Let the Renovations Begin!

We always seem to save our crazy projects for just before a new baby arrives!! Let's see...with Anna, we moved 3 days before I went to the hospital (3 weeks before she was due!). With Jacob, I don't think we had a real major project-just painted the kids' bedroom and got it set up for a baby AND big sis. With Isaac, Dad worked for like 36 hours straight (no sleep) to remodel our bathroom. We've been talking about replacing the disgusting carpet in the living rooms with wood floors for quite a while (and getting new carpet in the bedrooms). And then we talked about where we would put the baby without losing our guest room. Aaron suggested converting the garage into a guest suite, since it's too small to fit our van and had basically just become a place to pile all our junk! So we decided we would do the garage conversion first!! It's a big undertaking and we're so thankful that Dad is willing to come out weekend after weekend to head up this big project! Of course, this summer we seem to have a whole bunch of things planned already, so that makes it even more challenging  to get it done on a timeline!! A couple weekends ago, Dad came down and got started. Of course that meant  Aaron and I (mostly Aaron!) had to have the garage cleaned out completely. Which meant he had to have the shed cleaned out so we had somewhere to put all the stuff from the garage that we needed to keep! I did a LOT of purging!!!!!

The first step was getting all the floor joists in since we're raising the floor to be level with the rest of the house.

 School Room before demo...

 The school room will be made 2' bigger and will become the laundry room/office/school room. I'm so excited!!!!! Can't wait to get my laundry OUT of my kitchen!! 12 years in the making ;)

 School room after demo...

 Of course no project EVER goes as planned for us. They got the floor in the school room torn out and found out that the floor was built UNDER the wall. So the wall had to be torn out. Ugh. But that means that my laundry room will now be 2' bigger because we decided to move that wall out 2' to make both rooms squared up. And after taking the floor out, it's no wonder why that room was always  really hot or really cold...the floor joists were just laid on the floor and the insulation was just laid straight onto the the cement! 

 Anna was an eager helper, as usual! Anything to spend more time with her Daddy and Papa!

 Of course Isaac wanted to be out there helping, too! So we gave him a scrap piece of wood and a small crowbar. He went to town banging on that thing!! And yes, he's wearing Anna's boots.  :)

 Making progress!

 Thankfully we have nice neighbors...that light out there is the saw! They worked late, trying to get all the floor joists in before Dad left.

 Papa's morning helpers.

 Isaac was pretty excited to use the DRILL!!!

 Anna and Jacob helping Papa measure for the next one.

 Jacob's turn with the drill! It was a little harder on that side for a left-hander! :)

Grandpa was here for a couple days, too and helped. He's planning to help with the project, too. We'd never be able to afford this renovation without "free" labor! I told them we'll pay with letting the kids stay with them for at least a week ;)

An Early Christmas Present

 I've wanted to replace the kitchen sink since we moved in. It was a nice porcelain sink, but it was a "prep" sink, which means one side was very shallow. The shallow side was also the the side the garbage disposal was on...which was a mess! So, I found a great black, quartz granite sink at Menards. Aaron measured the sink and I picked up the perfectly-sized sink. I texted Dad before I bought it and asked if he was okay with helping Aaron put it in when he came down the day before Thanksgiving. I accidentally left out the word "sink" in my text so he thought I meant a kitchen FLOOR and he still AGREED!!! Crazy man. (Don't ask about how his kitchen floor redo went!!) I think he was a bit relieved when he found out it was a sink and not a floor! But by the time it was over, maybe he wasn't...

