crl - did you remember the graphing pencil and the 3 pack of erasers?

When date night is dinner out and then a trip to Lowes.

When you have flooring, cabinet, tile, countertop, and paint samples in your car at all times.

Yes to the tape measures in purse, car, and each room.

Yes to the graph paper. I have my graph paper pad, pencil, ruler, and big eraser sitting on my night stand as well as the coffee table in the living room. Oh and don't forget the little paper cut outs representing the island, the dining table, and sofa to scale!

This is fun...thanks Stephenj for posting.

Totally agree with GreenDesigns about the tape measures! I keep them everywhere, and have since I bought my first house nearly 30 years ago. I also always had little notes with measurements for everything in my house, just in case I found something great and wanted to know if it would fit. Eventually I replaced all of my little notes with digital ones (the My Measures app is wonderful).

Did anyone mention grocery shopping while trying to figure out which meals would take the least prep, make the least dishes, and be super quick so you can get back to work on your kitchen?

When I am downloading house apps for my phone.

When date night is dinner out and then a trip to Lowes.

Oh, I can so relate to that!

LOL...all the above!

Plus when you're out running errands or sitting in a restaurant or coffee bar and you eavesdrop on people talking about their remodeling projects to see if you can glean some good tips. (And, sometimes, wishing you had the guts to tell them "oh, honey, no" when they're describing something quite dysfunctional.)

LOL yes, yes to all of it! I think the measuring tape had reached the importance of my iphone in my life.....

date night is lighting, countertops, tile....

Errant_gw I figured out that vegetables require the most prep/cooking/dishes, so my children are thrilled with our current veggie-free lifestyle :-) But my waistline isn't -- that leads me to another one:

...you only fit into your stretchy pants! Because hot dogs. AGAIN.

....you are wearing mumu's to work and hope no-one notices. Because your life is so disorganized you are way behind on laundry. Because you spend 3 hours a day on gardenweb, or watching reno shows instead. Because at least SOMEONE is getting their reno completed!

....oh and don't forget, the "5-second rule" when you drop food on the floor, now includes brushing off the fine layer of dust from all the demo work. Meh, it's clean enough...

(on a side note - I needed this laugh today - I just got the electrician's estimate!)

LOL @ the 5 second rule!!

....when you are vacationing at Disney World and instead of watching the Main Street parade, you are examining the countertop in Casey's hot dog shop to determine if it is real Carrara marble or not.

Ahahaha!!!!! this! ^^^

- At least half the photos in your phone's camera roll are
kitchen related - pics of hand-drawn measurements and diagrams, houzz screenshots,
reference pics of potential hardware and tile, close-ups of the insides of ikea cabinet displays, etc.

I totally checked out the farmhouse kitchen in avengers. It's always interesting what set designers consider a "normal" house ;)
Finally had to give up and get a keychain tape measure after not having one when I needed it way too many times.

stephanj - Have you thought about getting an electric vegetable steamer to use for the duration of your remodel? I've never had one but we used one for sample processing in a lab I worked in and it seemed pretty cool and versatile. (and it was easy to clean) One of my coworkers actually bought himself the same model we had in the lab.

fishcow - thanks, it's a good idea, but then that would remove my all my excuses to be eating the way I currently am ;-) Seriously though, it's been all about the salads. Prewashed. Cha-ching.

When your big idea for Friday night before a 3 day weekend is to get to the paint store after work before it closes, so you don't have to be there on the weekend when all the "amateurs" are out. (Oh, I'm an amateur too-- that's just the way my dad always referred to people who "only" went fishing on weekends...)

All of the above! and .... when all the decisions have been made, the cabinet maker, fabricator, and flooring paid for .... then the doubt begins. What if we don't like it?!?!

...I also have 2x backsplash tile pieces in my purse...just in case I find any cute Kitchen accessories, I want to make sure they match/color coordinate! :-)

Omg...you are me....in a nutshell. I'll be watching tv with DH and tell him to look at the kitchen or whatever design element I see. Of course, he thinks I'm obsessed. Which is true.

Yes, I've been carrying a tape measure in my purse as well, along with all info pertinent to our remodel.

