Steve's been doing so much work he's having a hard timing keeping up with the blog entries, so I'm helping out a bit. We've actually had quite a bit going on this summer. One of my goals for the summer was to give the kitchen an update. I was tired of the orange Formica. Just for a refresher, this is what the kitchen has looked like since we moved in.
We weren't quite ready to bite off the cost of new countertops, and besides, the countertops were fine, other than the color. They are solid wood and actually still in pretty good shape - other than being orange. So, we decided to take a chance and used a paint-on treatment from a company named Gianni that is supposed to mimic the look of granite. I am not known for my artistic abilities, and this was one project that I actually mostly did. Sarah helped with the base coat, and Steve did the final clear coat, but I did the part that actually shows and make the pattern. To say I was nervous would be an understatement, but I am actually quite pleased with how it turned out. This is what the kitchen looks like now.
Even the yellow cabinets look better with the brown granite instead of the yellow. I'm not sure how well it will wear, but the cost was incredibly reasonable, and the appearance is so much nicer, that I'm willing to baby it along. We'll invest in a few cutting boards to serve as trivets and to be continually handy so that nothing damaging is set on the countertop, and since standing water is a no-no on this surface, the dish drainer will not get to live on the counter. This does not make me sad. This winter, we will tile the backsplash and around the window. I'm very pleased with the current state, but am also excited to see the final outcome this winter. Stay tuned.
On top of that, progress on the barn continues slowly. Steve has changed his plans a bit on the cupolas. The new design will take a bit longer, but will be more aesthetically pleasing. In his heat-befuddled state last week, he made a truly regrettable comment to me that led to some discussion of his plans on that day, and followed by a noticeable and intentional avoidance of the subject on my part. Yesterday, he announced that he would be putting wood siding on the cupola. His previous plan had been to wrap them in tin, which would have made them match the roof, but be ugly. I was not impressed. The downside of his new plan is that each cupola is a four-day project. He figures they will finish this first one before they have to move on back to the tin. Then he will put a temporary cover over the second hole to get us through the winter. The barn will officially become a three-summer project, but should be finally finished next year.
Won't that look cute when it's all done? Just envision it with a neat weathervane on the top, and a twin where you can see the hole in the roof.
The reason Steve's having a hard time keeping up is that he keeps working. The upside of that is that they occasionally fly over the house and he's gotten some really great aerial photos of the place.
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