D Day

After years of planning and procrastinating, tomorrow is demolition day in my kitchen.  It marks the beginning of a 4 to 6 week adventure without a kitchen.  Needless to say weeks, no months of preparation have led up to this point.  Hours running around choosing cabinets, and door handles, floors and counter tops, pricing appliances, comparing....  I was surprised by the number of details, moldings, garbage bins, drawers and pantries.  Then comes the packing!!

I have included a couple of before pictures that shows the entire span of counter space and the 30 year old cook top and oven.  If you look closely, you might also notice the bulkhead and suspended ceiling straight out of an Austin Powers movie. 

As exciting as it is to know that I will end up with the kitchen of my dreams...  it is stressful, and even a little sad to see the kitchen I have cooked in, fed my family in and entertained my friends in be ripped apart.  The kitchen is most definitely the heart of my home and I have spent more hours in there than I can count. 

We have put together a temporary cooking area.  It consists of a microwave, a toaster, a kettle, a crock pot, an indoor grill, a waffle maker and a BBQ.  The cupboard on the left holds the food.  The fridge will be conveniently relocated to the basement, assuming it will fit down the stairs.  The rest is now located in various boxes strewn about the dining room.

I will spend the next few weeks sharing my kitchen renovation with you.  And how we cope as vegans without a kitchen in a small town with no vegan friendly restaurants!!  I have spent the last few hours making enough of my special oatmeal to last the week, and falafels for my son's lunch this week.  This should ward off starvation for the time being.  If need be, I know I can live off of oatmeal, miso soup and salad. 

Have any of you been through this experience?  I would love to hear your advice on surviving a kitchen reno without losing your mind.  Where the heck did you wash your dishes??