Down to the Details

So...the kitchen? It's usable!!! I'd say we're 75% done with the kitchen...BUT the most exciting thing is that I CAN COOK AGAIN!!

AND I HAVE RUNNING WATER!!!

AND A FUNCTIONING DISHWASHER!!

Do you get a sense of my excitement? I'm giddy. Excited to cook. And not wash dishes by hand (although, I'll be totally honest...we contributed our fair share to the landfill in the form of paper plates. Sorry Mother Earth!) in a sink that was perched on the edge of our deck and where a person was likely to get eaten alive by mosquitos as they tried to wash the dishes. Classy class.

I am in love and in awe with our kitchen. It makes me so happy! And proud! And content!

We do still have a fair amount of work to do, however, until we can lay this beast to rest! Staining doors and trim, installing aforementioned doors and trim, finishing dining room, installing heat mats and flooring in mudroom, finishing up painting, tiling backsplash and (and here's where I need your help!) installing shelves in our pantry.

We left a window in our pantry, which means we need something "customish" (i.e. Not the metal shelving units one can buy from Costco/Sam's Club) but sturdy enough (and cost effective...cost effective in this case meaning "as cheap as we can get") to take the weight of many cans, food items, miscellaneous kitchen items. Suggestions? Ideas? What do you have in your pantry?

We also need to figure out trim for our fireplace...ceiling AND floor. And, for whatever reason, I have something against quarter round...I'm not sure what quarter round ever did to me, but I'm not a fan of it...in fact, I'd like to avoid it at all costs. (As you can see from the above kitchen photo, we went with a very "arts and crafts" look...I'd like to keep with those clean angles and avoid rounded edges, you know?)

In the meantime, if you need me, I'll be gazing at my lovely new kitchen!