Thursday, April 26, 2007

WWII at 3368

Don't be fooled by the post title. There's no major conflict here.

David and I are keeping our friends', Colin and Annalisa's, year(ish) old Old English Sheepdog, Sadie Belle. Here's a video of her and her new friends reenactment of a classic WWII battle, the Brits (portrayed by Old English Sheepdog, Sadie, against the Germans, portrayed by German Shepherd, Chica). Black dog, Calvin plays all other parts. (No cameramen, i.e. David, were harmed in the production of this reenactment.)



Winni chose not to participate.

She was enjoying the new granite countertops...

And eating sticks.


Wednesday, April 11, 2007

sand sand stain sand stain GRANITE beer beer beer

If you should choose to re-do your kitchen, that is the process we followed, and it seemed to work well. A more detailed process is below the before and after pictures.

View from living room. (Click for a larger picture.)
From the front door. (Click for a larger picture.)
In this before, don't miss the arm chair/boom box holder, concrete board floor, 1990's era appliances, alarm clock on the counter, phone on chop saw table, batchelor-esque quality to the house. Not that I'm prissy, but there have been some upgrades.

Happy Granite David!

Here is a brief renovation recap, as seen above:
Summer 2005-Renovate entire living area of house including the kitchen, including flooring instaltion
Spring 2006-Build peninsula island
Winter 2007-Get tax refund to pay for (most of) granite
Spring 2007-Strip and restain cabinet faces:
4/1-3/2007: Empty kitchen cabinets
4/4/2007: Sand with 60 grit sandpaper
4/5-6/2007: Sand with 180-220 grit sandpaper, test for stain color
4/7/2007: Remove part of block wall and prep for over-the-range microwave installation
4/8/2007: Happy Easter!
4/9/2007: Stain with Minwax Polyshades (mix of Bombay Mahogony and Anique Walnut, 1:1)
4/10/2007: Sand with ooo steel wool and apply a second coat of Minwax Polyshades (mix of Bombay Mahogony and Anique Walnut, 1:1)
4/11/2007: Have emerald pearl granite enstalled by Steel City Stone (no website, but a wonderful company)
4/11/2007 (later): Have beer (beer, beer) with friends at the Villa Fiesta and miss the new countertops.
4/11/2007 (even later): Return home to gaze upon granite again.
Spring and Summer 2007-Build new cabinet doors

I'll post more projects as they arise.