May 15, 2012

Kitchen: Part 2...of many parts

May 15, 2012/ molly balint

The quite lovely (as my mother would say) gentlemen from the cabinet shop came to put in the kitchen cabinets.

Our kitchen was completely stripped of the old cabinets in preparation for their visit. For as long as we have been thinking about this and putting it together (in our minds, at least) it felt surprising that they could come and put in all the cabinets in just one day's work.

My children took a little artistic license with the bare walls and tried to express their gratitude. (I'm not sure what the reference is to the knife. I typically don't let my kids play with them.....at least the big ones.)

And so, quietly and diligently, the men came. They hefted. They assembled. They meticulously leveled and measured. And measured and leveled again--a requirement in any 100 year old lop-sided house.

And as they attached the last knob, and used their little soft brushes to clean everything up, I was missing those men already.

Like little quiet elves, they came, did their job, and left wonder in the form of cabinetry behind them.

And they were in. So fresh. So blisteringly new. So smelly of newness when I opened the doors.

And shut the doors.

And open and shut the doors again.

Just to try out that "soft close" special latch system. I bellied up to them and pretended to wash dishes and appreciated their custom extra tallness, a back saver for this slightly taller than average mom.

But it really is just the beginning. There is still a lot to do. The countertops are a huge question mark right now. I'm praying the new dishwasher I bought for next to nothing and then stored away for years will still work. Then there's the sink. The backsplash...

More to come, folks, more to come.

April 30, 2012

The kitchen remodel: part 1

April 30, 2012/ molly balint

I am a patient woman.

And it really does take a great dose of this virtue when living in an old farm house.

My sister and I both grew up in one. We both live in one now.

We’ve been in ours for almost 14 years. And when my husband and I walked through the newly purchased house in our young, married, no-kids-yet phase, we dreamed of how it would look when it was complete.

New exterior, some much needed landscaping, paint that paneling, pull up those stained shag carpets, we can do this!

And the kitchen was at the top of that list....fourteen years ago.

Little by little, we saved, as with all our projects. When a bit of money or tax return came our way, I tucked it away and secretly whispered “kitchen!” But then other things came along. Other expenses.

The luxury of being able to have a healthy flush from our toilets came from a new septic field.

Feeling the winter wind through our rotten sills and old windows resulted in new windows.

The kitchen, where I spend the most of my time, was always put on hold.

So, when my husband told me this winter he was ready to do the kitchen, I didn’t really think much. We’d been in this position before. But later when he said: Get going! Figure out what you want to do! I’m ready! I knew it was really going to happen this time.

So I immediately started a pinterest page (that’s normal, isn’t it?) and pinned pictures left and right of things I loved. It helped me get a feel for what really was going to work. That color might get old after a while. That gorgeous farm house sink? Out of budget.

Slowly I pieced together, in my mind, what it would look like. Nothing fancy. Practical. Affordable. Fitting with our old farmhouse.

And so it begins.

The perfect week to begin happened to be the time I was to be away at Outdoor School with my daughter’s class. My husband, along with his trusty four year old helper (who lives in destructo mode 24/7) removed the old cupboards. I can’t really say I will miss their peeling paint, swollen particle board selves.

I won’t miss that drawer that closes, then very slowly, ever so quietly rolls back out when my back is turned so that a quick spin around to stir something on the stove and I get wacked in the hip.

Those faux butcher block countertops, that I have almost intentionally tried to damage with hot pots just to accelerate the process, gone. It will be nice to have something new, with the old. And while new is not something I am used to around here, I think I will adjust. I know it will be a long process, as most of our re-do’s are.

And I look forward to sharing with you our progress on this “little” project.

April 23, 2012

The second, and final, installment

April 23, 2012/ molly balint

The last goat kidded this week. I know that sounds like a really big goat farm, but we only have two breeding age goats. The second, and last goat, LuLu, went into labor like clock work. I read somewhere that goats tend to kid at the same time of day each year. Remembering that she had birthed in the evening last year, I wasn't surprised to see the tell-tale signs start at about 6 pm. We were all excited to see what she would have. LuLu is what they call a "paint" Nubian. Like the horse, she has a lot of white. And last year she had triplets. This year, she had gotten really big, but then seemed to shrink a bit towards the end, but was still obviously pregnant.

We gave her some privacy as labored progressed, but hustled to the barn when we heard the sounds of her really pushing, sounds just like one might hear in the halls of the hospital maternity ward. Out popped one small little girl, and we were in business.

Because the first was small, I wasn't surprised to see Lu lay back down for another go 'round. But something seemed different now. Sadly, she popped out two small and very much dead twins. My girls, brave and inquisitive ones that they are, and not at all queasy, analyzed the still, lifeless forms. Pictures were taken. Seems as though the survivor, little Molly, was all that was meant to be. And thankfully, she survived. And the fact that Lu seemed to get smaller at the end, now made sense.

So today, little Molly and LuLu got some time out in the fresh green lawn and some special attention. She may be small, but she is a little firecracker. And for us, although the usually joyous experience of kidding season has ended with a tinge of sadness, the promise of a new batch of babies and the anticipation of watching them grow, training them, and showing them at the fair, has outweighed any sadness.

April 17, 2012

A walk in the wetlands

April 17, 2012/ molly balint

It was the last day of spring break and we were up for something. The Easter break had had it's usual fun. Family picnic---the pigs were a hit. Church. Family time. The weather was cool, but we decided to check out a new spot. Little did I know that our county owned a 30-acre wetland area complete with one mile of boardwalk to protect the delicate happenings there.