Phase Three Complete

According to the engineer who is directing our kitchen remodel, Phase Three is now complete. To which I say, "Oh, my aching neck and arms!" Painting is a serious workout! Too bad I don't seem to be burning calories proportionate to how much my muscles hurt.  

BEFORE

AFTER

The bench seating is now charcoal gray instead of eggplant purple. I also painted the table legs. We are working on some different ideas with how to change the table top, but don't have any specifics decided yet. Once the countertops are in, we might have a better idea.

My table decoration

Jeff said if we ever eat fish the "table decoration" should be removed so its feelings don't get hurt.

I'm taking a break from painting for the rest of the week so I can work in the yard. Some break...  If I can move next week, I'll start painting the cabinets.

Kitchen Update: Yes, We're Still Here

Slow and steady wins the race...or so THEY say. Who's THEY again? After a few days off, we're back to work on the kitchen. Jeff took down the shutters so they could be painted and guess what we found? Wallpaper! There were two more styles of paper underneath. So, heavy sigh, I spent another half day removing wallpaper.

 Jeff got busy adding texture to the walls after that. It's really the first thing we've done that looks like actual improvement on the room. Everything is also still very dusty and messy. I'm so glad Jeff knows what he's doing on these things like adding sheetrock and texture. We can thank my PawPaw Guy for teaching Jeff these little tidbits of knowledge.

 Here's the texture all white and ready for painting. I briefly considered not putting the shutters back because I love the natural light that comes in. Jeff quickly reminded me of our lovely view -- trash cans and the neighbors' unattractive garage doors. Soooo, yeah, never mind. The shutters will return.

And...drum roll...please...

I couldn't stand it. I had to give you a sneak peak of the new color on the walls. I LOVE IT!!! The left photo is the BEFORE and the right photo is AFTER. I also painted the doors and trim the new white. I painted for about five hours today. So. sore. But, it's really starting to look different in the kitchen and I know it will all be worth it. 

Spring Break Snapshot

We cleaned. We scrapbooked. We conquered! That pretty much sums up our spring break this year. And, it was wonderful! Unlike years past, Rebecca did not have track every day. This completely freed us up to do pretty much nothing. Katherine came in on Friday and it was so fun having her home. Here's a few photos from the week.

My chair garden sitting on my front porch

 This little guy peeks out from underneath my mailbox.

 Katherine practiced Rebecca's makeup and hair for prom.

I made cupcakes for my new friends at Lowe's who have been so helpful in my kitchen remodeling decisions.

Carolina Jasmine

Barb and I scrapbooked all day on Wednesday and we watched Brodie for her on Thursday. Cutie!

The girls both spent considerable time on Friday cleaning their rooms. And by cleaning I mean "shoveling out clothing and debris." It was a very productive day.

All in all it was a fun, relaxing, productive week. Of course the shock hit this morning when we had to return to school. There were some "crankypants" walking around this morning to be sure. (I was one of them.) Hope your week was great!

Spring Cupcakes

I've had a wonderful time baking in my new oven. Last night I popped out these delicious strawberry cupcakes. Had to test out my new Easter sprinkles! Katherine says she believes the cupcakes taste "fluffier" from the convection oven.

Cookies and Cream cupcakes are definitely some of the most calorie-laden, sinful things I've ever made. The cupcake has an Oreo cookie in the middle of it. Then, it's topped with vanilla buttercream and chopped Oreos. Happy 100th Birthday to Oreo Cookies!

My Kids Crack Me Up

These are the types of pictures I find on my computer from time to time. Hilarious! 

Abigail and Justin Bieber

Rebecca and Taylor Lautner

Photo of the Day

Try 14 rows of colors...or was it 15? 17? 22? You would think with so many choices it would be easy to pick out granite for my countertops. The unfortunate problem is that my taste tends to run to "champagne" and my budget leans a little more toward "Diet Coke at Sonic Happy Hour."

Katherine was a huge help and I believe we've narrowed down to two choices. Of course when Jeff looks at the price per square foot, the choice will be made. I know that, but I'm still going to give him the option of looking into our eyes and seeing our defeat when he picks New Caledonia over Blue Pearl. Blue...Pearl...doesn't that sound nice?

