Gluttons for punishment.

Things are afoot here at the Casa Starchenko! Decisions have been made, plans are being made, and research is taking place. The lastest decisions:

Inside:
Paint color for kitchen and living room: Misty Lake, a light grey blue green color. I love it. We're painting the cabinets white and putting in new counter top. The general overall look will be very similar to this, except that there will be no stainless steel appliances. We're sticking with white. But of you look at the picture, you get the general idea of what it will mostly look like at the end, colorwise. We're currently researching how to paint cabinets. I've read several articles so far, and it doesnt seem hard, just time consuming. Very very time consuming. I'll be at it for at least a month, maybe 2. But I'd rather paint and get a new countertop rather than spend $12,000 for comparable cabinets in white.

Outside:
Total redo of the backyard. It's a rocky wasteland right now, and I want to make it more family friendly. We're pulling out several small trees, and putting in small terracing for our menace eroding slope. New lawn in the back, new plantings, a couple fo fruit trees, and a small patio in the corner, and eventually, in homage to my secret love for all things southwestern and west coastish, a chiminea. heavy

Did I mention that we're hoping to do all these things except the countertop ourselves? We're fools. We aren't denying that.