~~ They're leaving the nest, sew it's time for a trip - or two - or three...~~ D~'s bag ~9/22 ~~

[mymainmouse]

I love how your kitchen is turning out!! It is so pretty! And I love the corbels! I never would have thought of that. It's all looking great. It's a tough decision between stairs and bathroom floor. We have wood painted stairs in our kitchen and they can be slippery in socks and especially for dogs. I suppose if you don't let or want the dogs upstairs that may be a plus. Have a great holiday and good luck getting your kitchen done!

 

[Terkina]

Sounds like you and the girls had a good time meeting family.

How great that V got some driving practice on the way home.

I'm sorry to hear you and Josh didn't get as much done in the kitchen as you would like. Crossing my fingers that you will get more done during this week.

 

[Clio]

It sounds like you had a good visit with family. Sorry Josh didn't get as much done as planned. I kind of like the wainscotting going up to the top of the cabinets. I'd just throw onto the bathroom floor for now. I don't anyone will notice. I'm not sure about the stairs though. They are very slippery without carpeting. I can't tell you how many times we fell on my mom and dad's stairs.
I had a fun visit out at the campgrounds yesterday. My friends, daughter and I are part of a geocaching group. Lately they've haven't geocached much. We did look for few caches yesterday but it was very hot. We spend most of the time sitting around talking about past campouts.
Enjoy your day
Liz

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

It's looking absolutely fabulous! Such a transformation - it's gorgeous! You guys have worked so hard....it's wonderful to see it coming together so beautifully.

Prayers for your Dad.....

I bought the Whole30 book and read it this weekend. It makes SO much sense, especially with the health problems I'm having (chronic fatigue, joint pain, other body pain, stomach problems, etc.). We made two recipes from it yesterday for dinner that we all loved. My doctors haven't been able to figure out what's wrong with me but they're now saying it's probably fibromyalgia and have again said I need to try cutting out gluten, dairy, and sugar. I've been working on cutting out dairy and have eliminated almost all of that from my diet....now working on trying to cut back on gluten. With the health problems I'm having and the research I've done, my husband and I think a Whole30 is the way to go. He's going to do it with me -- and our 17 year old daughter said she will, too. But we aren't going to start it until after my Disney trip in August. There is too much going on between now and then -- family trip to Utah to visit my husband's family, crazy work stuff, and then the Disney trip in August. But in the meantime, we're going to start making some changes and using Whole30 recipes throughout the week so we can get used to doing more prep in the kitchen and cutting out fast food and things like that. Do you mind if I message you sometime for information?

 

[DMGeurts]

I love how your kitchen is turning out!! It is so pretty! And I love the corbels! I never would have thought of that. It's all looking great. It's a tough decision between stairs and bathroom floor. We have wood painted stairs in our kitchen and they can be slippery in socks and especially for dogs. I suppose if you don't let or want the dogs upstairs that may be a plus. Have a great holiday and good luck getting your kitchen done!

Thank you - I just love seeing it come together, I've doubted myself often as we've gone through the process... but I love it when my family tells me that they had doubts too - and now love how it's coming together.

Well - SC hasn't actually figured out how to do stairs yet... His front legs work just fine coming down - but his back end just slides down behind him - it's quite comical actually. I grew up on painted stairs, so I don't think I will have too much of an issue? The rest of the family may? I guess I can always put a carpet runner on there?

Thanks - we are making good visual progress now.

I hope you had a nice holiday weekend!

Sounds like you and the girls had a good time meeting family.

How great that V got some driving practice on the way home.

I'm sorry to hear you and Josh didn't get as much done in the kitchen as you would like. Crossing my fingers that you will get more done during this week.

We did - it was so nice to see everyone!

Yes - she really needs that night time piece, so it was good to get her so many hours at one time.

We were able to get a lot done yesterday - we both worked at it all day, and I am happy with the progress.

