Quick Trip to Menard's...

We took a quick trip to Menard's yesterday so Kevin could check out the sale they were having on tongue and groove pre-finished pine boards. He was interested in them for the ceiling in our sunroom-to give it a rustic look. I say "quick trip" kind of as a joke, because the nearest Menard's is about 50 minutes away! So it wasn't much of a quick trip.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day  yesterday-a perfect day for a drive! There were blue skies, and the frost hung in the trees and made them look like they were flocked.

While we were there, he wanted me to talk to a kitchen designer and see what kind of prices they had on cabinets for our size kitchen. I spent about an hour with her and she was very nice and said usually the first time you meet with her is just a rough draft anyway, and that most people change their minds several times before they finally settle on the final design.

I took a couple of pictures of some cabinets that I liked. Their cabinets would be about $18,000 less than the kitchen store we stopped at a couple of days ago, but still by far, much more expensive than what Kevin can make them for.

I can't believe I am actually giving a second glance to the rustic knotty hickory cabinets! Kevin loves that look, and has been making furniture with knots for years, and I've never liked that look...now I'm giving it a second glance-quick-someone feel my forehead-I must be sick! :)

We also checked out bathroom vanities, sinks, shower trays for making a tile shower, and countertops. We totally forgot to look at the in-the-wall gas heaters for the sunroom wall so that we can use it in the winter-(sigh!) all that shopping, pricing and comparing was exhausting!! I walked out with an armload of books and pamphlets, and stronger ideas of what I don't want...so maybe we are getting closer to having a plan.

I had hoped to stop at a few antique shops on the way home, but we spent so much time at Menard's that we needed to hurry home. Adam and a couple of friends were taking my car and going to my parent's house in the U.P., and we didn't want to keep them waiting. Adam's car is a tiny little Saturn sedan (I call it Stuart Little's car because when he stands next to it, the roof comes up to about his waist!), and my big SUV is way more comfortable for them for the long drive north and then home. Plus, they are bringing Eric home and there is no way 4 giant guys and their gear would fit in Adam's car!