I got a good laugh out of a recent conversation with one of my "friends" during a teaching task at my day job. Here's the gist:
Me: What do you need to wash dishes?
Friend: Uh...a sink.
Me: Yup. What else?
Friend: Water.
Me: Okay. Anything else?
Friend: Oh yeah, a dishwasher.
Me: Maybe. What do you use to get the dishes clean? *insert gestures of pouring soap and scrubbing imaginary dishes*
Friend: Um, hands?
Me: Well, you definitely need your hands at my house. I don't have a dishwasher.
Friend: *insert jaw drop to floor*
Yeah, my friend was speechless. I mean, how do people live without a dishwasher? Let me tell you. In my experience, 1) you pile up dishes until the sink is no longer usable, then, 2) you initiate a dish-washing marathon, and finally, 3) you smell of SOS pads and Dawn soap for a few hours. Yes, we have been taking the slightly lazy approach to dish maintenance 'round this old house.
Naturally, we have been planning and scheming on how to improve the current kitchen since we set foot in the house. While we would love to completely remodel the kitchen, there are a few many obstacles. Um...budget being the most glaring hurdle. The current cabinet layout is pretty functional, given the low windows and large Victorian-era cast iron radiator (which makes a great bum-warmer in the winter). A dishwasher is definitely on the list of kitchen wishes. But where? Hmmm.
Ideally, the dishwasher would be near the sink. Problem? Maybe not. Did you know they make 18" dishwashers? Well, what do you know? The four-drawer cabinet to the left of the sink is 18" wide. Did you also know they charge an arm and a leg more than the standard 24" wide version? Of course they do. Custom costs coinage.
Also on the kitchen wishes list - more storage. Big surprise? Yes, we have a pantry but I can't stand to see wasted space, especially space that could be should be storage. I have my eye on the 14" or so gap above the upper kitchen cabinets below the ceiling.
Another wish? Time to play "I Spy what's missing in the kitchen"...
If you guessed new flooring, you are wrong...for today. If you guessed a kitchen island, you are correct. Chris and I recently watched Julie & Julia during which I proclaimed my need for a kitchen island...about 12 times. Julia had some really great islands. And, she made fabulous food. Maybe the two go hand in hand?
Despite my whining, I completely realize that I will not be satisfied with any 'ole kitchen island off the shelf. Solution? Design and build my own. I have been studying project plans and sketching modifications for an island for months...and it's not quite perfected yet. See, there was a reason I was an engineering major for a semester (and some reasons why I switched). But, hey, those three years of mechanical drafting in high school are coming in handy. Thanks, Mr. Vruwink.
There are many more things on the kitchen wish list, but that's enough kitchen talk for right now. In a few hours, it'll be time to brave the mud pit and hit the road to my day job again.
P.S. J.J. and Jena, I have to admit that I am VERY envious of your nice, mud-free, asphalt driveway every morning as I dodge mud puddles.
