Rebuilding the Kitchen

This weekend we replaced our countertop and have a new sink.

Our friend Uncle Kevin came over to watch Dad work and to give him friendly advice.

He also helped Dad. Here he is pulling out the dishwasher, but I suppose you could tell that.

Then they discovered that something was still attached. And that there was somewhat of a leak. When they got that taken care of, they ripped off the countertop with their superhuman strength.

They actually did take out the screws before they ripped off the countertop with their superhuman strength.

Then they wrestled the 10-foot-plus countertop through our full-of-corners kitchen, and took it outside.

We put things at the side of the road for the sanitation engineers (not trash men) to dispose of. Sometimes people find our trash as their treasure, and take it home with them. Let's just hope that someone doesn't decide they want a new countertop and take our old one.

This is what our kitchen has looked like. We did put the dishwasher back, so we could use the oven.

We had this one square of countertop left. It had been a butcher block, coated by this nasty plastic stuff that we started melting with our toaster oven. Needless to say, Dad unscrewed it, turned it over, and it was such a blessing to have.

This is how our dining room looks, because we had to take out the things from the bottom cabinets so they didn't get sawdust and mess all over them.

Today, Monday, people from Irving Counter Top came over and installed the new countertop.

Yay!! It is very nice to have a whole countertop. We didn't realize how much we liked and needed having a countertop until we lost it. After all, how else would you be able to make chocolate chip cookies?

Dad took today off of work to be here when the men were working, and he installed the sink. We have a lovely new stainless steel sink with a sprayer and a water filter faucet in addition to the normal faucet.

A sink with running water is a great asset to the kitchen. We really are enjoying it.

So we don't have to do dishes in the bathroom. :o)

We also have a really quiet garbage disposal now. I suppose everyone else's garbage disposals are not especially loud, but ours was probably from when the house was built. So it's a big change, and we like it.

Melissa is gone in Chicago until Friday, the 25th. We are really missing her. The house is very quiet. I don't like sitting in her seat in the van. We are really going to be happy when she is back. But I will be leaving three days after she gets back (the 28th), to Detroit. Then I will get back on August 6th, and then 9 days later, Amy will leave for the Honor Academy for all year! It seems like we will not be home all at the same time for a while! Oh, Clara and Mom are going to go to a Women's Retreat from August 1-3, so Clara will be able to do something special with Mom.