We learn about enduring to the end at church a lot. In that regard, among other things, it means staying on the covenant path, staying true to the gospel of Jesus Christ, keeping the commandments, honoring your covenants, and enduring any trials or hardships that come your way until you pass from this life.
Enduring is all about patience. Over the past twelve weeks, I have experienced a different way of enduring to the end that has pushed my ability to be patient to the limit. I have written already about the fact that we have been remodeling our kitchen, half-bath, and laundry room. Little did we know that it would take 12 long weeks to complete the remodel. We were told that it would take 6-8 weeks. The wait has finally come to an end and we are thrilled with the results.
We wanted to go with a lighter/brighter kitchen. I believe we achieved that. Here are some before and after pics for comparison.
With a dark floor, dark cabinets, and dark countertops, the kitchen seemed dreary. It wasn't our style nor was it appealing to the eye. It was disappointing that we had no pantry.
Most of the island was white, but in the picture below, you can see that the cabinets and drawers on the other side were brown like the rest of the kitchen.
With lighter furniture, a lighter floor and white quartz cabinets (with beige and blue grey veins running through it), we have created a much lighter, brighter kitchen. It is much more pleasant to the eye and is updated to today's styles. We finally have a pantry on the far end of this picture!
The pictures above and below showcase the lighting we love.
Below is a close-up picture of what our quartz countertops looks like.
My favorite kitchen tile is this decorative tile we chose below the stove hood. It adds a geometric design, breaking up the subway backsplash tile. We are super pleased with the results. I haven't been a huge fan of subway tile in the past, but I'm now glad that we went with that for our backsplash. It coordinates well with everything else in the kitchen.
The old laundry room wasn't very functional at all, especially when it came to storage. Admittedly, I could have kept it a little more tidy, but there just wasn't a convenient place to put those items.
The new laundry room has plenty of storage, including the cabinet to house our mops, brooms, and my purses. There is a rod to hang shirts on when they come directly out of the dryer.
The washer and dryer were placed inside an elevated shower pan with a drain in case of a burst hose.
The original bathroom was drab and the tile floor was not user friendly.
The new bathroom has the same floor, quartz countertop, and blue cabinet that the kitchen and laundry room have. It all coordinates well together.
We are thrilled with the results of our triple-room remodel. Although it took longer and cost more than we wanted, we are happy that we pulled the trigger and moved forward on it. This kitchen is more our style and I feel more at home now. I'm so glad that we no longer need to cook with solely electric appliances and eat in the basement. We endured those 12 weeks well, although it was not easy. I'm so glad that that phase of our life is over for good. I love having a stove and oven again. You don't realize how important certain things are in your life until you have to live without them. My heart is full of gratitude that we had the means to obtain our dream kitchen. It truly is a dream come true!
UPDATE: Our contractor, Ramon Campbell, came to our home a few days ago to take pictures of our kitchen. He and his wife, Tammy, are doing the Home and Garden Show next Friday (October 13th) . Our kitchen, Tammy says, has been one of their top kitchens they have ever done, so they want to enter it in a contest where people can vote which they feel is the best kitchen. There isn't a prize for the winner (that I know of), but we feel so honored to have our kitchen acknowledged and showcased at the Home & Garden Show. Life is good!
