Heating Things Up and Avoiding Lights... and a Red Door

I didn't think I'd have another kitchen update so soon, but here we go.

You may remember our old stove situation. It was not good. Don't ask me why, but Mrs. Serpico had an apartment-sized stove in the kitchen. These things are great if you live in Manhattan or Tokyo... or some city where space is really at a premium.

These stoves look like this:


That's almost exactly the stove we'd been using. Here's how our kitchen used to look:


You can sort of see that little white stove next to the enormous microwave. These apartment-sized stoves are 20" wide. Try putting more than one pot or pan on there... it's not easy or fun. On the plus side, the oven part is so small (how small is it?) that it heats up quickly and makes your baking times shorter.

But let's talk about upgrades and fancy-pants stoves now.

We knew we wanted an electric stove. Yes, I know... true gourmet chefs scoff at electric stoves because they like to cook with a flame, etc, etc. But we don't have a gas line in our kitchen, and we're comfortable with an electric stove/oven. So there.

Here's the new stove... fresh from the good ol' scratch n' dent. That place is awesome.


It's a Maytag Gemini double oven. I found a link for it at the Maytag site, but it wouldn't load up properly for me, so, as dumb as it sounds, go ahead and Google it if you want.

Basically, this stove can do crazy amazing things. I can't even begin to explain all the features. One of the coolest aspects is the double oven. One oven is just a regular oven (the top one), but the bottom one can be used as a convection oven or a regular oven. The convection oven cooks twice as fast as a regular oven using fans and magical powers to make that happen. Yes, that's science.

Bottom line: the new stove is great. We love it. We sometimes just walk into the kitchen and giggle.

So, another concern in the kitchen has been the windows. If you look at the "before" picture of our kitchen you can see that the two big windows in the back corner of the kitchen had Mrs. Serpico's lovely flower curtains as treatments. Two problems here:
1. We are not flower curtain people.
2. Those curtains did nothing to give us privacy or block light.

Now, most people don't want to block light from coming into their kitchen, but most people also don't have neighbors who light up their driveways as if they were trying to prevent a prison break. Our neighbors are nice folks who take care of their home and are generally good people, but they have installed what may be the brightest lights known to humankind in their driveway. And their driveway is right next to our kitchen. This means that our kitchen is blindingly bright as soon as darkness falls.... or attempts to fall. Honestly, I don't think the sun could light their driveway as brightly as these lights.

This wouldn't be so bad, but they also have a flag hanging on the side of their house. This flag flaps majestically in the wind. Yes, Old Glory looks lovely, and I certainly don't begrudge their patriotism. However, the flag is very close to one of the lights, and when the flag does its majestic flapping thing, it blocks the light. And then it unblocks it. And then blocks it. All night. The effect is something like a very slow, indifferent strobe light. And, yes, it's annoying.

So we needed to mitigate this. The answer: new shades.

Since it's the kitchen, we decided to keep it simple and clean. Here's what we did:


No more flowered curtains. It's nice. Also, it's more private. And less strobey.

And did you think Ol' Painty Pants was gone for good? You'd be wrong. She showed up just long enough to see a beige door and want to paint it red.



Observant viewers will notice that the door looks to be very similar in shade to the dining room. It is not similar. It is actually exactly the same shade. Ol' Painty Pants is not one to waste paint.

OK, now... upcoming projects:
Remove kitchen drop ceiling.
Install track lighting in kitchen.
New dishwasher.
New microwave.
New wooden kitchen countertops and sink.
Paint kitchen.
New cabinet hardware.
New floor in kitchen (remove carpet, add tile).
New lighting in dining room.
New light/ceiling fan in Small Bear's room.
Light kit for ceiling fan in our bedroom.

It's gonna happen. Eventually. For now, we love our stove and shades.

Oh Yeah...

Hey there...
Yeah, I know... I have a lot of nerve posting in this thing again after such a long time.
Get over it. It's my blog. I'll do what I want.

So, what's happened since I last updated?
Well, a lot... I guess.

Mostly we've just sort of settled into living in The Serpico House, and it's generally been great. The neighborhood is lovely, quiet and peaceful. Sometimes when I'm sitting in the living room, watching TV with Avy and Xavier, I just kind of marvel at our environment because it's just so pleasant to me.

Having said this, there's still a lot of work to be done. That probably will never end.

Some stuff has been done, though... I should probably have pictures of these things, but I haven't been in a particularly bloggy mindset, so you'll just have to take my word for some stuff.

The kitchen is still kind of a horror show, but there has been an improvement.



