DIY: Do it yourself kitchen and patio

Dan went out of town for business three times in the past month and a half. Each time I took on a project and finished it before the came home. I hope he doesn't leave again because I'm out of rooms to work on!

Ok, so I've been watching a lot of "DIY" T.V. and the kitchen cabinets have been bugging me for a while. Nothing wrong with them, structurally, just didn't like 'em.

Now that I've done it, I have some great advice to anyone that might be wanting to start a project like this yourself: DON'T DO IT. Boy... did I open up Pandora's huge box...

When I first moved in, they looked like this: I added some color and knew the next thing to go would be that horrendous lighting...
Thomas (my handy man) put in the recessed lighting... which made a HUGE difference!
But a year later the cabinets were still bugging me. So when Dan was out of town I just took all the doors and hinges off... and starte sanding
And priming...
The worst thing about a home project is that until you're finished, the whole place is a disaster and I could not wait to finish and get it all back in place!!!
So I worked for 3.5 days straight... painted, waited for the doors to dry and put them back on.
The electric drill is my new favorite tool. Ever. The white matches the tile well and it brightens up the whole kitchen! Of course, my back was so sore I could not move for a week....

Finally! Finished. Flash didn't go off for these pictures, but it sure looks brighter in there!

When my back was feeling better and Dan went to Japan, I decided to move on to my next project. This is the patio when I first moved in:
We managed to turn it into a ghetto patio, which bugged me so much...
I kept watching DIY (Do it yourself) shows and reading magazines...
This was the best idea I've ever seen... I cleaned up and started laying wood interlocking tiles!
Getting better...
MUCH better! Now we can actually go outside and ENJOY it! :)
I even got myself a little potted herb garden, with fresh basil, rosemary, and mint.

It was SO nice when Dan came home, I cooked him (yes, I'm cooking now too, what the heck is going on with me???) a nice dinner and we ate outside on the patio by candle light! It was so nice! I think he was a bit surprised how much I got done while he was gone... Hey! I kept busy! :)