Mid-Project: Kitchen

BEFORE: Horrible orange walls, sparse lighting, plain stock oak cabinets

MID-PROJECT: Painted white cabinets, 3 can lights added, walls painted creamy white

I love how much more clean it feels, but it still feels a little too sterile. I plan on giving the cabinets some depth with some brown stain or even acrylic paint (hot tip from my Mom). I'm still getting an 80's vibe from the countertops, but maybe we can convince the landlord to let us get new ones (these are poorly installed, have bubbles and chips in them)?

At any rate, I really like the direction my kitchen is headed. I'll post pictures of the finished kitchen when I get it done. In the meantime, just be glad you're not running 6 miles uphill like I will be doing tomorrow. A few of my sisters and aunts are running the Sawtooth Relay from beautiful Stanley to Ketchum, Idaho. Wish me luck and have a great weekend whatever your plans are!

Immobile

Today I just want to get back in bed. Travis started work, leaving me alone with four kids for three days. It was so fun having him home, working on house projects together. I knew it wouldn't last, but it's still sad to see him go.

I've made my to-do list and I hope to get up the gumption to work on it. We spent a long time eating our breakfast of granola, Jiffy blueberry muffins, milk and grapefruit. Henry had bananas and rice cereal. The kids have friends over and are watching Toy Story 3. I still have lots more painting to do, but don't think I'll get around to it until the kidlets are in bed. I will post pictures of my finished kitchen when I get the pile of dishes in the sink done and the clean dishes put away.

If you're wondering what our town is like, here's an excerpt from my weekly letter to my family:

I've learned some interesting things about the culture here. I've met some women with interesting names, including DeRonda and Tootie. The local paper lists everyone who breaks the law, including those who hunt without a tag or get a speeding ticket. The local radio station has a special segment at 12:45 PM, like the radio version of Craigslist, where they announce anything from "Items Wanted" to "Needing a Ride." Oh, and they announce birthdays too. The fire station sounds the fire engine siren at high noon everyday. Everyone knows everyone and it is like Mayberry, only with deer antlers everywhere. Kids go to school 4 days a week, to save the district money. Some men wear Wranglers and cowboy hats to church. Testimony meeting today was interesting, with members sharing funny personal stories. I went in to check on our mail delivery and the postmaster knew how many mail pieces we'd gotten that day and said the postal carrier was impressed with how Travis built the holder for the mailbox. The customer service here is unparalleled. If there is a form to fill out, the person does it for me. If I buy something, they load it in the car without even saying a word. It is like night and day from the talk-on-the-cell-phone-while-waiting-on-customers kind of customer service in Cleveland. I could get used to this.

Yes, I'm Still Painting

I had a hard time falling asleep last night because I was worried that I'd ruined my kitchen cabinets. In my rush to get this project done so I can move on to more exciting things, I didn't sand or prime my cabinets before painting. So I was worried that because I was also painting with latex paint (which isn't as hard as enamel or an oil-based paint) that my cabinets were going to show every scratch and ding. Well, after a talk with my Mom today, who eased my troubled mind (she knows paint), I think it's going to be okay. I may be touching up my cabinets every month or two though, which I guess is fine considering I should've started this project right by sanding and priming. I'll let you know how my cabinets hold up... In the meantime, I am enjoying the color: white. I am in love with white lately.

Today I'm...

...painting the cabinets white. Looks like these early 2000's stock Home Depot cabinets are going to get a new 'do. Stay tuned for more pictures.

His Mother's Son...

...for back in my teenage days, I slept in a hotel bathtub overnight. Oh, the discomfort!

Slow, but Steady

Yesterday's Living Room

Today's Living Room


Do you see what's different?
We're getting there, painting one room at a time...

Counting My Blessings

I'm in a blah mood tonight and to help myself feel better, I mentally listed some of my blessings. It works every time (as does a small bowl of no-bake cookie dough).

One of the "blessed" things was this little chub. He is pure joy.

And, along with my handyman, my house project is on the list. I love seeing a house transformed.

There...I feel better.

Moving Right Along

In a whirlwind of events, including a move, a graduation, several family gatherings, and now a home remodeling project, we're finally settled back in the Great Northwest!

Sometimes I doubted whether I'd make it out of Cleveland alive, but somehow we survived it and have lived to tell the story.

We had a nice show of support from family. The Dean of the Dental School said it best when he referred to seeing a turtle on a fencepost: you know it didn't get there by itself.

And what trip cross-country wouldn't be complete without a reunion of the babies?

More posts to come.... I'm excited to show you the pictures of our rental remodel!

Happy Mothers Day!

Wearing my tissue paper corsage made by Lucy at preschool

Take #97 of after-church photo shoot

Take #14

Take #45


Happy Mothers Day to all the women who have influenced me, most especially to my Mother. May you enjoy today because you deserve a little time in the spotlight!

Eat With Me: Moving Style


As in- my kitchen is packed and we're eating off paper plates- style. I wasn't trying to get all the items on my plate to match scale-wise, it just happened that way.