Yep. We got a new fridge. It's a stainless steel Whirlpool. See, the original Serpico fridge just quit working one day. Or, rather, one day I reached into the freezer for a carton of ice cream and pulled out a container of chocolate soup. I must admit that we lived with a luke-warm fridge for quite a while... mainly because we couldn't afford a suitable replacement. Sure, I looked on Craigslist, but most of the normal folks who were selling also specified that they couldn't deliver, and, while my car is certainly large enough to carry a lot of stuff, I couldn't fit a fridge in there. So we needed to find a seller who could deliver the unit.

Additionally, we wanted to make a step up in quality... sort of move towards the kitchen we want. Sure, maybe we could've found a nice stainless steel fridge on Craigslist, but, as my father likes to say, "Why would you buy someone else's problems?" In this case, it definitely made sense--buying a used fridge from a private individual would have left us with no recourse if it just decided to die... or leak... or whatever other bad things can happen with major appliances like this.

But the money... the money.

Nice new fridges ain't cheap. In fact, they're kind of pricey. Just look here:
A Whirlpool Fridge

OK, maybe $899 doesn't seem like a lot of money to you, but it definitely seems like a lot of money to us, and we don't have credit cards. Buying something like a fridge is a pretty major investment for us, and we don't have a lot of spare income.

So we waited. I must admit that it sucked. The old fridge was sort of functional, but it didn't really keep things cold, and the freezer was worthless. Not fun.

But then... a small windfall--some side editing work landed me a bit of extra money. Not a lot of extra money, but it seemed like enough to me... $600.

So I hit the "Scratch 'N Dent." Great place. Imagine a double storefront full of new appliances that have some kind of minor imperfection. I found the above pictured Whirlpool fridge for $500. I honestly couldn't find a blemish or scratch on it--the thing was just a little dusty. Compare that to $899 for the "perfect" new fridge, and I feel like I got a good deal for a nice unit. The store delivered the new fridge and removed the old one the next day for another $50.

One thing I hadn't taken into consideration was getting the actual appliance into the house... the delivery folks knew. They called in advance to find out the size of our back door at its narrowest point. They removed the back door and the door to the fridge, replaced everything and set up the new shelves... the whole process took about 15 minutes.

So there you go... an update. About a fridge.

Doing Something About It

You might remember the kitchen in The Serpico House....


It's functional, yes... mostly... but that orange counter-top... what the hell? And the drop ceiling... and the carpet... and the mini-stove. I just don't know what the hell they were thinking. I really don't. At least the cabinets are basically... well... OK, they're not great, but I think new hardware would probably make them a lot better.

But we really want to do something about it.

So we figured we'd just have to replace the counters in order to get something nicer. Or do we?

Check this out: RustOleum Counter-top Paint.

I just saw an ad for this stuff on TV last night, and I went to the RustOleum site to check it out. I dunno... it looks promising. According to the info available, all we'd have to do is paint this stuff onto our counter, and... new counter-top.

This dude got a good result, I think... His accent is kind of amusing, and I don't particularly care for the color/finish he chose, but you can't really argue with the positive impact he got from the product.

I'm considering it...

Darkness Reigns

I was going to post a picture taken in the kitchen in The Serpico House as I cooked dinner last night, but there was a problem with this plan--the camera wasn't picking up enough light to take a picture that looked like anything other than a mushy, dark blur. It's a good thing that ground turkey undergoes a rather radical color change during the cooking process, because there is a high probability of under- or over-cooking in such light-scarce conditions. I don't like it.

In short, our kitchen is a bleak tunnel of darkness at night. This makes cooking rather problematic, as you can imagine. Grilling on the back patio is no problem because there's a light close to the grill. I'm thinking I will be doing most of my cooking out there.

Also, the stove in our kitchen is kind of a joke. I mean, sure, it works, but... well, let me explain. It's one of those mini stoves meant for a very small kitchen, such as the ones found in studio apartments. Where a standard-sized stove is 30" wide, this one is significantly smaller. I haven't measured ours, but it must be more like 20-22" wide. And if you don't think that bit of extra girth makes a difference (that's what SHE said)... well... you just ought to try cooking with more than one pot on one of these things. Not fun.



Additionally, our stove, much like the one pictured above, has its knobs conveniently located on its front. This is great for ease of use when we decide to cook something on the miniscule work surface, but it's not so great if you've got a highly inquisitive two-year-old kid running around the house, eager to open any doors or turn any handle-looking items in his path. Yes, Xavier has grown rather fond of turning the knobs on the stove just to see the light come on. It's not good.

