Did you all have a wonderful long weekend? Ours was really awesome. Great weather, great times just hanging out and relaxing, and we even did a few projects. It was an amazing kickoff to summer, and it also seems to be the kickoff to a new kitchen! I could not be happier—on both counts. Our mason (most people have a tailor or butcher; we have a mason!) was recently here filling the holes in our chimney, which were where the coal stove had been and then sealed up with concrete. Then he worked his magic to make the brick look nice and clean and new(ish) again.


I had a tough time deciding how to fill these holes. We could have just stacked the bricks horizontally, but since they wouldn't have been staggered, like the other bricks in the chimney, that would have looked odd, and possibly like a mistake. Chuck suggested standing them up, and he was right, because though they stand out, at least it now appears purposeful and as a sort of design element instead of a random error.


And here it is finally finished and clean.


Anyway, it is so amazing now how open this space feels with nothing sitting in front of the chimney. And this is the way it'll stay in the new kitchen. The doorway will move all the way to the right to the edge the chimney, and that will allow us a bit of wall to the left of the doorway which we can run cabinets up to on the perpendicular wall.

Oh, and as of today, cabinets are ordered. YES!

Next up: the ceiling comes down and the electrician comes in. And I'll tell you all about our faucet and sink choices. Fascinated? Oh yeah, I knew you would be ;-)