We've setup all the kitchen cabinets in another room exactly like they were in the kitchen (until they're sold). DH says he doesn't know where each of them go. But of course, I know and can help cause I know every measurement of every cabinet.

Fishcow....ditto the phone pics. I have at least 100 "inspiration" pics in mine. And a lot of conversation screen shots of crucial discussions right here on GW to assist us in making good decisions. Thanks to everyone here.

When you go out to dinner with your sister and her DH and all we can talk about is tile, refrigerators, etc because she just finished her kitchen reno and you're just starting yours. And we totally ignored the men.

You should try designing and building an entire house! All of the above times ten.

For me, I can't visit another house (any house) without looking and comparing how everything is done. It's really hard to keep your mouth shut about what you see, too.

haha peppermintleaf I don't have any tile in my purse but I do carry a paint chip everywhere!

oasisowner - the doubt is the worst! I have a "crisis" like every five minutes doubting my previously well though out, solid decisions.

fisshcow I agree, Hollywood has a pretty unfair representation of what an average home looks like IMO

....I have every measurement of every cabinet I am getting memorized. I could draw it to scale at a moment's notice. My husband however has no idea what we are getting lol...

So speaking of checking out movie & tv kitchens, was I the only one looking at the ones in this trailer? :D

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i-80SGWfEjM

DH has actually told me it's rude to measure other people's houses when visiting.

When your husband starts noticing kitchens (as he goes by) while you're watching HGTV.....

Great post!

When you ask a friend if you can try the roll out shelves in her pantry cab (not telling her you want to see if it is well used/organized or just a big junk drawer).

When you notice someones else's kitchen is not to code (e.g. no landing surface next to stove).

Check out the brand when a friend shows you his new kitchen cabinets.

Feel really sorry for the friend who did not use drawers for base cabs.

Start redesigning, in your mind, friends kitchens.

You are on day 4 of carryout/fast food and are already sick of all the options. Demo was Monday and kitchen will be supposedly up and running in another 2 1/2 weeks.

oasisowner, Our kitchen was out of commission for 3.5 months. That was a lot of eating out! I thought I would never eat out again when it was done. But that only lasted a few days. ;)

fishcow! Love that trailer and those kitchens! Now everybody go disinfect their KA! My hubby is an animator, and I bet you anything those kitchens were modeled after the actual artists' who worked on the film :-)

amberm lol! If they have gone through a kitchen reno they will understand...

lavender - uh oh, it's bad when the hubby is doing it too....

mdln - oh forgive me, I do the last one alllll the time! Mind you I know others have done it to me - this whole reno started because I asked my stepsister what she would do with my kitchen, and she got up off the chair and planned (quite astutely) the whole thing! Not that she had been thinking about it, right?

Oasis - I can never, ever eat macaroni salad and spanakopita from the deli, ever again #wholeweekwithoutafridge

Ohmigosh, fishcow, from now on every time we have an 'I love my KA mixer' thread, I'm going to post this:

Thanks for that trailer fish cow! Made my day. I had to watch it twice! So cute. And of course I had to get a screen shot of my dream turquoise big chill fridge (maybe?) and turquoise backsplash, white cabinets and grey countertop. Oh, we all need help, serious psychological help.... :-))))

ETA: I just showed hubby the trailer (3rd time watching!) and noticed a better shot of my dream kitchen! HA! It even has a turquoise range....I'm so jealous Chloe! Yes the cats name is Chloe notice the food dish. Those wood floors are gorgeous. Love your hardware. Yes, I think I've officially lost it!!!

When you calculate how many Starbucks skinny flavored lattes you have to forego to pay for that Stages 45 sink.

When I'm in the doctor's office and instead of listening to her, I'm wondering if the countertop behind her is quartz.

When I grumble daily as I search the HGTV and DIY Network guides for actual kitchen shows, only to see Yard Crashers and Decked Out.

When the oven in your existing stove no longer works, but you will NOT put a brand new shiny one in your OLD DISGUSTING KITCHEN. That must be saved for the new one. Thank God I have a slow cooker, toaster oven, griddle, grill etc. etc. I can do everything but make cookies and cakes. No problemo.... I just buy them premade - what a concept!

When you spend more time researching options than you do at work.