It sounds like you had a good visit with family. Sorry Josh didn't get as much done as planned. I kind of like the wainscotting going up to the top of the cabinets. I'd just throw onto the bathroom floor for now. I don't anyone will notice. I'm not sure about the stairs though. They are very slippery without carpeting. I can't tell you how many times we fell on my mom and dad's stairs.
I had a fun visit out at the campgrounds yesterday. My friends, daughter and I are part of a geocaching group. Lately they've haven't geocached much. We did look for few caches yesterday but it was very hot. We spend most of the time sitting around talking about past campouts.
Enjoy your day
Liz

We did - it was so nice to see everyone.

It's OK - we made up for it yesterday.

I liked the wainscoting going up a good portion of the wall - but the top of the cabinets was just too tall for they style I am going for in there... Thankfully, Josh was able to cut it back yesterday - so it stops about 6" above the bottom of the cabinets now.

I feel like our carpeting is really slippery on the stairs too... But our current carpeting needs to come off, there is just no way around that... I guess the biggest question is if the stairs will be able to be refinished or not? Ideally, I'd like the risers to be painted, and the treads to be stained wood.

It sounds like you had a great day! I am glad you were able to catch up with friends.

It's looking absolutely fabulous! Such a transformation - it's gorgeous! You guys have worked so hard....it's wonderful to see it coming together so beautifully.

Prayers for your Dad.....

I bought the Whole30 book and read it this weekend. It makes SO much sense, especially with the health problems I'm having (chronic fatigue, joint pain, other body pain, stomach problems, etc.). We made two recipes from it yesterday for dinner that we all loved. My doctors haven't been able to figure out what's wrong with me but they're now saying it's probably fibromyalgia and have again said I need to try cutting out gluten, dairy, and sugar. I've been working on cutting out dairy and have eliminated almost all of that from my diet....now working on trying to cut back on gluten. With the health problems I'm having and the research I've done, my husband and I think a Whole30 is the way to go. He's going to do it with me -- and our 17 year old daughter said she will, too. But we aren't going to start it until after my Disney trip in August. There is too much going on between now and then -- family trip to Utah to visit my husband's family, crazy work stuff, and then the Disney trip in August. But in the meantime, we're going to start making some changes and using Whole30 recipes throughout the week so we can get used to doing more prep in the kitchen and cutting out fast food and things like that. Do you mind if I message you sometime for information?

Thank you so much - it's been so much work for us... I knew it would be - but there is just no way to have any idea until a person starts ripping it apart and doing it. There is still a lot more work to be done than what I wanted at this point - but I am so happy with how it looks, which makes up for being behind schedule.

Thank you! I should know more today.

Good for you! I always feel like the food we feed our bodies has a direct correlation to our health - as in, I feel like diet should be the first thing to change before anything else is tried... It just makes the most sense. So, good for you for starting there. I also feel - if someone is going to do a Whole30 (I plan to start another one right after graduation... These last weeks of crap food are really taking a toll on me) - planning and scheduling it at a time when they have time to do it is a huge factor for success - meal prep and food prep takes a lot of time - regardless of what anyone says - batch cooking is super helpful, and in large amounts - as much as possible. Are we friends on FB?: There is a private Whole30 first timers group on there, which has been super helpful to me throughout both of my Whole30s - they are strict (like VERY STRICT), but very knowledgeable... I highly recommend this group. And please feel free to PM me any time with questions - I am always happy to help.

I hope you had a nice holiday weekend.

*****************************************************************************************************

OK - so I was determined to get a lot done yesterday.

Was I successful? yes... Did I get as much done as I wanted to? No. It's just a simple fact - everything takes so much longer than you think it will.

So, I started my morning off with applying the 2nd coat of primer to all of the trim in the kitchen - working my way around the room... Then I detoured and also did a coat of primer on the door frame to the office and the door frame on the steps (it's an old farmhouse, remember? So, at one time - there was a door on the steps to close them off in the winter to keep some of the heat downstairs - this is very common in MN - not sure about other areas of the country?). When I was done with all of the farmhouse trim - it took a long time... Allison came down to help me for part of it (in between her own packing and cleaning her room) - I started painting it... Which also took a long time. It was about 2pm when I finished the trim... And I started on it at 8am!

