We received word the kitchen is complete -- at least the contractor's portion of it and with the exception of the two back doors to be installed at the beginning of March. The doors are ordered, but won't be in until March 1.

With that in mind, this weekend was spent moving back in to the kitchen.

We received word the kitchen is complete -- at least the contractor's portion of it and with the exception of the two back doors to be installed at the beginning of March. The doors are ordered, but won't be in until March 1.

With that in mind, this weekend was spent moving back in to the kitchen.

All the dishes had to be washed before putting them away. Even though they were packed some of the construction dust seeped into the boxes. There also was the wood shavings in the pots and pans from the old cabinets.

About 10 dishwasher loads later Everything was as bright and clean as the stainless steel dishwasher itself. I just want to go on the record saying I love my dishwasher.

After putting away the tableware and a few of the pots and pans, I decided more organization was needed. That meant a trip to IKEA. Now for me, this is an all-day experience. I just love going through the showrooms there and all the cool gadgets. This time, however, I was on a kitchen mission. I went with a two-page list of measurements and plenty of ideas.

I came out $300 poorer, but very happy. Here's what we bought

1. Cutlery trays for silverware and knives. I can't find a link to these online, but these are by far the best buy I made over the weekend. They come in sections and are completely adjustable. The knife holders have wood blocks for the blades so you don't get stabbed rooting through the drawer. They also keep the knives sharper.

2. Cool towel rack bars that can hang under the cabinet or on spare walls. These have basket-type accessories that can hold anything from cutlery to potholders and frequently used cookbooks.

• Organization system
  
• Additional accessories
  
• Even more accessories

3. 10 Pull-out shelves for the pantry cabinet.

4. A new collander and a new strainer (I threw the old ones)

5. I replaced a few other kitchen utensils and some spice jars
spice jars:

6. A rack to hold the lids for my pots and pans

7. Some drawer liners

8. Some drinking cups for my kid

I know that doesn't sound like $300 worth of stuff, but the pull-out racks were $160. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to take them back. They don't fit in our cabinets and the next size will be too narrow. I may have to call the company that made the cabinets and order some through them.

Just so you know, I love the Refrigerator, too. I still need to stock it. All it has right now is milk, juice, condiments and sodas. There are a few things in the freezer -- chicken, hamburger, frozen vegetables -- but I haven't had the opportunity to cook yet.

The stove is installed, but I only have half of the ingredients for the things I want to make, and I haven't read the manual yet. It's kind of thick and may take me a bit.

I think the first thing that I will make with it will likely be chocolate chip cookies. Yeah, I know, not the healthiest fare, but they sure do taste good when they are warm.

We did discover one little problem over the weekend. The garbage disposal leaks a bit, so we'll need to have the plumbers out to fix that.

On Tuesday morning, our water softener will be installed and we can start using the water and ice machine in the refrigerator. We couldn't wait on the dishwasher. I needed the weekend to figure out where I was putting everything.