This is what our kitchen looked like last fall. So it was better than when we moved in, but still reeked of 80's refinished cabinets and aqua blue tile, original appliances (our home was built in '62), and ugly soffet above cabinets. Plus, it did truly reek. I am not sure why, but it just smelled old, musty, stale, like moldy food stuck somewhere we could not see. All the scentsy bars and Yankee candles could not completely cover up this smell. It was still there when I walked in after being out of the house for a while.
We always hated those hanging cabinets above the peninsula, so a few months ago, Matt actually went to town and tore them out. It opened it up a bit and we realized how BADLY we wanted to redo our kitchen. So the project began...Late March, we had the demolition of our kitchen. They took out everything except our fridge (we plan on hanging onto that one for a little while).
The night of the demolition, Matt came home and started tearing down the soffit. He started with a hammer, but it wasn't hardly putting a dent in it, so I borrowed a sledge hammer from our neighbors. Boy that did the trick. A little too well. 
Here is a pic of Matt, taking a swing and this pic was probably taken right before one of those long beams fell and hit him square on the top of his head. Blood everywhere. I almost called 911, but Matt just grabbed a kitchen towel, threw it on top of his head and drove to the hospital. Our kids were sleeping, so I had to stay home. 
He came home with staples in his head and a fury over this incident that caused him to sledge hammer the rest of the soffit at midnight while we and the rest of Concord slept. When I woke up the next morning it was gone.
We filled in the floor where the counters had previously existed and we hired a friend of ours to come and wire for electrical, move our plumbing and patch up the drywall. We were changing from a wall oven and microwave to a range with microwave hood, which required new outlets. We also changed the location of our sink and dishwasher, requiring plumbing movement. We also needed new drywall and insulation where the soffit had existed, because right then it stood as a huge gaping hole into our attic. :)
Once that work was mostly completed, our drywall was up and ready for texturing.
The next day after texturing, the new cabinets showed up!! They were so beautiful. Matt and I had it narrowed down to 2 styles for such a long time and we had chosen one that was a bit darker, but at last minute, Matt changed to this style. We are so glad he did!! We got rid of the peninsula counter that jutted out and put an island in. I am LOVING this island!! I now see what the fuss is all about :) We decided to make our island more of a focal point by putting in cream colored cabinets instead of the maple. Matt isn't too sure about it, but I love it.
So here is the new kitchen with our new cabinets. 
The next day, they put in the countertops and sink. We went with a granite counter with a 6-inch backsplash. We debated whether to do a tile backsplash, but we felt our workload with this project was large enough as it was. We may end up tiling in some future year, but for now, we are sticking with our 6-incher.
It feels so much more open and bigger without the soffit and counter jutting out. 
We are hanging onto our fridge because the stainless steel style we want is pretty pricey, so we are waiting for a good sale. Our previous dishwasher was actually in pretty good condition, but older. However, to re-install it would cost more than what the washer is actually worth, so we are also scoping out deals until then. So the hole you see in this pic below where the dishwasher will go may be a hole for some time.
Our range and microwave arrived the next day after the counters. I also painted the kitchen and dining the green color that was in the adjacent living area. We are having some problems with some of our outlets, so while we wait for those to get fixed, we will wait on installing the microwave. We also need our sink hooked up, so while our faucet is in place and sink is there, we actually can't use it yet. Soon, hopefully!So this is pretty much what our kitchen looks like today, in all its glorious mess :) I should have picked up for the picture at least, but hey now you get a glimpse of our real life! There is still a few things to do: install the microwave (which is in that big box), hook up our sink, fix outlets, install recessed lighting, trim out our window and put in our hanging pendant light. I will be sure and post when all those things are done!!
I also painted our dining room green. It is hard to see with the lighting in these pics, but I like it so much better than the blonde color that used to be here. 
So because it is tradition to do before/after, here is what you will see:BEFORE
AFTER:BEFORE:AFTER:Whew!! I should have put that as a separate post. But here is our fun Easter weekend.
The kids in their Easter clothes. Matt actually picked out their stuff while on a trip to Costco one day. He was pretty excited about Nolan's outfit, especially.
The day before Easter, we headed to an egg hunt put on down the road at the swim club. The kids got to see lots of neighborhood and school friends and we found out that the price of the swim club membership was lowered this year, so we will be joining!! We live a block from the pool, so this will make for a convenient way to cool off this summer.
Easter morning came too early for the kids. Reagan was up at 5am, looking for her basket of candy. 
Both enjoyed their loot and I think that Nolan ate most of his candy in one day (probably one sitting). So when he laid down that afternoon and said his stomach hurt, we were not a bit surprised. It is detox time this week, though. Tough for the kids---when they ask me for a snack and I offer carrots or apples, they look at me like I am from another planet. It was a neat opporunity to teach the kids this year about why we really celebrate Easter. Last night for family night, Matt asked the kids what the most important thing about Easter was. Without hesitating, Reagan answered, "Jesus was resurrected!" And my proud mom heart almost exploded. What a great gift it is to teach my children what is most important in life. Blessings abound here for sure!
Love to you all!