While I was doing that, Josh was working on the wainscoting - cutting it down to the height I wanted. He was a really good sport about this, I have to say, he had put a lot of work and a lot of custom cutting into getting it to look perfect at the height it was at, and I felt terrible for making him cut it down - but ultimately, it just didn't look right to me - especially if we are planning to wrap it around the room - the whole wall, except for the top foot, would have been wainscoting.

When he was done with that, he reframed the window at the end of the kitchen with the farmhouse trim - this was NOT in the plans until after the party, but it was something he wanted to do - and I understand why - the window can be directly seen when looking at this area of the kitchen - it would look a bit funny if it didn't have the corresponding trim. So, the window is reframed and it currently has 2 coats of primer on it.

Once I was done with all of the trim, I began painting the walls. Allison came down and totally chipped in with helping with this part - we worked great together as a team... At some points she cut in the trim and I rolled - and then we switched... We started at the front door and worked our way around the room clockwise... We managed to get the entire room painted, with exception to directly behind the China hutch and behind the fridge. Both of those items need to be moved, and they are heavy/big.

The 4 ft counter top is built - as you saw in the photo I posted yesterday. It now also has it's first coat of Waterlox on it. The last coat should go on, on Thursday - which will give it 2 days to cure before we install it on Saturday.

Today - I plan to go for a walk this morning... Before the storms hit - hopefully.

I will also do my Monday morning cleaning this morning - hopefully I can contain the mess a little bit... We are getting to the point where we can pack up some of the tools and get them put away... Which will make room for the China hutch to be moved away from the wall so we can paint.

Then I will be in my sewing room all day.

I plan to take a late lunch, and then I will do some work on the kitchen... I plan to get the small window painted and another coat of Waterlox on to the little counter top.

I have meetings tonight - so I won't be able to get much else done.

Sorry no progress photos today... The photo I posted yesterday looks more put together than what the current kitchen is, since we had to take the counter top back out to be Waterloxed.

I hope you all have an amazing day - and I hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

D~

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Lots of progress over the weekend! That's great! I'm so excited to see the end result. Your hard work is so inspiring!

I'm going to send you a PM about Whole30 and FB.....

 

[jandlinz]

Hi D, I'm caught up. I wanted to wait to come back to be surprised by the kitchen remodel, but see it's not quite done yet. I loved your first fabric, but can see why you changed it.
Congratulations to Allison. What a wonderful way to finish off her school year. It puts a nice cherry on top of graduation.

 

[Wood Nymph]

The last 3 items can't be installed until the counter top is installed. Hopefully, one day during the week - Josh can install the new light fixures - which we still haven't decided on or purchased.

Which - if you are keeping track - this leaves us ONE weekend... What can a person get done in one weekend?

I have 2 options... We can retile the bathroom floor - which needs to be done, most of the grout is missing - despite that, it doesn't look too terrible and I could probably throw a rug or two down to cover some of it?

I have a rug on top of my bathroom tile floor. With time running out you might want to go with that.

I think - if I showed you a picture of my stairs vs. my bathroom floor - you'd struggle with a decision too. But I really feel - if I rip up the carpet on the stairs, ANYTHING that's under there is better than the carpet that's there - and at least it can be cleaned... Even if it's ugly.

I would leave the stairs alone until after the party. There is a deceptive amount of linear feet and surface area to work on. And there has to be one million edges and curves and difficult areas to work on. One of my other sisters, the one who had an old farmhouse not the one with the wainscotting, had attempted to refinish her staircase. She had wanted to refinish the wood but it turned out that the wood was far too damaged for that to work. Maybe your stairs will be in good shape under that carpet but you really have a lot still left to do to get ready for the party.

He did get the counter top stained though. And he did bring it into the house and set it where it's going to be, and he also put up the wainscoting to the end of the wall... but it's too tall at the ends, so he needs to pull some of it down and cut it. It should only be as tall as 5-6" above the bottom of the cupboards - not to the top of the cupboards. But otherwise it looks very nice, and I really love the whole look. I still can't believe that this is our same kitchen! And I love how the white window above the sink turned out.

