Greetings, and welcome to my blog! I promised my friends I would start this online diary to share random musings during my upcoming kitchen remodel and I have finally figured out how to make it happen. Just in the nick of time, as demolition begins next month!  Anyway, I hope this blog will prove interesting to everyone.  (It may also give you insight into my slightly twisted mind!) 

I am excited to begin the process...ALL of it!  From construction - including demolition/electrical/plumbing/drywall, etc. - to design and decoration. (That's the REALLY fun part!) Much has been done already.  In fact, I have spent the past three years collecting pictures from magazines and bookmarking web sites with designs and finishes that interest me. I've researched bungalow kitchens, "small space" kitchens, cottage kitchens, vintage kitchens - you name it, I've looked at it all. I've collected paint chip samples, flooring samples, and countertop samples. Oh, and I've watched my fair share of HGTV shows - "Spice Up My Kitchen," "Dear Genevieve," "Divine Design," "Design on a Dime," "Income Property" (okay, I watch that one only because of Scott McGillivray!). Let's just say that if I make an impulse decision at any time during the next three months, I have no excuse.

For those of you who don't know, I live in a Craftsman bungalow in the Upper San Dimas Avenue Historic District, a proposed district within the city that is eligible for National Register status because of its overall character. An interesting bit of trivia: the house was built in 1922 by the first volunteer firefighter of the city for his single daughter. I think Mr. McIntyre must've had ulterior motives, as his home is right next door. Obviously, he wanted to keep an eye out on his little girl! Since the house was built, with only a short period of time in the 1960s as an exception, the home has been lived in only by single women. Maybe that is why I feel a strong connection to it. My home is truly my sanctuary.

Despite its age, my home has "good bones," constructed with redwood (no termites!) and built in such a way that it is remarkably energy efficient for not being energy efficient. It has withstood many a large earthquake in its time, with only a few cracks in the plaster to show for it. Not bad for having been built before there was a building code to adhere to!

Craftsman homes are generally known for their less-than-spacious closets. However, the ones in this beauty are step-ins, and actually quite "spacious," relatively speaking. (I bet Mr. McIntyre's daughter was a clothes horse like me.) The kitchen is rather spacious, too, footprint-wise. Unfortunately, it lacks the function needed by even the most casual of cooks today. Hence, my decision to make it my new favorite room in the house.  Soon I will post some "before" pictures of the kitchen, which looks to have had its last design update about 40 years ago. Stay tuned!