No project ever goes as planned. Ever. Seriously, a kitchen sink replacement should be so easy! It was a mess and took way too long. The lady at Menards told me the holes were pre-drilled and all you had to do was "tap" them out. No drilling! So Thursday morning, Dad and Aaron unpack the sink, take the old one out (and carry it outside-HEAVY!). Dad starts "tapping out" the holes. It's not nearly as easy as it should have been. He gets one out and the next one...CRACK...the whole top corner of the sink breaks off! Did I mention I bought the sink at Menards? And the closest store is an hour away? And it's Thanksgiving Day?! And I'm hosting a big meal for 16 people that evening???!!! Oh man. So in goes the old sink (carried back inside). Nothing else can be done! They thought about going Friday early morning to Wichita, but when the girls reminded them it was Black Friday they decided to wait!

So we have the big meal that night and the next day we head out west for Thanksgiving. We get home on Sunday evening with plans for Dad to go to Wichita first thing Monday morning and get another sink. We had planned on going to Iowa on Monday mid-morning, but like I said...no project ever goes as planned!

Anna decided to go with Papa to get the new sink. This didn't go as planned either...of course! First of all, I forgot to tell Dad there is a Menards on the west side of town (would have saved him at least an hour!). He gets to the store and they're all out of the sink!!!!! I couldn't believe it. The guy at the store said the west store's computer showed they had one left. So off they go. Anna, by the way, is not happy that it's taking so long. And when Papa told her they had to go to Maize to get the sink, she told me "and now we have to go through a maze to get it!!" Ha!!! They get to the next store and they're sold out!! That's when he finds out that the reason it shows there is one left is because the inventory system counts the display. Dad convinced them to sell him the display and they finally made it home. He also asked the guy at the 2nd store about just tapping the holes out. He laughed and said no, you need to drill them out. Luckily Dad brought his hole drill (what's it called??). So he starts drilling out the holes and it's not doing anything. He tries for over an hour...nothing. He went to the lumber yard to see if they have a Diamond bit. They don't and don't know where else he could find one. There's one in Hutch for almost $50 (plus the time it would take to go there and back!). The guy at the lumber yard did know a guy in town that would have one, but he wasn't home. Dad left him a message and waited for him to call back. By supper time he called back and said he had a bit Dad could borrow. This is why I love small towns! The guy had no idea who we were, we'd never met him, but he was willing to let us borrow a tool! And what do you know, those holes drilled out in seconds! So now we're home free, right? WRONG!

!

 They go to set the sink in and it doesn't fit perfectly (have I mentioned Dad is a perfectionist? I'm glad). There's a small lip on the underside of the sink so ONE CORNER of the sink doesn't sit flush on the counter. We're talking less than 1/4". But Dad didn't like that. Another glitch! Plus Aaron doesn't have the right kind of saw and he can't find anyone that does! The only thing he's got is a circular saw! Talk about dusty!!! So we put up sheets to try and contain the dust. Can you see Dad under the sheets?

It kept it better contained, but it was still dirty!

 Oh Papa! When will you learn to quit doing projects for my mama??!! Hahaha!

Got it cut! Ready to drop in.

Ta-da! (sorry--it's a cell phone picture) I love, love, love it! We didn't even have to get new faucets. And it only took 6 days!! Thanks, Dad!!!

Tough Choice

If you recall my post (and I'm too lazy to go find it and link to it!!) about a big decision--buying a house--we were facing...we've decided. It's been so hard, mostly because our heads and our hearts were warring with each other. Our hearts were in the right place. The extra (and I mean extra!) room would have been perfect for our family's calling to minister to college kids, etc. But it's just not the right time, financially, for us to take on a bigger house and all the bills that come with it. There were too many "if-then's" that were out of our control. So, we had a little pity party tonight ;) We ate at the newly opened Quizno's in town and went over and got some DQ. haha (that was Aaron's idea by the way...the pity party). We sat up last night for a long time (again) talking. We kinda agreed, without actually saying it out loud, that we shouldn't do it. When we finally went to bed, I just said "God, make me feel it in my bones that this is what we should do." I emailed my parents (since they never actually out-right said what they thought we should do) and begged them to just tell me what to do! And I about fell out of my chair when Dad emailed back and actually told me what he thought! But seriously, it really did help. And I promise we won't hold it against you Dad...except when you come stay with us and have to sleep on the living room floor!!! haha God used that email to hit it home...I felt it in my bones. And Aaron very sadly agreed. We're sad because it seems like this was a one-shot chance, but we know without a doubt that we're doing the right thing. We are going to make so much progress financially staying in this house longer. And God can do anything and we're confident that in the future, when we're financially ready to buy another house, He will provide the perfect one for our family! The interest rates probably won't be at 4% anymore, but that's okay! :) So, thank you for praying for us. It was hard!

