Cookies!!!!

So, I finally test drove the oven. I started with a simple Pillsbury Hershey's chocolate chip cookie test. I started with just two. So, if it went horribly wrong, I would have ruined only two cookies. The great thing about this oven is that it requires no preheating. Nice! And, it has preset food times. See the little silver knob? I just use that to scroll through the menus. Shoot it better have some interesting features. I paid enough for it....

And, here is the finished product of my first ever venture into making cookies.... Not the greatest looking cookies.... a little uneven... but, all in all, not to shabby. I placed them a bit too close to the trench, so they got a little warped. Now onto steaks and turkeys! :)

Taadaaaa!!

Finally, my oven is here and installed. It cost a bit more than I would have liked to pay, but it was the one of very few that would fit into the set opening in the cabinet. It's supposed to prepare food up to 3 or 4 times faster than a regular oven. That means cookies in 3 minutes!!! :) I haven't had the time to test it out yet, but I'm looking forward to it. So, now the renovation stage of my apartment is finally finished. After a few touch ups this morning and handing over of the final check, the weight was lifted. Now, to just settle in and start looking for furniture and the nice little accessories.

Oven!!!

Yaaaay!!! My oven finally arrived after two other cancelled delivery schedules. My contractor is supposed to come by and finish up the job today. I hope that is so. But, I was so excited about the oven actually getting here that I needed to take a picture of it and share it. So, here is the box that my oven is in. I'll hopefully be able to post up a installed picture soon.

floor issues

Well, this post is about the issues that I'm having with my floors. This photo displays the little bubbles of polyurethane that bubbles out of the floor. I'm guessing that it is polyurethane that has been trapped inbetween the floor panels. And, as time goes on, it gets pushed out. It may seem that this is not a huge problem. The problem is that when you remove this liquid, it leaves a sticky residue. This, in time, attracts dirt and leaves a dirty spot on the floor. This is if you remove it with your fingers, which my contractor's men did. Now, I've gotten to the point where I take a sharp knife and try to remove it as cleanly as I can. These spots are all over the floor.

This pic shows some of the touch up work that was done after the first pass of polyurethane. This was actually a "dry spot" where there was no polyurethane at all. After retouching, it seems that someone stepped in it and left a shoe print. Notice the circles. Obviously, this is not supposed to be there.
This pic shows wipe marks on the floor. See the dull streaks? Those are permanent. Or, so it seems at this point. My contractor is supposed to come by tomorrow to install my oven and "finish up". I'll question him about these issues at that point. Wish me luck. So, if any of you are planning to get new wood floors, ask if there is already a pre-finish on the panels. If so, stick with that. Supposedly, that is better than any finish you can get put on it. I didn't realize this, so I asked for a finish. And, this is why I am going through this drama. If only I would have studied up, I'd be finished by now. Well, just waiting for my oven.....

aaaaaaand.....

....here are the floors! They're finally done. Mmmm...shiney... You can't really tell from the picture, but there are some issues that need to be taken care of. Things like spaces under the moldings and imperfections in the finish. But, all in all, not a bad job. There are so many little touches that I already have in mind that need to be updated. Things like light switches, outlets, door knobs, locks, etc. Unfortunately, money is an issue, so things have to be planned out. I do need to get furniture. I'm in my place with a temperary futon now. I did pick up some Ikea items, tho. I picked up two cheap wardrobes to hold my clothes until I'm ready to purchase my built in units. And, I picked up a TV stand. It's basically a book shelf laid on its side. Nice and chunky! :) The apartment is very close to being finished. At least the basics. The oven(new) is being picked up on Thursday. Then, there is probably one more day of touch ups around the apartment. Then, the construction part will finally be finished. I can't wait to change all my locks and be able to finally settle in and enjoy my very own place. There will still be a ton of work till the place is ready for guests, but at least that's the more enjoyable part. Now, the hard part is to get everything in without scratching the floors.........