The Kitchen Project

The first set of cabinets are done! Woot! Hubby put the second coat on the doors yesterday and I laid down new shelf liner then put it all together this morning.

The hardware has gone from this lovely shade of grease

To this!

Yeah, baby! Look at the shine on those cabinets too, huh? Took two days to clean up the hardware, a bottle of vinegar, a toothbrush, a bottle of Tarn-X, a can of Brasso, a few soft scrubbies, and lots of patience but I think they look great.

Now for the cabinets….drum roll please…..

Not too shabby, hey?

Next Victim…

If I had my way…and a ton of cash!..I’d knock out that wall and open it up. Get rid of the cabinet and the little open closet space next to it, turn it into a two shelf-bookcase on the living room side. Dreamin’s free. LOL

Yep, it needs help and this is the ‘youngest’ cabinet in the kitchen. As you can see, there’s no need to worry about contact paper with this one as my mother never put it down.

Considering three weeks ago we started with this

And managed to turn it into this

I think we got this one licked.

Sunday Stories-Obsession

Hi there!

Welcome to the very first week of the

Sunday Stories Independent Authors Hop

I’d like to introduce you to my upcoming novella

Obsession
Releases 2/29/2012

A Bit About: Set in the fictional place of Tarrytown, Maine, “Obsession” centers on the characters of Colonel Kevin T. Smith, retired and Helen Edward Makris both of whom have a second-chance at love if only the Shaw Street Strangler would get out of their way. This novella is Adults Only and contains several scenes of graphic sex, violence, and sexual violence. As with everything else I write it is not for the faint of heart as we delve into the diseased mind of an serial killer with a deadly obsession…or two.

Excerpt:

As Kevin closes the front door he turns to the irate younger man and begins walking toward him, “Just wait, before you start…”

“Start? Start? You better be more concerned about how I’m gonna finish this…Colonel,” Rafe shoots as he takes an angry step toward the man holding up his hands in a gesture of peace and surrender. Before he can shove Kevin away from Helen she steps in and pushes them apart.

“Why I do I feel like I’m in a time warp standing here between you and your brother?” Helen asks as her warm brown eyes glare at her son. “Listen to me, Rafe, it’s been a horrible day and I really don’t need whatever this is. So, like when you were little, if you two have some issue with each other, there’s the door. Take it outside, settle it like men but, for right now, just leave me out of it!” She plops down on the couch, white as a sheet, grabs for the half-full glass of wine with one hand and her head with the other.

Kevin walks away, puts his hand on the slider and opens the door, “You heard your mother, Edwards, let’s go.”

“We’re not on duty now I don’t have to take orders from you.”

“We’ll then take them from me, your poor mother, and get out.”

With a deep grunt, Rafe walks out the door behind Colonel Smith but before it’s even shut he starts yelling obscenities. Kevin pulls him toward the farthest corner of the deck away from the house knowing Ellie doesn’t need to find out about him this way. “Are you fuckin’ my mother?”

Edwards was a lot of things in Kevin’s experience with the man and apt to mince words had never been one of them. “That’s rather crude and I don’t think of it like that but, yes. If you should ask her about it I wouldn’t put it to her quite that way.”

“No? What way are you putting it to her?”

End Excerpt

You can find out more about my novels, including the OF WAR Series by visiting me on website. I hope you enjoyed my little offering today and that you will return next week.

Please return to the

Sunday Stories Independent Authors Hop

to check out and enjoy the offerings of other wonderfully talented and creative Independent Authors.

The hop is open to ALL authors who are Independent and Proud or associated with a Small Press. The site offers free promos and more.

Sweet Saturday Samples-Obsession

Welcome to my post for this week’s Sweet Saturday Samples

Come morning, just as the sun was poking its warm head over the horizon she got up and started snapping away. The brilliant red fireball in the bright blue sky bursting up behind the array of golden leaves on the stand of White Birch trees was everything she envisioned. She was tickled pink when she was able to catch a few spectacular images of the breath taking background with a large trout jumping in the crystal blue lake in the foreground. Helen took so many pictures she used up all three of her memory cards certain she’d gotten some of the best shots of her life. Thrilled with herself for the first time in a long time and knowing she was alone, Helen stripped off her clothes and went for a late fall swim in the chilly lake. At first her body balked but then, as she dipped her silver-gray head below the water, she felt refreshed and even free as her slender body cut through it with ease. Helen started humming and then singing; “Good day, sunshine, good day, sunshine.” She ducked under the water for one last dunk before making her way to shore but when she emerged from the soaking there was a man standing on the shore. She was absolutely shocked to see anyone standing there. Ducking under the water she wrapped one around protectively around her naked breasts as she ran a hand down her face to clear the water away to be sure he wasn’t a mirage.

“Well, what have I found ‘ere?” The man on the shore smiled a wide grin and took a few steps towards the water. “Is she a nymph? No wait, I know, she’s a mermaid out here in her natural environment, a pretty one at that.”

Helen was taken aback by his straightforward nature, “Shoo, go away.” She hissed. “Don’t you have any manners?” Helen took him in trying not to show any fear but he was a giant of a man, he had to be nearly 6’6 if not more. He had collar length wavy raven hair, a full but very well kept beard on his handsome face, and olive skin which would have led her to believe him Italian or Greek if it hadn’t been for the Down Under accent that came out of his full lips. “There’s no fishing here,” she pointed at the rod and tackle in his hand.

“No camping either,” he pointed to her bedroll and smoldering campfire, “I can read, sweetheart.” Then he held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, “I didn’t mean any harm, I’ll leave you to your morning swim. You’ve probably scared away all the fish here anyway.”

“Whatever, just…go away.” Helen tried to shoo him away with her hand as she tread water. “Get out of here.” The stranger gave her no further trouble, he just smiled and winked at her before turning around and heading back into the woods. She watched him until she couldn’t see him any longer and then she waited some more before making the short swim to shore and hurriedly jumping into her clothes without drying.
Obsession releases 2/29/2012 and is adults only.

Thank you for coming by today! I hope you enjoyed my little offering and to see you again next week.

Please go back to the Sweet Saturday Samples Hop to read more excerpts from many talented and wonderful authors.