Gotta Love a Good Diversion

I've had clubfoot on the brain now for a while -- it does indeed have the potential to take over every thought, every moment of your day. So what did I need? A good diversion ... and boy, did I get one.

My dad has been having some work done on the exterior of the house -- replacing many of the cedar shingles on the top half of the house, and now everything is being given a new coat of paint. Suddenly, in a rather impromtu-ish sort of way, I suggested, "Why not bring the painter inside to repaint the kitchen?" Yes, why not?!

A few months ago we started talking about renovating our little old kitchen, entertaining ideas from the minimal to some ultimate far-out concoctions. We shelved the project for a while, as "life" set in, other things needed to be taken care of, and so on. It happens. Every once in a while it would be resurrected, we'd chat, and then it went back on the shelf. But now, with the painter literally on our doorstep, we decided to take the plunge!

We had about one day to pick out a paint color -- a time frame which, for me, was nerve-wracking. I'm the sort to pore over those little strips of colors, obsessing between one shade to the next, driving everyone crazy. Perhaps the rush was a good thing for me, forcing me to choose, and choose quickly. I went to the hardware store with the kids, picked up a few booklets and about half a dozen color strips, and then sat at my kitchen table, scratching my head. I called my mom, and the two of us put our heads together, narrowing down the list. Then on Sunday afternoon I brought the array to Don, who in his predictable way, said, "Yep. No. Not bad. What else ..." In about 10-minutes' time, we had a color. "Silver Cloud."

When we first moved in a year and a half ago, I was never a fan of the kitchen -- the color especially. The tenants before us painted it a deep, dark, blood red. Now, I do love the color in and of itself -- as nail polish, or perhaps adorning an accent wall in a Great Room. But in a small, cramped, already-dark kitchen, it was a horrible choice. Well, not "horrible," but it definitely gave it a cave-like feel. That, coupled with super dark mud-brown cabinets circa 1981, it did not lend itself to a comfortable room.

So we decided to swing the pendulum in the opposite direction. With bright white glistening doors and woodwork, our kitchen walls now shine with a pale silvery blue. The room has completely opened up, playing a fabulous optical illusion in its doubling of size. I am in love with this room! It does take some getting used to, I have to admit, going from something dark and very warm to super bright and cool and energizing. But ... wow, what a difference.

Before -- not bad, but quite dark

After: pictures, of course, don't always do justice. Looks a bit sparse with nothing on the walls, but that will soon be remedied.

Possible Plan: Move the fridge to that empty corner (that's where my Grandma always had it), work table and dishwasher on the other side, and round table in the middle. We'll see ...

And here's the best part: yes, we're getting a dishwasher! Oh, to have a true innovative gadget to wash the dishes for me! The only dilemma is getting it to fit in our tight space. We've taken out a tall, thin cabinet that Don had made years ago in order to make room, but it's still going to be tight. It looks like we have no choice but to purchase a new table -- a round one, otherwise it will be a Feng Shui nightmare. Our current table is just too big, too angular to fit with any additional appliances. But that's OK. My job today is to scrounge around for cardboard boxes and create a mock-up of a dishwasher so we can get a good idea of what it will look like. I have to move the fridge, take our current table out, set up a temporary round one from my uncle ... you get the idea. Then I'm hitting the attic, rummaging around our 1,253 boxes to find packed-up pictures, since our color scheme has changed completely and what once decorated our walls must find another home. It will be fun to recycle. This is full-blown redecorating. I LOVE IT.

Tomorrow I'm taking Grace to see another specialist for her clubfoot, with more questions and more concerns and clubfoot will once again burning on my brain. But that's tomorrow. Today I am flying cherub-like on my own silver cloud, loving every minute of this diversion. Thanks, God, for this gift.