Kitchen remodel!

Here is the best picture of what the kitchen was before we started. I some how managed to not take many pictures that show the ugliness of the kitchen in the three years we have been here.

The first thing we did was take out the wall between the living room and the kitchen. We were filling a bit claustrophobic moving here. So we removed anything we could to open things up a bit. This was in Nov of 2008 and there has been a gap in the floor since that time.

The end of 2009 sometime we tore out a random cabinet on the right of the kitchen that was not attached to any of the other cabinets and really just weird.

If you notice the ceiling just above Karl is sagging. It wasn't too bad when we fist moved in, but then Karl was up doing something in the attic and stepped off the rafter right there and it was really quite bad for a while. Spring of 2010 we dry walled the basement. and the ceiling in the kitchen. At the same time we cut the wall on the right of the kitchen that separates the kitchen and the stairwell to a half wall. That nicely opened up the things too.

Monday December 27 Karl woke up and said, "what do you want to do? The kitchen or the bedroom?" Both of which really need help! I decided on the kitchen. We have been knowing that we want the kitchen redone since we moved in. It was just a matter of when. We had the kitchen drawn up by the place we wanted to do our cabinets and so all there was left was to pay for them and pick them up. I jumped on the idea because I didn't want Karl to change his mind. So after we all had our dental check-ups. We went and picked up cabinets and started with the demolition.

The next couple pictures are Tuesday morn. Since it wasn't real thought out we just went with breakfast and made it all work. We ended up not having to eat out the entire time. One night we went and got the kid's Book-it pizzas from Pizza Hut, but other that that it was breakfat lunch and dinner either cold or with the electric skillit. I had even signed up to feed the missionaries on Wed which worked out in our favor. We did pumpkin pancakes and fried eggs with cocoa. Picnic style in the basement. It was lots of fun and then they set up to come over and help with hanging the cabinets. What a life saver! I'm not sure what we would have done had we not had their help.

Once the cabinets were gone and the old floor taken out we started with what I think we would all say was the worst part. Preping the floor for a new vynil floor. We had never done vynil and had always been told to hire it out if we did, but we decided we're too cheap for the and took the plunge. It wasn't that bad once we figured out how to work the putty. I must say tht it turned out pretty good too. There is one cut of mine that I'm going to have to cover up, but once we get the base boards in it sould be great.

Basically this is the finished product! I need to put in some new outlets and put the spice racks up. Then a little touch-up paint and baseboard and we shoudl be good. It is so nice to have it done. I was't sure if Karl was going to kill me for making him do extra plumbing to put in a water filter. It took him a couple days to get it so there were no little leaks but he did it all. I was quite proud of him. All in all the Kitchen looks great. It is still small, but we have made good use of the space that we have and it functions and looks MUCH better.

There were a couple funnies that I should probablly add in here. The first night Karl was doing the water he went out to turn it on and I was watching it. There was a pinhole leak that I was holding a towel over so it didn't make a mess and then all of a sudden it was like a rocket. It shot off and water was fountaining all over. I laughed and laughed! The other not quite so funny, but maybe I will think it is funny later on. The end wall with the range either had to have a spacer of 2 1/2 inches or I had to shave a cabinet down a bit. With the size of my kitchen I chose the latter, which was not a big deal. I chose the small cabinet abouve the range because I figures less cutting gave me less room to mess up. It went well, but after I shaved it down I still couldn't get it to fit in. So we call Dave Clinkinbeard to come over and get the cabinet in. He did a fabulous job, but then I pulled the microwave out to try and install it and what do you know vent and above the range microwaves are built to fit exactly the area above the range which happens to be 30" typically, but now that I have shaved me cabinet downt here was only 29 1/2 ". Therefore we had to take it down tack the peice I cut off it back on and take everything that I had put away in the middle cabinet out and take it back downa dn shave that one down. In the end it all worked out and I was happy that I called Dave to do it!

Carson's 11/Scout Camp

I started this post forever ago. Carson turned 11 in June a couple days before scout camp which ment he got to go to a full week scout camp. No more cubs!
He wanted a pickle cake. I did my best. I really couldn't get the frosting the right color.

