The Slow Cooker - Slow as Christmas!

"The Slow Cooker", that's what I'm calling our kitchen re-do!   It has been a S-L-O-W process!

It actually surprises me to think how long its been if you count when I almost lost my mind or something and took the doors off the top cabinets in October of 2010! WOWZER! You can read about that here.

Then, it's been almost a year ago (April 2011) when we started updating appliances. One.at.a.time. The fridge was first. I was so happy with it that I had to make myself quit standing in front of it and hugging it!

Then, a couple months later, maybe three, a "wave" of change came in the form of a new micro wave oven. The old one was pretty pathetic as you can see. Well, it doesn't look that bad I guess here, but when it was taken all the way out it looked BAD. My husband isn't one to get rid of things quickly, but that went straight into the trash!  Sorry I didn't get a picture of that.  I have it embedded in my brain, though!  Here's the "after" picture!

Then right before Christmas, I kinda started dropping some hints about the stove needing to be updated too.  I did it  in a sweet, suthin kinda way of course, that went something like this, "ya know what, it sho would look good if all the appliances wuh stainless steel, doncha think?", to my honey!
Now, don't tell me ya'll have never done that! Nothing works like that sweet suthin whine drawl, y'all! (I hear my daughters cracking up when they read this)!
That wasn't nagging was it? I don't think so, cause not long after we wuz in Lowes and my sweetie starts looking and asking questions about the stainless steel gas ranges! I started feeling like a kid at Christmas! The next thing I knew........this was setting in here!


Yep, that's a great big cheesy smile you see on my face!

Ok, we have made it from April to December! We are doing GREAT! I'm excited! Excited because shortly after the stove has been put in my sweetie said, "I know what I'm gonna get you for Christmas"! I started trying to remind him that I already had my Christmas present - the stove. "But I have to have you something else for Christmas", he says!  So, in my sweet little suthin voice, I said, "OK, Shua, my Honey Blossom!"  Then he says,  "I'm going to fix the island"! I didn't really know what to think, to be honest. This island has really had it's own set of problems recently. I won't bore you with the details.

Anyoleway, I was a little shocked when I heard this announcement because it was like the week before Christmas,.... ahhh,...... actually the Friday before Christmas when he got serious about this. Let me insert here that this is my husband's idea this time, ok?
So, he decided to take some walnut wood that came from trees cut down on our property and had been "curing" for y.e.a.r.s now, and have it "plained" and use it for the top for the island.
My husband is wonderful! One of our son-in-laws says that he could make something out of toothpicks! He can, but it usually doesn't happen overnight! That could be due to a couple of things: one, he is a perfectionist, or two, he is a very BUSY man. So, I'm OK, really I am! This was his idea, remember?!

Fast forward to January 18, 2011!   Island?   What island?   Where! Oh, that island!!! It's still at the wood working shop!
Something went wrong ( fan me, cause I think I'm gonna faint!)
 It was being worked on in a building that was not heated, and the wood SPLIT!
I know, isn't that terrible!
 I'm OK, though!
 I did get to see some pictures of it. I'll share with you, a couple of blurry ones,  if you're interested !




Where they are pointing to is the split.





Looks like a team of surgeons around it, doesn't it?  SERIOUS!

 Sooooo, hopefully, this week we will be able to go pick it up and then the island will look something like this island top.  (I know.....I'm dreaming)!

Then all we will have left to do is:    New Counter Tops, New Sink, Subway Tile above counters (have had that picked out for some time now), and decide what we will do with the cabinets....leave the doors off? get new ones doors?  get new cabinets ? (probably not!) do cafe' shelves?  There' still a lot before it's finished.
It might be done in time for Christmas! But I'm Ok with that!

Seriously, I am very thankful for what the Lord has given me. I have so much to be thankful for! I'm thankful for the way the Lord uses my husband. He is such a faithful minister and so wants to be used in the Lords work; and that he is!  He not only pastors a growing church, listens to my southern whining, drawling, but he also travels nationally as well as internationally, preaching, teaching and singing in conferences and meetings. He has so many opportunities and open doors to be used and I certainly don't ever want to hinder that. He also is known for his patience, and sometimes, I'll admit I need him to teach some of that to me!  When I think about it, I guess he has!  I'm patiently waiting here!
Gail