Take a Guess...Another Kitchen Update

I know this is all I seem to be writing about these days - but so much is changing every day so I want to keep sharing. The really fantastic news is that by the end of the day tomorrow we should have a working sink, dishwasher, stove, microwave, and icemaker! Yippee!

The appliances arrived yesterday and the countertops were installed this morning. Here is the latest shot.







Before the countertops were sealed, we decided to toss the old newspaper that our contractor found during demolition as well as a paper from last week and a note behind the counters for the next renovators to discover.



In case you can't read the picture, here is what the note says:
"During the demolition phase of renovating our kitchen in 2010, we discovered a newspaper from 1/21/1977. We assumed this was tucked away during the previous kitchen renovation. So, to continue the tradition, we are enclosing the paper from 1977 as well as a "current" paper from 2010 for you...the next renovators...to discover. Enjoy!"



Next steps...cabinet hardware, lighting for over the island, paint!, soffit crown, ceiling crown, toe kick, island backing, and the list of little details goes on!

Here is a sneak peak of the cabinet hardware we chose.

Kitchen Update - Floors & Soffit

I have been working on our taxes most of the afternoon so I thought I would take a quick break and take a few pictures of our new (but old) kitchen floors for you guys.

Here you go...





What do you think?

We are really pleased. You can see that the soffit is now enclosed again and almost ready for paint. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas this week with everything that is going to happen over the next few days! More pictures soon...

Carter seems to be feeling a little better. We all got a good nights sleep last night. I was shocked when I woke up and it was morning. Shocked and thankful. I think his fever broke this morning, although he felt a little warm this afternoon. We had a fun brunch with Gram before she had to get on the road and head back home. Thanks for the visit Gram - I know Carter misses you already because he points to the books you brought and then says "Gra dat der" and points to the couch. (This translates to "Gram, right there" meaning he wants Gram to sit on the couch and read to him some more.)

Before she left we let Carter have his first Easter Egg Hunt. It was a bit chilly this morning, but I think the Easter Bunny might have some wonderful weather in store for next weekend.

Locked Up, Kicked Out, and Up All Night

What a week. Adam has been to "jail", we have been "kicked out" of our home, and Carter has croup.

First, Adam was arrested yesterday for the Muscular Distrophy Association (MDA) Lock-Up.



He had to raise money for the organization in order to make bail. The money raised will enable MDA to continue researching the cause and the possible cure of the 43 neuromuscular diseases they cover. His bail money will also help MDA provide medical equipment, clinic visits, support groups and a magical week of MDA Summer Camp for the families served by the Association in our local area.

Thankfully he made bail and raised over $1,700!

We have also been "kicked out" of our house for a few days. We have spent the past 3 nights in a hotel and I will be very glad to spend tonight in my own bed and with Carter in his crib. Our kitchen floors have been refinished over the past 3 days (and they look fantastic) but the polyurethane fumes have been too strong to stay there so we decided to pack it up and check in to a hotel for a few nights. Thankfully our room has a stove and dishwasher - luxuries we haven't had at home for awhile.

And to top the week off - I took Carter to the doctor on Thursday and found out he had a fever of 103.3 and croup! He started with a runny nose and cough on Wednesday, but I thought it was just another cold. On Thursday morning he fell asleep in the car around 9:30 and just wasn't acting his normal cheerful self. I took his temperature that morning and it was only 98.1 so either his temp spiked in a matter of hours or we need a new thermometer.

So the past couple of days have not quite been fun. They gave him a 24 hour supply of steroids which made Carter a little hyper (especially during the 2-6 am time frame Thursday night). His cough hasn't been too bad - but it does break my heart when I hear that seal like bark. And his temperature has continued to spike. He was cool/mildly hot most of the day yesterday but then was really hot when he woke up in the middle of the night. The steroids are done and now we are just treating the fever with tylenol, but poor little guy still isn't back to his normal self quite yet.

My mom arrived last night for the weekend. Originally Adam and I planned on running in the Monument Avenue 10K this morning. But, I have been sick the past couple of weeks, Adam has been working so hard that he hasn't had a single minute to train, and with Carter not feeling well we are going to pass this year. And poor mom had to spend the first night of her trip in the hotel room with all of us up almost every hour last night. Here's hoping everyone sleeps better tonight at home.

Cabinets Installed and More Decisions

I can't believe how much has happened since I gave the last update and how much is going to happen over the next couple of weeks. As of now, we are hopeful that we will be back into our kitchen by Easter weekend - which would be fantastic! But before we jump too far ahead, let me tell you/show you what has been going on.

