Thanks for your nice comments about the design. Of course, we all know that real life doesn’t necessarily resemble pictures on paper, so it remains to be seen how this will all turn out.

Marialena, that was just placed there to demonstrate the size of that piece of counter top. The microwave will be contained in a cupboard.

So, this is basically what the kitchen looked like before we took everything out of it. Some years ago, I painted the cabinets over a chocolate brown formica. The tile was original from the house when it was moved to our current location in 1932. It’s shades of mustard.

This was my microwave cabinet. It held my mixing bowls and the lower portion held all my baking sheets and pans.

Because I placed the snack tables beneath that window, I never could get into the two lower cupboards at the end. It was *fun* to see what was in there after 30 years.

On top of the snack tables, I stored our bread and snacks. The little portable cupboard to the left became our coffee station. I stored our canned good in it. The tall cupboard was my “pantry”.

As I’m sure you’ve realized, a LOT of stuff was sitting out on top of counters. There was just no room inside the cupboards. Why? Because, after 31 years of living here and collecting all manner of things, we desperately needed to purge. And purge we did. Emptying the cupboards, we took six boxes of stuff to the thrift store. It was all good, we just never, ever, ever used it. I did keep two baby bottles.

It was sad to let the lead crystal go. I didn’t want to see it on the shelves of a thrift shop for 50 cents apiece. McKenzie said that Brittany would love it, thank goodness, and the Kids took it home. That’s a Jones soda, not beer.

The stuff on the coffee table is what we had displayed on top of our cupboards. I’m packing up the contents of the cabinets in boxes. The dust under the table is the result of all the ripping and tearing that’s going on. It’s making me a crazy woman and I just can’t keep up with it.

Ted’s down on the floor “discovering” what’s in those two end cupboards. In his hand… a mini fish net.

We both thought that we’d given away the big corn pot. We hadn’t. We just lost it. And the turkey roaster hasn’t seen the light of day for more than a decade.

The tearing out. Behind the cupboards and the tile… plaster lathe. That’s a problem.

The Rock Star and his Dad.

In the far corner are the hot and cold water pipes that feed the bathroom upstairs. The insulation around them is filled with mouse droppings. So gross. SO gross.

Shuddering in disgust.

Jon pulled all that insulation down and out. It was contained in garbage bags and is now in the building materials hopper at the recycling centre. The guys are getting ready to lift out the lower cupboards. First… the doors, and counter top.

Well… the water works had to be shut off and cut off first. So it was more first than the counter.

The first section of lowers is gone. AND… there was a cold air return hidden beneath them!

Yah… just hangin’ out and pulling out the next section of the lowers.

This is the original, original floor. It’s black as pitch on the other side of the cupboards.

This is how creepy crawly it was under the floor of the sink cupboard. This all makes my skin crawl. The dust is permeating the whole house.

I love this because the kitchen was once painted red! The men are removing the kick plate from the lowers. By the way, they are salvaging as much as they can because Ted’s going to install them in our former laundry room down in the basement.

The door of the pantry is gone and then the little cupboard itself will be demolished.

The door to the scary closet has been removed. It is aptly named.

The pantry is gone.

That was it for the day. We accomplished a LOT. Jon and his Dad were worn out. I was worn out. McKenzie had come out after work to help and it was all done. I went to KFC and bought dinner. Jonathon left for home early Sunday morning. But we had more work to do.