When you take your mom to the dentist she has been going to for 3 years and when you get to the granite counter, you run your hand over it and ask if it's new. No.

santabarbaratara, LOL!

rebunky, did they really put that fridge (gorgeous 'though it is) in the middle of a counter run? Tsk, tsk. I'd put on the right side, so that it's more accessible to diners, and have nice big drawers where it's presently located. Then I'd keep my KA in that corner. ;)

Whenever I learn a new skill, I really immerse myself in it. About 15 years ago, I designed and installed stage lighting for a local community theater. I bought books and studied everything I could. To this day, I can't enter a theater or auditorium without checking out the stage lighting!

This thread is my fave :-)

Lynne - hahaha yes don't they know HGTV should be an all-kitchen channel?!?

bobcatralph - I too, have realized an oven is Optional...

santabarbaratara - ouch the teeth grinding! Don't tell your dentist you have been chewing on granite!

Eric- it's worse when you are looking at options WHILE you are at work #notfiredyet

beth09 -cause you just noticed? lol

mama goose - Ha! It was just a matter of time before we started critiquing it! The dachsund kitchen countertop needs more overhang, IMO!

mushcreek - oh totally! Is it strange that I can give a rundown of every major supplier, countertop type, can name every single Benjamin Moore colour? Heck no!

Eric.....you are the MAN! Mine is......you know you're redoing your kitchen when you make your husband set his alarm clock on Saturday morning so you can be at the flooring store for an 8:00 a.m. appointment. Followed by the appliance store to remeasure the refrigerator you thought you wanted but now realize won't fit with the island so you have to get a different one. And of course you've had blue tape on the floor for weeks trying to figure out the dimensions of said island. And fighting with the kitchen designer over it's size and location. Does anyone do take-out bourbon - rocks, splash of ginger, lemon twist?????

@rebunky - i started watching the trailer and I was thinking "cute... cute... cu- OMG is that a Big Chill?!!!" :D

I just noticed from your still that there's a cat clock. How perfect is that? (I totally forgot those existed)

Cathi33:

Don't know about take-out bourbon, so maybe I should've had contractor install the bar ahead of the kitchen!

I have another one.... you know you're actually redoing your kitchen when you're tired of redoing your kitchen.

You know when you're redoing the kitchen when you start to get nervous carrying large objects through the room for fear of falling through the floor.

You mean this all isn't perfectly normal behavior??? Should I be worried?

Ever since I joined this Forum and had been looking at kitchens and floors, I always have a tape measurer in my purse and a bigger one in my car. I also notice every counter and cabinet wherever I go and told a tax client of mine that his house is not selling due to the outdated kitchen in a rich neighborhood and he has to either update it or offer a large credit at closing so new buyers can buy a new kitchen. It has now been a year and his house has not sold and he has since bought a new house. He is finally agreeing with me that I was right all along since he loves the kitchen in his new house.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who carries a measuring tape everywhere... And cabinet samples... Plus a binder that has our floorplan, contract, paint colors, doors.. Even though it's all on my phone and I have it memorized.....

Did I mention one of the ladies at Lowes is my baby's favorite person?? He won't go to my husband, but he will let her hold him and flirts like crazy...

I haven't had a kitchen sink in 5 weeks. I am losing it.

Is it weird that I just pulled my new sink out of its box, laid it on the plywood counter, rested my cheek against the cool, clean stainless steel, and just stared at it for awhile, and then put it back in the box and went back to what I was doing?

I thought not.

Got a new one.... You know you're redoing your kitchen when the 3 car garage has no room for the cars anymore.

Oh, Eric! So true. Although most of our stuff is piled in a corner of the living room and in DH's basement "man cave". He misses using the pool table, now covered with plywood so stuff can be piled on top. I tell him that if he ever gets my kitchen done, he can play pool again, lol. I hope it's incentive.

stephanj...I have done the same thing! Although I also pet it and tell it how much I love it.

lol funkycamper! OK...I might have petted it....just a little...it was so smooth! And shiny! And...and... sinky!

Eric- I will trade my car for a sink

Yes, sinky! That's it. The sinky is so seductive and alluring and lust-worthy, isn't it? :)