Many Hands Makes Light Work

Many Hands Make Light Work Many hands make light work is something I heard on repeat growing up in a large family of eight.

Our kitchen is proof of that. When we first moved into this crazy fixerupper home of ours in Colorado, I was pregnant with our third child. My husband, a high school basketball coach and middle school administrator —aka a very VERY busy guy—had one free weekend at the start of the year without any basketball games or meetings. So we took full advantage of the opportunity and started demoing by ripping out the floors.

As we finished demoing our kitchen, my husband jokingly said to me, “Fun Fact: our kitchen still works as great as the day we bought it.”

He was right, which was the scary truth about it. This kitchen when we first bought the house had two ovens, a gas stovetop, a fridge, and sink. However, both ovens didn’t work, stovetop burners didn’t turn on, the sink leaked on one side (while clogged on the other), and our fridge dripped from the bottom. Not to mention our electrical outlets were broken, as well as the cabinets. So yes, it was just as functional in the demoed mess as the day we bought it.

When spring break came in March 2020, we were in the thick of remodeling knowing baby #3 would be here in just a few short months.

Then COVID hit. With hardly any flooring throughout our entire upstairs, walls missing from knocking them down and other walls half completed, we felt like we were in over our heads. Our entire kitchen was “broken” as our two-year-old would tell everyone.

We learned very quickly how true it is that the kitchen is the heart of the home since it was greatly lacking in ours. We were living with an unboxed stove in the middle of our dining room, kitchen cabinets emptied in our bedrooms, and tools spread all throughout our living room. I was cooking in our laundry room and washing dishes in our bathtub, all while we had a two-year-old, a one-year-old & I was 7 months pregnant. I honestly wish I

was exaggerating this story! To say life in our home was chaos is an understatement. I’m feeling stressed out all over again just writing this.

I got a call from my mom one day, and she asked “How would you like it if I brought the crew in from Pittsburgh? We’d be quarantined with you until baby gets here—are you up for that?” OF COURSE I WAS! My mom, dad, brother, and sister drove over 1,300 miles through the night to get here.

For the next 2 months, we worked and we worked nonstop. We laid carpet in two bedrooms, put in new hardwood and baseboards throughout the upstairs, tiled the pantry, put up a ceiling in the basement, installed lighting, finished drywalling, painted cabinets, and decided to lime wash the entire exterior of our house because why not? The nesting instinct was strong.

We did everything we could to save money on this kitchen remodel, even if that meant doing the work ourselves and repurposing old materials, allowing us to splurge a little more on what mattered to us. We reused the cabinets but reconfigured the layout. Then topped it off with higher-end hardware as well as backsplash to update the space.

Next began my search for the *perfect* oven hood. I hunted and hunted annnnd hunted for the statement piece. After what felt like endless researching online for something that not only fit our budget but also brought my vision to life, I came across Hoodsly. As I scrolled through their hoods, I was smitten by all of them! Picking one honestly may have been the reedom to bring my vision to life. hardest decision. I chose the Classic

Curved Hood unfinished because it gave me the creative

I loved the simplicity of the curves which complimented the curve in our crown moulding, as well as the curve on our raised panel cabinets. It tied all these small details together. The oven hood instantly transformed the space and is without a doubt the focal point of our kitchen. It took our dated 80’s oak cabinets and made them look intentional. Thanks to our Hoodsly hood, our kitchen feels timeless and is by far my (and others’) favorite part of the space.

Many hands make light work. This home has felt the love and hard work of many hands, and it has a new heart because of each of them.s