Oh Blue,

You are o.k. and the kitchen will get done. Everyone needs a chance to rant now and then, even with natural disasters all around us! I hear ya girl!

I can't tell you how my brain has shut down - agreed it was probably all the microwaved pre-prepared foods. Preservative overload. DH just wants me to tell him what and where and I need a break from being the one with all the answers. Of course, trim cut too short because I couldn't answer - shoulda been my lesson!

As for the building codes - yes, they are there to protect us, it's just some of the BO's that get my gripe! Actually, if people really paid attention, that's why they work and sell things so cheaply ...no building codes (those poor children and babies - who's looking out for them), no EPA, no regulation! Here's my rant - stop buying cheap Chinese products people! However, I do recognize that sometimes there are no other options!

OK, off my soapbox ...

One more time, we get it, we understand it, we are also living it... and responsible for bringing it on ourselves TKO- right? ;-)

Good luck with the granite install and keep us posted!

I am so sorry for your misery. I wish I could say something that would make you feel better but it appears you can't make a good cup of hot chocolate right now. Perhaps some of igloochicks wine would help? You have been through the ringer so feel free to complain. Many of us feel your pain and some (such as myself) are about to feel your pain. Hang in there. Put on a sappy movie and give yourself permission to have a good cry. It is frustrating and letting it out will make you feel better. Facial and massage are always good too!

that really sucks. we are also in week five of our remodel and we just got a working sink, drain and oven back, so know how you're feeling.

the details and setbacks really can wear you down. mental fatigue begins to set in at some point and you kind of stop caring what happens, which can be dangerous. one thing i've found is that while a work stoppage of a few days or a week can be infuriating, it can also provide a bit of a mental break where you can just kind of "turn off your brain" and not think about the remodel for a while.

just remember that a year from now, it'll all be a distant memory, all the little things that seem huge to you will be forgotten, and you'll have a beautiful kitchen for years to come.

My first time to post but I had to say... I totally understand where you are coming from! My house is a disaster and eating out is expensive and such an inconvenience when you have a child that needs to be home getting a bath and doing homework. My husband absolutely hates disorder and it makes him pretty irritable so you can just imagine when I bring in fast food and have to make a spot for him to stand while eating. lol
Good luck. Look forward to your pictures!

"it's too cold to grill" heh heh you're so cute :) how cold would that be :oP

ok honey put the fire poker down...i'm kidding!

where's your wine flass? i prescribe a lot of it NOW!!

I-chic, I'm a Cal native and I turn blue at ... ready for this? ... 68 degrees. Down comforter, layers of clothing, socks, shoes, the works. My neighbors' idea of a winter wardrobe is flip flops made by Ugg with sheepskin type lining on the straps. Right now it's 90 degrees, which is just fine with me. Snow is something that should be visited once a year. I could not handle Alaska. No way, no how. OTOH, we have a strawberry vendor who picks berries 1st thing in the morning 6 days a week and parks his truck two blocks away and sells them by the flat (12 baskets) until he runs out, which he does because they are so good...and he's here 8 months out of the year. And I can eat strawberries despite my kitchen.

Thank you all for your nice words. I woke up this AM, the sky was blue, the birds were singing (actually the chickens were squawking), and realized that it will get better. Really. Maybe it is even better now. I'm starting to spread out in the kitchen, putting stuff down on the plywood counters and thinking about how I will rearrange stuff.

i sent those chickens over to chear you up lol if you listen carefully they're sqyaking the alaska state motto :p

i'm glad really though thast you found your perspective :) you'll go up and down again...i promise! but at least we won't let you do it alone (because afterall...i need someone to pick on) :oP

I feel for you so much! We are in Month 5 and still no working kitchen. Right now DH & I are tiling our backsplash. Back in Jan. we had scheduled an anniversary trip to Hawaii and it was to be next week. But when the airline went belly up, we were SOL on the tickets. Yea the credit card company gave us a 'provisional' credit for the tickets, but they also said if they don't get reimbursed by the bankrupt airline that they would recharge us. So vacation is cancelled for now... DH is still taking the week off and promises that we will have a functional kitchen by the end of next week!

