1. This weekend I installed all the hardware on our cabinets. It is such an improvement since these drawers were rather hard to open without it. I chose the Metrik handles from Ikea. When it turned out we were unable to go to Utah over Easter weekend, I opted to order them online. Checked another item off the list!
2. My new floors show everything. I guess the even color and fairly smooth finish is less forgiving than tile I've had in the past. It's okay—mopping isn't my least favorite job (cleaning bathrooms gets that award)—but I'm not willing to do it every day. Right now, it really needs mopped daily, and this member of our family is the main culprit:
Immediately after I mop, a new blanket of fur is covering the floor, and it is causing me to pull my own hair out. So some changes are going to be made. Poor Mia. Mom is mean but this spoiling must stop. I am DONE having an indoor dog.
3. I've been battling a nasty cold for a week. The bright side is while laying low I've had an opportunity to spend some time on the computer and work on a photo book. For a long time I have wanted to do family "annuals" to get some of our family photos printed, but it always fell to the bottom of the to-do list. Earlier this year I finally set up a template and have been chipping away at my 2011 photos. I'm pushing to get it finished and ordered this week! I'll be sure to share it with you.
4. Our laundry room is put back together and functioning again . . . as a laundry room (not a kitchen). My utility sink was hooked back up this weekend. I have a laundry list (ha ha) of things to do in that room before it is really finished, though.
• Scrape the popcorn ceiling (or cover it with beadboard?). The celing in this room is painted so scraping will be more difficult.
• Patch walls and ceiling and paint.
• The countertop was retrofitted from our old kitchen, and it needs a few end pieces touched up. We also need to install a backsplash- either more laminate or perhaps tile...?
• Paint cabinets and install new hardware.
• Add some open shelves to store laundry baskets (under the upper cabinet on the left in the top photo).
• Paint exterior door and install trim.
• New light fixture, or maybe DIY one using this frame.
I'll keep you posted as this project rolls along, but it will probably be awhile since finishing up the kitchen is much higher on the priority list. Ugly as it is at the moment, it is still great to have a large, functioning laundry room.
5. I wasn't sure what to do with the closet doors in the hallway. Since replacing them wasn't really in the budget or a priority, the old ones went back up. I decided they looked best as-is rather than painted, but I did switch out the hardware:
The funny thing is, the old handles still left their mark:
Apparently the doors have faded over time. I've decided not to lose any sleep over it. I did run a bit of stain right over top of the existing finish, and it helped to minimize the imperfections and scratches somewhat. The new handles are a bit small for the doors, but they fit the holes from the old handles. For now we have bigger problems to worry about. But what is your opinion? Are they an eyesore? Should we replace them down the road with something? Like what?