As Katherine said when leaving the warehouse, "We cannot take any of this for GRANITE. We must have our decision be CONCRETE. It's a ROCKY problem, selecting colors for countertops; however, you need to keep looking because the right one is just a STONE'S throw away from you."  Me: (palm slap to forehead) "You are your father's daughter and he would be so proud."

Every Day It's The Same Old Questions

Every day Jeff asks me the same two questions: "What type of texture and color are we putting on the walls? What color granite are we doing on the countertops?" My answer? I.DON'T.KNOW.

I seriously cannot make a decision. I finally picked two colors I thought I liked. Painted them on a big poster board last night and I don't want either one of them. I am going back and forth over black granite or gray granite. It could be a very expensive mistake, you know.

Time is of the essence, of course, because we don't want this to drag out forever. Thankfully, I've just brought in a ringer -- a color expert, if you will. Katherine is home for Spring Break!

She's going to help me nail down the answers to both questions, if not today, then in the next few days before she returns to school. Keeping my fingers crossed that today's the day. After all, when you walk into any Lowe's in the Metroplex and they say, "Oh, you're back..." you know it's time.

The Birthday Gifts Continue

I did warn you there would be several posts about my birthday...didn't I? Yeah, I think I did. Last week my sweet friend, Melissa, took me to see Stephen Curtis Chapman in concert. Oh my goodness...I can't tell you how much we LOVE SCC. He has been one of our favorite Christian artists for, well, practically forever. Here's the good part...Melissa has people! Her people knew the sound people for SCC and we were given tickets to the pre-show sound check. I was on Row 4 with him right in front of me. We also got a free autographed poster. (I just read this and I completely sound like I'm in high school, don't I?) I'm sorry. I just think he's that great.

Here we are at intermission. I think my eyes are sparkling because I've been listening to SCC sing for an hour.

Pre-show sound check - answering questions and singing requests. I wanted to ask him to sing "My Redeemer is Faithful and True," my all-time favorite, but someone requested it so I just sat and enjoyed.

 Singing with Andrew Peterson (left) and Josh Wilson (right)

A great, great night! Thanks to Melissa (and her people) for making my birthday so special.

New Oven

And, remodeling moves along with the new oven.  Jeff lifted out the old cook top, moved the old oven, cut through the laminate and installed the new one. As easy as that. Well, it was easy for me because I just watched. 

I made pasta for dinner tonight. Wow...wow...wow...the rapid boil setting on the top? Boiled a pot of water in about 3 minutes. So cool!! Yes, I'm excited. Can you tell? I'm going to have to spend some time getting familiar with all the settings. I have absolutely no idea how to cook with a convection oven. If anyone reading this has some tips, please pass them along.

The Spring That Raced Ahead of Winter

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

Well, it appears that spring 2012 has arrived. Either winter came when I wasn't looking or we skipped it altogether. Really...did we have one cold day? I'm not even sure I got out my heavy coat. Well, it matters not because the perennials in my yard are saying, "Hello, World! It's a beautiful day!"

Carolina Jasmine

I've had this trailing ivy for a few years and it's never bloomed before now. Glorious color!

Peach Buds

Redbud Tree

Other than their burst of color, the best thing about these flowers is that I didn't have to work at all for them to show up! Love perennials!

The Birthday Jar

I've heard it said that "the best things in life aren't things" and I've certainly found that to be true in my own life.

I'm calling this "The Birthday Jar" when in fact it's probably more of a "Remember Jar." Rebecca made it for my birthday. It came with a card that reminded me to read one of these tiny notes any time I felt unloved or sad, and they would help me feel better. Can you say tears? Yes, I think so.

Here are few of the things that she loves about me:

• beauty
• piano playing skills
• help me through hard times
• eyes
• drive us around
• funny - in your own way  (love this one!)
• supports me in all I do
• love of a good read (made me smile)

Isn't it so important to feel loved and to let others know how important they are to us? After all, who knew how much Becca loved my "COMMON SENSE!!" and my "soft hands" and my "ability to read in an intriguing way." Now, thanks to my gift, I do. 

Hope you feel as blessed in your life as I do in mine.