One more month

Or at least, that's what not only I hope for but what is written in the schedule that DreamMaker Kitchen has given me in regard to my house remodel.

The east wall of the kitchen before the project

Looking toward the kitchen from the living room, a few weeks ago

Since coming back from first Germany and then—after the short stint at home—Mexico, I have been living out of the back half of my house. When I came back from Munich barely three weeks ago, I was greeted by the prospect of having to clear out the entire kitchen within three days; when I came back from Mexico a bit more than a week ago, there were no cabinets left, one-and-a-half walls were gone, and I had to decide to increase the size of a doorway. Seven days later, the living room, dining area, and kitchen have been re-textured, wallpaper is gone, wooden paneling is a thing of the past, and new cabinets will be in place before the end of the week. And let's not forget about the absence of those light fixtures from 30 years ago.

The same kitchen wall after I got back from the last trip

Good thing I am, once again, running away. I'm on the way to London, where I will spend a week with Howard, Celia, Lydia, and the "kids." Eating out of the microwave, doing dishes in the bathroom sink, and dealing with dust and noise most of the day are only so much fun. When I left a few hours ago, Tyler and Travis were hard at work finishing off the texturing and getting started on new trim and getting ready for the new cabinets. The change in appearance of the rooms on a day-to-day basis is amazing, and I am already looking forward to what things will look like when I get back a week from today.

My fridge in its new temporary location in the living room

Open-concept kitchen and dining area, with the wall that will support the granite bar

Of course, at that point the painters will have arrived, and they will stink up the place for the better part of next week; so, I am already planning to run away after my return from Europe to Midland to spend maybe two nights without fumes at Mike and Candi's—of course, not until first having checked my mail.

The entry hall, sans wallpaper and without the hideous light fixture

The estimated finishing date is one of the last two days of February. So far, DreamMaker has been nothing short of incredible. We're dead on schedule, the workers are all pleasant and customer-service oriented, and owner Steve is treating me like an old friend who knows how stressful such a remodel can be. And my real friends have been wonderful, too, asking me over for dinner or grabbing me for beer and pizza at Triple J's, like Carl did the other night.

I can't wait to post pics of the finished product in about a month's time. As Judy always said, this too will pass.

Jürgen