Kitchen renovation: What started it all

When we moved into our old farmhouse 24 years ago, we immediately replaced the kitchen tile with linoleum squares of checkerboard blue and white. We loved that tile and it served us well for about 15 years. Then it was too old to keep clean any longer but we couldn't decide what to replace it with so we put off the decision. When Paul came into our lives eight years ago we put our energies into upgrading the second bath and putting in air conditioning, both sorely needed to accommodate a third person in the house. It wasn't until about three years ago, when the floor began to crack, that we got serious about dealing with it.

The problem was that so many other decisions hinged around replacing the floor. If we were going to replace the floor, should we replace the 1940's sink and cabinets? If we were going to replace the floor, we should get a new refrigerator, but new ones were too big for the space. If we were going to replace the floor, should we incorporate some of the old dining room into the kitchen area to make the space more open? If we were going to replace the floor, shouldn't we think about replacing all the floor on the first floor? It all got too complicated and we stalled out in our decision making. But one day this hole appeared in the floor, and we knew it was time to buckle down and make the hard decisions.

And now we're in the thick of the result, packing up the three rooms that will be affected by the kitchen renovation. The past day or two I've been focused on all the work to get ready for the big demolition on Wednesday. But today I went and bought our new floor -- a beautiful natural cherry-- as well as our new refrigerator -- with an extra drawer and an ice and water dispenser!-- and was struck by a surge of pleasurable excitement. After all these years we are going to have a wonderful kitchen and I can't wait!