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

[jandlinz]

Your kitchen looks great!
Congratulations to Allison!

 

[Texan]

Love, love, love the pics of Allison and family; she looks so beautiful; what a wonderful graduation ceremony. The poster is so awesome; V is too cute. My oldest son got to decorate his cap (in 2009); they stopped though for a few years due to some students not following the rules so youngest son wasn't allowed. Allison's cap was perfect. They have some great traditions at A's school! I cannot believe V is right behind her.

Love, love, love the remodeling. Your kitchen is so amazing. I know you are enjoying everything.

I took off Tues and Wed to help pack up Tyler and his wife and move them to Houston, 3 hours away. I keep telling myself that's not too bad; they are moving into my parents house built in 1952. Tyler decided to take on a lot of the remodeling for the house, between working full time and going to school at night. he went almost every weekend for a few months, and I went a couple of times. It still needs a lot of work but it is looking much better. My parents never updated anything the whole time they lived there. There was wood paneling EVERYWHERE which is now gone or painted over. They still have a lot of weekend projects to do.

I love the stairs Dorine; they have so much character. Yes, they need some work and some paint, but I think this is how the stairs should be in a house that old and with the farmhouse look. I bet you never want to see a carpet staple ever again.

The party is almost here D! Enjoy your weekend and don't work too hard! Love and prayers and hugs sent your way.

 

[Clio]

Your kitchen is beautiful. I had trouble picturing what you were talking about but seeing it finished makes sense. My cupboards will never look that neat.
Congrats to Allison. I love the family pictures.
Your dogs in front of the vent made me laugh. My cats did the same thing when I turned the air on.
The color run was a lot of fun. It's very hot and windy out. the wind kept blowing the chalk color off, so no one really got covered with color. The highlight of the race was going past the lot where all the stunt cars for Fast and Furious 8 are. They're filming in Cleveland right now. Everyone stopped to take pictures. As you can tell, this isn't a serious race. I'm going to relax for the rest of the day.
Enjoy the weekend
Liz

 

[aboveH20]

Your kitchen looks amazing. I can't imagine how many humanhours you and Josh put in.


Congrats to

[/IMG]

Now that I'm home I've gone back to check out your Amsterdam photos. (Maybe you could tell ) You guys got around!!! So nice to have a local tour guide.

 

[Iamthequeen]

The kitchen looks wonderful D~. I know how happy you are to have it finished. We bought an over the stove microwave a few years ago and I love having the additional counter space.

 

[DMGeurts]

Your kitchen looks amazing! Nice job by you and your hubby.

Congratulations to Allison on her graduation! She must be over the moon excited.

Thank you - it was so much work, but wow - it's just so nice to walk in there now and see such a space. I am very happy with it.

Thank you, she is very excited to be done - and even more excited to be leaving... Me, not so much. It's going to be hard having her gone... And it's looking like V may be going to camp and spend a few weeks with other family members - so I may be getting a taste of an empty nest a little sooner than I would like.

First, congratulations to Allison! Such a special, exciting day for her -- and for all of you. I completely understand what you mean about deciding which school district/schools they should go to. I grew up in a military family and went to 14 different schools...including 3 high schools. I didn't want that for my kids. We moved to a different state just after our oldest daughter's kindergarten year, so she did first grade through high school all in the same place....went to one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school. We moved the summer after she graduated, and so our younger daughter went to one elementary school, two middle schools, and will have one high school when she graduates. I did fine growing up in the military and moving a lot, but I was happy that they didn't have to change schools. I love the close relationships they developed with friends and teachers over the years.

Your kitchen is absolutely gorgeous. SO gorgeous! Seriously, you couldn't have found a nicer countertop than the one you and Josh created. It's gorgeous. Your color palette is soft and warm and inviting and the coffee corner, when that is set up, will give it just the right pop. So fabulous. Congratulations on a job well done!

Thanks for to you and Suzi for the Magical Express info. I made a note to call and get that taken care of as soon as I get our airline tickets purchased. I keep hoping the prices will come down just a bit.....it's so frustrating checking all of the websites daily (at least once) looking for good airfare.

I got our FP+ reservations made this morning for our August trip. Surprisingly, I was able to get everything at almost the times I wanted except Buzz Lightyear -- can you believe there were no FP+ reservations for Buzz available in the window I needed them???? I thought that was odd. And right now the calendar says MK will close at 10 pm that night. I'm hoping they add some hours...10 pm on a mid-August night seems really early....

Have a great day!

