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Three more words – 2012

Last year I came up with three words to help me define and progress through my year (you can read about them here, and about the idea itself from the man who came up with it, Chris Brogan, here.)

I’ve gone back and forth on whether to choose three words for this year, but once I realized that last year’s words did in fact make a difference, I figured I’ve nothing to lose and possibly so much to gain.

Last year I chose the words drop, deepen, and frame. When I felt overwhelmed I’d glance over at the white board next to me and choose the one that fit the problem best. Was this something that I wasn’t going to see much if any benefit from (income, joy, whatever)? Drop it. Was it something I found myself returning to, wanting to learn more about, having fun with? Deepen my knowledge of or participation in it. Maybe I just needed to find some focus? Look for or create boundaries or a framework.

I think I’ll keep those three words in place- but add three more.

So without further wordage or ado- my three words for 2012:

Joy
If it’s not joyful, then why am I doing it? That’s a legit question with some legit answers but in this one life, I want joy to come first. Joy in creating, joy in community, joy in family, joy in giving back, joy in being entertained…

Grace
I’m a natural born cynic. I’ve both embraced and fought against this aspect of my personality over the years, but being cynical is hard work. Stepping back with grace is easier. And nicer.

Strength
It took me nearly half a century to figure out that doing something over and over can pay back more than it takes away. Not everything I do needs to be fresh and new. For me this was a hard fought lesson to learn! I’m not just talking about physical strength, although that’s certainly part of it. Strength entails practice, and practice allows growth.

Joy, Grace, and Strength to you and yours this year!

The Kitchen Plan

This is my kitchen.
We redecorated about 12 years ago or so. The cabinets were here when we moved in, but we painted the walls & trim, put up new wallpaper, added new Formica countertops & a stick-on vinyl floor. One by one we’ve replaced all appliances except the microwave/stove hood.

We were always happy with the layout. It’s a large room and the center island effectively separates the cooking area from the seating area. The island is a little weird, with its two level layout, but we make it work.

In the intervening years we’ve redecorated the rest of the house. We upgraded two bathrooms, and we added a large master bedroom suite. Add mechanical upgrades, a new roof, a new deck… we’ve been busy.

So now we’ve circled back to the kitchen. In my dreams we tear the whole thing out and start fresh, but in reality the cabinets are sturdy and functional. We just can’t justify the expense of replacing, or even refacing them. My main issue is the laminate facing and color, just too dark.

The countertops are in great shape. Sure, they’re not granite but I still like the blue color and there’s no reason to replace them. The floor, however, has always irritated me. It’s got to go. The trim needs repainting, and the wallpaper is stained and tearing in spots.

That’s the situation- now this is the plan.

Cabinets: We’ve thought of painting them for years, but the amount of work involved in painting laminate cabinets always frightened us off. I recently heard about a new product from Rust-Oleum that eliminates the sanding and priming, so we’re going to give it a try. I’m going with a shade of gray, just not sure which shade yet. New cabinet hardware, too.

Walls: Due to damage, painting the walls would involve either using a paintable wallpaper or rebuilding the large wall with fresh drywall. Besides, if you can’t use fun wallpaper in your kitchen, where could you? So I’m on the hunt for fun wall paper.

Floor: We’ve always planned on some sort of ceramic tile or similar, but lately I’m looking at linoleum (yes! I know!) It’s cheap, green, soft underfoot, easy to install and easy to clean (big one.)

Countertops: Keeping them. I think the gray cabinets will make the blue work even better.

Appliances: They’re mostly pretty new. Would love to replace the black stove & microwave with white to match the rest, though.

Hopefully we can get a fresh looking kitchen for not a lot of money. Time, on the other hand…

If you have any suggestions, hints, stories, I’d love to hear them!