For a little change of pace Tom & Mandy are working outside this day. Since there are already 2 gas hookups for fireplaces in our new home & we really loved the wood burning fireplace we had at our old home, we decided that the fireplace in the family room was going to be wood burning. We had originally plumbed it up for gas, s
o Tom & Mandy are outside in the chimney disconnecting the gas lines. Mandy being the thinner of the two gets the dubious honor of being boosted up into the chimney cavity. A successful endeavor despite the small working space. We will now have a wood burning fireplace should the family room be finished in the not too distant future! Damn-isn't she a trooper! (and cute too)
We are definitely getting to the finish line on the kitchen. The trim work, the base board & the built in book shelves for all Tom's cookbooks were painted a beautiful metallic silver-grey. The color was chosen to compliment the trim on the island, the back splash & pull the grey out of the floor.
Tom & Mandy did an awesome job on building, installing & focusing on the woodworking details of the book shelves.
Then there are the extremely choice knickknacks given to us by those who know us
(not to detract from the workmanship but really, the decorating is the fun part!), Tom got this really unique metal art sculpture (upper left pic) from our friends TerryLynn & Mike of this guy at the grill. Just perfect! Holds his shelf of grill books in place-Go figure?
I got a cookbook titled "Eat , Bitch & Wine" from my Aunt Barb in California, who professes to love me. Definitely a good example of that love.
Please notice it does have a place of honor amongst Tom's cookbooks. Nice of him to share his shelves.
The finishing trim is going up! While Tom was out Mandy & I took advantage & hung a few decorations on the wall! Actually, I said where I wanted them, Mandy hung them & Eva played in the shipping boxes. Hey~we all have our specialties! Tom came back & the trim installation continued.
Close ups of the smiling fruits & veggies we hung on the wall
I can't believe how close we are getting to actually finishing the kitchen & pantry! We carried the same tiles from the kitchen into the pantry & they look beautiful! With the floor all grouted & sealed, the kick plate will be installed next,then stove goes back in. The rest of the shelving will go in & we're good to go! 
Now that the kitchen floor is finished, Mandy wanted to get off her knees & do something fun! So we decided to faux finish the one wall in the kitchen that overlooks the river. She pulled all the colors out of the floor tile & melded them all together for this beautiful wall!
Unfortunately for her, the fun didn't last long. Her & Tom were right back at it, on their knees (well at least Mandy was) again tiling the island. 
The floor is leveled & the appliances moved out (along with MJ's food & water bowls, he's quite confused), it's time to get the kitchen floor in.
Let the tiling begin! Giving up the kitchen for over a week is not a hardship since we have the "Pantry" to fall back on as a back-up kitchen.
Tom & Mandy are doing the floor in sections, therefore we can grout & seal after a section is done. It's a lot of floor to do all at once.
Looking Damn Good! 
Now, we've gotten quite good at moving furniture.... we moved all the furniture out of the Martha room into the dining room, then when the Martha room was done we moved the furniture back, then moved the furniture from the dining room to the kitchen and used the dining room to stain doors on sawhorse tables. Door staining was done in the guest room previously, but when the Martha room was done, it was time to paint the guest room.When the guest room was finished it was time to tackle the kitchen, now all the dining room & kitchen furniture is in the dining room (along with all Eva's stuff), the saw horses are upstairs in the loft & door staining is now moved upstairs. Are you with me so far?????Whew...Damn Mandy has a lot of doors to stain!!!! I hope I know where all the furniture goes back to!
Now, I'm sure you never though of it, but when I said the kitchen furniture is being moved I also meant the appliances!
The stove is now in the family room (or what will be some day), the refrigerator is in the foyer and Phase 2 of the kitchen is about to begin......The concrete floor is cleaned & ready for tiling except we have some areas that are not level (think "Concrete Dust") and need to be taken care of. Tom & Mandy have it under control-I am getting out of Dodge for the day! It's the 9th of May, a lovely spring day, I come home & find the house all closed up!
Mandy & Tom are done and nowhere to be found & the fumes from the self leveler are enough to about knock you on your %*#! I know, I know...bitch, bitch, bitch.
But on a positive note the floor is level! We can begin phase 2 of the kitchen! 
