Another deadline has come and gone. It's a bit of a drag because we wanted to spend spring break in our cottage as a family. We were going to sit around the wood fire and sing Kumbaya. The kids are totally crushed.
That's not quite true - they haven't even mentioned the cottage actually. We should have done this ten years ago...don't you wish that we just had more time in life? Your children grow up so lightning fast - and by the time you can actually provide something like this, it's almost too late. But I know they will love having a cottage - to enjoy with their friends.
I went to Mayne Island last Friday with the truck loaded up with Ikea cabinets and other paraphernalia. Arrived at the cottage, unloaded everything, including the solid oak counter top which nearly killed me. The cottage went from looking neat and clean to being a giant mess - boxes everywhere...
I decided to assemble the kitchen cart first. When I purchased it, I forgot that it came in two colours: white or black. Stupid me, I picked the wrong one and I was choked. I don't like black furniture.
Much to my horror, it required that I pre-drill some holes with the electric drill. I looked over at all of Lorenzo's tool boxes and wondered where it was. Then I had to figure out how to use the darn thing...
I had to use a 1/8th drill bit and I didn't even know what that looked like. I also didn't know how to open the "chuck" to put the bit in. Luckily, Lorenzo keeps all of his instruction manuals, so I managed to figure it out...
Once the cart was assembled, I felt really disappointed. It looks so much better in white...
Here is ours...I think I'll paint it.
Then it was time to start on the kitchen cabinets. What I've learned, is that Ikea stuff is not difficult to assemble provided you follow the instructions and lay your pieces out exactly as they are in the diagram. I did the corner cabinet first...
You can see by the light outside that I was moving at a rather snail-like pace...
That night I had a nightmare that I was trapped inside a box and couldn't get out. I thrashed my left arm so hard in my sleep that I was in pain the next day. Will I ever have a decent sleep on that island?
The next day I continued, got the three base cabinets assembled including the sink cabinet, popped in the support feet...
Installed the drawer rails, then attached the slow-closing hinges...
And then I did the upper cabinets. Before long they were all done. The tall pantry cabinet was the hardest and it would have been nice to have someone there to help me. I had to lift the side panel and place it perfectly onto the screws & pegs which was a bit of a workout for my arms...
I was feeling pretty proud of myself at this point and realized that we women are too quick to leave things like this to the men. If you can cook Christmas dinner for sixteen people, you can definitely assemble cabinets and use basic tools. I am going to make a point of learning how to do more handy-man jobs. After this, I felt sufficiently confident to begin assembling the drawers...
Each drawer consisted of many parts and this proved to be the Achilles heel of my trip. I mixed up part of a drawer that belongs in the pantry cabinet with a drawer that goes into a different base cabinet...long story and I was absolutely frustrated. The front panel on the drawers lock into place with spring clip mechanism and I could not get it off for the life of me. I nearly had a melt down. Ikea drawers have these side rails, shown here...
I sat on the floor reading the instructions for these bloody side rails for over an hour. Just kept reading it, thinking it would sink into my brain. I just didn't get it. The instructions made absolutely no sense to me and I was so incredibly angry at myself for not being able to grasp something so basic that a 12-year old could probably figure out. I drove into town to call Lorenzo because I had no cell reception. When he asked how it was going I nearly broke down - all because of some stupid side rails. He said, "Stop what you're doing. Put your feet up and just relax." Impossible.
I was surrounded by boxes, cardboard, crap everywhere....I can't function in mess like that. So I went back to the cottage and had to resign myself that I would be leaving a huge job for Lorenzo and I felt terrible. Here's what he'll be facing...
To cheer myself, I decided to assemble a "Stenstorp" shelf that will go in our daughter's room...
This was a breeze compared to everything else...
Voila...
And then I did what I enjoy the most. I began setting up the rooms upstairs. Lorenzo told me that my brother would be coming over with him to help, so I did his room first. I vacuumed every nook and cranny, dragged over the mattress and box spring, and put fresh linens on the bed. Despite there being no furniture in the room it ended up looking very cozy...
Last summer I went to Sears on Granville St. because they were closing down and I found a lovely king-sized quilt set for super cheap. I put it on our bed. Another disappointment...
When did mattresses get so tall? Pretty soon we'll need a ladder to get into bed. I wish I had thought of this when we bought it. A quilt is supposed to drape over the mattress and cover the box spring This barely covers the mattress! Stupid big fat mattress. My fitted sheet is straining at the seams. I shouldn't have bought it. I stood there just feeling deflated. I tend to imagine things being perfect...it's a problem.
Anyway, the previous owners left us this dresser which Lorenzo wanted to throw into the dust bin. I was shocked because I think it's absolutely charming and very suitable for a cottage. I bought two vintage lamps on Craigslist and I was pleased by the down-light they create...
When it was done I stood in the doorway staring at my bedroom. The wall colour is so beautiful, the wainscoting on the ceiling glowed, the new hardwood looked fantastic...I found myself looking forward to going to bed for the very first time...
And then I brought in all the stuff for the bathroom and got to work. Here is that laundry hamper I found at Homesense...
I set up the bathroom and I'm pretty happy with the results. Here's a before and after...
So let's take an inventory, shall we:
Console table from the Sears clearance centre
The mirror is an Ikea cabinet door with a mirror glued in that I had specially cut, then I distressed it to make it look a little more rustic.
Sink & taps: Home Depot
Jars/soap dispenser: Homesense
Towels, bath mat: Homesense
The mirror will be hung with the proper hinges on the next trip.
I had to place a small plate under the pipe because there was a slight leak. The plumber came by the cottage and fixed it but I left it there just in case. The slide-in baskets hold much more than I thought - very handy. So with these drawers and the two medicine cabinets, we won't require any additional storage.
So I arrived on Friday morning and by Saturday night all of this was done. I thought about coming home on the Sunday morning ferry but I slept in. So I spent the day sitting by the fire listening to music and making lists of things that still need to be done; played the piano, puttered around, gathered fire wood, etc.
I caught the 5-pm ferry home...
When I showed Lorenzo the pictures his jaw dropped. It isn't until you see a room decorated that you realize how lovely it is. It just changes everything...
* * * *
My younger son has strep throat - he had me up at 2-am last night. He was so drenched in sweat I had to put his head under the cold water tap. He looked terrible but he did manage to eat a giant bowl of ice cream, so I think he's going to pull through. My older son is also under the weather. In light of this, and the fact that it's St. Patrick's Day on Sunday, I think Lorenzo should stay home this weekend. We can't miss all of the festivities!
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