Everything But the Kitchen Sink

Although our apartment's previous owner, an avid cook, spent a lot of time (and a pretty penny) designing the kitchen, I couldn't resist the opportunity to give it a mini-makeover. Since the room already had great bones and tons of potential, I knew it would be feasible to execute a fantastic update without breaking the bank.

To give you a better idea of my starting point, here are some listing photos:

Honestly, I was a bit apprehensive about the cherry wood at first. It was really... red. But I learned through research that it is actually considered a luxury wood, and that painting or staining the custom cabinetry would take away from its value. I also learned that cherry wood mellows and deepens as it ages, just like fine wine. And we all know how much I like wine. So I decided to give it a chance :)

It totally looks like one of Dexter's kill rooms right now, but our kitchen is going to be completely transformed when I'm through with it. Stay tuned!

Babe

Our marriage has been a remarkable blessing, and I am so thankful to have you by my side.

Thank you for all the ways you continue to lead, encourage, love, and amaze me.
Happy anniversary, Christopher :)

A Ton of Bricks

Ah, exposed brick. The stuff my dreams are made of. Brick walls effortlessly exude rustic charm and supply loads of character to any space. They were totally on my wish list during our apartment hunt, and since our new place did not come with a lovely stone wall, I decided to make one myself! That's when our renovations hit a wall (pun intended). The bricks I ordered were not available for months, so we had to place the project on hold.

Several weeks ago, with our expected delivery date on the horizon, I started palm-rubbing and getting excited again. Then I received a super distressing phone call - Apparently, there had been a freezing spell at the manufacturing plant in Bigler, PA. My share had cracked and was ruined, and the next batch wouldn't be available for another few months.

I totally flipped out when I heard the news. Looking back now, I sort of feel bad for the guy on the other end of the line. Thankfully, he remained pleasant and reassured me that there were enough bricks salvaged from the ruined batch to cover the square footage I needed. They were cut slightly larger than my original order, but I jumped on the offer and snatched them right up. Like I said, it's all about knowing when to compromise! :)

The shipment was scheduled, and I took a half-day last week to be at home for the drop-off. I didn't know what I was expecting. In my head, I was picturing a few big boxes that could be neatly stacked and tucked away in a corner by the door. You can probably imagine my shock when I saw this huge flatbed rolling up our hill.

The driver (His name is Horacio) had mad skillz. He pulled a U-ie AND parallel parked this ginormous truck in front of our building.
Next, Horacio unhitched the forklift and drove it backwards down the street, against traffic, up to our side entryway. Then he plopped the crate down on the sidewalk and drove off with a wave as I stood there with my jaw hanging open.
Cue ominous rain clouds gathering overhead. It was getting ready to start pouring at any minute, so I didn't even have time to freak. I needed to hustle. I borrowed a heavy-duty hand truck from our super and spent the next hour moving the 35 lb boxes into our apartment.

Needless to say, my arms were ready to fall off by the time I schlepped all 27 boxes upstairs and into our second bedroom. I was completely exhausted, but also felt overwhelmed with relief. I FINALLY had my bricks! Hooray!!

Now the fun can really begin. It's time to roll up my sleeves and turn my dream brick wall into reality! More later :)