I think I was long overdue for some “pretty” in my kitchen… today I got some! In the form of cabinets! Kevin and another friend, Keith, came over this evening and the plan was to put up the upper wall cabinets! It sounds like, “okay, you got some cabinets put up.” BUT, you have no idea how long I have waited for them and how wonderful they look, even unfinished, with no paint, no hardware…just on my walls smiling back at me. I keep going back and forth between smiling and crying. How can cabinets make you cry? Well, when you go from the ugly ones I had before to these, it’s easy!
Let me show you some pictures I took today! I have lots of pictures and thought about spreading them over several posts, but decided they all needed to be shown in one post… so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the looks of my new kitchen with me. I’m sure I’ll be looking at this several more times.
If you click on the sideways pictures, and especially if you are on a computer, they get really big and fun to look at. :o)
I took some linseed oil last night and went around the top shiplap boards and gave them a good rub down. They liked it! Soaked it right up!
This is how it looked before the cabinets were added…
Before the guys got here, Rebecca and I carried in the oven that we had moved to the garage. It has been sitting on our counter for 13 years, working perfectly, but getting some strange looks from people. We were always going to get an oven cabinet but that never happened. This morning my hubby decided if we cut out the cabinets below the cooktop stove, we could put the oven down below. I know it’s kind of “redneck” looking, and it’s only temporary until we get the bottom cabinets in, but it’s an oven. He sat on the floor and didn’t strain much and I got him everything he needed. The wires were already there from before; they just had to be pulled over a little.
It’s a little low to the floor, but hey, it was a little high sitting on top of the counter… :o)
It’s not THAT bad, is it?
I made some little pizza’s for us for lunch and even baked some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies while the guys were working. It was kind of sad though, I didn’t have any milk to give them so it was cookies and water. Yuck! (They settled for diet Coke, which wasn’t much better!)
It was pretty exciting when the first cabinet went up in the corner. That’s when the tears started!
Keith worked on the “frig” wall and put up the shortened pieces of boards that I had saved from the “glue” wall to the left of the back door.
I used the heat gun to remove the glue on the backsides to make them fit flush on the walls. You should have seen my stash of glue shavings from these planks! It was pretty big!
Just thought I’d show you my stack of boards… Aren’t they lovely? It took me a few hours to do 17 planks but that’s exactly how many we needed!
I kept telling my hubby how much $$ I had saved us by using the old boards instead of buying new! Of course I “wanted” the old boards for the look I was going for.
The frig wall was just as exciting, and Kevin was so fast… but unbelievably precise!
Keith also fixed the top corner of the “frig” wall. I guess 50 or 75 or 100 years ago it was painted with some orange paint. It was hidden in the soffits so I never knew it was there! Well, I tried and tried and tried to get that orange paint off but it wouldn’t budge. It was stuck on that wood like you wouldn’t believe. So we ended up cutting those boards out and replacing them.
So, take a look at how it’s changed in there today!
Sorry for the picture overload… can you tell I’m shouting to the whole world… HEY EVERYONE… I GOT NEW CABINETS TODAY???
Well, that’s what been happening in my kitchen. I’m the happiest girl in Southern Illinois…I’m sure of it! Thank you Kevin and Keith!
See you when I can,
Blessings, Jeanne
Congrats Jeanne, What a difference
Thanks so much Lynn,
I’m glad you “noticed” the difference! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
The cabinets are beautiful. It’s going to be wonderful to have these “before” and “during” pictures. Your oiled wood looks great. I’m going to love seeing everything pulled together. The oven is a bit low but it doesn’t look that way until I think about it. The refrigerator wall is already looking good. You have so much storage, and I’ll bet you have enough kitchen things to fill it.
The orange or coral paint was interesting, wasn’t it? I suppose they used something they had, since it wouldn’t show, but I wonder why they had that color. I kept thinking, “Cindy could have found a way to make it blend in.” And speaking of blending in, Reuben’s coloring goes very nicely with your floors.
This was a great post. Thank you for catching us up on this remarkable project.
HI Marilyn,
I was in the kitchen today, looking at my cabinets and wondering what is going where and dreaming about how much space I’m going to have! It’s going to be wonderful!
You are probably right about Cindy and the orange paint. To me, it just wasn’t worth it, sitting up on top of the frig with that stinky stuff trying to scrape it off…
I hadn’t even noticed Reuben was in that picture until I posted it. :o)
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Your kitchen just keeps looking better and better, Jeanne!! What a blessing for you both, at this most challenging time in your lives!
Prayers continue.
Thanks Charlotte,
We are really loving it every time we walk through the kitchen! :o)
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
My jaw is just hanging open every time I scroll down to see another picture! Wow, wow, wow! What difference, Jeanne! I love everything you are doing, and see that you have picked out some very pretty granite countertops. Are those the ones in the picture on the refrigerator wall? That wall looks just wonderful with all the storage you have now!
