Shew, more renovations are underway. For those of you keeping up with my first floor remodel, I have a lengthy update to share with you.

My kitchen is officially gutted! Although we had help from Hughy with cabinet and appliance removal, I couldn’t resist participating in demo day. I channeled Chip Gaines and went to town removing the floor, which had an old linoleum rug and nails galore. Hugh warned it would be difficult, but that just fueled my girl power on.

With an empty canvas of wood paneling, now I wait for my sheet rocking guys and Scotty Walker to remeasure the space for my dreamy kitchen cabinets. As I stand looking at this hot mess, I envision granite countertops, new lighting and a breakfast nook/ banquette. In the wise words of veteran renovator Nicole Worzek Burch, “It looks worse before it gets better.” That’s my new mantra.

Speaking of removal, gone is the old crown molding and wallpaper from the dining room. Gone are the black light switch covers, old rope windows and old doors. Gone are the old wall heaters and light fixtures.

My next hands-on project is to sand and paint my front door with Benjamin Moore Hawthorne Yellow. It is the absolute perfect yellow with a slight gray undertone so it will work beautifully. I’ve already bought a fall wreath from Kirkland’s so my front door will be poppin’ come October.

Can I just dote on my family for a bit? My grandma and my mother-in-law Lisa are allowing me to utilize their kitchens during this time. It’s tough toting everything around, but it’s better than eating out every meal. Also, every Tuesday Ross and I get a home cooked meal at Nicole and Dwight’s. It’s awesome and we’re so thankful to be near family.

OK, back to day dreaming about my fully remodeled home. Some days you can equate me to that parent who talks about her kids all the time except my baby is this house. Other days, I’m like the pregnant mom whose lips are sealed every time she gets asked about the name she’s chosen for her baby. No, I’m not telling you what color I’ve chosen. No, I don’t want your unsolicited advice about my design choices.

So what’s next? We’ve called in the Alfred Drywall guys to fix our ceilings and put new sheet rock in the dining room and hallways. Unfortunately, the ceiling in the living room had painted wallpaper and the creases are cringe-worthy. Oh yes, you read that correctly. Wallpaper on the ceiling!

As for Hughy, he’s going to lay some concrete slabs on the kitchen floor to prep for the tile work. My new French doors just arrived so those are going up as well. He also has to shimmy back into the attic to see if we can install recess can lights. Lucky for him, he’s a slender fellow! (He’s going to kill me for writing that.)

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more updates!

Standard reporter Lacy Garrison can be reached at 473-2191.