Now, for some pictures!!! :)

The weather has been absolutely beautiful! 50s!! The snow is melting pretty quickly, but there's still a lot left! Our little snow man is almost gone, though. Anna kept checking on him today! This is my garden...or what you can see of it! And the little turtle sandbox is somewhere under all that snow! :)

Our driveway was really bad b/c the snow drifted. Aaron & I (okay, okay...I spent an hour!) spent all day Sunday shoveling. He had to be able to get out and go to work today!

A nice path to the carport...it comes up to mid-shin on me. Today, the path is completely free of snow.

Aaron working hard! The snow was very wet, so it was so so heavy to shovel! Made for good snowman-making, though!

So strange to look up from all that snow and see green buds on the trees!

I'm like my Dad...when I start a project, I like to get it finished quickly. Painting cabinets with 2 kids at home all day....doesn't equal finishing quickly!!! I finally got half of the upper cabinets completely done (minus the inside...haven't decided if I'm doing that or not). Having the window painted white makes a HUGE difference...makes it so much brighter. That's going to take about 10 coats b/c the primer was in the shed, which was snowed under (well, the path to it is anyway!). So I've come to realize that this project is going to take a long time...I mostly get the painting done on the weekends when Daddy is home to keep the kids out of the way. I can't get much done after they're in bed b/c I have to do my computer work then. It looks great, though. And will look really good when I finish and get the trim painted and put up (after Aaron gets it for me, of course!).

This is her new favorite thing to do...draw on her chore chart! Shows how much we use that! Whoops. She has to keep the chair moved away from there when she's done, though b/c Jacob likes to climb up and eat the magnets (eww!).

He really loves playing in the sink. He stood up there for a good 30 minutes or more the other day. Just playing with a medicine dropper and maybe the brush. No water running.

People always comment on how blonde his hair is getting. It's true...in most lights he looks like he's lost the red. But I keep telling people it's still there. Here's a picture to prove it! I did nothing but make the picture black & white except for his hair. Don't tell me that doesn't still have red in it! :) And this is how he tends to watch TV. RIGHT UP CLOSE...wonder where he gets that???? I had to remove the Lego box from the room, because he'd climb up on it and push the buttons on the satellite and DVD player (he, of course, figured out how to open the DVD player). He was not happy when I did that!

He's so ornery (and yes, there were several days that he just stayed in pj's all day!). At his 18 month check up last week, the doctor said "He likes his yellow vegetables, I see" HA! I've been noticing that his nose is always orange-ish in the pics....not such a bad thing, I suppose. He should have super eyes from all the beta carotene (??) he eats! :)

Well, now. That was a wordy post! Good grief. Night!

Whew

Whew. It's been a long week already! Here are a bunch of pictures :)

Last weekend we had visitors...Grandpa & Grandma!! The kids got some very special Easter baskets (I still haven't gotten a picture of Jacob with his).