I love the clean lines and the look of your kitchen now. The microwave above the stove is perfect.

 

[Disneylove1228]

Went through some of your PTR! 158 pages is a lot to sort through lol! I LOVE your sewing room! Looks like something out of Disney itself!
AND I LOVE YOUR KITCHEN <3 it's beautiful!! Your counter tops are amazing!! I didn't see the page where you explained what they were... was it actual wood that you fit for them and then stained them?? I'm asking because just purchased our first (older) home and the counter tops we have now are HORRIBLE and I don't particularly like the granite look... BUT I LOVE YOURS!! I'm going to scan more and see what I can find on your post! Also saw your WL, you look GREAT!!! Good for you, I bet you feel so good!! I have been doing WW, which is like MFP... and I hate logging too... but if I guesstimate.... yeah that doesn't always go so well for my scale lol Love reading!!! Subbing!

 

[Terkina]

How great that you got a lot done yesterday even if you didn't get as much done as you would like.

 

[aboveH20]

Hoi from Amsterdam.

How could I come here and not think about your trip, even thought I can't remember how long ago it was or how much you wrote about it. Do you know if it still exists on the boards? I'd be curious to compare notes.

Your kitchen looks great!

 

[Sweetly]

The kitchen is coming along so nicely. Amazing what you can get done when you have a deadline. We worked so hard here the last few days: cleaning, scrubbing etc.... Everything is almost ready for summer. Just need to paint the front porch.
Yesterday we got the biggest surprise. Our little munchkins came home for the week to visit. Their family vacation was going to be rained away so they decided to drive up and spend the time with all of us. So my plans have change for the week as I will be busy working, coloring, tea parties and making a baby smile/giggle. What more could I ask for? It's been non stop. About two weeks ago my daughter graduated from our local community college. I am one very proud mom. In the fall she will be going to nursing school to pursue her dream.
Have a wonderful day!

 

[DMGeurts]

Lots of progress over the weekend! That's great! I'm so excited to see the end result. Your hard work is so inspiring!

I'm going to send you a PM about Whole30 and FB.....

Yes, me too - LOL... I am projecting it will be totally finished by the end of the weekend.

Hi D, I'm caught up. I wanted to wait to come back to be surprised by the kitchen remodel, but see it's not quite done yet. I loved your first fabric, but can see why you changed it.
Congratulations to Allison. What a wonderful way to finish off her school year. It puts a nice cherry on top of graduation.

Hahaha.... Nope, not quite done yet... Soon - very, very soon though. I cannot wait. Both to have my kitchen back and fully functioning, but also my office too.

Thanks - I am loving the second fabric too... I hope to use it in a few more places through out the kitchen.

Yes - tomorrow is her last day of school... It will be such a bittersweet moment.

I have a rug on top of my bathroom tile floor. With time running out you might want to go with that.

I would leave the stairs alone until after the party. There is a deceptive amount of linear feet and surface area to work on. And there has to be one million edges and curves and difficult areas to work on. One of my other sisters, the one who had an old farmhouse not the one with the wainscotting, had attempted to refinish her staircase. She had wanted to refinish the wood but it turned out that the wood was far too damaged for that to work. Maybe your stairs will be in good shape under that carpet but you really have a lot still left to do to get ready for the party.



I love the clean lines and the look of your kitchen now. The microwave above the stove is perfect.

Believe me - I wish I could throw a rug over the whole darned thing. LOL But sadly - the door doesn't open if I do that. LOL But yes... As many rugs as I can fit in there...

True... Gah - I just have to do something to them though. I cannot even bring myself to show pictures of the steps - they are so terrible. After 10 years of us being here, and Lord only knows how long the carpet was in before that? It's terrible...

I am thinking that we will be done - done - done with the kitchen by the end of the weekend, but it's very possible we could be done sometime during the weekend too... We'll see. But you are right - steps are deceptive, and there is a LOT of work to be done there. Thanks for trying to reign me in. LOL

Soooo... When do you start on your kitchen?

