the teal-est pantry around

…and it’s finally finished!

We received the smaller shelving unit (on the left) today and Andrew wasted no time in assembling them. I just placed the last item and hung the hooks for my aprons.

The paint color is darker than we both anticipated, but now that everything is inside, I think it works. Andrew said he’s pleased with how it turned out and that it is ‘exactly how he imagined it.’

Despite only gaining a few inches on either side, it’s definitely bigger than before. Here’s what it looked like when we moved in:

WAY more room, WAY better lighting and overall just better use of space. The best part? I can walk in and grab something without hitting my right shoulder on a shelf. And the floor matches the kitchen. And way more space. I can’t believe how much space these new (well, one is new, the other is old) shelving units brought to the pantry.

You know how whenever you spruce up/improve/clean a room in your house it makes you want to just spend lots of time in the new space? That’s how I feel with the pantry. If I could put a chair in there and just sit, admiring Andrew’s handiwork and my organizational skills (and the beautiful teal walls), I would.

But that would be weird.

falling apart at the seams

When it rains, it pours.

At least it did in our bathroom last night. Water was bubbling up behind the paint in two spots–we were experiencing heavy rains–and when Andrew cut them open, water trickled down the wall. Andrew did some ‘exploratory drilling’ and sure enough, he found wet drywall and wood. Thankfully, it does appear localized to a small section of the bathroom and Andrew thinks he’s identified the problem: our crappy aluminum roof.

Fantastic.

Andrew’s already looking at roof work and siding for this summer…and that’s in addition to the mandatory garage project so we can actually PUT our cars in there.

And just when I thought the dust was (mostly) confined to the downstairs…

…it managed to get INSIDE my medicine cabinet when Andrew was dealing with the wall. Because I needed MORE dust in my life right now.

And this happened MOMENTS after Andrew said to me, “Let’s just get this house moved into and hang some pictures and finish the pantry and kitchen and really make you feel like this is your home.” Well, add the bathroom to the list!

I’ll be honest; the house isn’t just falling apart at the seams (it’s not really); Andrew and I are in a tough spot right now. Between runny noses and tears, we went through an ENTIRE box of tissues just the other night during a ‘discussion.’

If you’re praying folk, we’d appreciate some liftin’ up. Andrew is still feeling the affects of his head cold and mine won’t go away, Andrew is really feeling the pressure of these house projects and planning for our upcoming Italy trip, and I passed my stress limit awhile ago. School is at an all-time high in terms of tension–we find out about our acceptance (or not) into the coordinated program any day now–tests and finals are coming up, the house has been FILTHY lately, the animals are making me crazy and I ate my weight in Easter candy last week. So, let’s just say my already low stress threshold was reached.

All that to say, it’s a bit tense around these parts.

Please pray for Andrew to have wisdom and strength for the things ahead–both projects and otherwise. Pray for patience (I know–scary!) for me, and that I would find joy despite my burdens. And for healing! This silly little head cold has killed my motivation and all I need is REST, yet it is so hard to find.

Can this week be over already??

and the pantry was no more

So, Andrew has continued with the kitchen lighting project this weekend, but to do that, had to take the ceiling out of our pantry to run the wiring. And that, of course, calls for a complete pantry re-do. Obviously.

Before:

The bright blob in the upper left is the light. We’re going to be doing recessed lighting–that’s Andrew’s specialty–and attempting to get a little more space by taking the room down to the studs (hmm…sounds like the laundry room, huh?) and reconfiguring the shelving. He’ll also be bringing the existing kitchen tile into the pantry, like it should have already.

I’ll admit, there really wasn’t anything wrong with the pantry; in fact, I’m lucky to even have one in an older home. But, in true Andrew fashion, shortly after moving in he was peering into the space with that ‘how can I improve this’ look on his face.

So, I schlepped all the stuff out of the pantry and dumped it in our dining room before heading off to study for the GIANT TEST I HAVE TOMORROW. (Why am I blogging? I should be studying. I will right after I finished this. I promise. Seriously.)

After:

We’ve both been google-ing “small pantry organization” and looking at tons of pictures for ideas. Here are some we’re toying with:

-a deep cabinet on the bottom, on top of which I can put the mixer (trying to gain more kitchen counter space) and inside of which I can store the breadmaker, miscellaneous food and tools

-less-deep shelves above, measured to fit my Modular Mates

-perhaps some narrow shelves to make use of some deep but not very wide space from floor to ceiling on the left (there were existing shelves there, but pretty shoddy)

-frosted-glass french doors to get into the pantry, and change it and the molding to white (currently black)

Key goals:

-create more ‘free’ space, so it doesn’t feel so cramped and claustrophobic

-maintain as much storage as possible

-better lighting

-some enclosed storage (like a cabinet) in which to keep certain items dust-free

Of course, I’m already thinking of paint colors (I am SO ahead of myself) and wish I could throw myself into this project. Alas, school just keeps getting in the way 😦

And, my husband was kind enough to bring up and assemble one of the chrome shelves we’d had sitting in the basement. Organization has now returned to my life.