There have been lots of design discussions. We still have to finalize countertops, backsplash, and paint color (along with a lot of other little details - faucet, sink, cabinet hardware, etc.) Here are some of the countertop options we considered:



The top left is by far our favorite look. It is a Virginia Mist granite which is the closest granite we have found to soapstone. We love the look of soapstone but are afraid of the maintenance issues we have read about. So, we tried to find a granite that was similar to soapstone in appearance. But, the actual samples that we found didn't quite look like we wanted them to and the price was a little on the high side, so we decided against this stone.

In the end we decided on the stone in the bottom center, although I should tell you the coloring is way off in this picture. Here is a better shot of the full slab.



These pictures don't quite get the coloring right either, but it is more cream than yellow, as it appears in the collage above.

Here is a picture of our final 3 choices on top of one of our cabinets.
The Virginia Mist is on the left and our final choice is on the right.



When we went back to the countertop store this weekend to look at the piece we had selected it was hidden behind another slab so they had to get out the tractor to move it for us. Carter didn't mind that one bit.



And here is a picture of our countertop sample, one of our cabinet doors, and a swatch of the paint we are considering for the walls.



So, that is where we are headed on the design front. I am hopeful our choices will create a warm but light and friendly kitchen that will flow well with the rest of our house. We will see...

Now on to the work that has been going on. Our contractor did a lot of work on the walls and electrical stuff last week. Then our refinisher pieced in some old hardwood planks to make that patch where the wall used to be disappear. Take a look - I think it turned out great.



Once everything is sanded down and stained the same color the patch should look seamless.

Our cabinets arrived last Thursday and were installed on Friday.







So that is where we stand right now. Here is a quick glimpse of the next couple of weeks (as long as everything stays on schedule.)

Mon/Tues - rebuild soffit, prep walls for backsplash
Tues - countertop template
Wed-Fri - floor refinishing
Next Tues - appliances delivered
Next Wed - countertops installed
Final Steps - backsplash installed, appliances/sink hook up, lights, final details

Sorry for all the pictures - hope at least a couple of you made it to the end!

Happy Spring!

Technically, I guess I should say happy spring eve, but we have had four days of glorious weather so I am celebrating a little early. With all of the noisy work going on in the kitchen, it has been really nice to be able to play outside a bit. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of our new favorite activities...sidewalk chalk and watering the yard.

Our favorite place to color is the tree.



Watering our daffodils.



Then Carter brought me a worm. Lovely.



I am not sure how much water ended up on our plants, but Carter didn't seem to mind.



Hope you guys are enjoying spring too!

Kitchen Update

This post is going to be mostly pictures as I think they tell most of the story...so here goes.

Our kitchen demolition started Friday, March 5th as we hopped on a plane to travel south. We thought it would be best for Carter and the new little one to avoid the dust and such from demo day(s).

Here is what we came home to:





There were 2 layers of linoleum on top of the original hardwoods (plus some other subfloor layer stuff).



One of the biggest discoveries is that there used to be another wall in our kitchen. It was just to the right of the sink. Our best guess is that there was a small eat in kitchen nook on the other side of the wall where the refrigerator used to be and that our half-bath used to be pantry space. This is similar to some other houses on our street.

Unfortunately, there is a patch on the floors where the wall used to be.



But, our refinisher is going to be able to fix this by piecing in some similar hardwood that he has found at an architectural salvage store in town. Once the old wall patch is restored to continuous hardwoods he will refinish the entire kitchen and we should have seamless floors from the entry way to the kitchen to the dining room.

Also, it appears the hardwoods were at one time refinished so the sanding should go well because he will be able to sand off the glue, then the old refinish to get to the original wood.



Another interesting discovery is that the pipes from our guest bath upstairs used to come down that old wall. So when the wall was removed to open up the kitchen our best guess is that the pipe was turned to run down the exterior wall of the house. But, the top part couldn't be moved (?) so the soffit was built to enclose that pipe.



During the demolition our contractor found a newspaper from January 21, 1977.



Interestingly enough, it was the day after Jimmy Carter's inauguration. I think it is fun that a paper from Carter's inauguration was found since we now have a Carter living in the house. Adam is thinking about putting this paper as well as a current paper back in the walls for some future homeowner to discover during the next renovation.

And finally, here are a few shots of our temporary kitchen. We have a toaster oven, microwave, and crockpot so we are doing alright. Plus, the weather was so nice this past weekend that we had grilled steaks and veggies outside. Not too bad for not having a kitchen!







I have added an album on the left with even more pictures from the renovation process if you are interested. Be back soon with more updates...cabinets will be installed on Friday!