Went through some of your PTR! 158 pages is a lot to sort through lol! I LOVE your sewing room! Looks like something out of Disney itself!
AND I LOVE YOUR KITCHEN <3 it's beautiful!! Your counter tops are amazing!! I didn't see the page where you explained what they were... was it actual wood that you fit for them and then stained them?? I'm asking because just purchased our first (older) home and the counter tops we have now are HORRIBLE and I don't particularly like the granite look... BUT I LOVE YOURS!! I'm going to scan more and see what I can find on your post! Also saw your WL, you look GREAT!!! Good for you, I bet you feel so good!! I have been doing WW, which is like MFP... and I hate logging too... but if I guesstimate.... yeah that doesn't always go so well for my scale lol Love reading!!! Subbing!

Hi there - WELCOME!!! It's great to have you here. Yes - please don't bother to try and read through all 150+ pages - I keep the first page very up to date, so if you read there, and maybe the last few pages here, you are good to go.

Thanks - I love my sewing room too... but yet another room I need to overhaul (ahem ~ clean) before graduation... It never fails, everyone always wants to see V's mural and my sewing room. LOL

Thanks! Long story short on the counter tops... Josh mentioned that our local building materials outlet had stock of butcher block counter tops - and I got to thinking that wood would be awesome, the more I thought about it - the more I wanted it - and the more I envisioned it in that space. Sadly - when we got there, even at outlet prices, it was waaaaaay over our budget. I was crushed! I am a pretty determined and visual person - and between Josh and I, we can usually be pretty crafty. Josh mentioned that he may be able to build the counter tops himself for a lot cheaper... So I started to do some research... And we went to the home improvement store to work out a budget. Where the counter tops at the outlet would have cost us well over $1k... If we built them ourselves, they would cost just a bit under $300, considering we had a lot of the tools to construct them on hand - we didn't have to invest in anything except for the actual wood, stain and sealer. The building process took a while - we have 2 sections of counter top, one that is 12 feet and one that is 4 feet... The 12 foot section includes our sink and dishwasher - so there was a lot of plumbing involved with installation. But the counter top itself took a day to build... It took me a week to figure out my custom stain color and to mix it (I used the end cuts to practice)... And then it took me another week to Waterlox it - the Waterlox has to have a minimum of 4 coats and also a minimum of 24 hours between coats. Right now - the 12 foot is installed and we just built the 4 foot on Monday - 3 coats of Waterlox are applied, 1 more to go. So far, I am loving them! But I do find that they scratch easily - granted, we are still working on the kitchen - so we are putting tools on the counter top - and we do have it protected as much as we can with cardboard taped to the top, at the moment, but I may need to touch up the Waterlox, in spots, once we are finished. But I LOVE the look and I just love them so much - definitely would do them again in a heartbeat!

Thank you - my journey to a healthier me has been one of great triumph and great struggle... I am not feeling very successful, at the moment, as I have lost a LOT of body composition through out this whole living room & kitchen remodel... Which makes me feel like such a failure. I've been trying hard to get my work outs in, in other ways - but it still doesn't compare to my previous schedule. It's looking like I will be able to move my kitchen out of my office (where I work out) by the end of this weekend - and I will be back on track on Monday... I am very much looking forward to it! And I will be back to journaling on MFP too.... LOL

Again - welcome! It's great to have you here and following along.

How great that you got a lot done yesterday even if you didn't get as much done as you would like.

Yes - we are moving along very nicely now... To the point where it's really starting to come together quickly.

Hoi from Amsterdam.

How could I come here and not think about your trip, even thought I can't remember how long ago it was or how much you wrote about it. Do you know if it still exists on the boards? I'd be curious to compare notes.

Your kitchen looks great!

CHERYL!!!!! I was gonna ask you where you've been, but I guess you've been in Amsterdam? LOL When ever the weather turns warm here, I always expect you to row up in your canoe.

