Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Mountain Cottage Kitchen Plans And Another Cottage Update

 If you stopped by yesterday, I showed you some progress we made in the two bedrooms at the Mountain Cottage while we were there for a week. 
It feels so good to have the two bedrooms painted with a fresh coat of paint. 
Painting the two bedrooms was our big accomplishment, but there were a few other things we fixed, as well.
One of the first things Mr. Fanatic did was to change the door locks. Here's what was on the door when we arrived. The shiny brass deadbolt and door handle was fairly new and in pretty good shape, but we decided to change this one out to a keypad deadbolt. While we were at it, we changed it to an aged bronze finish.

I was a bad blogger and didn't take an after photo, but here is what the keypad looks like.  We've had a keypad on the home we live in, which makes it super simple because you never have to remember a key. I had Mr. Fanatic install one at our house when our girls were young and they'd run up to the door after getting out of the car and they'd bang on the door waiting for me to open it up with my key. Adding a keypad that both girls could open without waiting for me to open the door made my life so much easier. I highly recommend getting one at your house!

Mr. Fanatic was sooooo happy to change this deadbolt and knob out on the view porch door because it was sooooo dirty. If you look closely at the knob, you can see that there is gunk so thick you could scrape it off with a knife. I'm not a germaphobe, but I had to wash my hands every time I touched it because it was so sticky.
 Eww.


Mr. Fanatic also fixed the well casing. I was a bad blogger again and didn't take a photo of it, but the casing looked something like this. The casing had settled and the well pipe stuck up higher than the casing and the cap was open and tilted. Mr. F called a well company looking for an extension, and the guy told him to dig up the casing and put bricks under it to make it taller. Every time I get out of the car when we come back from somewhere I see that fixed well casing and smile because it looks so good.

Before I show you what progress we made in the kitchen,
I thought I'd share a little misadventures I had mid-week at the Cottage. I was  picking up some trash that the previous owners had thrown in the woods and happened to step on a yellow jackets nest. 
I have never been so hysterical in all my life. Most of you know that I garden and am around wasp and bees all the time, but it's totally different when you look down at your arm and see one of these and feel stinging all up and down your arm. Feeling the stinging and looking down at my left arm I swatted it with a gloved hand. At the same time, I felt more stinging and ran out of the woods hollering for Mr. F and crying hysterically. 
The scary thing is I didn't have my glasses on and couldn't tell if the whole swarm of wasps was following me. 
I couldn't run into the house if there were a whole colony following me, so I waited outside. Fortunately, Mr. Fanatic was upstairs painting with the windows open and ran downstairs when he heard me screaming.

The yellow jackets stung me about 6 times on the forearm a couple of times on the hand and once on the back of my upper arm. 
Ouch! 
I made a baking soda paste to put on the stings because I thought I hadn't brought any first aid. Several days later I remembered I had a large first aid kit in the car!

Now on to the kitchen...
You remember the MLS photo of the kitchen, don't you?


 I designed a new kitchen even before we made the offer on the house.


We had the Lowe's draw up the design for us using painted white cabinets from Kraftmaid. The tall pantry to the right of the refrigerator is one of those pull out pantries...kind of a sideways drawer. I'm excited about that detail.  We will be ordering the cabinets this week.


 The refrigerator we decided on was this Samsung French Door style. We originally were going to just choose a less expensive top freezer style when I woke up one morning and realized that the freezer door would break the window should anyone open it really fast and lose their grip. 
Home Depot was the only place we could find this particular model and we ordered it the Saturday before we left for the week. We paid $988, not $1,259 for it. What's really great about it is that it's almost counter depth at 24.4 inches deep. 
Isn't it purdy?


We also ordered this Samsung gas range. We paid $853. The current range is electric, but we bought gas, just in case we ever lose power, we'd still be able to cook dinner.


The cottage doesn't currently have a dishwasher, but we decided to put one in. We paid $445 for it. 

I think that's about all we did during our working week at the Cottage.
We did a few more things this past weekend, but will have to tell you about it another time. 
Have one question you could all help me with....I would love to paint the red entry doors another color. What color do you suggest. Would love to hear your suggestion.
Thanks!
Pam
 





10 comments:

  1. Oh you poor thing, those stings hurt for a long time. I feel for you. We waited until after dark and poured gasoline down the hole and it killed them all after my husband got stung last summer while cutting the grass. You two are just moving right along with the reno! The kitchen is going to look great and I know you are excited!

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  2. It's gonna be fabulous!!! What fun you must be having Pam!!

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  3. Wow Pam you guys are such busy bees! Too bad you got stung like that- it hurts just thinking about it. I wonder how that gunky stuff could have gotten so bad. Perhaps fried foods? I think your kitchen is going to be so cute! The new appliances look great- I bet you are excited about the kitchen the most!

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  4. I would paint the door red again. It's my favorite color for doors, but since you asked for a change, how about a soft yellow or a light gray? They will both go with your green and anything you hang on the door will look great.

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  5. I bet you can't wait to get that kitchen looking pretty. I like Samsung appliances, too, after having to replace several. Sorry about the stings. That stinks! I vote for a dark (but not too dark green door, maybe with a touch of blue in it).

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  6. Ouch! So sorry that you got stung like that and hope your arm is feeling all better! Love your plans for the kitchen and can't wait to see it come along! How about a dark gray/green for your front door color?

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  7. The kitchen is going to be oh so wonderful: nice layout and use of space! That picture of the kitchen "as was" is totally delightful: yikes, what a change!!!
    As to the door. Well, you know me and my love of orange. How about a deep burnt orange??? I actually do like the red, as another commenter said, but maybe just change it out to a darker, richer shade?

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  8. Well, minus the stings it sounds like you are having a great time on your mountain retreat! That kitchen is going to be fabulous! :-)
    Vanessa

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  9. I can't wait to see your kitchen when it's completed. I had a Samsung French door refrigerator with bottom freezer in our last house, only in white. It was the only French door refrigerator with a freezer bottom that would fit in the space we had. So sorry about the yellow jacket stings. How awful for you.

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