So, these are the before pics.  I am hoping they will be motivation when we are in the midst of chaos.

 Can't wait for that long, gray cord to be off the kitchen counter.  Better tell Danny that!  I don't know if he knows that is on my wish list!

 Still need a place for two coffee pots.  Two?  Yes, for Care Group and other gatherings.  Regular and Decaf of course!  And there is some sort of gather here on a regular basis.  So our coffee counter is a must

 This little area is sized for phone books!  Remember those.  The previous owners made this little area and the old phone books fit perfectly.  Now it's a gathering place for odds and ends.  Now to be brave and toss the odds and ends!

 Painted, and repainted.  Hung and rehung.  They just don't fit like they used to.  But I do love my little white nobs.  Maybe they can find a good home.  I do like the black ones that will replace them and the new ones are handles where you can hang a dishtowel.  That will be nice!

Not bad from a distance and from the outside.  Up close and personal...well, let's just say Danny is wondering what took me so long :)

Done for today...

This is a view of the west side of the kitchen. Looks much the same, but all the cabinets will be new!  New, as in no scratches, no missing pieces, no bottoms falling out, no warped boards, no cracked wood!!

• The differences are the little work area on the end with a step stool for sitting on or stepping on.(it will be  even with the counter, but we couldn't get it to scoot up that last inch.)
• Book shelves above that for cook books
• On both sides of the window are open shelves that I think all our tea will go in.
• The dishwasher will be to the left of the sink (we will still have a sink, though it's not in the photo.)
• The counter top is solid wood.  One big cutting board!! I'm pretty excited about that!
• The cabinets will either be this light sage green or a light blue.  The blue is on sale and we'll get that if there are enough left.

And this is the east side of the kitchen.

• The wall cabinets in the middle will have frosted glass doors.
• And the addition of a large storage area.
• New fridge if that will fit in the budget (freezer on the bottom, which totally makes sense!)

That is the plan thus far.  You cannot imagine how many hours we have worked on this!  We have been walking thru the kitchen, opening cabinets, taking measurements and consulting with the kids endlessly! (They have put up with us very well--though two of them took a walk in a snowstorm...Hmmmmm)

Enough for today.  What do you think, Mom?  No, we are not moving the stove; too much electrical work to hassle with. I don't think we will need Jeff's help since Stephanie has offered her husband's tools.  Thanks Steph!

And to all a good night!

Sooooo....
We are going to re-do our kitchen, thus the original title for my blog.  I really don't expect anyone but my mom to read this. (Hi Mom!)  Some things never change!  But, I think I'm going to 'need' to write about it and I want to take pics so I can see that we are actually making progress. :)

Why...
Because it's time.  Drawers and cabinets have been fixed and repainted so many times.  It's not terrible, but we have the savings and the desire and the time. Plus, IKEA is having a 20% off sale and that is what tipped the scale for us. That word 'sale.' Does it every time!

Thus far.....
We've made numerous trips to IKEA. That is where we have been spending our date nights--opening drawers, comparing colors, trying our counter tops, etc.  According to Danny, we have made at least 3 trips and spent the time in the kitchen area.  They have actually been very fun date nights(except for the times I get lost trying to find the bathroom.)

Also....
We have used their on-line design features to build our kitchen.  I measured, then Danny measured, then Todd and Danny measured.  I think we still need to measure one more time (we as in Danny and Todd who will do it VERY carefully!) If I can figure it out, or get my in-house tech support to help me, I will make a link to that design so you can see it, Mom.

And....
We've picked our style, colors, accessories, accents, layout and (budget and Lord willing) appliances.  I wasn't too hip on buying appliances but since our dishwasher doesn't clean and our refrigerator has a constant puddle inside, I am being convinced.  My motto: Remember the budget. Danny's motto: If we're going to do it, let's do it.

Next...
I want to take the 'before' photos.  It's a Saturday so that means our kitchen is a mess.  I'll clean the kitchen and then post them. What? You want mess kitchen pics!  Very funny...I don't think so.