Our trip to Amsterdam/The Netherlands was exactly 5 years ago! Can you believe that? Brian and Myrthe just had their 5 year wedding Anniversary last week. I have NO idea if my mini- TR about that trip is still here on The Dis, I imagine that it would be some where buried in the Disbou threads? I know I had a Picasa album of our entire trip... I will go see if I can find it for you.... Give me a minute... Uhhhh - cancel that... I guess that Picasa no longer exists - so my Amsterdam/NL trip is no longer there... I will try to get them uploaded to my Photobucket account and make that one album public for you. So, I've been uploading like crazy, while I've been typing... Here's the link, I am not sure how long I'll be able to keep this album - as it is eating up a lot of my Photobucket storage space, but... Password is disney. http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dmgeurts/library/Amsterdam - NL May 2011

I hope you're having a good trip... Enjoying the Dutch pancakes and the atmosphere... I can't believe that Allison will be there in a few weeks, as well.

Thanks for stopping by Cheryl! I've missed seeing you here!

The kitchen is coming along so nicely. Amazing what you can get done when you have a deadline. We worked so hard here the last few days: cleaning, scrubbing etc.... Everything is almost ready for summer. Just need to paint the front porch.
Yesterday we got the biggest surprise. Our little munchkins came home for the week to visit. Their family vacation was going to be rained away so they decided to drive up and spend the time with all of us. So my plans have change for the week as I will be busy working, coloring, tea parties and making a baby smile/giggle. What more could I ask for? It's been non stop. About two weeks ago my daughter graduated from our local community college. I am one very proud mom. In the fall she will be going to nursing school to pursue her dream.View attachment 172676
Have a wonderful day!

Thanks! Yes - our deadline is very quickly approaching - it seems like we are accomplishing more and more every day! I am jealous - I cannot WAIT to get everything cleaned and scrubbed... I detest living like this!

Exciting!!! I am so happy that you get to spend time with them, and a surprise visit at that - so exciting!!! What a wonderful relationship you have with them! So blessed!

Congratulations to your dd!!! So exciting! You have every right to be a proud momma - and how wonderful that she gets to live her dream! I love hearing that! And your dd is beautiful - thanks so much for sharing!

Thanks so much - same to you!!!

*************************************************************************************

Sorry about no replies yesterday and the late replies today... Sometimes it's incredibly difficult if I work early at Target & I was trying to get the 1500+ photos from Amsterdam uploaded to the above linked album for Cheryl (you are all welcome to look at it, if you'd like - lots of changes to us since 2011)..

My life has consisted of working in my sewing room and working on the kitchen. Nothing else. It's been a crazy few days, but we have accomplished so much!

On Tuesday - I finished painting the one kitchen window... And on Tuesday night - um - gosh, I can't remember what we worked on? LOL Life is a blur right now.

Yesterday, I managed to do 2 coats of primer on the remaining kitchen walls (I would guess I had about half of them to do yet?)... Then 1 full coat of paint... So, the kitchen is completely painted, once it gets light out - I will go around to see if I need to do any touch ups - if so, I will do those this morning between my walk and going up to work.

While I was doing that - Josh was building the 3 cabinet doors that we still need to do.

Also - I put the 3rd coat of Waterlox on the 4ft counter top.

I've decided to not share any more pictures of the kitchen redo, until we are done... I want all of you to be surprised. Hopefully by the end of the weekend - I'll be able to share.

Today... I am going for a wonderful walk... It is a beautiful day here already and I cannot wait to get out there. I need to start my running again - So, I may do a bit of that too? I've put it off long enough, and my knee has been healed for well over a month now - I have no reason to put it off any longer.

Then I will be working upstairs all day - I have a lot to get done up there.

After that - I have the 3 cabinet doors that Josh built last night to prime and paint... Depending on drying times - I may or may not get that done today?

So.... What, exactly, do we have left to do in the kitchen?

