Maria

My neighbor, Maria, is adorable. She's 96, Italian, has a huge family, makes delicious waffle cookies and loves to garden. She has lived in her condo since it was built more than 30 years ago and knows just about everyone in our neighborhood. One of the first things I noticed when I initially looked at my condo was the flower garden in front of the building. I discovered later that it was Maria who maintained the numerous rose bushes and other flowers.
Maria's husband, Dominic, long ago built planter boxes so the roses could have a proper home. Now gone, Dominic is remembered fondly by Maria and all the neighbors who reminisce about how much he loved his roses. When the flowers are in bloom, Maria cuts large quantities and takes them to her husband's grave. She says she wants him to still be able to enjoy them.
Up until this year, Maria has tended these beautiful flowers. But now it has become difficult for her to climb in and out of the garden and her eye sight isn't quite as good as it used to be. All the residents in our building were asked if they could help keep up the garden. If no one volunteered, the property management company would have to take it out and put in more low-maintenance shrubbery to replace the roses. When I volunteered to help, I thought for sure other people would step forward as well. Nope. It was just me. Since digging in the dirt makes me happy, I don't mind so much, especially when Maria keeps me company and sits out on the steps and talks to me while I'm working. She gives me tips and lends me tools. I'm pretty sure I love her. Everyone else who knows her does too.

A New Kitchen

Ok, ok, ok. Here are the pictures from my remodel. Every day when I come home and drop my keys in the bowl on the counter, I am reminded of how much I love my new kitchen.

Before

Yes, this is what it really looked like. Avocado green counters and ancient cabinets in all of their ugliness.

Starting Out

Ripping out all cabinets and counters took about an hour. Then I spent a careful evening taking out the asbestos flooring. Don't worry, I wore a mask, goggles and gloves.

A brilliant friend suggested that I paint before doing any of the major work. That way I didn't have to tape or put down a drop cloth and I only had to do minor touch ups when I was all finished. My friend Kelli helped me paint one night. With this color, we felt like we were painting with melted chocolate.

My expert tile work friends Eric and Alisha helped me lay the floor. I originally wanted to pour a concrete floor, but that didn't quite work out. This grey, concrete-looking tile was the next best thing and I'm really happy with it. I think it's the part of the kitchen I'm most proud of.

Hanging Cabinets

Since all IKEA cabinets are flat-packed, I needed to assemble them prior to hanging. I used the living room as a work area and drilled, screwed and hammered until they were all ready to put up on the walls. Hanging cabinets was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. With the help of several friends, over a period of a couple of weeks, I put them up and took them down a total of 3 times. The drywall is a bit Swiss cheese-like so they're hanging on a few brackets and a prayer.

Almost Finished

So when I started this project, I thought it would take me 3 or 4 weeks. I had no idea how time consuming all the little details would be. Under cabinet lighting and molding and sanding and caulking. So much work! So, 10 weeks later I finished. I guess you could say it dragged on a bit. Here are some pictures from the home stretch.

All Done

So finally, the third weekend in November I finished. (Well, I still have a few little things to fix up, but for the most part I'm all done.) When it was all over, I invited the friends who helped me over for a dessert party. When they all left, I sat on the floor and cried. I couldn't believe I had done it. After all that time, more than my share of paper plates and frozen meals, I had successfully remodeled my kitchen. Thank you to some amazing friends!! Kelli, Alisha, Eric, MacKenzie, Jason, Mark, Rana, Jason, Sarah, Annie, Megan, Cristi, and Steve all gave up Saturdays or weeknights to paint, tile the floor, hang cabinets, install counters, connect appliances and put on the finishing touches. I couldn't have done it without them. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!