Just wondering, where is your microwave? I don’t see it, but know you must have one. Is the stove vent going to be on it’s own above the stove, or is the microwave also going to be there? Also, is there going to be an island?
Well, this post just made my day, because I can certainly see results in that beautiful kitchen of yours, and what a wonderful way to start, and so timely in this season of Easter! The “Resurrection” of Jeanne’s kitchen!
HI Linda,
I could only hope for granite countertops. Mine are actually laminate but they are very pretty. Yes, the one piece on the frig wall is the stuff we bought. That one piece was discounted and we bought it to see if it went with our floor. We loved it and decided to go for it! It’s all in the back of the house, just waiting on the base cabinets to be put in… One of these days! :o)
You asked about microwave? It’s back on the dryer right now… it will go on the countertop by the frig we think…
I’m hoping to build one of those shaker style range hoods… I’ve been looking and showed a picture of one to Kevin… Just to see if it was possible…and he seemed to think so. We already have the fan part of it..but it’s too heavy for George to put in now. He did hold it up to the wall when we got it, and it will work fine between the cabinets. Then it gets connected to that silver piece above where my stove will go.
I love that… The Resurrection of Jeanne’s kitchen! I’m loving it too!
Thanks Linda…and thank you for the sweet Easter card. It was so adorable! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
A work in progress and what a transformation. WOW to see that the oven has a new and much better home (no longer taking up valuable counter space) and is functioning well; you could actually bake cookies! More helpers and a lot of hard work; your kitchen is beginning to come back to life. Maybe the timing is not exactly as you would have planned, but the distraction and help is all by design. Tears of JOY and I can understand that your heart is full to overflowing. Exciting to see your dream kitchen come to life. You are a great story teller with your pictures.
HI Laureen,
You are VERY right about the distraction this kitchen project has been…It’s almost been a God send! WE are so blessed to have friends to help us out with our kitchen. Someday I’m going to have this all finished and make that cake for us all to eat…virtually, I guess! :o)
Thanks Laureen,
Blessings, Jeanne
Beautiful!! SO happy for you! Tears of joy for sure!!
HI Shara,
Yep, definitely tears of Joy! I got out of bed this morning and it was wonderful walking into the kitchen and seeing that they weren’t a dream… they really are up in there and looking mighty pretty! :o)
Thanks so much Shara,
Blessings, Jeanne
You’re not the only one going back for another peek at the kitchen. I’ve been marveling at it too. I admire your diligence in removing the glue so the boards would fit perfectly. Experience tells when doing a carpentry job, hands down. It’s being done to perfection and so quickly by professionals. Again, many thanks to Kevin and Keith. Can’t wait to see the next installation.
Inspired by your post, I made some Peeps in Racecars yesterday and got them in the mail to my grandchildren. I’d wanted to make them since the first time I saw them. What a funny mailing job! I used a container from tiramisu glasses from Costco and newly bought bubble wrap around their ears to hopefully get them there safely. Crazy Nana!
HI Susette,
I’m not sure what will happen next, but I have plenty to do before another thing even happens. I can finish priming the new boards Kevin put up around the window. I can polycrylic the insides of my cabinets that are up on the walls. I can send the edges of the shelves. I can figure out what color paint I’m going to go with on my cabinets… there are a zillion shades of white.
Congrats on the Peeps cars. I saw them in your email, but need to look closer at them… I bet they are going to be a hit! Best Nana Ever!
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeann
I love Linda’s comment about the Resurrection of your kitchen. That is a great explanation!
Oh…it is going to be so pretty…and somehow looks so much bigger! Thank goodness you were able to get some help….I wondered when someone was going to pitch in on your kitchen when you both did so much at the church kitchen.
Have a wonderful Easter weekend.
Happy Easter everyone??
HI Kathie,
It DOES seem bigger in person too… I know it’s not, but it sure does feel like it. Cindy was so right when she said, “get rid of those soffits!” I’m so glad I listened to her!
It was wonderful to have some “help” …and professional help at that! ;o)
I plan on having Easter dinner here with me and my hubby, my mom, Kristoffer and his girlfriend. Becca has to work. :o(
I hope your weekend is wonderful too!
Blessings, Jeanne
It’s very understandable that you would have tears of joy for your unfolding kitchen…and now with the cabinets. I’m so glad for you both…and so glad that George can help in the process with the incredible aid of those valuable men friends in your lives. Ahhh, I’m tearing up with you, Jeanne. Be blessed.