Lots to Celebrate

After a great trip south to see all of the grandparents - and of course Carter's favorite cousins - we are back home. We all flew out last Friday the 5th for the wedding of a friend from college. Also on the agenda for the weekend was telling our family and friends that Carter is going to be a big brother!

Granddaddy heard the news first as he surprised us by showing up at the airport. I had a feeling that he might do this, so we put the "Big Bro" shirt on Carter just before we got off of the plane. Granddaddy didn't quite realize that the shirt was telling him something at first, but then he was very excited. We were excited too to see him doing so well! Mimi got to see Carter next and there was lots of squealing involved!



On Sunday Poppa, Nana, Gramma, and Gram came up for lunch and Carter was sporting his new favorite shirt again. Nana saw the shirt first and immediately asked us if we were trying to tell her something. Once Poppa realized what it said he just grinned. Gramma thought Carter just looked really cute in his "Big Boy" shirt so Carter asked her to look again and then she got pretty excited. Gram thought that Carter was wearing a hand-me-down which she admitted later she thought was a weird choice but once she realized it was Carter's shirt she squealed as well.

It was really fun to share our little secret and we can't wait for August 31 to get here!

It was also nice to be south for some warm weather. Carter had a blast playing outside with his cousins.



He even got his first ride on the Gator and Robert did a great job of driving very slowly.



On Monday Adam flew back home so he could get back to work. Carter and I were sad to see him go but we enjoyed a few extra days of playing with Robert and Jack. Before Adam left he surprised me with a birthday cake.



I missed not being with Adam on my actual birthday, but it was a special treat to have Robert and Jack sing to me, have lunch with my dad, watch Robert's first tee-ball game, and then go out to dinner with a great group of girls. All in all it was a fantastic day.

The rest of the week was spent with constant cousin play time.



There were lots of sweet hugs. And lots of tackle hugs. And a few tears here and there. But overall just a lot of laughter and fun.



What a great trip to celebrate the marriage of friends, the announcement of our new little baby, and a birthday to boot.

Happy Birthday

Today begins another year for a splendid mother and wife. Happy birthday, Tracy!

Guess Who...

...is going to be a big brother?



He looks pretty excited right now...we will see how long that lasts!

We are due August 31st.

A Before & After Weekend

This weekend was a before and after kind of weekend. We are feeling the crunch of demo day approaching, as well as a trip approaching, as well as spring (yes - that is right - SPRING!) approaching. So lots to do and so little time - the story of life, right?

Here is what we managed to fit in this weekend. (or at least what was remotely worth taking a picture of.)

First, both of my boys needed haircuts. I didn't get a before picture of Adam but Carter lost a lot of hair! We arrived armed with animal crackers, milk, and a bit of chocolate, but those took a back seat to the dum dums they had. Carter loved the sucker and drooled ALL over the black cape. Then the sucker started collecting little bits of cut hair. Gross. So I convinced him to switch to the animal crackers. We still didn't get those pieces that hang over his ear - I think there are a couple that haven't been cut since he was born - that is just a tough spot.



Also in the after shot of this picture is Carter's first attempt at a booster seat at dinner Saturday night. He didn't last in it the entire meal, but it was a good first attempt.

Let me tell you before you look at the next picture that they are BOTH after shots. I will just have to describe the before. These are the stairs that go down to our basement. And just about every time we go down to the basement we put something else on the stairs. I am even bad about just opening the door and putting something on the top step promising myself I will find a home for it the next time I go downstairs. Not very good at keeping that promise. So, imagine something on every step - tools, mittens, snow jackets hanging over the rail, old baby stuff that Carter has outgrown, water bottles, etc. I was so excited when it was all cleared away that I had to take a picture. We expect these stairs to be used a good bit during the renovation so we wanted them to be easy to navigate.



The other after picture is a newly organized area for my bulk shopping cleaning supplies. It has been really nice to buy a bunch of the big heavy cleaning supply stuff like paper towels, trash bags, toilet bowl cleaner, etc. in bulk and actually have a place to store it! But, again, most of it was just sitting on the basement floor which is not the driest place to store things! So, it feels good for everything to have a home.

And finally, we got to do some yard work this weekend. The forecast is calling for us to reach 60 next weekend (YIPPEE!!!) so I really wanted us to get the pruning done before everything wanted to start growing again.



Adam focused on the crepe myrtles and the zig zag jasmine and I spent most of my time on the nandinas (red now green bushes) and the other evergreen bushes that I don't know the name for.

So all in all a productive weekend. I just made my last full grocery run for awhile - our stove is getting disconnected on Thursday. Anyone have good toaster oven, microwave, or crockpot recipes they want to share? Need them to be super easy with minimal ingredients and minimal mess.