Thank you. I totally understand... I've haven't counted how many schools I went to in many years - but it was a lot - and I knew I didn't want my kids to have to do that... I was pretty much a stick in the mud when it came to that. Any time Josh mentioned moving or taking a job in another location, I always insisted that I would stay here until the girls were done with school. I take comfort that we've stayed in one place and they have a home. I know that isn't always possible for many people, but it was super important to me.

Thanks so much - I really love it. I still have a few things I'd like to do to the space - from a decor standpoint. We have a farmhouse table and chairs down in the shed, which we are planning to bring up and use for the party - then it will stay up here and we will break down our dining set for storage. I plan to paint the farmhouse table, and stain the top to match our counter tops - but I may go a bit more rustic with that? I am also hoping to find a cheap China cabinet (there are lots of cheap ones) with the right look that I can paint, then we will pass this one on to another family member. So, some changes I still plan to make, but thankfully nothing structural - we are done with that for quite some time.

I know - I've been trying not to watch airfare... I will really start shopping for it hard in July and August.

Yay for FPs! Exciting! Hopefully they will adjust hours for the parks - I want to say they did close a bit early in August... but to be honest - we were so exhausted from the heat, and unlike other parts of the country - it really doesn't cool down in FL at night... There was no way we could go much later than 10pm in August, and for that matter, most nights we were done much earlier. The heat really takes a lot out of you.

Thank you - you too!

Congratulations to Allison!!! How exciting. I'm dreading next year when my son graduates from High School. Ugh!! Your kitchen looks amazing! All of you hard work early paid off! Have a great weekend!

Thanks! We are so proud of her! It's going to be a big year of transition for us - and I can't say that I am looking forward to it.

Thank you - I really love how it turned out, I am so happy with everything and the overall look to it - it feels very comfortable.

Wow! I love your kitchen and am so happy it is done for your sake. The countertop is so special, just amazing! I have enjoyed following along on your projects Also looking forward to your coffee nook

I bet Allison will sleep all day, I hope she had a good time!

All is well with my family

Have a great weekend everyone!

Monica

Thank you - I am so relieved it's done... I just feel like I have so much more to do in other spaces - I am feeling very overwhelmed. I am definitely enlisting Allison's help this week... That girl is going to be covered in paint.

I couldn't be more happy with the counter top - it really did exceed my expectations.

I am looking forward to getting the coffee nook set up too... Then I can get my open cupboard all done, as well. One is waiting on the other here.

Allison did sleep most of the day and now the night. LOL

I am glad to hear that... Looking forward to seeing you again in October!

Same to you Monica!

Congratulations to Allison!!! She looks so happy
Your kitchen looks AMAZING!!!! Those countertops are fantastic, everything came together so nicely…you did an awesome job!!!I LOVE it!!

Thank you - we are so proud of her! Such a big milestone.

Thank you, I am so happy with it. When it was all ripped apart, I didn't think there was even a chance that we could pull this off - so I am over the moon happy with how it turned out.

The kitchen looks amazing.

Thank you Lillian.

Any news on your car??? I was hoping it was a mistake and they weren't too far behind schedule.

Your kitchen looks great!
Congratulations to Allison!

Thank you so much - we are very happy with it!

And thank you - we are so proud of her... Looking forward to seeing where her life takes her, and her new adventures.

Love, love, love the pics of Allison and family; she looks so beautiful; what a wonderful graduation ceremony. The poster is so awesome; V is too cute. My oldest son got to decorate his cap (in 2009); they stopped though for a few years due to some students not following the rules so youngest son wasn't allowed. Allison's cap was perfect. They have some great traditions at A's school! I cannot believe V is right behind her.

Love, love, love the remodeling. Your kitchen is so amazing. I know you are enjoying everything.

I took off Tues and Wed to help pack up Tyler and his wife and move them to Houston, 3 hours away. I keep telling myself that's not too bad; they are moving into my parents house built in 1952. Tyler decided to take on a lot of the remodeling for the house, between working full time and going to school at night. he went almost every weekend for a few months, and I went a couple of times. It still needs a lot of work but it is looking much better. My parents never updated anything the whole time they lived there. There was wood paneling EVERYWHERE which is now gone or painted over. They still have a lot of weekend projects to do.

I love the stairs Dorine; they have so much character. Yes, they need some work and some paint, but I think this is how the stairs should be in a house that old and with the farmhouse look. I bet you never want to see a carpet staple ever again.

The party is almost here D! Enjoy your weekend and don't work too hard! Love and prayers and hugs sent your way.

Thank you - it's hard to believe how fast time is speeding by now... Allison leaves in less than 2 weeks, and I am starting to panic a bit. Trying to stay calm and not let my mind wander and worry too much.

