The Current Project

The biggest project undertaken here during my blog absence (other than having a baby) has been the kitchen.  Here's what the kitchen looked like when we bought the house almost 4 years ago:

By 2011 we had progessed to this:

That's pretty much how the kitchen stayed until this year.  In January we replaced the sink, faucet and counters.  We also added a dishwasher (a much appreciated Christmas gift from Charles' parents).  In June I began painting and replacing hardware on the cabinets.  Starting with the lower cabinets and going section-by-section, I've made it to this:

It's been slow progress - but it's still progress.  : )  

Fourteen months later...

After a fourteen month absence I'm quite surprised by the number of people who still ask when I'm going to have another post here.  I guess I finally have an answer for them. 

Anyway - fourteen months.  A lot can happen in fourteen months.  Let me see if I can recap some of the highlights:

Purchased and refinished one of the surviving window surrounds from the 1884 Seneca County Courthouse.

Installed reconstructed original window in the springhouse.  (The other one is ready to install, but for now the opening is covered in plastic.)

Refinished one of the original house doors that had been in the shed and hung it on the second door to the former computer room so we could use it as a nursery.

Planted asparagus, rhubarb and red raspberries.  (The raspberries are everbearing and are in their second harvest right now - yum!)

Canned 16 pints of raspberry jam and 13 quarts of homemade spaghetti sauce.  Also froze 12 quarts of homemade freezer salsa, and 16 quarts of diced tomatoes.

Bought an antique corner cupboard for the dining room at an estate auction.  It's the first piece of furniture we own that's roughly the same age as the house.

Painted and replaced hardware on the lower kitchen cabinets.  I'm currently working on painting, adding crown molding and changing hardware on the uppers.

And last but certainly not least - we added Jonathan Paul to the family! 

(Did you catch the hint I snuck in there above?)  The little guy is almost five months old already and is quite the peanut.  After trying early February and late July, I've decided that spring is the best time to have a baby.  Jonathan has loved being outside from the day he was born.  He's also been a pretty good sleeper right from the start.  (Although there's always room for improvement!)

So, the crazy late nights and constant projects of 2009 and 2010 are long gone, but the Einsel House remains a work in progress.  To those who have persistently encouraged me to keep the blog alive - thank you.  I can't promise anything, but I will at least try not to take any more fourteen month absences.  : )