Kitchen Demo

Last week was a productive demolition week at the Coughlins thanks to Andrew and my sweet parents who came up from Virginia to help out. The 20 yard dumpster got filled up in a matter of 3 afternoons and hauled out first thing Tuesday morning. 

Andrew & Dad spent the better part of last weekend ripping out the old plywood, sheetrock, and plaster walls (yes, all 3 kinds!), cabinets, countertops, and that fabulous 1970's bathroom. It was incredible to see how much extra space we had in our kitchen without the bathroom! 

I wish we could keep those quality baseboards - said no one ever! 

With the walls back to studs and the old wiring removed, the boys tackled the wooden floors. These were original to the house and we LOVED them, but there just wasn't enough to fit our new layout, so out they went. The boys also ripped out the original subfloor and put in 2 layers of plywood for an even, fresh start. One of the reasons my parents drove up from VA was to deliver some beautiful yellow leaf pine floor boards that my dad had accumulated from some rental property of his! They will match perfectly with the back living rooms' floors. Score! 

The BEST part about the demolition was ripping out the wall in between the living room and kitchen. We really have envisioned a very open kitchen and living room combo. The rooms in our house generally have nice flow, but they can seem small and a little cramped, especially when we are entertaining. 

In removing the wall between the kitchen and living room, we also decided to shift the doorway closer to the back door, allowing for better flow. In order to remove the wall, which is load bearing, we got some help from friends putting in a laminated beam and 2 6x6 pine posts. 

Moosie Moose has been having a bit of a rough time with the kitchen reno. Like his mama, he hates the loud noise, dust, and make shift kitchen. Although all the attention from my parents and extra treats has helped:) 

The demolition was somewhat bittersweet, though lets be honest, mostly SWEET!!  This will be our last interior demo in THIS house!  And I am thankful to be minimally involved in the manual labor aspect this time around, and focused on the design aspect instead! Super thankful also for the 

Stay tuned for our design layout and the windows we installed today! 

SaveSave

Kitchen Dreams

We are coming up on our 3rd year in our charming fixer upper in sweet, little Tiverton! It's not only hard to believe what this house used to look like, but also hard to believe how much we've done in a short 3 years, on our own, amidst careers, getting married, traveling, and just plain old LIFE.  Last year I showcased all we had done 2 years in with some drastic before and afters. Most of the heavy duty work was done in those first 2 years, with the renovation of the entire upstairs and 1/2 of the downstairs, along with some drastic work on the exterior. 

As we approach our House-aversary, I'm focusing on my Kitchen Dreams! Yup, that's right. We are taking our "charming" wood paneled, cramped, dingy kitchen into the 21st century. 

Our *last* BIG home renovation will take place this summer and the dumpster arrives June 1!  Break out the dusk masks, crowbars and inspiration boards.  Not only is this renovation the kitchen, but also our downstairs bathroom. Double whammy. And we have some big plans in store that include removing walls and moving things around drastically. Here we go! 

Like the bathroom renovation I am having some serious debates about what I actually want. We DO know we want a walnut butcher block kitchen island + open floor concept + pine wood floors + 1-2 big windows looking out over the gazebo & water. Luckily all our stainless steel appliances that came with the house are still in good shape, but everything else will need to be replaced. 

Here are some mood boards that showcase my thoughts on a White Kitchen vs. Dark Kitchen… 

Two very different ideas. Of course I have been on Pinterest every free second to try and wrap my head around all the different choices!  Our goal is to gut the space back to studs and THEN figure out the layout. So, my biggest priority initially will be to pick the location of the sink, island, cabinets, appliances, windows, and pantry. 

Luckily for me, my talented and handy husband will be designing and building our cabinets, along with pretty much everything else in our kitchen, so that I can focus on the upcoming photography season of weddings and family portraits! 

I'm excited to get back to blogging a little more regularly and sharing updates on our Kitchen Reno progress in the coming months!  Stay tuned friends. 

Thoughts on Turning 30

There is a lot of hype surrounding big milestones: graduations, weddings, christenings, and most of all, birthdays celebrating new decades. And this year just so happens to be the BIG 3-0 for me.

In fact tomorrow I will leave the days of my 20s behind and open the door to my 30's. Everyone has different feelings, emotions, and thoughts surrounding this time…most of my friends have been in my shoes already and have their varying thoughts to share. Some people are longing to go back to their 20's - to freedom, naiveté, selfishness, wanderlust, and carefree days. And some people are happy to leave their bad decisions, messy ups and downs, and growing pains behind.

I look back fondly on my 20's.  Travel had the most profound impact on my 20's.  In 10 years I explored over 10 countries, lived and worked on 2 islands, and took countless flights to see friends and family all over the country and world. I not only saw incredible places, but I experienced diverse cultures and environments, connected with unique individuals, and slowly figured out who I was and who I wanted to be.

I also recognize that my 20's were incredibly difficult. I don't agree (in a lot of ways) that your 20's are the best years of your life - they are really great, don't get me wrong, but no one tells you just how HARD it is. I was sheltered as a kid - protected from life's realities as best as possible. But my 20's were about figuring out a lot of the harsh realities of life. Taxes, car insurance, loans, health issues, and things just generally not working out in my favor…I didn't know who I was, who I was supposed to love, where I should live, what car to buy, how much money I should make to live + save, or how my life might play out. A lot of what-ifs for a planner. A planner who has always wanted everything to be just so…to be in order, to be figured out.

Slowly as I gained traction on my 20's, I did figure out a few things. I finally uncovered that it can't be in order, all the time; that it is not all within my control and things were always going to happen - that is the beauty, that is LIFE.  I figured out WHO I wanted to love. WHERE I wanted to live. And WHAT I wanted to do. I learned that comparison is the thief of joy and that being ME was the truest thing I could be. I learned that saying NO is hard, but healthy, and I need to practice it more. I learned that I can do ANYTHING, but I can't do EVERYTHING. A hard pill to swallow for an overachiever. I recognized that I get hangry sometimes and I can prevent it. I learned that sometimes things just work out. I learned time and time again that if things don't feel right, don't do it.  Plain and simple. I learned that talking to a best friend is sometimes the only therapy you need.  I learned through time and trial and error to not promise when I'm happy, not reply when I'm angry, and not decide when I'm sad.  I also learned that worrying won't stop the bad things from happening, it just stops you from enjoying the good. 

Looking back, my 20's were all about growth, in myself and my outlook on life. There was a lot of change, a lot of fun, and a lot of freedom. It's not to say that I won't grow or change in my 30's, I know I will, but I welcome this new decade, of having lots of the big stuff figured out.  

If I learn anything in my 30's I hope it's this...grace not perfection. 

I go back to my favorite quote by C.S. Lewis time and time again as I enter this new decade of growth, experience, and adventure. Cheers to 30 years!