Kitchen Woes!

I will probably never go shopping again since we have to remodel our kitchen and fix our plumbing but all I can do is dream about instant hot water and water pressure. It sucks that we don't have a dishwasher *I know, it's like not having a cell phone* but on top of that having to hand wash our dishes using a trickle of water that is either scalding hot or tepid is extremely annoying. Antz is always asking why I don't cook more often, "IT'S OUR LOUSY BROKEN KITCHEN!!" When I go to my Mom's house, I enjoy cooking. Antz and her knocked down a wall themselves 5 years ago, opening up her tiny galley kitchen which now has a massive island. Our kitchen is a decent size but there isn't enough counter space or a dishwasher.

I can't even fit my mixer under the cabinets since they were built so low

The faucet we had installed 6 years ago now leaks and I would love a pull out feature so I can rinse the sink

That orange makes me cringe. It will be difficult, but we are going to try to salvage the cabinets and paint them a crisp white. The hinges are awful and most of the doors don't close properly.

I love our hardwood floors but they are in pretty gnarly shape. We need some wood replaced and I'd like to have them stained just a shade darker.

I've considered cutting out the lower cabinet but it will be too expensive to add a water line plus a $600 dishwasher

We have a bar and stools now but the dining table and chairs will be a tight squeeze in this space

Things to do:
Paint walls / Cabinets
Refinish floors
Replace backsplash with penny or subway tile
Replace tile countertop with butcher block wood countertop
New Light fixture
New Faucet
New Dining table and chairs
Repair plumbing

Ideally our budget is $6,500. That is a serious stretch, we still need to find someone to refinish and repair the original hardwood floors and an electrician to repair one of our recessed lights. I would LOVE a dishwasher, but I don't see where we can fit it, that would mean new cabinets which we can't afford and plumbing to hook it up. Boo! I am working on a mood board but it's lacking color at the moment.

I intend to liven the room up with new curtains and painting the walls an aqua turquoise shade and I like this art piece

to take the place of the Blik Milk & Cookies decal I wanted *since I discovered it's too large for the wall I was going to put it on*

I need to find a new place for Lola's litter once the new dining table and chairs come in. Any cat owners have an idea for hiding the gross litterbox? I have a friend who used to keep hers in a closet she wasn't using but every 833 square inches of this house is packed. Antz wants to move it outside but I'm positive unwanted visitors will use it. I am wary about the butcher block countertop, I am super clumsy so I'm sure I'll ruin it immediately. I also worry about marking it up with knives and scratches. We plan on staining it with Wood Conditioner/Minwax Special Walnut #224/Waterlox. I found this couple's DIY advice on Pinterest, which gives me a little piece of mind. I wish we knew someone handy *other than my Mom* just to cut the sink for us cause we're keeping our 89 year old cast iron sink and it's going to be a bitch to make the cut precise. I have no room in our budget to hire a professional to install our countertop so it's gonna look funky. I figure at worst we'll make a mess, end up having to rip everything out and be kitchen-less for a few years until we can afford to hire someone. At best, we give it a try and it turns out as lovely as our bathroom makeover. It's always a pain in the ass to do it yourself, it takes 3 times as long to finish and you end up sweaty and sore but I am ready to tackle it next March *after my birthday!* I should try to fit in an hour long massage in our budget cause all the demo work we have ahead of us is not going to be fun. I could do so much more if I didn't have to spend so much on the stupid plumbing. MERDE!!