Thank you - I am enjoying everything so much. I am so happy we splurged on the appliance purchases - my only disappointment with that, is that we didn't do it sooner. It's so nice to take clean dishes out of the dishwasher every time... And it's so nice to have that counter space at the end of the kitchen - it's perfect for meal prep.

Congratulations to Tyler and his wife again... What an exciting time for them. And at least 3 hours away is still manageable... Close yet far. I know it must not be easy though. And congrats to them for doing so much work - I feel their pain, truly I do. But it sounds like Tyler was able to get the bulk of it done before they moved in? Hopefully what they have left to do, won't disrupt their living too much.

Hahaha... I agree - I am excited to start priming the stair way walls today... I am hoping to get both coats of primer done today, and maybe start on some paint. I have the whole day set aside for this project - I taped everything last night and took off the hand railing and light switch covers - so I literally just have to start painting. And this primer dries so fast - it only takes an hour, so by the time I get done with the first coat - I should almost be ready to start the 2nd coat. Then I will get to work on the painting part. Right now - that entire space is a dusty pink weird color - including the ceilings... So, I am looking forward to getting some brighter color into that space. I've decided to leave the stairs themselves and the trim on them alone until after the party - I know they look terrible, but it is what it is... I need to start from the top down anyways - and there is just no way I'd get to them, and be able to fix them properly.

I know - I am definitely in panic mode... I was sitting out on my front porch steps last night, planting flowers like crazy... I still have overly neglected flower beds that are full of weeds - I've been trying to keep up with them, but it seems in the last week, they've completely been over run... So, I plan to try and get out there intermittently, when I am needing a break from painting, and do some weeding. It's gonna be a crazy week for sure!

Thanks for stopping by Carol - it's always good to see you here!

Your kitchen is beautiful. I had trouble picturing what you were talking about but seeing it finished makes sense. My cupboards will never look that neat.
Congrats to Allison. I love the family pictures.
Your dogs in front of the vent made me laugh. My cats did the same thing when I turned the air on.
The color run was a lot of fun. It's very hot and windy out. the wind kept blowing the chalk color off, so no one really got covered with color. The highlight of the race was going past the lot where all the stunt cars for Fast and Furious 8 are. They're filming in Cleveland right now. Everyone stopped to take pictures. As you can tell, this isn't a serious race. I'm going to relax for the rest of the day.
Enjoy the weekend
Liz

Thank you... I really appreciate the compliment. I am just happy to have it done and have it together. I am happy that the space looks as home-y as it does... I wanted that comfortable, light and somewhat historic look to it.

Thank you - we are so proud of her!

Hahaha... Yes - the dogs love the air vents. They still think that there is only ONE. Hehehehe.

I am glad you had fun at the color run/walk... bummer about the wind though. Oooh COOL!!! I'd love to see that. I've seen a few of those movies (thanks to Gus and Allison - as he was an AVID F&F fan) and I think it would be so fun to see that.

I hope you enjoy your rest and relaxation. And have a good weekend!

Your kitchen looks amazing. I can't imagine how many humanhours you and Josh put in.


Congrats to

[/IMG]

Now that I'm home I've gone back to check out your Amsterdam photos. (Maybe you could tell You guys got around!!! So nice to have a local tour guide.

Thanks!!! I couldn't even tell you how many human hours we put in... I know, for the last 12 weeks, if I haven't been sewing, I've been working on the house... It was a rare night that I was able to sit down in my recliner and just breathe. I am looking forward to doing that next week. LOL

I am glad you made it home safely, it sounds like you got around a lot too - how awesome! I hope your trip was magnificent and memorable! What was your favorite part?

The kitchen looks wonderful D~. I know how happy you are to have it finished. We bought an over the stove microwave a few years ago and I love having the additional counter space.

Thanks Tess - I am so happy and relieved to have it done, finally. It's always felt like this house was an endless project - and now that we have totally finished 2 biggies - it feels like we've made some great headway and it doesn't feel so overwhelming anymore. We still have a few rooms to do, but it's nice to have our main living spaces done.

Yes!!! That over the stove microwave - best investment ever! That extra counter space is so nice to have! We did lose some cabinet space though, but we've managed to make it work pretty well so far.

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

Well, I spent a lot of time on the road yesterday - taking V to and from her class... The joys of Saturday mornings.

In between, I came home and worked in my sewing room - I am happy to say that I finished this week's order and I am good to go for having today completely off.