Thank you Becky,
It’s wonderful when things finally started happening here. Then just when it seemed like it was a “no-go” again, help arrived and it’s “on” again…at least I can see some progress. I’m not sure how much more will happen, but I’m thrilled just looking at my cabinets. If nothing else happens for a while, I am content to just work on the cabinets I have on the walls, taking the doors off, painting them, letting the paint cure, painting the facings on the cabinets already put up, and then getting my stuff put in those cabinets. I’m a happy camper right now…and a grateful one too!
Thanks so much, Becky! I AM blessed!
Have a wonderful Easter weekend!
Blessings, Jeanne
I am so excited for you! The new cabinets look wonderful. Personally, I would rather have an oven that is a little low than one that is too high up on the wall. Wall ovens always make me worried when it comes to putting large items (Thanksgiving turkey for example) in and out. Everything is coming together. The ceiling, walls, cabinets, and floors all coordinate so nicely.
I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend!
Take care –
HI Charlotte,
Thanks so much for your kind words about my new kitchen renovations! I’m loving it and I’m glad you don’t mind me showing what’s happening in here! Sewing will happen one of these days!
Have a wonderful Easter yourself!
Blessings, Jeanne
What a very fun post! How fabulous that the cabinets are coming together as well as the the reclaimed wall wood. Looks great.
I really had to laugh when I saw the picture of George on the floor with the pile of cabinet contents piled behind him. That is exactly what we have been going through here at parents old home. Yesterday, we pulled out canning jars. Boxes and boxes and boxes of jars. Niece is going to take them as she still does canning. And I can see you have some vintage casserole dishes as well. Me too. Love that old Corelle. When I get a chance, I’ll try to snap a picture of the island covered with vintage Mason jars that we are trying to sort. They are certainly a collection.
So nice to have that temporary oven. It actually isn’t that low at all if you look at the latest stoves which have two doors below. It isn’t hard to use an oven that height. And now with your refrigerator in it’s home and the microwave, you’re set for cooking. Love the expansive counters. Now if you can keep them clutter free. Ha ha. I can’t. 🙂
I’ll be making quiche tomorrow to take to Easter brunch on Sunday. One bacon, onion and the other mushroom, green onion. Have a wonderful weekend and Easter. Your new cabinets are a wonder to behold.
Hi Joy,
I’m determined from the very start, not to keep “everything” we had in the cabinets before. It’s too much junk…I’ll have LOTS more cabinet space but I’m hoping not to junk it up, like you say!
I am pretty set with my cooking for now… I can look upward and see hope and envision what it will look like some day, and when I look downward, I can hope and envision what THAT will look like too… Half done, half undone… I choose half done! :o)
Quiche sounds good. I had a ham given to me, so I’m going to make that.. it has a glaze too… so that will work for just the 5 of us.
I agree… my cabinets ARE a wonder to behold…and I’ve been doing LOTS of beholding today! :o)
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Yipee !!! I feel your excitement over those wonderful cabinets !! Oh, you will not want to come out of your kitchen when it’s done, Jeanne. Except to spend time in the sewing room!
lol. It is looking great with all that has been done. The excitement is building!
I hope your day is filled with joy!
HI Paula,
It’s a good thing my kitchen and sewing room are back to back… the heart of the home and the heart of my business so close together! I can sew for 15 minutes , then cook for 15 minutes, then sew for 15 minutes, then wash dishes for 15 minutes. I’m going to love it!
Thanks so much, Paula… I did have a nice day!
Blessings, Jeanne
Just seeing there was a post from you today made ME feel like crying! No matter what you write and show pictures of I look forward to and love seeing the I dream of Jeannemarie tag. It’s wonderful to see the kitchen progress. I love dolls, sewing, and have been rehabbing a century cottage for two years now (while living in it) so I really love to see your progress on everything you and hubby do. Have a great Holiday
Awwww, Dorothy, how kind of you to say what you did! If you ever want to share your cottage pics, I’d love to see them… from one cottage lover to another!
We might be slow, but progress can’t be rushed, can it?
Thanks for sharing, Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow, Jeanne! You were due for a dose of “pretty,” and you definitely got it! I had to laugh at the picture of Reuben taking it all in — even he seems amazed by the transformation! Your kitchen is looking more beautiful with each passing day, and I agree with Laureen that the timing is all by design. You and George have been blessed with things falling into place for this remodel at just the right moments — the visit from your sister and her hubby, the shiplap discovery, the needed help from friends — the love and support represented in your soon-to-be-new space is evident. What a blessing that it is all coming together at this time. One less thing for you to worry about. I can fully understand how it could make you cry. Happy tears, for sure! Kudos to you, Jeanne, for creating pizzas AND cookies in the midst of it all. Just imagine what you will be able to create when everything is finished?! Hmmm, maybe you should start with that beautiful robin’s egg blue cake. I’m looking forward to my sliver with some ice cream soon. 😉 Wishing you many happy kitchen adventures ahead, Jeanne!