The first day Karl and Carson were gone to camp Rebecca fell off her stool at dinner and hit her head on the edge of the vent. I was about to take her the the ER and decided to call some friends that were docs instead. They looked at it and determined the use medical glue to close it up and keep infection out. I couldn't find any medical glue and I had already been to the store 3 times that day so I super glued it shut and it worked great. The rest of our week was pretty smooth. Thank Goodness!

Studying for boards.

Mother's Day

So I had a great Mother's Day. Things were really quiet and nothing big, but my father-in-law said something that really made me think. He sent me a note that said, "Is Mother's Day really a holiday. I doubt it." Why does he say that? Just because they have always thought of Mother's Day as Mother's Day Off (we all know that mother doesn't get a day off unless she leaves), But in fact that is not what the holiday is. It is a day to celebrate motherhood. A special day to stop and think of all that our mother's do for us, and how our lives benefit from their endless sacrifice. I am so grateful for my mother. She taught me well and supports me in all that I do. I know she is always there when I need someone or something. I appreciate her constant love, support, and thoughts for me and my family. What would I do with out her??? I in return am grateful for my opportunity to be a mother. I love and learn with my children everyday. It's not always easy, but I love it. It made me so happy to just have my kids talk of Mother's Day and what they could do for me. A lot of their ideas did nothing more than come to mind, but it's the fact that they wanted to make my day special. I have great kids! I had a great mother's Day. I have some fun pictures we took. I can't find the cord to my camera, so maybe I'll get them on her someday. Not today.

Marathon

So Karl ran his first marathon. His biggest problem was Thursday night he mowed the lawn and a nice sized rock shot up and hit him right in the knee. OUCH! He had a huge bruise which did not serve him well. His whole knee swells if he doesn't stay on an anti-inflammatory. He did great and immediately after was ready to sign up for another. His time was 3 hrs 21 min. He was wired for a couple days, but just crashed tonight. Funny story...I put on facebook that he ran it in 2 hrs 21 min. Everyone kept commenting on how fast it was. Then it clicked that I had typed the wrong time. Ha, ha! I told Karl that all it took to be a world class marathon runner was to have a good wife behind him. I can shave the time off no problem. I'm proud of him. It has taken a lot of dedication.

Halloween

Halloween in a favorite at our house so although it is long past we can not forget it. It is a holiday that lives on continually in our home. At least once a month I have someone say, "mom for Halloween I want to be ..."

This year we had a couple really fun Halloween parties. We went to Julia's house, a friend from dental school, and carved pumpkins will a bunch of brainiac dental students. Good food, good fun. I think it was the best pumpkin carving party we've ever been to.

The next fun we had was the Halloween party at the YMCA. Very well organise and loads of fun. I don't have any pics of this one, but they has all kinds of crafts, strobe light dancing, games, haunted house, smores and more. We love the Y! Someone pulled the fire alarm about 10 min to eight which was perfect. That way we all got home in time for bed.

The morning of Halloween Karl sat all the kids down and told them we could have a lot of fun, but the house had to be cleaned. He's a bit of a drill sergeant when it comes to cleaning the house. This is the kids sitting listening to his lecture.
They got it all done, so we had a party. We had some friends over and did a quick trick or treat just around the block and came home and had pumpkin pie and cider and candy and games and I don't remember, but it was fun.

Rebecca was a pirate Eldon McKay was a vampire

The girls ended up being siamese mummies

And Zac was the cutest cowboy I have ever seen.

This is my favorite picture of all...Check out Karl's cute rear. Our friend snapped this one. Not even realizing Karl's stance, but we love to laugh at it. Karl and I were pirates as well.

getting caught up

So I lost the cord to my camera and olny have a card reader on the computer that was not working for a little while, so I got a bit behind. Therefore I am going to try and play catch-up. This first post is one fall day after church a couple of the kids and I went to the park and I ended up with some of my favorite pictures form the year, so I have to post them.

These, I love! Zac was so funny this day. Lydea told me to wait to take the picture because she needed to pull her socks up. Zac decided that he needed to pull his up as well.

Then he insisted on posing just like Lydea. Too funny.

Hopefully soon I will get to posting Halloween, that bathroom that is finally finished, Thanksgiving, Lydea's birthday and baptism, and Christmas.