Luckily, there are these things....They snap over the stove knobs and make it impossible for them to be turned without the clear part unlocked, and (thankfully) Xavier hasn't figured that out yet. This means we have to take an extra step before cooking, but it makes our kitchen safer for the small one, so we'll deal with it.

Meanwhile, I think we'll need to get some kind of clamp-on light to hook up near the stove. I will probably snag one at Staples or something. It's a temporary but necessary measure until we get the kitchen rehabbed.

The Goods.

So, you've got the back story, but let's face it... what you really want to see is the actual place, right?

Well, OK. Let's have a look. This is "The Serpico House" as you arrive at the driveway.




Pretty respectable and grown-up, right? Avy's pretty grown-up. Xavier's kind of respectable. I am neither of these things. Oh well, every neighborhood has one house that lowers the property values for everyone. I can't wait to litter that yard with car parts and an old refrigerator!

Kidding. I'm kidding. I will mow the lawn and trim the hedges like a good neighbor. Nobody will have any idea about the many depraved, low-class things happening behind closed doors at The Serpico House. Muahhahhahah... or something.

Let's walk in...




Yes, I see it. The corners of the steps need fixing. I'll get on it. I've already looked into the proper methods for repairing broken concrete steps, and I promise to get started as soon as possible. We haven't even signed the papers yet, OK? Sheesh.

Let's skip the front door (it's a door, ok?) and check out the living room.



As you can see, we used a wide-angle lens to capture as much of the room as possible, but I think you get the general idea here. The furniture may or may not be left behind when we take possession of the place. If it hangs around, we'll pick and choose, and then... hello, Craigslist. We are not too proud to make a few bucks online. Nope.

The carpets are as dismal and generally foul as they look, but we have reason to believe a nice hardwood lies beneath these gross, smelly things. And, yes, that's a real fireplace.... a gas fireplace with a remote control. Yep. I think that's gonna be pretty sweet once winter comes around, which, by the looks of things, is probably tomorrow. What happened to fall?


This is a view of the living room from a different angle. The fireplace would be behind you and to your left if you took this picture.. but you didn't take this picture, so stop taking credit for it. Oh yeah, those people in the picture? That'd be my dad (Bob) on the right and my mom (Shelly) on the left. That's the realtor in the middle, holding the toy truck. Just kidding. It's Xavier, the Smallest of Bears, leading the tour. He walked in there like he owned the joint from the very beginning. I think he knew something we didn't.

Right off the bat, I can tell you we are gonna try to sell that fugly mirror on the wall there. I'm pretty sure the owners aren't taking it. I will hope against hope that they will, but I doubt we will be so lucky.

Next, the dining room.



Pretty standard fare. More stinky carpet. I am, once again, hoping the furniture will be leaving, but, if it stays, I think Avy wants to keep the hutch thingy. Personally, I don't like those things, but she likes it, so... happy wife, happy life, right? I really hate the chandelier. I want that gone immediately... I'm thinking recessed lighting, or, if we can't do that, at least something that will sit closer to the ceiling. Call me odd if you want, but I don't like the idea of some big dangly wood and metal thing hanging from a chain over my head while I am eating. Oh yeah, you can't see it, but there's a bay window to the right. Pretty sweet.

Here comes a horror show. The kitchen.

Why, yes, that is, indeed, carpet. In the kitchen. What the hell? And... um.. yeah. A drop ceiling. And shiny wood paneling. And coral-colored counter tops. Don't ask me why the Serpicos wanted their kitchen to look like an office building crossed with a log cabin crossed with.. um.. something coral-colored, but it probably has something to do with sticking it to the man. Anyway... this is what we've got, so we're gonna see if we can make it work somehow. Avy says she will learn to tile. I say... YAY. Because I don't think I would be any good at tiling at all. And, yeah... you are seeing the washer and dryer at the end, there. On the plus side, everything in this room is absolutely immaculate, and we've been told that everything works perfectly. The Serpicos apparently took very good care of their things. I believe it. Aside from the rug being nasty, the place is immaculate.

There's a little half bath next to the kitchen...




Nothing earth-shattering... but there's frickin' carpet in there, too. Ugh. And I think we want to see about getting some different lighting, a different, non-medicine chest mirror and possibly a smaller sink. And ditching the carpet. So yeah, you know... not a lot of stuff to change here, right? Ugh.

But this is nice...



One thing Mrs. Serpico did correctly was build a nice patio and take care of her yard. She obviously loved the outdoors, and you really get the idea that she spent a lot of time out on this lovely little patio. The back yard is pretty large, and Xavier already loves it. He's only visited it twice, but he's checked out every corner already.

OK, we'll go upstairs tomorrow.