchup and pickles, etc. It sounds silly to say it but man, is it nice to have all the food in one place instead of scattered helter-skelter throughout the house!
Last night we worked to get all the pots and pans, mixing bowls, measuring spoons and cups, cooking utensils, silverware, plates and bowls, etc. moved over. We have a big pile of stuff to take to the thrift store and finally got rid of the five can openers that don’t work but were somehow still in the drawer instead of in the trash.
This morning we moved our two refrigerators over. It took all morning. Yes, they do not match. No, we won’t be getting matching ones anytime soon. They both still work great and we just can’t justify getting rid of them because of appearance. 🙂
We’ll be moving the rest of the baking supplies, spices, and food over this afternoon. Wish us luck!
I’ll share more of the new kitchen later. Now back to work I go!
How wonderful!!! I have been looking forward to your posts about the remodel. Happy organizing and arranging! (I’m jealous!)
Lovely! I’ve heard of people painting fridge doors…..
I am actually looking into that as an option!
Beautiful!! And I love your water fountain. What a genius idea!
I always wanted a water fountain! Good for you, you need and deserve a great kitchen and pantry! It will make things so much easier, both for cooking and for shopping and knowing what you have and need. Congratulations!
How exciting! Congratulations!
How fun for you! And your family. I tolerate my kitchen, sans pantry, and this gives me the courage to dream of options and possibilities.
I love the remodel! I remember when my family growing up remodeled so we could actually all fit around the table and have more kitchen space. Our kitchen was in the garage for a while! I remember doing dishes out there.
It will be so nice for you to have things more organized and have so much more space!
What will you do with the old dining room and kitchen? Do you not have a garage anymore?
Two years ago we enclosed the garage and made two bedrooms. The hallway to the bedrooms is very wide (five feet) so the rolling can shelves and our upright freezer stayed there, Now we just have to move the freezer into the pantry. We never used the garage because our big van didn’t fit. 🙂
The wall between the old kitchen and our living room will be knocked down to make a HUGE living room. Yay! And our old laundry room will be made into a “powder” room for the girls. It will have a counter with sinks, lots of space for curling irons and straightners, big mirrors for all the hair and make-up that gets done around here, especially on Sunday mornings. That will free up the bathrooms for showers and actual bathroom use!
So big and inviting!! Even in the not-quite-finished photos, I’d still never want to leave!!
Great minds think alike! My cabinets are that style, too! I love the lighter shade of wood. It looks wonderful and I think having all the food in one place is genius. Our “larder” is the reclaimed empty space under the stairs….we did offer to make it a cupboard under the stairs for the 10 yr old Harry Potter enthusiast!!!
What an amazing space you now have! So much room. So happy for you. Enjoy the process.