1... Finish the final coat of Waterlox on the counter top and install it.
2... Prime, paint & install the 3 remaining cabinet doors.
3... Prime and paint the baseboard trim.
4... Finish the installing the last few feet of winscoting and install the trim all around.
5... Fix the floor where Cooper ate it.
6... Purchase and install new light fixture over dining room table.
7... Clean up.

Realistically - we should be mostly finished with this project before the weekend... The only thing I can see going into the weekend, for sure, is the baseboard trim - only because I don't have time to go purchase the few pieces we are missing until tomorrow night. And the installation of the 4ft counter top - because it needs to cure for 36 hours after the final coat of Waterlox.

For the record - aside from the 1 coat of primer Josh did in half of the kitchen - I have done ALL of the painting in this room... My life is paint - at the moment. LOL And I still have a lot of painting to do. LOL

Then - I can clean... I cannot wait!!!! I've been moving back into the cupboards as I can, but there are still a few left that I haven't been able to move back into... And then to clean up all of the tools... Ahhh - I cannot wait! It will be a glorious day!

I hope you all have a wonderful day today!!!! Prayers and Pixie Dust to all!

D~

 

[Wood Nymph]

Soooo... When do you start on your kitchen?

We are having someone come out to look at the kitchen and give us an estimate next Thursday, the day after we return from WDW. I won't let my husband do the job himself, since past performance is usually a good indication of future performance, if you get my meaning. You are lucky that Josh is so handy. It also helps to have the right tools. My dad used to build cabinets, desks, and other types of carpentry as a hobby. He would mostly work on the weekends and he always had one of us run downstairs to help him when he had to run some big pieces of wood through his table saw. I can still remember the smell of the sawdust.

When is the deadline? I know you are getting ready for Allison's graduation party but I forgot when it was going to be.

 

[Terkina]

I hope you have some time to celebrate it a little

 

[mymainmouse]

Yay to coming to the finish line! Can't wait to see the final photos!

 

[DMGeurts]

We are having someone come out to look at the kitchen and give us an estimate next Thursday, the day after we return from WDW. I won't let my husband do the job himself, since past performance is usually a good indication of future performance, if you get my meaning. You are lucky that Josh is so handy. It also helps to have the right tools. My dad used to build cabinets, desks, and other types of carpentry as a hobby. He would mostly work on the weekends and he always had one of us run downstairs to help him when he had to run some big pieces of wood through his table saw. I can still remember the smell of the sawdust.

When is the deadline? I know you are getting ready for Allison's graduation party but I forgot when it was going to be.

So exciting - I can't wait to hear all about this!

I hope you have a great trip! Safe travels!

Hahaha.... I totally get it!

It is nice, but finding the motivation is sometimes hard, since he used to build houses for a living - he has the talent and the knowledge, but sometimes it's a little more like "work" for him, than it is fun... And he has a very hard time living in the mess too. Both of us really struggle with finishing projects, for this reason... But we are incredibly motivated this time - so wee will finish.

I love the smell of sawdust.

The deadline is a week from today. Her party isn't until the following weekend - but I need time to clean up and prepare for that part too. I am sure we will make it with the kitchen - I have no doubt about that... I am just afraid that we won't get any of the other things done that I wanted to do.

Again - have a great trip!

I hope you have some time to celebrate it a little

Thank you Lillian - I had a great birthday... I ran, I worked, I did a bit of selfish sewing, Josh made an incredible dinner, I got to hold the neighbor's new puppies, and I had cake... But most of all - I got to spend it with the family.

Yay to coming to the finish line! Can't wait to see the final photos!

Yay! Me too! LOL - I am ready to see it done and my kitchen clean!

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I had a really fabulous day yesterday...

First off - I did my first run since I injured my knee this spring... It felt great! Granted it was more of a walk/run type deal - it still felt good to be back at it. I've been down on myself lately for not being able to eat like I normally do and not being able to exercise like I normally do - so to be able to run, well - it just felt good.

I came home and I did a bit of selfish sewing - which I will share a bit further down. After that, I worked until lunch time.

I had lunch - I took a nap - then I finished up my selfish sewing.

