Last spring, around March or April, we got serious about remodeling our kitchen. We had some money saved and after 39 years, it was the kitchen's turn to be remodeled. I was so excited because, essentially it is 'my' room in the house. I know where I put things, and I mostly am the one in there. I was so excited to pick out our cabinets, countertops, colors of paint, etc. We had talked with the cabinet builder and had set the date to install cabinets, the first or second week of June. I had picked out my appliances and everything. I had waited a long time for this and it was finally going to happen.
The first week of May, was when my cancer symptoms surfaced and I was diagnosed with liver cancer. At the time, we had no choice but to cancel our kitchen plans. I was in and out of hospitals, surgeries, all kinds of hospital tests, and chemotherapy. Week by week our money saved for the kitchen, depleted. Kim said he didn't want the kitchen anyway, if I wasn't going to be in it. At the time, we had been told I had just one year to live.
In the fall, I talked to Kim about the kitchen again, and he was less than enthusiastic about it. He said he had enough on his mind with all that was happening, and he couldn't take on anything else right now. Besides, our money was now half of what we had saved. I was sick inside. It was my fault the money had to be spent, so I should just accept that I would never get my new kitchen.
Then Kim came up with an idea of not doing it like we had planned, but do a modest remodeling, by only replacing cabinets, and no walls taken out. It would save on replacing flooring, and not much mess, and MUCH less expensive. I knew that this was better than nothing, so I accepted the fact that my kitchen would not be opened up with the wall between the table and cabinets gone.
The next thing I knew, after Christmas, he talked to me more about it, and if we didn't do this and that, less expensive appliances and so forth, maybe we could proceed ahead. I was so excited I couldn't sleep.
With the help of some very kind and thoughtful neighbors, who offered to help us with the remodeling project with all the things Kim and I have no idea how to do, (electrical things, canned lighting, refinishing walls, etc.) they were willing to give of their time to help us make this project a reality, and we got to take out the wall!!! Woo hoo!!
This past two weeks has been quite the project thus far, and we are way down the ladder still from being finished. But as we have learned with all of our remodeling projects through 39 years, "you have to make a huge mess to have a beautiful outcome".
These next two pictures are the wall we are taking out, to open the room up.
And this is my kitchen pictures. These cabinets are metal and our house is the house Kim grew up in. It was built just after World War II. This kitchen is from 1949. I am so happy to wave goodbye to them!!!!
This pretty much sums up what it looks like now. The stove is still there so we can cook and Kim left the sink intact until we "have" to remove it.
Yay TL. Wish I was there to help you!
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