March 30
Janice and I have been chatting via phone or e-mail at least once a day about the specifics. I need to start thinking about work zones, she says—where I want to bake, have breakfast items, and such.

April 1
Start packing up the kitchen. Who knew we had all this stuff? Anybody want a circa-1940 cookie press from Dave’s Aunt Gussie?

April 23
Door samples propped up all over the house. I like one that is sort of Shaker-like but with a bit of a modern twist that makes it a better fit in our house. Bisque glaze on maple is my favorite finish. It’s a nice warm ivory color. I’d like to add some wood tones, too. But will that make the kitchen too dark?

May 1
I’ve got a stack of magazine clippings that could carpet the house. Too many decisions and too many choices. I want a decorative hood over the range rather than stainless steel, but I’m not sure how it should look. Given our home’s ranch roots, I can’t go with anything too fancy or too Tuscan in feel. Think I’ll call my artist brother-in-law, Scott, and see if he will advise me. He does color consults for clients all the time.

May 18
Scott and I spend the weekend hunched over tile samples, scribbling designs. I love the caramel-color tiles Scott suggests, but it’s hard to envision how they’ll look en masse. Will they go with my cobalt blue dishes? We also decide to put a utility-style sink in the mudroom rather than a bar sink on the pass-through. I’ve always wanted one of those big farmhouse sinks. On the design front, Scott says we should put arches over the pass-through, above the range hood, and on the kitchen-window valance. They will soften the lines of the cabinets and windows.