The girls came home from school and they had gifts for me... From Allison... Does this girl know me or what??? A duck butt planter, chocolate, a Starbucks GC and a card telling me how amazing I am.

Victoria gave me a wonderful card and told me that my birthday gift was that I could buy myself something while I am in WDW in October.

I shared my selfish sewing items with them... I've been working on these valances for the kitchen for about a week now... I do like them a lot - but they do block a lot of light from the kitchen window - even though they are just valances, so I am not sure if I am keeping them or not? I've never had any window treatments on my kitchen windows - we live far enough out in the country and there is enough stuff between our neighbors and us, that privacy isn't really an issue. So, we will see...

I am probably most proud of these though... These are just the half size bins you can buy at Target (or anywhere) to put in those cube storage things... Well, I purchased these ones a few weeks ago, to store my ugly cookbooks (aka, the food stained ones I use all the time) on my new shelf above the microwave... but after we painted - I realized that they really blended, I wanted to add something fun to them. They are made out of canvas and pressed melamine board... I love my sewing machine so much... I was able to sew right through that and add bias trim to match my kitchen - I love how they turned out. Most sewing machines these days, can't even go through a few layers of fabric... so, this was incredible to me. The hardest part was going around the corners from the outside - as I had to bend the bin straight, which wasn't easy, and then sew at the same time. But I managed, and I love it!

Josh came home shortly after with steaks for dinner... these were so YUMMY! After weeks of processed garbage and eating out... A home cooked meal of steaks never tasted better!

Last night - I went to the neighbor's with V... And we were able to cuddle their 2 litters of puppies... They were soooo cute!

While we were gone, Josh primed the new cabinet doors.

Then we came home and had cake and ice cream. All in all - it was the perfect birthday!

Today - well it's a BIG day for Allison... It's her very last day of school... Ahhh what a bitttersweet day this will be... I am sure that both of us will be shedding a tear or two. She loves school - always has... Loves her teachers, her classes and her friends...

To commemorate - I am sharing her first day of 1st grade (sorry, I don't have her first day of Kindergarten... I don't know where that picture went? And don't mind V's face - typical V - LOL).

Also - her Final project ever (all names have been edited out... I don't mind if you guys see them - but it's the people that read here and don't comment that worry me...) - her final yearbook spread... I am happy to see that I made the page a lot!

I will be working out this morning, and sewing all morning... Then I will go to town for Allison's Senior Slideshow... Which is where both of us will cry a lot. This is where she does graduation rehearsal and receives her cap and gown... I am just so very PROUD of this girl!!! I know it's "just" hiigh school... but it's the end of an era and the beginning of a lifetime! I will watch her and her classmates walk out of high school for the very final time... Again - just a bittersweet day - and I am so happy that the school invited us parents to be a part of this.

Allison and I will go get Starbucks while we are waiting for V to be dismissed.

Then I have an appointment this afternoon, so Josh is meeting us after, and we are going to the home improvement store to get the VERY LAST items we need to finish the kitchen - I hope. LOL I feel like I've said this a bazillion times. LOL

I hope that all of you have an amazing day!!! Sending Pixie Dust out to all of you!

D~[/center]

 

[Terkina]

How great that you can start running again.

The curtains in the kitchen and the bins looks great.

The birthday gifts you got from Allison and V are great.

I hope you have a great time at Allison's Senior Slideshow.

 

[Tinkercc]

Happy Belated Birthday!! Glad you had such a wonderful day! Congrats to Allison on graduation. Her yearbook page is wonderful. Santos made the cut!!!! So cute!! have a great weekend!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Happy Belated Birthday. It looks like it was a great day to celebrate. And you got back to running, which must feel good.

I love Allison's yearbook spread. The Disney pictures that she chose are really cute ones. Our high school has too many students to dedicate a two page spread to each one. But I love what they do for her school.

Your cook book bins look great. that is a good idea. It makes the kitchen look tidy.

I hope you get everything done this weekend.

I had a dream that we had checked into the Polynesian and I went to the gift shop trying to find some cereal and milk. The only trouble with that is that we are staying at POR.