DD,
I didn't get the pantry - but I'M GOING TO GET ONE! It's just going to go in another place, closer to the kitchen.
Actually, it won't be so much a pantry as it will be dish storage drawers.

I'm excited and apprehensive at the same time. This reno will mean a disruption in routine - something I don't look forward to, as I get more and more set in my ways. I've deliberately put it off in order to make sure the construction wasn't going on while my husband was on summer break.
One plus is, I have started to get rid of lots of stuff as I pack up my Years of Accumulation in order to make room for the builders and I suppose I'll be getting rid of even more stuff as I begin to put it all back.
And yes, you are right. A little idea about moving the location of the refrigerator and installing granite suddenly blossomed into ripping off the roof and pushing back a wall. Oh, Lord, what have I gotten us into!!!

By the way, do you remember me asking about your deck under the gazebo? Well, that exploded into major work too. I ended up hiring a very talented handyman to help me (In reality, I helped him.) and this is the unfinished result:
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It still needs more paint, steps around the sides and lattice on the top. We had to stop, as the fires here in So. Cal have really messed up the air quality. In addition, the heat is very bad. I just can't battle both of these, so called it quits.

Although it's a few of months away, I'll be sure to share my dishes drawers when I get them in and filled with all my goodies.

The kitchen reno sounds exciting, OA. Don't forget to check out GW's Kitchens forum. That site saved me so much time and money when we had our kitchen redone three years ago this month. It's where I got the idea to put in a Silgranit sink, where I found the site for my kitchen hardware. It helped us decide what appliances to go with and made me aware of some great new things available for kitchens. And, and this is a big one, the great posters there helped me put together a makeshift kitchen in our dining room, that made our lives so much easier during our two month total reno.
Love your new, almost done gazebo, BTW. Hope the fires die down soon so that you can get it finished . . . and have fresh clean air to enjoy it in!
Lynn

OA, I had my suspicions and you have confirmed them! So glad you are getting not just dish storage but a new kitchen! That is exciting but I know it can be overwhelming too, so many choices and so much $$, especially if you make the wrong choice and the disruption is huge so it can be stressful. My parents just finished a total gut of their kitchen and my mom was a wreck! Fortunately, their kitchen turned out gorgeous as I know yours will too! Be sure to take lots of before and after pics for us!

WOW, you are getting much more than a little cabana like we have. That looks like it will be a terrific area once you finish it and get all your furniture and PRETTIES out on it! I can imagine you will want to have "a cool one" out there to escape the chaos going on in your kitchen!

I know about "clearing out stuff" as I am taking this long weekend time to tackle closets, drawers, basement, etc and get RID OF JUNK! I have garbage and garage sale piles everywhere! It is a BIG job but it feels good when done!

Thanks for the update and sharing what's going on with you.

DD

Lynne and DD,
Thanks for the support concerning the renovation. The builders just showed up a few minutes ago to start tearing out. They rang the doorbell and my husband left through the side door two seconds later. Just keeping him calm will be a big job!
The gazebo is a present to my son and daughter-in-law. They just bought a 1936 Spanish Colonial Revival about 40 minutes away from us (near some of the worst of the California fires). The house is a real fixer-up, but they are so happy with it. I'll start back to work on deck and overhang in a couple of days. There's nothing in the backyard but patches of scattered crabgrass.
I have been reading and rereading posts on the Kitchen and Applicance Forums. Applicances are sooooo expensive.
Well, I have to go and take down the pictures in the back bedroom. I thought I got everything out and then realized I left the pictures hanging on the wall.