January 16, 2012 - I Wish I Had Married Norm Abrams



Of course, I love Mr. Granny, but what woman in her right mind doesn't wish she'd married Norm Abrams? I mean any of us do-it-yourself women. The ones who are too cheap frugal to hire our work done for us. Thank heavens I have son John, but even with him helping I find myself hyperventilating from the time we start a project until we've finished. One thing about hiring someone to do your work is that if they make a mistake, they have to fix it on their own dollar. When we make a mistake, we (I) have to pay for it. That's why I hyperventilate. So far, so good.....knock on wood!

Last night I told Mr. Granny I wanted to replace the garbage disposal while we were putting in the new sink. Being Mr. Granny, he had to go on and on with the same old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" routine. I, on the other hand, knew the days were limited on the old one, and it would be only a matter of time before a replacement would be absolutely necessary. Why reinstall the old one, then a month or a year down the road have to take it back out and replace it? Well, I won the argument. When John pulled out the old disposal this morning, we discovered it had a hole in it and has been leaking. Chalk up a win for Granny, I have my new disposal installed.


Today's Projects







The new sink and garbage disposal are installed, the stove top is back in place and wired in, and we're finished for the night. Tomorrow we'll change out the plugins and switches, texture the walls where the old back splash was removed, paint the walls and do some small touch ups (filing) on the edges of the Formica. Maybe I'll find time to shop for tiles for the new back splash.

I....am....exhausted.

18 comments:

  1. I bet you are exhausted, but your kitchen looks super!! It looks terrific with the flooring.

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  2. Do yourself a HUGE favor and KEEP the old disposal in the garage. When we re-did this house, we bought ALL NEW--because who wanted to fix old stuff all the time. Well, the new stuff (and we're talking top of the line!) is JUNK. I've had repairment here at least every other month. So much for my theory that we'd buy all new and could just use it until we die......

    The quality of any new item is so poor now. Even top brands have taken that route. Our repairman told us finally that we'd be better off scanning the papers for used appliances. Manufacturers BUILD THEM TO BREAK DOWN. They make a fortune on parts.

    I'm not trying to be a downer-ya know I love ya-been a reader forever. Your remodel is looking great, by the way. See? I'm not all gloom and doom.....
    :D

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  3. The countertops look marvelous!! What a difference!

    When you change the receptacles and switches. You will need to move them out a bit to accomodate for the thickness of the tile. We used spacers. I wouldn't want you to have to fix that later. Also, don't buy the cheapest switches and receptacles. It's not worth the risk.

    Now that I have my two cents in....I really do love it Granny.

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  4. Good call on the garbage disposal. It looks like the kitchen remodel project is almost complete. It is looking very nice so far. I know the feeling of being anxious as the project unfolds. Sometimes the unexpected happens, but it is a huge relief when things go the way they should.

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  5. The formica looks so nice. The kitchen is really coming together.

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  6. Wow, you make me feel lazy. We have not even been able to get any projects done this winter. That looks amazing! I have not been reading blogs the past month or so....you sure are working hard inside the house! I love the granite look!... Sometimes husbands just don't understand-lol....robbie I need a crew for our projects inside our house---too many to do:-)

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  7. It's looking good; I am up to my neck in a bathroom job at the moment. I've gone the other way to Mr Granny and replaced everything. I figure if I have to do stuff around the house, I only want to be doing it once!

    I must dig out some pics and do a post about it!!!

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  8. Sadly my husband is the same. I don't have the luxury of having a kid that like it either though. Sigh. The sad part is that my son would make the best handy man in the world. He can figure out how to make anything work when it is broken. But he hates doing the work. If I don't do it, then I have to hire someone to do it.

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  9. LOL that made me laugh because I am married to a Norm Abrams but sometimes wish he was more of a Donald Trump (minus the goofy hair) LOL!!! Your kitchen is looking great, Mr. Granny is doing a good job for sure! :)

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  10. I know your exhausted but what a beautiful kitchen well worth the sacrifice..Mr Granny is another Cecil, if it ain't broke don't fix it ...and it could remain like that for years unless you B**** and do it. :o)

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  11. Thanks, Ali. There's still a lot to do, but other than getting a tile backsplash done, I can take my time with the rest of the project.