Trying to simplify things around here, I bought a bunch of microwaveable bags of frozen vegetables. I love those things! Usually I use them when I don't have any fresh produce and I'm short on dinner preparation time. But lately they've come in handy as they require no pans, no servings bowls, and hardly any time. Simple measures to make my life a little easier during this crazy time...

It's Come to This

Our house is a "disaster zone," with boxes everywhere. I'd say we're about 85% packed. We're all sleeping on mattresses without box springs. In a whirlwind morning, Travis and I cleaned out the garage and the basement, then I did a number on our van. Holy cow is all I can say. It looked like Easter had exploded in our car (think plastic eggs in every conceivable nook and cranny). It took me half hour alone just to remove Easter stickers off the windows in the backseat. That was probably the most therapeutic thing I've done in a year. Then I gave the lawn it's first trim of the year. And it needed it bad. Phew to this morning's grueling jobs that are now done!

Lucy here, donning the dining room light fixture.

Henry has no idea what's going on, but he knows it's fun. Update on his body: as of the last ultrasound, his left kidney is shrinking, as they anticipated, and the right one is robust and very healthy. He has pocketing in his bladder, which isn't causing any problems at this point. At one point his Dr. said he might need surgery about this time, but she has decided that he's doing so well that we'll just need to find a urologist in Oregon and continue to monitor him every three months or so. I'm glad things continue to go well with little Henry.


It's back to the packing and cleaning for me. I just had to pop in and say hello. Ciao!

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

And that's why I haven't quit posting the babe pictures. I just can't get enough.

7-Month-Old Bug O' Mine

This is my date and me, fuzzy, before we headed out to the Class of 2011 Senior Dinner. My newly-highlighted hair was a mop for the sweat of my forehead from an afternoon of cleaning and cooking in this humid house. I refrained from washing my meal down with a cold one (so many choices at the open bar!), but drank plenty of bottled water. I slept good that night, stickiness and all.

Can't Get Enough Of This

via www.ourhomemadehappy.com

Update on "project John Day": We found a house to rent month-to-month until we can find a place to buy. I was hoping to find a place we could just plant ourselves in upon moving, but this was the best option given our current situation. On the other hand, I kind of like this open-ended-ness. If we buy a fixer-upper, I could work some magic on it and really make it my own. If we found a home requiring less elbow grease, we could make small changes that have a big impact. It has me thinking of my ideal home. I've started a list of things I want, not necessarily practical, unattainable or glamourous:

• sink disposal
• kitchen without a major traffic flow running through it
• large yard
• eat-in kitchen and formal dining room
• 2 bathrooms

Those were the big things, and I'm sure I'll think of more as the days go on. What would you like in your "ideal home"?

Images from a Weekend

Spring Break is officially over. Like most weeks, it has worn me out. Despite the little traces of remaining snow, I can feel Spring is near. Thank goodness!

This week I will go find a place to call home in our new town. I'm afraid I won't find anything I like. I'm afraid I won't find anything we can afford. I'm afraid of the unknown, basically.

There's only so much thinking about the future one can do until she reaches a point she just has to "jump!" and experience it. I'm ready to jump.

Things are Gettin' Crazy (In a Good Way)

Just when I thought Spring would never come, she peeked out at me from behind the clouds and sent the crocuses shooting out of the ground. It's electrifying.

Where did all the time go I had to prepare to move? By the looks of my calendar, which is getting filled with appointments, school functions, and a trip West to secure a house, my time left in the Emerald City is running out.

Things are chaotic around here. I'm busy, but in a good way. I like this kind of hustle and bustle. Henry is downing baby food, Miles is talking like never before, Lucy is still sassy, and Finn wore his pajamas to school today for the official Pajama Day. Life is good. Unpredictable, fast-paced, and downright jarring sometimes, but ultimately very, very good.

Making: Pillows to Paper Chains

I've been absent because my computer was with the Geek Squad getting a new fan installed.

Lest you think this ready-for-Spring-crazy lady has been twiddling her thumbs, here's a look at my new living room pillow cover. I used vintage fabric scraps and blue yarn from my stash. It's been a pleasant change to see lately.

The kids have also had a gajillion days off of school (either from sickness or snow or official-off days). To bide our time, one day we made paper chains.

They are so fast and simple, it was the perfect project considering the attention spans of these two.

Random Photos from the Week

I'm not sure who is responsible for half of the pictures on my camera from this past week (I'm suspecting Finn), but here's a random assortment of them.

My camera can vouch for signs of life around these parts even when my blog can't.

Eat With Me: Lunch on a Friday


Travis thinks me eating sauteed spinach is weird. What do you think? I say if I'm gonna get my leafy greens, it's the easiest way for it to go down. I know you can make shakes out of the stuff, but I just prefer it cooked in a little bit of olive oil with salt and pepper. And as for the tuna, I prefer chopped celery in it. What about you? We had it with apples, nuts, and celery growing up. And now I'm eating an orange to cap the whole meal off. I always have to have something sweet after a meal!

Healing

Things are looking up for the sickies in this household.

Nasal congestion has subsided tremendously, we're actually getting some good sleep at night...

...Henry is adjusting quite nicely to drinking from a bottle. (This photo is of a couple days ago when he was sick, hence the red eyes).

Thanks for all of your well wishes.