Kitchen Makeover Update: I’ve Opened up a Can of Worms!

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

That’s me laughing at myself!!!

I could laugh, or I could cry, and I am going to go with the laughter.  It’s so much more fun.

Why am I a laughing at myself?

Well, because my kitchen makeover has taken on a life of its own.

I’ve gone from, “I think I might paint my cabinets white.”  (said in a sweet Scarlet O’Hara kind of southern draw.)649 Scarlett

To…”I’m gonna tear my cabinets down, build new shelves, rip out the soffit, add new lighting, paint the walls, add wood to the ceilings, and…, and…., and…!!!  Bwhahahaha!”  (Said in an evil kind of crazed voice.)

Bwahaha

 

Does that ever happen to you?

You start with a little project, and it turns into a full blow house renovation?!

My poor husband.

He is a good, good man.  :)

 

Let me recap:

I decided to paint my cabinets white.

kitchen 011

Then I decided to take off the cabinets doors to create open shelving.

kitchen 037

Then I thought it would look better with no cabinets, only café shelving.  So I took the cabinets down.

kitchen 003

Then the soffit stuck out like a sore thumb.  So I decided that had to come down too.corn maze 004

Can you say, “Can of worms?!!!!”

Taking the soffit down has now caused me to want to do one more major tear down in my kitchen.

Can you guess what it is by looking at this picture?

corn maze 098

If I tore it down, it would make my kitchen look even MORE open!

I tell you the answer soon!

For now, you can check out this video I made of Cy and I removing the soffit.  You will not believe the mess until you see it!  If you are feeling bad about your house looking messy, just watch this video and it will make you feel oh so better!

(If you are viewing this post in a reader, you may have to click on the post title to view this video on my blog.)

 

 

 

The winner of the Wrought Iron Decorative Pumpkin Giveaway is…..

pumpkin 017

Linda Sonia!!!

Congratulations!

I will be contacting you soon!

51 Comments

  1. the pantry. its got. to. go. Traci, wow, it is looking AMAZING!!!!!!! I love that you had the courage for this!!! {I wanted to say something besides courage. Can YOU guess what it is???} bwahahhaha.

    love your courageous self. You were just doin’ it BIG, that’s all.

    – {dar}

  2. the pantry, yes….and not to add more to the list, but what about a bigger window? not sure what your construction is and how much work that would run, but it could totally change the room.

  3. I SO know what you mean, Tracie! We started out with just counter tops and now we have a new dishwasher, sink, fixtures and cabinets. Now I am determined to repaint the whole thing which extends into the living room, which means wallpaper has to come down! lol. It never ends.

    Good luck with all you do. It’s looking great!

    XO,
    Jane

  4. We have a name for these projects in my family; we call them “chair rail projects.” Years ago, in the early 90’s, my mom decided she wanted chair rail in the dining room. Once it was up, she decided that she needed new paint, wallpaper, and border (remember, it was the early 90’s). Once all of that was done, she decided that the kitchen counters clashed, so they had to be replaced. In the process of removing the old counter, the cooktop was damaged, so that necessitated a new one. She and my dad were definitely on each other’s nerves by the time all was said and done! So now, any time one of us has a project that snowballs from simple to “Am I ever going to get done?” we call it a chair rail project, and we extend sympathy toward the person stuck in DIY-you-know-where.

    Happy renovating! I can’t wait to see the finished product!

  5. I did EXACTLY the same thing. House built in 1957 – thought I could still use *some* of those great old wood cabinets – nah……tore the entire kitchen out, removed a soffit – found a huge LEAK that had to be fixed, floors to be leveled…and after 6 weeks it is DONE and I love it. Got a nasty virus from flooring guy and sick and coughing for two weeks as well. So hang in there, keep your check book handy. You will LOVE it when all is said and done.

  6. You have DEFINITELY encouraged me! I’m currently working on my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th piece of furniture to refinish…baby steps! :-) Get rid of that pantry! And I would LOVE to help you tear down some walls or paint something! We can let the boys play together, and I’ll bring a couple of large diet cokes from McDonalds!

  7. Girl you are amazing! I have been watching this project “blossom” and I love it!!! It may be getting bigger, but it is so much fun to watch the transformation! Sure wish I lived closer and could come help; looks like so much fun! Keep going girl; looks great already!!! By the way, love the Mandisa background music!

  8. Wow…My vote is the pantry! The space looks amazingly better already. I hate soffits. I really wants to hit mine with a good old whack, but there was way too much stuff up there!

  9. This is crazy and amazing, I cannot wait to see the rest. And you are going to need some rest–maybe you can sleep on the way to Relevant! :)

  10. Oh, this is hilarious! My life to to a tee! LOVE the evil bwaahahahaha! I can totally relate! :) It has to get worse before it gets better, right? And you might as well do it the way you really WANT it!?! Right?! :) It’s going to be fabulous!

  11. Fall
    Down
    Funny

    Oh, yes……..I have SO gone from sweet little ol’ Scarlett to half-possessed crazy woman in my kitchen–the kitchen we totally gutted in our over 100 year old house–it was the kitchen that quite possibly could have won ugliest kitchen in the world….well, the bathroom was worse……… ;)

    Prayers for a peaceful and quick return to sanity…er….I mean to a re-done, cleaned-up, brand spankin’ new kitchen.