After I picked V up - we stopped for lunch and then we went to Home Depot... Paint is my life... I cannot even begin to tell you how many hundreds of dollars we have spent on paint and primer. To think - when we first started this, in the living room, I was thinking that ONE gallon of paint would be all that we needed. LOL 18 gallons later... Just guessing. Anyways, I got a gallon of ceiling paint for the upstairs hallway (since it's painted all the same color as the walls - dusty pink from 1990)... And another 5 gallon bucket of Kilz primer. Praying that's the last one for a while. Also a few roller refills and extras - we were actually out of there in less than 15 minutes, which is a record for me on a Saturday. LOL

I came home - and I took a nap... I could barely keep my eyes open on the drive home and I knew I'd be useless if I didn't get a short nap in.

Then I worked on cleaning walls in the stair way and upstairs hall... Taping off the trim on all of the doorways and baseboards.... Basically - All I have to do this morning is open the bucket of paint and get to it.

Last night, one of my neighbors came over and we sat on my porch steps - we visited while I replanted some flowers. It's been a few years since I've done flowers, and I have the worst brown thumb ever... Hopefully these make it through next weekend. As the ficus tree I purchased back in April is already dead. I am so upset about that - I am still hoping it comes back, but it's not looking very promising.

So, today... It will all be about painting... 2 coats of primer need to go on all of the walls in the downstairs landing, the stairway, the upstairs hallway and the ceiling up there. I am also hoping to get a coat of paint on... The trim is done - I did that last week, and these are big walls with nothing on them to go around - so it's just a matter of slopping it on. The primer only needs and hour to dry, so by the time I get done with one coat, I should be almost ready to start the next coat. That's the plan anyways. I'd be absolutely elated if I had this mostly done today, and I'd just have to do touch ups during the week.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!!! Sending lots of Pixie Dust out to all of you.

D~

 

[dalmatian7]

Good luck on your painting today and congrats to Allison . Some of the schools around here are doing the lock in thing too. Seems like a smart idea.

If you lived closer I would trade you my gardening skills for your painting skills. My projects have paint purchased and that is it. I happily spent an hour picking through my plants last night though.

I need to motivate myself to get back on the exercise wagon too.
Enjoy your day
Heidi

 

[ljcrochet]

Congrats on Allison's graduation. Your kitchen turned out amazing.

 

[Terkina]

I find it a little funny that you call it worst brown thumb when you're not good with flowers because in Norway we say that we don't have green fingers if we are not good with flowers and can't keep them alive. And we say that we do have green fingers if we are good with flowers and planting and manage to keep those things alive

Good luck with the painting today

 

[mymainmouse]

The kitchen looks awesome! I just love it! Hope your painting goes quickly today. Congrats to Allison! And Happy Birthday to you a little late.

 

[DMGeurts]

Good luck on your painting today and congrats to Allison . Some of the schools around here are doing the lock in thing too. Seems like a smart idea.

If you lived closer I would trade you my gardening skills for your painting skills. My projects have paint purchased and that is it. I happily spent an hour picking through my plants last night though.

I need to motivate myself to get back on the exercise wagon too.
Enjoy your day
Heidi

Thanks Heidi! I enlisted Allison's help, her and I busted it out yesterday - all day, and we were able to get most of it done. We still have 1 wall and one partial wall to do - but we ran out of paint. Sigh. Josh thought we would have enough. Oh well - I have lots of other colors that I can use from the same palette... We'll just have a multi colored upstairs hallway.

I do think it's a really smart idea... If it keeps the kids safe - which it seems to - then I am all for it.

Hahahaha... I would TOTALLY take you up on that. This morning, I will be painting the front door, so it can dry during the day. Then, this afternoon I will be painting the remainder of the upstairs hallway - unless I can talk Allison into doing it while I am working?

Today will be day one of logging on MFP again... I need to turn this around fast... I didn't work so hard for 4 years for nothing. I hope you are able to find your motivation too.

Thanks - same to you!

Congrats on Allison's graduation. Your kitchen turned out amazing.

Thanks... It's been so crazy! I am not sure how I will handle the lull afterwards... but really - I am coming to realize - I am not sure there is ever many dull moments in my life? It seem like, as soon as I finish one project, something else comes up.

Thank you - I am so happy with it, honestly.... I never thought it would turn out as good as it did.

I find it a little funny that you call it worst brown thumb when you're not good with flowers because in Norway we say that we don't have green fingers if we are not good with flowers and can't keep them alive. And we say that we do have green fingers if we are good with flowers and planting and manage to keep those things alive

Good luck with the painting today

Hehehe, that is funny... We say that we have a brown thumb if we are terrible with plants, and we say we have a green thumb if we are good with them. It's probable and likely that it originated from Norway, since there are many Norwegians that live in this area. It's just changed a little bit in translation.

Thanks! We did get a lot done - so I am happy with that.

