Kitchen Makeover: Prologue

When I bought my house, the kitchen looked like this:

Yuck. I hated nearly everything about the kitchen. The oppressively low ceiling with glaring fluorescent light. The ugly bank of ceiling-mounted cabinets. The odd layout. The grungy appliances. The water-damaged floor.

No problem. It was nothing a complete gut-and-rebuild wouldn't fix. ;)  I began to plan and budget for totally remodeling the space.

Then my employment status became uncertain, and kitchen remodeling fell to the bottom of the spending priority list. With no way of knowing when I'd again be comfortable putting money into a kitchen remodel, I decided to move forward with a low-budget makeover. By recycling what I had and using some unconventional solutions, I ended up with what I think is a pretty good result.

Over the next several posts, I'll be showing what went into making over my kitchen, so check back to see the details of my projects. And stay tuned for the big reveal at the end. :)

Na Na Na Na...

Na na na na...
Hey hey hey...
Goodbye!





Today was my last real day at work.

I am freeeee!  :D

But it also feels odd... bittersweet. I don't think it's really sunk in yet.

Overall, the situation has worked out even better than I imagined. I'll be on paid vacation for the next two weeks. Then I'll begin working part-time at home. I'll have an income stream but no stress or commute or being stuck in an office for 9 hours a day. Perfect!

I had hoped to slip out quietly -- I'm uncomfortable being the center of attention -- but I wasn't entirely successful. The Board of Directors happened to be meeting yesterday, and they called me in to express their appreciation. Today, several of my coworkers took me to lunch. This preempted another group of coworkers, who say they'll take me to lunch sometime in the future. I received cards signed by many people, and several stopped by to say "good luck" and "see you later." It was nice to hear all the positive comments from everyone. :)

The lunch was amusing. I can count on my fingers the number of times in the past 4.5 years that I've gone to lunch with a coworker. Then when I'm leaving, suddenly everybody wants to take me to lunch. ;)

The lunch group consisted of five mothers and two women who want to have children relatively soon. They spent pretty much the entire time talking about pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood -- topics that don't pertain to me in the slightest. So I sat there eating my food, saying nothing, inwardly amused at the fact that I don't fit in even at my own lunch.