What I did over my Thanksgiving vacation or why I haven't been posting of late.

Yes I know it has been too long since I last posted. But I have a good excuse.

I was waylayed by the domino effect... you know, when one thing happens, that leads to another... and another... and another.

Now that I am nearing the end of the faucet, that turned into a project, that turned into a kitchen, I can smile and write the whole thing down.

I will post pictures one day soon.

The story began like this.... the kitchen faucet began to drip... such a little thing really.... not so much at first and I could always find a handle position that would make it stop.

Then one day, there was no handle position that would satisfy it and the dripping became worse. I was determined not to waste water, so soon it was filling my tea pot at an alarming rate.

Eventually, I could no longer drink that much tea.

Something had to be done.

I began to consider replacing the faucet. I couldn't really afford to do it, but couldn't afford to let it go.

I contacted the local plumber recommended by my contractor neighbor. The would change it for $75 an hour, plus all the stuff. Geez! That could really add up!

I am in the wrong business.

So, I went in search of stuff.

A long line of dominos began to assemble and tumble.

I looked on the internet and in the box stores. I realized that if I did the faucet (domino one), I would have to replace the sink (domino two) as well.

Heck, they had been installed when we moved in the house in 1954. Time to go.

I really like a single sink. I never understood the double bowl concept....and in my perfect world, a tall faucet with a coil or a sprayer in the handle is perfect.

Then I saw how much these choices would cost. Yikes!!

As things often happen, I ended up at Lowes, on a whim, brain numbed by whirling dollar signs, and was standing in front of the sinks when the new display sinks arrived and the old ones just had to go...at a fraction of the price.

My dream sink was to be had for $75, instead of the $400 it sold for yesterday. Only one left. I'll take it.

I couldnt afford it, but what the heck, I couldn't afford not to.

I picked out a slight compromise on faucet. Ok, a huge compromise, but it fit the one hole in the sink and had most of my function criteria. It looked nice too at a lower price point.

I did splurge on the stainless finish though. So off I went with parts one and two, but the story only takes off here.

The counter was next (domino three). Well, the counter was the original formica, cracked when they installed the now nearly finishless cast iron sink.

It also had a cute little burn hole near the stove, which my mom made and ever since kept a salt shaker over it, so no one would know.

It really had to go.

My dream kitchen has soapstone counters. I visited a local tile shop on an exploration excursion and found some charcoal porcelain tile with a flat finish, sorta like soapstone. I could do the whole top for under a hundred bucks. Sold!

I planned on tiling right over the old formica and plywood top... mistake or not.

I also picked out a backsplash tile, stone really and it was a bit more pricey, but would really upgrade the space.

Heck, I'm in it this far, what's more money?! I showed the tile to mom and she approved heartily.

In my dream, I would have picked a cobalt blue subway tile, but I realized the more neutral stone would not become as tired as quickly or dated and the resale value would hold better. Sigh. Stone it is.

My friend Gail came to visit with the loan of a tile saw. I had to get the counter done, so the sink could go in before the Thanksgiving holiday dinner with 12 folks coming the next week.

Nothing like a good deadline to spur some action.

I dont know how we decided to remove the formica from the counter. Oh, yes I do! The stainless trim was buried under the formica edge and in order to remove that, we had to pry up the formica. It came up in shards. That's the only way to put it.

We chipped and pried and tugged and chiseled until it was all off. Then I repaired the now shredded top and secured the formica backsplash with roofing nails. I'm leaving that beast in place.

No telling what could possibly be behind that. I knew part of the wall was cement and part plaster and lath from 1935. The wall was so shallow, the electrical boxes were half depth and molded into the cement. Oy.

All the pipes and braided wires and such ran in this wall. I'm not opening that can of worms. Not me.

I did buy a silicone adhesive to attach the 2x4 running bond stone sheets to the wall with. (That only took three trips to the box store.) This way, if I ever needed to remove and reinstall them, I could, well, maybe I could....I hope I can. Yes, I could!

Understand, all this is happening, with products arriving, not arriving, coming damaged, backordered, at the tile place.

Not all things can be had from one supplier either, so grout comes from one store, adhesive from another. This industry is ripe for a takeover.

This is all happening with my aforementioned self-imposed deadline and my constant attempts to make a living... such as it is.

By the end of the weekend with Gail, she had her paper written and I had my counter top mostly tiled. I was short 5 tiles til the next Friday. I arranged for my folks to pick them up while I was out of town on business. They, of course, forgot the tile trip, but managed the rendezvous the following day.

My dear retired neighbor Larry, who does some of all things handyman-like called to say he could put in the sink. In the process, we found out the drain pipes had been cracked all the way into the basement. This was a disaster waiting to happen. Crisis averted.

We replumbed back to the cast iron stack below. The real job was getting the old sink out. Larry couldnt wait for me to get boards in place fast enough and when he moved it it fell into the opening and crashed through the cabinet doors, all zillion pounds of cast iron and gravity. He jumped out of the way and no one was too damaged. I fixed the cupboard later. The new sink and faucet installation took time but had no drama attached. Whew.

Gosh it looked good. I couldnt wait for it all to be done. Still waiting for tiles though.

The plan was when I got home, I could alternate working on client files with setting backsplash tiles...those I did have. While one dried or clicked or whirred, I could attend to the other. I kinda got a rhythm going there.

By Thanksgiving when the family arrived, I had most of the counter done and the bulk of the backsplash as well.

Thanksgiving was a whirl.

I shopped, cleaned and cooked like a mad woman. I even took pictures of some of it.....but not the dinner on the table as I had planned. Sorry.

The whole clan descended, ate, and as soon as I was done with the dishes, they ate dessert, I finished those dishes and they all bolted.

I didnt even get a chance to play with the baby. Dang!!

My sister-in-law has announced she will make the Christmas eve dinner this year. Works for me.

It will probably be easier, with the new baby and all. And the bulk of the family is theirs.

Still, I really liked cooking etc... and I confess, being the hub at those events.

I guess I figure, we all get a chance, and I also figure, she will tire of it and hand it back really soon.

I loved my new kitchen, even if it was only halfway done. The family was impressed too... at least they said so.

Larry came back and we tackled the lighting and electrical outlets. In a very long day, we installed new under cabinet and over sink lights and put in all new GFI's and switches in the kitchen.

Wow, light! What a difference it makes.

Next domino was the wall color. The celery green of old didn't go with the new counter and stone. I agonized over color and found myself revisiting dark neutral browns over and over.

I chose two and a possible glaze and took the time to tape and paint multiple coats. It looks amazing!!! I hope the muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders go away soon.

Of course, the eating room needed paint too...and the half bath...and the entry hall.

I did it all.

Finally, I am down to a small list of to-dos. The trim needs retouching, as the painter's tape pulled some paint off or allowed leakage under edges. Part of the process.

Today I intend to attach the chair rail tile I bought for my counter edging. I wanted this to be last so it wouldnt get bumped before it had time to really set.... and 'cause I am scared to screw it up. These tiles were the most expensive of all.

Then I need to grout the backsplash and I will be done...done...done....until I see something else.

So that is what I have been doing. Glad to have a kitchen again, especially my new improved one, I'm restacking the dominos for the next go around.