The kitchen looks awesome! I just love it! Hope your painting goes quickly today. Congrats to Allison! And Happy Birthday to you a little late.

Thank you - I am so very happy with it!

Thank you, thank you and thank you. LOL Lots of thanks today for you.

I hope you had a nice weekend.

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

Today's update is going to be pretty boring...

Yesterday, I painted. That's it. LOL

When Allison woke up, I told her that our day was going to consist of 2 coats of primer and 1 coat of paint. We worked together all day long and we were able to get most of it done. Sadly - we ran out of paint, so I will have to dip into my "paint stash", which is pretty adequate these days, and find another suitable color to finish off the last wall with. Our upstairs hallway will be nice n' colorful.

Here's a photo of the semi-finished space... We are getting there. You'll notice that the one wall on the left (it's hard to tell) is a very pale blue... It's a bit more blue in real life, just hard to capture on pictures. I wish I had the time to fix/restore and paint the stairs before the party, as I think it would make a huge difference in this space - but I want to do it right and dedicate the time to make sure I do that - rather than a rush job. So, I've decided to finish painting the upstairs hallway today - unless I can talk Allison into doing it while I am working? And then be done with projects... I still have a house to clean - a yard to weed and a party to prep for on Saturday. Thankfully, I am off of work at Target this week.

Once we paint the stairs & trim white, also the upstairs plank floors, it is my vision to eventually put in a small white book case (as in small, depth wise), and a small window seat at the top of the stairs here... I think that would be really cute there?

Today... I plan to work out right away this morning. I also plan to journal in MFP today for the first time since we started the living room demolition, ummm... 12 weeks ago? Guessing here... Time to be dedicated again.

Then, I plan to paint my front door so it can dry all day today. I am not sure when I am going to paint the back of my front door, and with what color? LOL Totally stumped here, but I will figure it out... I'd love to paint it the color of the blue wall going upstairs, but I am not sure if that would be weird or not?

I have a HUGE work load this week, so I will be upstairs all day, so I don't fall behind on that one while we have such a busy week prepping for the party.

Tonight, Allison and I will be cleaning off the front porch... We have been "those neighbors" for the last 5 weeks, using our front porch, first, as a staging area while building our counter tops... And then as an area to paint misc items for the last few weeks... We will be dismantling the temporary work table out there, bringing it down to the shed... Then bringing up all of our wicker furniture again and putting our front porch back to rights. It drives me crazy - when the first impression of our house is chaotic like that.

We are getting there... It is what it is, and what we have done will have to be enough.

I hope you all have a nice weekend. Sending out prayers and PIxie Dust to all of you.

D~

 

[anniebean]

The kitchen looks fantastic! Y'all did a wonderful job! And love the pic with the girls and the fur babies!

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Sounds like you had a productive weekend! I love that pale blue color -- so pretty and light -- it will make the stairway feel much lighter and more airy.

I don't have a green thumb, either. I've given up. My husband, however, is great at gardening, so I leave it up to him. This weekend he came up with a water system for our tomatoes and my small herb planters to keep them watered while we're out of town later this month. Yea!

I finally went ahead and bought my daughter's airfare to fly home in August...I was hoping to get it for about $75 less, but I have spent SO much time on it....and the cheaper flights would have cut the equivalent of a full day off of her visit home, and since she'll only be here for 10 days (and four of that in Orlando with me....), I want to maximize the amount of time she has at home with all four of us together. So I spent a bit more than I planned but now she'll get in in the morning the day before we fly to Orlando so she'll have time to pack for Orlando and spend time with her sister, and we can have family dinner together that night. Then, when she flies back out to school, she'll fly out in the evening so we can go to church together that day, have a late lunch, and then take her to the airport. I feel good about spending a bit more to get the equivalent of an extra full day of all four of us being together.

I am still watching airfare to Orlando, though. I have seen it as low as $140 in the past and was hoping not to spend more than $150 but right now it's around $220. Yikes. Especially because I want to arrive morning/early afternoon so we have as much time in Downtown Disney as possible on that first day, and I'd prefer a late morning/afternoon departure on the day we leave....we shall see....

What plans do you have for Allison's graduation party?

 

[Sweetly]

Congratulations to Allison!!! I am so excited for her. Love the lock-in idea that the HS did for them. We do that here. The kids have a blast and the kids are safe. Our HS also gives out prizes. You have to attend to win something. Everyone goes home with at least one thing. They have given away laptops, $500 cash, x-box, games, etc.... The parents put it together and they collect the donations.
You and Josh did a beautiful job on the kitchen. It came out PERFECT!!! Painting is not my favorite and now that we are staying guess what we will be doing painting/carpet . I won't be doing that until September. Too much going on to get those projects going. But they will keep me busy once I get my daughter off to college.
The munchkins will be moving back here within the next few weeks. I am so excited

Hope you can complete your painting project and get everything ready for the party.