HI Anne,
It’s funny, I never even saw Reuben in that picture, until I posted it… must be the melting tile glue and the mineral spirits getting to me! :o)
I’m glad you are enjoying the pictures of my kitchen taking shape. We really are and can honestly say, it’s almost unbelievable the transformation that has taken place as quickly as it has. I know there is still some “ugly” to get rid, but I can see the “pretty” in places and I’m loving it!
Yes, I’m looking forward to making that blue cake and I’ll have to “take orders” to see who wants to eat a slice with me! :o) I know your name is on the list! :o)
Thanks so much Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
Your new cabinets look just beautiful. Th e whole kitchen is going to be fantastic and you will have so much room to work in. As one who loves to cook and bake from scratch, I would be crying tears of joy as well.
HI Laura,
It will really be a treat to cook and bake in a pretty kitchen… I can hardly wait! Thanks for hanging around in the midst of the “non-sewing” posts… someday they’ll return! :o)
Thanks Laura and Happy Easter,
Blessings, Jeanne
Aweee thats so cute… happy tears are always good tears! The Kitchen looks so pretty, I’m so excited for you Jeanne.
Happy Easter to you and your family
Hugs
Ingrid
HI Ingrid,
Happy tears are good and I’ve almost shed a few more today. It’s hard to believe my kitchen looks like it does now. It doesn’t feel real yet! But it is and it’s only going to get better! :o)
I hope you have a wonderful Easter too!
Blessings, Jeanne
I remember when you first moved into your home and how your well-meaning family arrived to help you get things moving along. We tore down walls, tiles, ripped up bathrooms, basement furnaces and all kinds of things. I think when we left, we had created a much worse disaster rather than truly being helpful to you. But now you are well on the way to an absolutely gorgeous kitchen. You’ve already made the rest of the house adorable. So let me say you are the most gracious, patient, generous, loving, giving person I have ever met. You deserve to have a perfect kitchen and I am so grateful to the guys for lending a helping hand. I know George would like to do it all but it is time he let others bless him. Love you both very much and love what you’ve done to the kitchen. Looking forward to seeing it in person.
HI Gloria,
Every time I see a piece of that aqua plastic tile peeking out from behind a counter somewhere, I think of you. You had the most awful job ripping those tiles off the kitchen walls. I think you helped rip up the carpeting in the LR too… nasty jobs!
It will be wonderful to have a pretty kitchen like your Salem kitchen. I truly believe the heart of the home IS the kitchen. Mine HASN’T been but I’m hoping to make it that way soon!
Your words are too kind and I’m humbled by them… thank you.
It was a real blessing to have Kevin and Keith help last night. I know how things are done on some things, but I knew nothing about how to hang cabinets. It was fun to watch a professional in person. They made George sit in a chair and watch or they said they were going to go home.. he stayed put…for the most part!
One of these days, it will be done… and I’m making a blue cake that I showed a few days ago. I hope you’ll eat a piece of it along with all my other blog ladies! :o)
Thank so much Gloria!
I hope your house sells soon and you find your new dream home!
Love you , Jeanne
NICE Jeanne! I git it. I’m probably in the house I’m in today because they man was putting in new kitchen cabinets they day mother and I came to look at the place! I’m happy for you.
Thanks so much Joy,
Pretty cabinets and a nice kitchen DO sell a house, don’t they? Of course, I’m not selling after I get my dream kitchen! :o)
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m wondering if you can take the doors off the lower cabinets and paint them before they are installed. One more thing that could be done in advance? I do realize you have to choose the colors first, and that wasn’t possible until you could see what the rest of the room was going to look like. You have oceans of counter space now — funny how fast that space goes when you start putting things back. The counter tops you chose are beautiful.
My brother-in-law’s surgery went well, but the medication for pain has caused him to be delusional — I guess it just has to wear off. It helps that their older son is a nurse. Maybe today he’ll be better. The resurrection of Jeanne’s kitchen and of my brother-in-law. I think the kitchen will take longer, but no one would want it any other way.
My brother-in-law is better today. He thinks it’s Friday, but he’s catching on, and he knows who is really there and is not seeing anyone else. May thanks for prayers. This situation is looking much better.
Hi Jeanne – Can’t believe the difference in your kitchen. I can almost see you jumping up and down for joy! So happy for you and George getting a helping hand.
Easter Blessings to all ~
Leigh
Thank you, George, Keith and Kevin for making my bestie so happy! It’s finally coming together and worth the wait! It will be gorgeous!
Thanks Jan,
My kitchen might turn out to be the “longest kitchen renovation” in history, but I’m just glad it’s finally started. Bit by bit it’s coming together. I’m super happy that those soffits are gone!
One of these days it will be finished and we can have raspberry tea and scones in here!!!
Thanks Jan,
Love you, Jeanne