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    Sue, I spent almost $100 more for an almond colored sink, just so it would match my old refrigerator....now I can keep my fingers crossed the old fridge outlasts me, as I'll not be able to replace it with another almond colored one! I'm not too concerned over the disposal, it's not top of the line! I seldom use it, just during the winter a bit when I can't or won't compost because of the cold weather (or laziness).

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    Not to worry, Robin. All the plugins and switches are above the area to be tiled. It will just be one row of tile, to cover the 4" area of the old backsplash. I haven't yet decided if I'll go with 4' or 6", I suppose whatever is readily available. With no wall over the cooking area, and a window 4 1/2" above the sink, there's no need for more than a narrow backsplash.

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    Rachel, there are a couple of goof ups I'll just have to learn to live with, but over all I love the counter tops and the floors.

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    Thanks, Teresa. Mr. Granny says it looks drab. I think going from colors in a house to browns and tans is a bit drab, so I need to find a few accessories to brighten it up.

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    Robbie, I could use a crew, too. I'm getting too darned old for this stuff, I wear out too easily!

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    TIG, I have two bathrooms to update, but I'm not going to tackle them. I'll call in the big guns and pay them to do the work.

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    Daphne, John can do really good work, but he does tend to begin cutting corners toward the end of the job to hurry and get it done. Sometimes that results in less than perfect work. He's great at things like light fixtures, sinks, stove tops and disposals. Better at installations than "finish" work.

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    Erin, I just spit my coffee all over my keyboard.....Mr. Granny hasn't moved from in front of the TV through this entire job, other than to help me hang one door! Good job, indeed :-(

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  12. You are always so busy busy!

    Your kitchen looks great. I want to put in a tile backsplash in our kitchen, but I am daunted by the project. Maybe Tad will understand if I decide to marry a contractor/handyman? In the long run, it will just mean less work for him, after all!

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  13. You must be tired, but it looks really great. I can't wait to see the finished product!!!

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  14. Prairie cat, I think i'll probably have to install the tiles myself, and I'm scared half to death! I've watched it done enough times, the actual tiling doesn't scare me, it's the grouting. I've seen some really bad grouting jobs. I did a grout repair in my bathroom once, and I never could get that grout cleaned off the tiles! I wiped it down right away, but it still dried and left a haze. It must have been a silicone based grout, as I'm having the same problem around my sink where John siliconed it in. I can't get the excess off! I have to go look for something called Silicone-Be-Gone today :-(

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    Barbie, I get so tired I sometimes wish I'd listened to Mr. Granny and just lived with an outdated, but fully functional, kitchen.

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  15. I had to chuckle because I love the This Old House guys a little too much, they have been in my dreams if you get my drift, lol.

    I am so happy you are nearing completion, congrats on winning the disposal war!

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  16. Oh, Granny, of course you wish right now you hadn't started. Everyone does at this point! I have a husband who can do it all. . . but it doesn't get done yet. Maybe as the kids grow up and take more showers, the need for a second bath will grow!! Enjoy your kitchen -- later.

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  17. I married a better-looking, younger version of Norm. I am incredibly blessed and thankful for that fact! My mom would like to be married to a "Norm", as well. Unfortunately for her, she married the "anti-Norm". I constantly remind her that she needed a man like my dad to marry a woman like her. If my mom had married someone like my hubby, there would be death and disputes, but mostly death. At least you produced a "Norm". :o)

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  18. Kelly, if I believed in bigamy I'd also marry James Underwood Crockett. OK, I know he's dead, but we're just dreaming here, right? Can you imagine having a Norm to build things for you AND a Crockett to help you in the garden? Just WOW!

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    Stefaneener, I have a husband who owned two service stations, but I had to threaten to take my car to an old competitor before he finally put air in my right front tire!

    He is good at opening jars.

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    Langela....a Norm AND good looking? You are a very lucky girl :-D

    I've missed you!

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