And, We're Back...

After a three-week long hiatus, I am back to work on the kitchen. I spent two days this week beginning to paint the cabinets. What. A. Job. Thankfully I've had little sanding to do and that has helped not get bogged down in dust and sneezing.  Initially I wasn't going to paint the inside of the cabinets, but after I saw the difference in color I just couldn't leave them yucky and yellowy. Shout out here to my super painting helper and screwdriver user, Abigail!

Comparison shot: new painted doors in front of old doors/knobs

Love the freshness!

Freshly painted drawers with new drawer liner

BEFORE

AFTER

One half of the kitchen cabinets are done. Tomorrow I will start on the other side, if I can move! Is there anyone else out there who gets sore when they paint a lot? Anyone? Anyone?

What Were They Thinking?: Edition - Brink of Insanity

O.K., O.K., shoe designers have finally lost it! Every single time I go to Ross the heels on the shoes are higher! (Yes, I know. Maybe I should stop going to Ross.)  These are beyond the bounds of common sense. I would love to see someone walking in this top shoe. I wished for a ruler to measure the heel. That's at least, what, eight inches? Nine? 13? Unbelievable.

These third and fourth shoes almost look tame in comparison to the top two. And to think, just a few weeks ago I would have said these were the highest ones. Reminds me of something I heard on a movie once, that probably my mother and Aunt Sylvia will be the only ones to recognize..."It jist ain't fittin'...ain't fittin', no suh..."

Grace Prep Prom - 2012

Rebecca was the most gorgeous girl at the prom. Of course I could be a little biased. Here are a few of the many photos taken at our "Pre-Prom Parent Paparazzi" event!

Sisters

Melissa and Jocie, Becca's dates

Part of the Junior Class

Love this bridge shot...

Rebecca was so excited to travel to the prom in a Mini Cooper.

Psalm 68

As I mentioned in the previous post, I'm currently studying the Psalms in a Precept Bible study. It's amazing the truths you learn from marking important words and phrases and really picking apart the Scriptures. One day this week the assignment for Psalm 68 was to make note of God's nature and His works. Wow! All of this in just one little psalm. : )

God:
a father of the fatherless
a judge for the widows
makes a home for the lonely
leads out prisoners into prosperity
causes heavens to drop rain
provides for the poor
daily bears our burden
is our salvation
a God of deliverance
shatters the head of His enemies
acts on our behalf
scatters people who delight in war
rides upon the highest heavens
speaks forth with His mighty voice
His majesty is over Israel
His strength is in the skies
awesome from His sanctuary
gives strength and power to the people

Yes. That's God. Who can comprehend?

Favorites of Mine

Here are a few things that I've really enjoyed the last few months or so. Why, yes, this is completely random and, in most cases, irrelevant to your life.  (Remember: All blog posts are for the preservation of memories for "yours truly" because I am in very few family pictures and this is the only way my grandchildren and great grandchildren will know who I was -- an utterly random individual who occasionally blogged about things she liked. Anyhoo...moving right along.

Cuties! I love eating these little clementines. They are a perfect snack.

 Egyptian Cotton Linen Spray

I occasionally spray my sheets with this. So fresh!

Kay Arthur's Bible Study of The Psalms

I look forward to this every morning.

Keurig K-Cups (Half Lemonade/Half Tea)

Or as we call them at our house...Arnold Palmers.

Delish!

This will be one of my favorite drinks this summer, if not year round.

Corky's Sandals

My friend, Melissa, introduced me to these super comfortable flip flops.

These have a little too much bling on them for my taste, but you get the idea.

Would love to know some of your favorite things!

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