Newsletter 2016

Originally published in December 2016

Holiday Greetings from the Gentiles!

Well, 2016 has been nothing if not eventful. A hinge broke on a kitchen cabinet (stay with me here). This was the third time this particular hinge had broken and it was a corner cabinet and a pain to replace. So, if I had to replace the hinge I might as well replace the stupid door. And I can‘t replace just one door and have a mis­match, so I have to replace them all, so why not get that pull-out pantry I’ve been eyeing forever? And since I’m replacing the cabinets, I might as well move the fridge to where I’ve always wanted it and replace it with the French door model I’ve always wanted, right? But the new stainless fridge would certain make the ivory dish­washer look shabby, so that’s gotta go, too. And with the new appliances and new cabinets, of course I need a new counter, which gives me an excuse to put in a peninsula where the table’s always been. And you know what would really pop? A backsplash that plays off the blue flecks in the countertop. Don’t mess with me, hinges. When I go, I go all in.

Probably my favorite part of the whole project (which also included a new floor. There should be a law against using grout on a kitchen floor) – when they pulled off all the backsplash they found the walls were not sheet­rocked, but were plywooded. “We’ve never seen anyone do this before,” the project manager said. “You never met my husband,” I laughed in response, but secretly confident that a cabinet would never rip away from the wall from being overloaded. Oh, Tom -- always taking things to the next level just because he could. The counter installers called me “Deb” for good reason: Scrawled in pencil on the plywood, and not in Tom’s handwriting, the message, “I’m sorry Deb. Will you still marry me?” As far as I know, Tom only knew one Deb, and she did marry the scribe who was apparently visiting from overseas during the last kitchen renovation. I’d love to know what that fight was about.

In September I spent 6 days in Iceland. I wanted a place where they drive on the right, somewhere I could get to nonstop, and where language would not be a barrier, so Iceland seemed a logical choice. It was the coolest vacation I’ve ever had, in the most beautiful part of the planet I’ve ever visited, and on the flight back I was already plotting my return. Loved it. Loved everything about it.

David had an eventful year too. He and Hannah are still doing well.  Now a junior, he changed his concentration (they don’t do majors at SLC) from theatre production to computer science and advanced math­ematics. That’s almost the same, right? He’s also starting to think about grad school, or what else might come next.

I mentioned last year that Geof would be joining the Army in 2016. He did, indeed, leave for basic training and armor AIT in August. The Army was not a good match for Geof, and the Army agreed to release him from his obligations in Nov­ember. He’s back home now and planning to start school in January in an aviation mechanics program. So while his career plan no longer includes the Army, that experience got him on the path he’s on now, and he hasn’t ruled out returning to service after graduation. So I see a good year coming up for him, too.

We wish you all the best for 2017, but now that weed is legal in Massachusetts … let’s be honest, we’ll talk again in 2018.

                                                                             Linda

http://twoboysfourcatsnodogsyet.blogspot.com                             linda.gentile@ymail.com

Kitchen Update

Before. Note the missing cabinet door in the far corner by the window.

I picked the cabinets first.
Apparently I'm fond of light wood kitchens.

Then I picked the counter. I knew I wanted something
with a little more character than the plain ivory Corian, 
but I loved that  nearly indesructable Corian counter. 
I went with quartz. Apparently these drainage grooves are very European. 
La-di-dah. I just wanted to free up counter space.

My colors. I wanted to get rid of the tile and grout on the floor,
but also knew I didn't want hardwood since you step directly
into the kitchen from outside. I thought about trying to
add a mudroom, but instead I went with a vinyl plank floor
that is actually commercial grade with a lifetime warranty
in residential applications. The planks lock 
and it looks like hardwood, but is very soft on the feet.

Backsplash detail.
I'm not fond of the vast swaths of solid color of plain subway tiles,
but I knew I wanted a solid color with just a little visual interest.
This blue perfectly matches the flecks in the countertop. The grout is an epoxy-type that requires no sealing.
Only the wall behind the stovetop is on the diagonal. The sink backsplash and box window seat are straight..

The famous proposal.
She still loves you, man.

I had a very hard time finding them online when I was calling them handles.
They're knobs and pulls. Duh.

Now, the fun stuff.

Here's my pull-out pantry ... 

... and my broom closet! My brooms
have their very own space now.

The pantry and broom closet butt up against each other,
back to back. These tiny shelves  are perfect 
for the shot glass collection.

I kept my much-loved range, hood, oven and microwave. 
The microwave predates me, but man that thing is a monster,, and has
a convection feature. I put a warming drawer under the oven. 
The drawer has a slow-cooker feature, so you know I'll be trying a pulled pork in there soon.

I always wanted a french door refrigerator, but it couldn't go in its original spot because of the dining room wall, so I switched the oven and fridge locations.
The stovetop stayed where it was originally.

And what kitchen is complete without a pull-down, hidden knife rack? 
I never even knew I wanted one and now it's my favorite part of the kitchen.