    :)

    LOL!!! :)

    Love/hugs/blessings,
    Lana/your other Kentucky gal

  12. I am impressed! That looks like a lot of hard work! You’ve inspired me to finish some projects I’ve been holding off of in my house!

    My guess is that you’re going to remove the ceiling fan. With 4 boys, I bet the pantry is really useful, so I’m guessing you’re not getting rid of it.

  13. I feel your “mess” we did that a few years ago, the problem was we found all kinds of pipes and electrical stuff hidden there. I wonder how our marriage survived. I do have a great kitchen in the end, I mean we do.

  14. I am guessing the pantry or scrape the ceiling. Now that the soffit is down, is the ceiling all the same? Can you really spare to be without a pantry though? Hmmm…I just can’t wait. I enjoy your post so much because you are the story of my life!! Keep up the hard work, your house will be something to be proud of, just like the last one!

  15. Oh my, what a project! Kuddos to you for being able and willing to live in such construction! :)
    Between the addition and now the kitchen, I don’t know how you do it, but I will stay tuned to find out!

    :)

  16. These days it’s difficult to wash my curtains in the Parlor.
    My house decorating is moving at a snail’s pace, but I’m moving!
    Enjoy the mess….you’re young and one day this will all be a precious memory of when your family was so young.

    I know the kitchen will be gorgeous when it’s all said and done.
    God bless,
    d

  17. Traci, love your blog! You scare me with all that stuff flying around and no safety glasses. I’m a woodworker and I hate wearing the glasses (so not cute) but when something hits me in the face I’m always so glad I had them on.

  18. Wow girl! You are a brave woman! It’s gonna look great! I’m just glad that mess is at your house and not mine!!! :) Can’t wait to see how beautiful it will turn out! Thanks for letting us follow you along on this project!

  19. I am laughing at this because your timing is right on the mark. My kitchen and bathroom are getting a facelift as we speak. We have had several moments of ‘oh, let’s just add this…’ but nothing like yours. Mine will be done tomorrow so, I’ll think I’m safe!

    I enjoy your blog.

  20. Wow! This brings back memories! We did the same thing in our previous house but we found the plumbing to the bathtub upstairs hidden in the soffit. I totally understand the “can of worms” concept! LOL It will be wonderful when you get it done. I’m guessing the ceiling fan–a pretty chandelier would be gorgeous there! Can’t wait to see the final results!

  21. LOVE mandisa in the background. and LOVED hearing your sweet southern drawl! after reading your blog for a while, its so fun to now really know what your voice sounds like! and you’re right – you’re hubby is a gem!!! :)

  22. I remodeled my MIL’s house a few years back and raised the dropped ceiling in the kitchen. That insulation grows the more you touch it. I think it took us two days to clean up the insulation, and it was about 3 feet deep in most places! You just gave me some flashbacks. Ugh.

    Lucky you that it was just a soffit. I’m excited to see the finished results.

  23. I love this! Just about every project in our house has been like this much to my pleasure, but my husband’s dismay. I think you are removing that closet/pantry room on the left or reorienting the island. Can’t wait to hear!

  24. Oh my, this is too funny… I think. Your kitchen reminds me of mine and I was thinking about removing my soffit, but not so sure now! Thanks for sharing your fun remodel!

  25. That is so great! I agree go with the shelving instead. Promise me the next time you tear down walls with fiber glass insulation you’ll wear a face mask. Can’t have one of my favorite bloggers getting all that yuckiness in her lungs. It’s the nurse in me, sorry. I can’t wait to see it all completed.

  26. Oh my HECK!!! We are getting ready to do the same thing to our kitchen!!! We are in the process of checking to see if there is anything behind our soffit right now! Who are using for your cabinets?

  27. Kind of reminds me of the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” book! But I know the kitchen will look amazing and just think of all the blog material you will have! :)

  28. Traci…you are so cute! I love listening to your accent in your vlog! Wow! You have certainly taken on a lot of work with the kitchen remodel…but it will be so nice when it is done. I can’t wait to see the finished product!

    Linda @ Truthful Tidbits

  29. Oh my, oh my, oh my! It never fails when you start one project the dominos start to fall. You will love it when it is done, but…. good luck.
    Brooke

  30. Oh, you young girls! It’s amazing that your husbands have not killed all of you in your sleep! My husband and I are in our 50s and although we are still homeowners, he is not enjoying what I refer to as “home maintenance.” (He’s ready for senior citizen housing.)

    I am only THINKING about painting my similar kitchen cabinets white next year, and he doesn’t even know it’s in my head! And that’s where it’s staying for now.

    In case you get the boot, I have a spare third floor where you can live….

  31. Hi Traci… as winner of the Pumpkin Giveaway, I still haven’t heard from you???….. is there a problem?

  32. Ah yes, I remember it well! We did a kitchen demo and reno in our last house. Unfortunately, we didn’t know there was a water pipe so had to box it in. If I had known it was there, we might have gone with taller cabinets. Live and learn, I guess. Good luck! I know you will make it fabulous.

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