Grandma made Anna this one and it came with a cute little bunny (that's actually a cover for eggs!). Anna loves both of them.
Jacob inherited his Daddy's Easter basket. He was too busy watching Dora to pose with the basket. He about took his diaper off, too. Great. That's just what I need---him to figure out how to remove his diaper!!! He is growing up, though :( Last night I went in to cover him up before I went to bed b/c he was up for an HOUR after Aaron put him to bed. He just laid in there and played (he has a Dora "see and say" thing in his crib). And it was very cold last night. Anyway, I go in there and he had put the blanket on himself! Such a big boy, it almost made me cry! He's not a baby anymore :(

We had a late night last night. A friend from college stopped by for supper on her way through on a support trip. It was great to visit with her and be encouraged (I thought it was supposed to be the other way around?!). Anyway, the kids got to bed super late (which is fine), so we had a lazy day today. A new movie came in the mail and Anna requested popcorn and a drink for the viewing of "The Wonderful Land of Ha's". They snuggled in chair quite nicely for about half of the movie, then lost interest:) Jacob's pink eye is gone, Anna got it just a tiny bit but hers is cleared up too. She just still has horrible allergies. Can't seem to get those cleared up.

Today she spent most of the morning digging through her closet and the toy box, finding all sorts of "treasures"! Needless to say their bedroom is one big mess, but she had fun and I had fun seeing what she came up with for dress up!

This was last week when it was still nice outside. Jacob loves to ride on Anna's bike...although that requires someone to push him!


Big sister happily obliges!

So fun, these two kiddos :)

And the project I have insanely started today....

Painting the kitchen cabinets! It hasn't been too bad so far, but that's only because they're all out of the reach of little hands! I've got all the coats on the outside of the upper doors, so tomorrow I'll have to figure out how to take them down and paint the insides of the doors and the facing. Monday Anna & I got the bedroom and bathroom doors painted white, finally and Aaron got a door knob on Jacob's door temporarily (that door will have to be replaced).

I'm going to paint the window and sill white this time instead of leaving it the dark wood. We'll probably take out the over hang above there as well. Open it up a bit more up there.

Here's my question...should I paint the insides of the cabinets, too? (This is all with the thought of eventually, possibly, maybe, trying to sell this house)

Oh, and update on my mom...she saw the ENT doctor today and her throat looks great--he could see the vocal chords without a scope! Her family doctor diagnosed her with polymyalgia rheumatica, so she is on a small dose of steroids to help with that which in turn helps with the throat swelling. She is feeling pretty good (I think it was the cross-country grandkids visiting trip!). We all appreciate your prayers for her. She still has days of not feeling good--from the c-diff still we think--but more good than bad days anymore. Praise God! :)

Alright, off to work on the queue.

The Big Reveal

This week Mom and I worked on taking the border down and painting the kitchen. It took so much longer than we expected. But...whew! It is done!! I still have to do more coats on the window seat window--but my kitchen is back together. Which is good since my kitchen is also my dining room, laundry room, scrapbooking corner, sewing room and office!

The before--blue and the border. The problem was not the border Mom & I put up 6 years ago (man, was it really that long ago?!). It was the border that somebody else put up 60 years ago and then painted over at least twice!!!!! It tore the primer off the sheetrock in several places and was just a pain in the neck (figurative and literal!) to get off. Well worth it for the end product though!

The before (and messy!!) laundry area.

The first wall we got done. We ended up doing sections. Mom mostly worked on taking the border down (THANK YOU!!!!!) and I followed behind her and primed/painted. This wasn't completely dry when I took the pic, so that's why you can see some spots at the top.

The office section :) Also houses my mini tea cup collection. This is a pretty true representation of the color--natural light and no flash. I love the color--it's called Delta Sandbar--with the white trim (which you can't see in this picture. ha)



The laundry room. We will eventually replace the cabinet doors (which will be white) or paint the existing cabinets white. I'm glad I painted the shelf white (it's always been the wall color before).

Not a very good picture of the wall color, but my awesome cousin Susan printed off this picture for me and framed it! I LOVE IT!!!!! And a trimmer Aaron used to work with made that cross for us (a preview for Aaron's folks for what theirs looks like--sort of)

I'm so glad it's done and it makes me want to paint the cabinets...NOW! ha It is no fun having a non-working kitchen with kids...or a project mess with kids! It would've taken me twice as long if Mom hadn't been here to help, though.