Back into the Kitchens

Chief Architect:
Home Designer Architectural 2016

No, the plural used in the title wasn't a mistake.  I've been immersed in kitchen design again lately, which I love.  It's been a pleasure to work in my Chief Architect drafting software again, producing 3D renderings to bring dreams and ideas -almost- to life for a few projects.

 - The kitchen part of a whole-house remodel an empty-nesting couple are doing in their 1980's home is coming together.  Their family-friendly banquette is gone; that seating area exchanged for a baking center for the pie-baking husband.  The new seating, now for grandchildren, will transfer to their new island, which sits where the wall, between kitchen and living room, used to be.  


The gifted cabinets.  They'll be painted
white. She was without a lazy susan in
her corner cabinet before, so this older
version (the door spins in) is an upgrade.

 - Old church and homeschooling friends are working together to redo a water-damaged kitchen for a deserving family in their 70's home.  We are re-purposing donated cabinets for all of the bases, with new, taller uppers to maximize storage.  This situation creates opportunity to remove walls and redesign the layout.  Their big family will benefit from the open design with an island, offering better traffic flow and much more countertop workspace than they had previously.

 - My nephew is remodeling the kitchen in his turn-of-the (19th to 20th)-century home, upgrading appliances and adding an island, while maintaining location of plumbing and venting for economy's sake.  He had the design figured out, and I just put his vision into renderings, so he could double check before diving in.  He's chosen classic Shaker style cabinets in white, respecting the age/style of the home and ensuring the modest space is not overwhelmed... though a wall oven, gas rangetop, stainless apron front sink, and, hopefully, quartz countertops will help modernize it and create a chef's-level work environment.                                            

 - An e-friend I met on the Gardenweb kitchen forum will be, I hope, finally getting the kitchen we've been discussing for years.  Their home has been under construction, but in an area of extreme weather, so the building window is small. It requires patience, but is giving her the time she needs to be certain about making the kitchen the best it can be.  It will be an immense upgrade to the tiny space she baked in as her family grew. She's trying to balance a homey look with simple, clean lines, and surfaces that are easy to maintain.  We just adjusted the plan to replace counterspace she won't miss with a small kitchen table that she'll enjoy daily.

Within our many email messages discussing the goals for her design, she shared a link to an inspiration kitchen, a Houzz Kitchen of the Week. All of the Douglas fir and the beautiful windows definitely make it swoon-worthy. If I could have an awesome kitchen like the one in this 'microhouse,' maybe I could warm to Hubby's dream of building a tiny house. Well, since this kitchen is probably larger than an actual 'tiny house,' maybe I'll just say I could be OK with 'tinier...'

Kitchen of the Week: A Warm and Eco-Friendly Update

I'm betting you might be hoping for more details and some images of those projects I mentioned... Of course!  Stay tuned...

 

I'm Mooshy-Squooshy...and Loved

from Maybe What I Really Need is to be Loved,  Your Beloved

This blog post by Bonnie Gray, sent to my email inbox via (in)Courage, helped me relax enough to get back to sleep at 3 AM early yesterday morning. I had been lying awake, gnashing my teeth about a lot of things... Mostly aggravated that the issues were probably 'my fault' at the root... 

• I'm wimpy.
• I'm too soft and sentimental.
• As a pleaser, I don't say "no" enough, or pull hard enough when the kids need to be reined in.
• I let things and finances and the household tasks get out of control, and sometimes I let others reinforce the idea that it's my fault.

I call good decisions "theirs," and not-necessarily-good decisions "bad momming."

Maybe I'm not all the things I was telling myself, or actually, maybe I am, but that's the way God made me.  I am mooshy and squooshy, for good or (for what you think may be) bad. If I'm not tough enough, it just might be someone else's job to offer the kids that point of view, or there is something we're all supposed to learn or gain as things unfold. Mostly, the kids are doing pretty awesome, and I am here to allow them to be and develop into their own selves, too. 

I (don't often enough) realize that there are just some things maybe I shouldn't control (WHAT?!!), or take responsibility for.

--These rambling thoughts may give insight on why I don't get back to sleep once my mind starts to spin-- 

ANYway, I searched out the blog post again today to re-read and re-remind myself, and thought maybe someone else could use the message...

 GOD LOVES YOU THE WAY HE MADE YOU

Now please give yourself a break and rest in that, and I'll try to give it a shot, too.