Pressssssssssssssshious

Maybe it's creepy to love an appliance as much as I love this stove.  But if loving this stove is wrong, then I don't want to be right.

Ever since I moved into my condo, I had been disappointed in my electric range.  (Sorry, don't have a picture of it!)  I mean, don't get me wrong - it was perfectly functional, and had I needed to, I could have gone on for several more years with it.  But it was old, ugly, and frustrating to cook with.  I grew up having a gas range, and I fantasized about having one again.  And since I've been cooking more and more the past few years, it just seemed silly to continue to put up with something that I really didn't like! 

Getting a gas range in and of itself was kind of a big decision, since it would entail running a gas line into my kitchen.  Extra $$.  After visiting several stores and (briefly) contemplating the idea of just replacing my current range with a new electric model, I decided to go whole hog and go for the gas.  It was kind of a dicey experience getting the gas line put in, because the plumbers had to come back three different times to figure out where to run it, but it all worked out in the end and I'm glad I did it.  Cooking has been better and easier with the new range FOR SURE.  After many months of not being able to ever get the consistency of my Indian sauces right, I finally got it right the last time I did one!

The only down side of the whole gas line experience was that it did leave this lovely hole in my upstairs storage closet:

Not too huge a deal, since it's in the attic where no one will ever see it, but it is something that's on my list to deal with at some point.

The stove was definitely the priority, but the more I looked around at all the appliances in my kitchen, the more outdated they looked.  I think they all must be AT LEAST 10 years old, and they all had that yellowish tint to them.  So at the same time I bought the stove, I also got a new overhead microwave (both GE Profile).  Hopefully this year I will also replace the fridge and dishwasher, but I'm waiting until I've paid off the first two.  Thanks to some generous Christmas gifts from my family, I'm not too far away, so I'm thinking maybe this summer?

Here's a picture of the kitchen as it looked a few months ago, right after I got the stove:

I've got big plans for the kitchen.  Besides replacing the appliances, my wish list includes:

• New kitchen cabinet hardware (already done, but I'll get to that in another post)
• New countertops
• New backsplash covering all three walls in the kitchen
• Painting the cabinets
• Straightening out some of the weird stuff going on with the counters.  You can see in the picture above that the countertop on the right side of the stove is slightly lower than the left side.  WTF?
• New overhead light
• Rolling butcher block cart to create some more counter space
• New trash can - or at least creating some better way of organizing the trash and recycling situation next to the fridge.
• Countertop lighting for the back left corner

This is probably my most ambitious project that I've got planned, but I figure if you're going to invest some money in your house, the kitchen is the place to do it, both for resale, and - in my case - personal enjoyment.  It'll probably take a few years just to afford to do it all, but hey, I've got time :)