barter with yourself...some more.

Bartering worked! Got so much done yesterday! The funny thing is that once I got started, I didn't feel like stopping - including today, which means I'm not actually following through on my self-bartering. Seriously, the real reward is sitting around staring at the (almost-) finished product. I stroke the counters. I pet the backsplash. I wiggle my eyebrows at the faucet. And, since it's the kitchen, I use all of it all. the. time. Sigh.

Oh, the other reward? Practically dancing around Home Depot yesterday when I saw all the potential kitchen products and ideas and realized I don't have to pay attention to those anymore for now. For about a year, I've been kitchen-obsessed, which is great and all - but the freedom that comes from running across a cabinetry design or pretty floor tile or hardware display and knowing that my decisions have already been made? Priceless. (Well, not priceless. More like about $1,000 over the allotted budget. But I digress.)

More to come on the finished product, but y'all need a list update. Here's yesterday's "Kitchen Crap Yet To Be Done" list:

• Go to Home Depot (moulding, caulk, floor edging)
• Paint last piece of moulding
• Attach last 12 pieces of moulding
• Caulk last corner of shoe moulding
• Caulk all moulding on pantry/fridge surround
• Final coat of paint on pantry/fridge surround
• Install final six inches of flooring transition piece
• Touch up blue & yellow paint by the counter
• Re-install moulding in back corner where cabinet meets wall
• Clear-caulk the grout/counter edge
• Wood-fill, sand, and paint counter/cabinet edge
• De-splinter the underedge of the kitchen step
• Craigslist the microwave, S&A's toaster, etc.
• Clean out garage and front room (a.k.a. the workshops)
• Write 3749 posts with kitchen updates
• (Also remove toilet, finish flooring in bathroom, and replace toilet...but not by myself)
• Organization stuff: hang hooks, attach cabinet decal, attach cabinet hooks...
• Design and hang mirrors/frames/shelves on wall above console table
• Make and hang dry-erase board by fridge

Looking at it this way, it doesn't seem like I got all that much done, but there were other tasks completed that I didn't even remember had to be done...such as:

• Finish wiping errant grout off the cabinets, walls, and backsplash tiles
• Try (in vain) to fix the crooked trash cabinet door
• Swear (a lot) at the freakin' trash cabinet door
• Make an unplanned trip to Lowe's (because what's a kitchening day without an unplanned trip to the other side of town, where I just happened to be earlier that same day?)
• Gather materials for updating our outlets to GFCI outlets
• Frown at instructions for updating our outlets to GFCI outlets
• Scream-hop around the family room in between removing spider egg sacs from the underedge of the kitchen step

So today's list, provided I don't lose steam:

• Caulk fridge surround
• Final coat of paint on pantry, fridge surround, last bit of shoe moulding
• Paint underside of the kitchen step
• Touch up the yellow paint (blue will have to wait until I...have some blue paint)
• Install light fixture over sink (been waiting for the painter to call me back about fixing the ceiling over the sink, and he won't call...what to do?)
• Maybe attempt GFCI installation, assuming I'm well-rested, fed, and watered
• Make and hang dry-erase board by fridge
• Clean out the garage and front room (a.k.a. the workshops)

We'll start with those and see what happens. It's already 11:30 and I'm pretty much just sitting around, so maybe another barter will do the trick? If I finish (most of) my list today, I can...spend tomorrow sitting on my ass, watching "Dexter" and consuming mass quantities of dill pickle dip. 

From here

Mmm. That oughta do it. Oh, I also plan to share the story soon of our accidental awesome pantry fairy door. Stay tuned!