Have a great day!!

 

[kittylady1972]

Finally made it over to see the great kitchen reveal...looks SO AWESOME! And congrats to Allison also...great family photos! Can't wait to see what you end up doing with the stairs...all in good time I guess!

 

[Terkina]

I can't believe the party is on Saturday.


OK, I'm a little bit upset and frustrated. I called the garage where my car is being customized today and asked how far behind they are now. I called them 1 month ago. Back then they said that they were at least 1 1\2 months behind and that they were waiting for equipment so that they could get 2 extra people working. Today when I called they were still behind and couldn't tell me when they would start on my car. Hopefully they will start on my car the last week of June or the first week of July. I asked if they had got the equipment they were waiting for so 2 extra people could work. They said that the equipment has arrived and extra people have been hired. But still they couldn't tell me when they are planning to start on my car.

 

[Iamthequeen]

The stairway looks great. My philosophy has always been what gets done, gets done and don't sweat the rest. Most of the time you are the only one who will know what didn't get finished.

We have a post prom lockin. Since most of the kids have what we call a "Cinderella" license - they have to be off the roads by 11 pm unless they are driving with an adult or coming home from work, the PTO put together a lock in so the kids would not be driving around after the prom. Lots of prizes and games. They always have fun.

 

[gopherdame]

Your kitchen looks amazing! I hope you are keeping the valance as it just looks so cute and ties in with the open cupboards.

Congratulations to Allison! I know it will be hard when she leaves, but you just need to concentrate on what a wonderful opportunity it is for her. Just remember she is coming back.

 

[DMGeurts]

The kitchen looks fantastic! Y'all did a wonderful job! And love the pic with the girls and the fur babies!

Thank you - I am just thrilled with it, I still can't believe that it's the same kitchen - even though the set up is exactly the same - it just looks so different.

Thanks... That was a good picture of them - I love it too... It's rare that I can get both dogs - especially Coopie to stop for even a second.

Sounds like you had a productive weekend! I love that pale blue color -- so pretty and light -- it will make the stairway feel much lighter and more airy.

I don't have a green thumb, either. I've given up. My husband, however, is great at gardening, so I leave it up to him. This weekend he came up with a water system for our tomatoes and my small herb planters to keep them watered while we're out of town later this month. Yea!

I finally went ahead and bought my daughter's airfare to fly home in August...I was hoping to get it for about $75 less, but I have spent SO much time on it....and the cheaper flights would have cut the equivalent of a full day off of her visit home, and since she'll only be here for 10 days (and four of that in Orlando with me....), I want to maximize the amount of time she has at home with all four of us together. So I spent a bit more than I planned but now she'll get in in the morning the day before we fly to Orlando so she'll have time to pack for Orlando and spend time with her sister, and we can have family dinner together that night. Then, when she flies back out to school, she'll fly out in the evening so we can go to church together that day, have a late lunch, and then take her to the airport. I feel good about spending a bit more to get the equivalent of an extra full day of all four of us being together.

I am still watching airfare to Orlando, though. I have seen it as low as $140 in the past and was hoping not to spend more than $150 but right now it's around $220. Yikes. Especially because I want to arrive morning/early afternoon so we have as much time in Downtown Disney as possible on that first day, and I'd prefer a late morning/afternoon departure on the day we leave....we shall see....

What plans do you have for Allison's graduation party?

Thank you - I really love it too, but depending on the light up there, it's very difficult to tell that it's blue because it's so pale - I think my eye just assumes that it's white? I am not sure why that is?

it appears I've also killed an ivy plant. I am also pretty sure my ficus tree is a goner... Which is too bad - I really loved that tree, it was so cool. Last night, I transplanted a beautiful azalea that my MIL gave to me... I said a few prayers as I dug the hole... If that one dies - I'll know for sure that it's me.

I am glad you were able to get her airfare... It's a bummer that you had to pay more than you wanted to, but on the up side - I am sure it's a relief. I hate the gamble type game that airfare is. It sounds like you've thought out her 10 days quite well, and she is definitely maximizing time with you - which is good. I hope it's wonderful!

I am intermittently watching airfare to Orlando... I should be watching it closer, but I will really start stalking it in July. I am really looking forward to this trip with V, and it's distracting me from the fact that Allison is gone... I start to break down every time I think of her leaving, so I am just praying I make it through OK. Hopefully - when V leaves next year, I'll be a pro at sending my children across the world - and I'll have Allison here to reassure me about what it's really like - so hopefully it will be easier emotionally.

