Kitchen Things: Progress and Setbacks

So we broke down and bought a dishwasher a few months ago. We were going to do without one for awhile, but all those baby bottles that need sterilizing on a daily basis finally broke our spirits. It's a Maytag something or other with a "sterilizing" option, purchased during an appliance sale at Home Depot. I'm too lazy to look up the model, but if you'd really like to know the details I can get up from this comfy couch, where I seldom have a chance to sit anymore, and look just for you because I love you that much. This dishwasher is not freestanding (those are astronomically expensive) and therefore it needs to have a small box built around it (probably wood), but LOOK HOW IT FITS RIGHT UNDER THE DRAINBOARD!!! I tell you, this giant sink + dishwasher combo is a slice of heaven. It's not the prettiest arrangement destined for the pages of Dwell, but holy cow is it functional.

Above you can see how the sides of the dishwasher are still temporarily exposed. I'm so happy to have a functioning dishwasher that you wouldn't believe how little I care about that right now...

You can also tell from these photos that everything is still a major work in progress. We've got loose wires, cleaning supplies (and many other things) without a home, and an entire dining room that hasn't been touched yet. Such is life. We progress bit by bit. It's quite a bit "cold" and industrial in here as many of you predicted, but though we have many plans we haven't made any effort to make it cozy yet.

One major reason is because...

What??? What's that gaping hole in the wall??? Yeah, we totally had to dismantle the stove, tear out the back wall and run another support post from the foundation to the roof. Because stuff like that is inevitable it seems. Talk about a setback! The original inspector passed our structural plan without a problem; however, when another inspector came through with an engineer looking at another project we're working on upstairs, he said he really recommended we add that thick row of boards into the wall for extra support. While he didn't require that we do it, he very strongly recommended it. We couldn't really argue with that. So, out came my beautifully functioning stove and range hood, out came the saw, down came the wall and in went the supports. The inspector is coming back this week (allegedly) and we'll be able to close it back up soon.

FYI it's not as bad as it looks... I guess. This project has created tons of dirt and clutter, and it felt like a big step backward to be without a stove again for awhile, but you won't really notice the crack once the wall is closed up. The steel backsplash will cover most of the crack, and the vent cover above the range hood will cover the rest. And we'll gain even more stability out of it.

So there you have it -- the account of the updates and setbacks of our kitchen of late.

I hope to have more things to share soon. I know I always say that... but the 10-month-old dictator in my house only lets me blog on holidays and rare special occasions she makes up at random. Like today, the Fourth of July, during naptime.

Stay cool you guys, particularly those of you who are reading this at Starbucks because you still don't have power at home thanks to that crazy storm last week. Sweaty hugs to you.