With everything going on at casa de Brown, it’s hard to pick a place to start to fill you all in on what’s been happening. To make things a little easier, we’ve compiled a list of things we’ve done in the kitchen over the past week. Hopefully this will shed light on the 411 without being too confusing.

So, this week we…

• Patiently waited for the new, massively huge farmhouse sink
• Installed a new vanity in the half bath (more on that later!)
• Had the cabinet installers come back to install the new sink
• Installed dishwasher
• Installed the dishwasher cabinet panel & hardware
• Ran low-voltage wiring for the future under cabinet lighting
• Had our plumber install a recessed water line for the fridge
• Went counter top and backsplash shopping (more on that later!)
• Had the countertop company come out and measure (ya to the hoo!)
• Took Bentley to the groomer – he wanted me to be sure to add that event
• Began making sense of what’s in the kitchen boxes that have been hanging out in the dining room

It doesn’t seem like a very long list, but we’ve been playing the waiting game because of the damaged sink. For a few days, it seemed like everything was ready to go… everything but the kitchen sink! Having one little problem hold up progress feels completely terrible, especially when you’re trying to get everything done during the holidays. The sink being damaged held up the plumbing being hooked up and the measuring session for the new countertops. In turn, that put the the backsplash tile on hold. Etc, etc, etc. But now the sink is HERE and we’re on a roll.

Here’s a few photos I took with my iPhone last night…

The box in the middle of the kitchen is the new range hood – holla! My dad (who, lucky for us, is a licensed electrician), with Greg’s assistance, is going to be putting that in for us. Maybe Greg will learn a few electrician tips/tricks along the way, too!

As for the laundry room, we’re just now getting used to the fact that there are hardwood floors in there, and we’re loving it! It makes the room feel so much larger.

You may have noticed we moved the antique dresser from the foyer into the laundry room. It just fit too well not to put it there. We’re planning to store umbrellas, batteries, bug spray, extra light bulbs etc. And we’re kind of digging the quirky blue and green color combo.

Oh, and just for good measure, and in case you’re getting bored of all of the kitchen photos, here’s a photo of our cute little mascot sitting on my lap as I type…

Yeah, he’s between me and the keyboard. He likes to be in the middle of things. Oh, come on, you know he’s the cutest dog ever. ; )

There’s a lot more in store for next week – it’s going to be one big whirlwind of kitchen reno fun! Where’s the vitamins? 

All of our dreaming, planning and endless brain storming sessions is finally beginning to  come to light. The cabinet installation is complete but there’s a lot more to do before we can call this turkey “done”. Here’s what the kitchen looked like when the cabinet installers left:

Even though it’s far from finished, it’s such a massive difference!

So here’s what’s going on at the moment…

• The mega-sized farmhouse sink we ordered was damaged, so we have to send it back. Unfortunately, this has set us back a week and we’re not going to be meeting our Christmas deadline. Boo! Once we get the replacement, the cabinet installers will come back out to install the sink (this particular sink is mounted to the cabinet rather than the countertop).
• We also have a few random pieces of crown molding that need to be ordered and installed (we didn’t quite order enough when the cabinets were ordered).
• After the above two things are completed, the countertop guys will come out to make the template (more on the countertop selection later).
• The stove and dishwasher are going to be delivered the beginning of next week followed by the range hood a few days later.
• You might notice the fridge sticking out a little. The water line for the fridge needs to be moved – it’s currently sticking out from the wall too far, so the plumber is coming out to install a recessed line. Once this is done, the fridge will be flush to the cabinetry.

Once all of those things are completed, then Ash will hopefully be feeling better from her surgery (not being able to be in the middle of things is driving her completely crazy!).

It’s hour seven in the kitchen instillation process. I’ve been busy throughout the rest of the house while the Lowe’s instillation team is busy at work in the kitchen. If you missed it… A few weeks ago, we mentioned that we decided to pay the extra money (to the tune of around $1,200) to have the kitchen cabinets installed by Lowe’s. At the time, we felt like we were going to be missing out on DIYing our kitchen instillation. But now with the hectic holiday schedule and Ash being MIA for a few weeks (more on that here), we’re really glad these guys are here today doing what they do.

The installation looks nearly complete, but there’s still a lot of work to do before calling it “done”. Or as I like to call it, “done done”. Here’s a quick iPhone photo of what it’s looking like at the moment:

It’s a lot different than what it was when we just bought the house…

Pretty exciting, huh?