Congratulations to Allison!!! I am so excited for her. Love the lock-in idea that the HS did for them. We do that here. The kids have a blast and the kids are safe. Our HS also gives out prizes. You have to attend to win something. Everyone goes home with at least one thing. They have given away laptops, $500 cash, x-box, games, etc.... The parents put it together and they collect the donations.
You and Josh did a beautiful job on the kitchen. It came out PERFECT!!! Painting is not my favorite and now that we are staying guess what we will be doing painting/carpet . I won't be doing that until September. Too much going on to get those projects going. But they will keep me busy once I get my daughter off to college.
The munchkins will be moving back here within the next few weeks. I am so excited

Hope you can complete your painting project and get everything ready for the party.

Have a great day!!

Thank you... I am very excited for her - nervous, but excited too. Ours also does prizes and some pretty awesome things too... Although - for as much as those kids spent on tickets for the event, I do think that everyone should come home with something. Allison came home with absolutely nothing. Most schools around here do some sort of gift bag, but not ours. Oh well - it seems like she still enjoyed herself, and that's what matters.

Thank you - I am really proud of it... We pulled together really well and worked hard. I wouldn't have been able to do it with out him, and i don't think he would have gotten it done on time with out me. Team work, I guess. LOL

I understand - but it will be good to have it done too. I really don't like painting all that much - but I love putting the color on, that part is fun.

I am so excited for you - it will be so nice to have them back and nearby.

Thank you - same to you!

Finally made it over to see the great kitchen reveal...looks SO AWESOME! And congrats to Allison also...great family photos! Can't wait to see what you end up doing with the stairs...all in good time I guess!

Thanks - I really love it! I am so happy that it looks somewhat vintage, yet modern too. And even though the cabinets are almost exactly the same color - they look a lot different, to me anyways.

Thanks! We are so proud of her!

Hahaha... I am excited to see what I do with the stairs... Still trying to figure it out. I know they will be very ugly for the party, for sure. LOL But I think they will be cute when they are done - or at least, cuter than what they are now.

I can't believe the party is on Saturday.


OK, I'm a little bit upset and frustrated. I called the garage where my car is being customized today and asked how far behind they are now. I called them 1 month ago. Back then they said that they were at least 1 1\2 months behind and that they were waiting for equipment so that they could get 2 extra people working. Today when I called they were still behind and couldn't tell me when they would start on my car. Hopefully they will start on my car the last week of June or the first week of July. I asked if they had got the equipment they were waiting for so 2 extra people could work. They said that the equipment has arrived and extra people have been hired. But still they couldn't tell me when they are planning to start on my car.

I know - I can't believe it either. It's been a whirlwind few weeks here, and time is only going to go faster the closer it gets to Allison leaving. My heart breaks every time I think about it.

This is such a bummer, I was hoping for better news for you. We'll keep our fingers crossed that it's finished sooner rather than later.

The stairway looks great. My philosophy has always been what gets done, gets done and don't sweat the rest. Most of the time you are the only one who will know what didn't get finished.

We have a post prom lockin. Since most of the kids have what we call a "Cinderella" license - they have to be off the roads by 11 pm unless they are driving with an adult or coming home from work, the PTO put together a lock in so the kids would not be driving around after the prom. Lots of prizes and games. They always have fun.

Thanks... It's getting there. You are right... I just hope that everything gets done cleaning wise now... Still a lot of cleaning and setting up to do.

This is an excellent idea - I wish we did that too. It makes so much sense and it's a great, great idea. Anything to keep them safe, but allow them to have fun.

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

I was able to get so much done yesterday - even I am amazed at myself. LOL

First off - I worked out. I also journaled in MFP my entire day - I have not done that since we started the living room. My eating was OK - nothing great, but better than a few days recently, so I will take it.

Then I did some meal prep for the week... Trying to get back into that on Monday mornings again, now that I have a kitchen to work in.

While I was waiting for my veggies to roast - I started on this project... And worked on it intermittently through out the day. I do really love the color, but it's a bit bright for the room it walks into (the kitchen). But looking at it from the outside - a person doesn't notice it too much, because we have a large screen door there. I also thought about ordering a decal for this door - I kind of wish I would have now, but I think it's way too late for it to get here on time.

Then I worked upstairs all day, I was able to stay on track there... Hopefully I can continue that throughout the week here.

