we’ve actually been using the normally wall-mounted microwave the past couple of weeks. It’s currently sitting on a couple of silicon mats on the dining room table. It works fine and would really expand your options.
Ooh, maybe i can do that.
Yeah, i have every intention of using the instant pot.
Our tile is now in Louisville! Come to mama! Woohoo!
Things are going well. Too well. 
That’s fantastic. One more piece of advice. When it’s done, check everything. Make sure every cabinet door closes right, make sure every outlet works, etc. You want to discover any issues before they cash your last check (although most are good about coming back and fixing things as needed, you don’t need the hassle.)
The cabinets are being delivered today, and the tile is in Franklin Park, Illinois. Does “Preparing for Delivery” in UPS-speak mean not today, but maybe tomorrow? The sink is at the plumbing supply store waiting for pickup; they are only open until 5 pm, so probably Saturday.
I am trying to get an update from the contractor about the new window and when it will be installed. I am not sure whether the window not being in yet will interfere with installing the cabinets, or anything else, but I am hoping it will be installed by the time the base cabinets are installed. The countertop people will need to come measure, and they were going to do a little piece for the windowsill (so we can put plants up there) and I am hoping they can do both at the same time.
We also discovered what the butt-ugly, ancient, yellowed plastic box high up on the wall was; the doorbell cover. The doorbell works fine, but I know it will irk the hell out of me to stare at that hideous thing in our nice new kitchen, so I bought a new one. If nothing else, the button at the front door is so dark and beat-up that a lot of people don’t even see it. One friend said the old one looks so ugly it’s now retro cute, so I will probably donate it somewhere. Hey, someone actually wanted my beat-up, water damaged cabinets, so why landfill things if someone else can use them?
We need to remove all the stuff from countertops this weekend. Getting close.
The tile, she has arrived! So have the cabinets. Surprisingly (to me, anyway), the contractor wants to paint before installing the cabinets. So the painting will be tomorrow, and cabinet installation next week. There’s also a bit more electrical work to do, and window installation, but the window hasn’t arrived yet. I suspect there will be a lull of a few days while we wait for countertop fabrication and delivery.
P.S. how the heck do I include a photo in a post? I am trying to use the available commands but am getting error messages both on uploading and copying/pasting.
You need to post the photo elsewhere, I use Flickr. Then post a link here. If you post the link on a separate line in the body of your post, it will display right in the thread.
Looking forward to seeing it!
OK, let’s see if this works:
[edited]
Or maybe this way:
Oh yeah, gorgeous! Looks kind of Art Nouveau to me.
Istanbul (Not Constantinople).
[Yeah. That’s some byoof’l tile right there.]
Ottoman, actually, but it does remind me a bit of some of the William Morris/Arts & Crafts motifs. We have a very classic early 20th century Chicago bungalow, so I think it will fit in quite nicely!
Your tile is lovely! I’ve been following this thread closely, because my kitchen is in desperate need of renovation, but I’m scared of the process. So far, so good! I’m rooting for the rest of it to go smoothly.
What are you doing about plates, glasses, flatware, etc?
Actually, I was wondering if those remodeling their kitchens were taking the opportunity to clear out the cupboards, like tossing those long-expired boxes in the back of the cabinet. Or to get a new set of plates or flatware.
We did. All silverware gone. Almost all pots and pans upgraded (we had a few good ones we kept, but most were cheap junk). New set of matching white coffee mugs, but our glassware was all worth keeping. I think all the food was jettisoned. (but remember, ours was a 2 year project)
We ended up with a new kitchen with things that match.
Well, i like my plates, flatware, glasses, and mug collection. In fact, i keep looking for more bowls like our cereal bowls, and finally gave up and bought some that are a bit smaller. So I’m certainly not going to dump that stuff. But it’s all stored in the part of the kitchen that will be overrun by contractors. So I’m wondering how we will handle that.
We just kept out a minimal amount of melamine outdoor dishes, plus a couple of Pyrex coffee mugs, the cooking utensil crock, and the baking pans that fit in the toaster oven, and just plunked the whole silverware caddy on the dining room table. I bogarted a couple of small shelves (one wire and one bamboo) from elsewhere in the house to serve as our temporary cabinets, plus put some Tupperware in a couple of plastic tubs under the folding table where all the countertop appliances are. It’s kind of minimal AirBnB-style cooking, but we are managing just fine.
Not us. I may jettison a handful of gadgets when we reassemble the new kitchen, and the pantry isn’t being touched and we still have access to it. Everything else that we aren’t using right now went into a bunch of plastic storage tubs in the basement for now.