Keep the wine bottle nearby and remember the end goal is a wonderful, functional, beautiful kitchen that will be done soon! Good luck!

ngng: You're right about on our timeline. We're in month 5 of DIY kitchen redo without a functioning kitchen. Ours should be back to functional within a couple of weeks, too. *crossing fingers as I've said that before*

Sorry to hear about the Hawaii trip.

blue: Just think, you're getting the floor you really want so the delays will be worth it. That's what I'm telling myself. (I also really wanted hardwood but settled for cheaper tile only to find out our subfloor couldn't handle tile.)

I also wanted to help others out by avoiding frustration in advance. Stay AWAY from Homeannex.com. I'm having terrible problems with them, poor customer service and slow shipping and it looks like Bluekitobessed also had some problems. It is not worth their 'low prices' when it impacts you and your kitchen plans. Most other web sites will price match, so there are lots of other places to shop. Good luck!

bluekitobsessed - Am so glad to be in such good company... Am about to pull what little hair I have out. The process of redoing a kitchen is not easy, especially when no pior preparation is done.......Just rip the s..t out and put it back in....Well, 8 months later,,,,, I still have no stove top (oh, I'm sorry... I do have an AWESOME Capital rangetop sitting in my foyer,,,,along with the Shaw sink...the range hood and blower.... all still in boxes...no oven selected... the microwave, coffee pot and George Foreman oven in use as a TEMP kitchen) Am burned out and upset with all the decisions to make.....STILL. So I think we all feel each others pain with the remodels..... I am just grateful to have others to relate to and read about their experiences...... Crazy, but somehow it helps... it's kind of like a therapy session, just grab a glass of wine and rev up the old computer!!!!!!!! So thanks for sharing and best of luck with the process and results.

I hear you! I totally understand your frustrations. Your message did make me smile though as I re-read "POS" er, point of sale ... oh, I get it!

No real advice, just hang on in there.

Sorry you are having the kitchen remodeling blues; I noticed on another thread "what you wished you had not packed away" that nobody mentions a Nesco Oven. They probably didn't have one in the first place but I can tell you they're nice! I bought mine for buffets and parties at least 15 years ago. I use it on kitchen porch during hot weather and also up at our lake cabin. If I was doing a whole kitchen remodel I wouldn't be without it. I have the large size with the buffet insets. My mom has a small one which is the size of a 5 qt crock pot. All they require is electricity. I thought if I mentioned it here on your thread it might help someone in your situation!

P.S. You don't need to wash the liner in your temporary sink if you use the disposable aluminum half pans (I get mine at Sam's Club). Hmmm, that's probably the main reason why I use mine so much!

Here is a link that might be useful: roaster oven

OK, no need to eat microwave junk or eat out. I am in month EIGHT of no kitchen, no temporary counter, etc. I do have a stove. Get thyself to Costco if you have one, and yes if you are going to do this much longer it is worth the yearly membership fee. Buy yourself one hot roasted chicken to take home and eat for dinner for under 5.00. If your regular grocery store does have much available hot and ready to take home branch out and find one that does, around here it is the local Big Y, and stop and pick up a pound or two of premade REAL mashed potatoes and a bag of salad and pint of grape tomatoes and your favorite dressing. Yee gads, no cooking, a hot chicken dinner and a nice salad for 2-4 people, about 15.00. Tomorrow have nice cold chicken sandwiches, hot open faced chicken sandwhich on toast with some chicken gravy from a jar or home made chicken salad from the left overs. Put strips of roasted chicken on a salad for a full meal. Buy an extra chicken while you are there if one won't give you left overs. Too cold to grill? Where do you live? If it ain't snowin it aint too cold! I am not beyond doing it in the garage with the door open for ventilation. Just close the top of the grill while the food cooks and add hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks and grilled salmon or whatever seafood you like to the rotisserie chickens. If your grill is really unusable (couldn't remember if "POS" really meant what came to mind, but can assume it is close) A cheap charcoal one or habatchi (spelling?) will do for now. If it IS snowing, LOL, suck it up and put the winter coat and gloves back on! Then light it up! :)

By the way, you can purchase a single electric burner at Walmart for $15.00 and a double for 30.00. You could also try target or other similar stores. Then you would have the ability to make stove top items. It would pay for itself just by skipping one or two meals out. If you don't have a toaster oven those can also be had cheap to make small items that need an oven.

Sue

Your kitchen is not *that* hostage if you're already baking in it. ;)