After work - Allison and I cleaned off the front porch... We took Josh's saw horses and work table down, and hauled it all down to the shed... Then we brought up our wicker furniture with us. I went down to the basement last night, to look for my cushions, and while I was down there, I saw a pile of heat vent covers on the top shelf under the stairs. I noticed that one of them was abnormally long, and it just hit me - I unburied it and ran upstairs with it - sure enough, it fit in the big cut out from the stairs. I was so excited! We will likely keep this vent closed off somehow, but I do want to paint the vent I found and use it there.

If you think about this - the odds of that vent surviving is kind of a miracle. This house has changed hands many times over the years - probably 8 times or more since the 60s, when I suspect the first time the stairs were carpeted was. So, at that time, they took out that vent, sealed it up and layed carpet. The only owner since then that would maybe know what that vent was for, was the one who took out the orange shag and put in the gray carpet I just ripped up. So, every time this house was bought and sold, those vents stayed on that shelf... I am just so happy that no one tossed them, as I do believe that long vent is an odd size which isn't made any more.

I took some time last night to weed my flower beds, after we had the front porch cleaned off. My one flower bed (ahem ~ Josh's one flower bed, but I am the one who always weeds it... Sigh) is nothing but dirt at the moment. I wonder if BFF will loan me a few of her flower pots on Saturday? LOL I'll have to ask her.

I've also been painting these jars for a few days... Overall, I am happy with them. I plan to put some cute flowers into them and use them as vases. The board they are sitting on isn't staying - I just put it there, just in case the paint wasn't totally dry yet. And the blue color of the one vase is the same blue I used on the walls in the hallway/stairs. I really love it!

And then I sat on Pinterest for the remainder of the night.

Today... I hope to get back to my heavy lifting. I know I need to - and I keep procrastinating on it. I am also planning to journal in MFP and make that a habit again... I really need to.

It's also applique day for me... And I have big and difficult appliques this week, so that's been stressing me out a little bit with everything else I have on my plate. But appliqueing is something I truly enjoy doing, so it's not that bad.

I still need to paint the one wall in the upstairs hallway, I plan to do that after work today - depending on how my day goes, that will either be before or after dinner.

I also need to make a quick trip to town.

I called in to my Tuesday night meeting yesterday, so that's off my plate for tonight. I never call in for that, but I just needed to take everything possible out of my schedule this week.

We are cutting it close to being ready for Allison's party... Hopefully we get it all done... Once the upstairs hallway is painted, the biggest job we have to do is a DEEP clean on the main floor bathroom, and the remainder of clean up in the yard and on the back deck. If we concentrate and all pull together, we should be fine.

I hope that all of you have an amazing day today... Sending pixie dust out to everyone!

D~

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Those jars are so cute! I love it- - what a fun a idea and they'll look great in your kitchen.

What kind of meal prep do you do on Mondays? I'm going to have to find ways to do as much prep as I can on the weekends, which is hard because I don't have much spare time at all on the weekends.... I really need to find good breakfast ideas that will be quick and easy for me to do in the mornings -- I just can't get up any earlier than I already do (already struggle mightily to get up on time as it is) and I'm not a big breakfast eater and I really don't care for eggs. Any suggestions? Breakfast is going to be a big challenge for me on Whole30, I can already tell!

I'm glad I got Alyssa's airfare taken care of. And I checked the Hopper app again and it looks like I totally missed the lowest airfares to Orlando for our trip -- several weeks ago it was around $186 and it said to keep waiting, it should drop down to around $150 so I waited....and it never dropped that low, and now it's $246 per person and Hopper says it might drop to $200 but that's as low as it's going to go. Ouch! So airfare is definitely going to eat up a bigger part of my budget than I planned on. *Sigh* I was going to surprise Alyssa and pay her airfare to Orlando (she told me she would pay for her hotel, airfare, and ticket if she could come on the trip with us -- so far she's paid for her share of the hotel ($158) and her ticket.....).....but if I can't get really good airfare I may not be able to. I'll probably pay half of it for her.

I know what you mean about breaking down when you think about Allison leaving. The same thing happened me when I dropped Alyssa off at college (I sobbed on the side of the freeway for a good while after I left her dorm....)....and when she went on her 18 month church mission to Honduras (the poor clerk that was stocking the Christmas aisles at Target must have thought I was certifiably insane, I was crying so hard while I shopped for things for her Christmas package....).....and I did it again last year when Mark (my husband) drove her back out to Utah for school....I did it again when she accepted an internship for this summer which meant she wouldn't be spending the summer at home.... I just love my girls so much and we have the kind of relationship I always dreamed of having with them and it's just so wonderful and fun and special and priceless....I treasure every moment. And with Brie finishing up her junior year of high school today, I know that next year she'll be leaving, too, and the tears start again. *Sigh*