a little extra work time comes along

Two hour delay due to the bitter cold 

gave me the opportunity to work on my ever -ending list at school. 

Although it feels good to check off items on my list,

this list will not stop growing until the last day of school.

Onward and upward!

Denise

upward and onward

The kitchen backsplash is up and grouted.

Sealing and then caulking are up next.

I am amazed at how the simple tile changes this space into a kitchen.

Steve has begun to put up the trim.

Once it is all up I can paint it a bright white.

Finally, I now have a bulletin board for the kitchen.

I found these little wooden tacks which match part of our cabinets.

We do need to find the lamps I purchased that are from an old Burger King.

We think they may be in our neighbor's house.

No, they didn't steal them.

It is a long story, but I have casually mentioned to Steve that it is now time to find those things and get them hung.

The list is getting shorter:

finish and hang cabinet doors

clean all cabinet interiors (open concept cabinetry is not for me!)

unpack any kitchenware still in boxes and organize the inside of the cabinets

make archway from living room to kitchen (Steve's idea, not mine)

move Hoosier cabinet to the basement

move Grandma Bessie's 1950's stove to the garage

build wall and opening from the kitchen to the mudroom

move fridge

move the coffee cabinet into the house, then add counter and tile

paint the rest of the kitchen walls and the ceiling

lay flooring

finish all trimwork

finish painting the windows

Hmmm...

the list looks long, but we are slowly but surely getting there!

Denise

Oh, warm sunshine!

Cheery!

The kitchen tiling is coming along. All of the tile is up and I now need to grout.  Quite a process, but all worth it.  I hope to have pictures soon.

Denise

staying put

Although the Christmas decorations came down,

these festive lights are staying for awhile.

Denise

word of the year - 2013

 With a feeling that life is speeding at too fast a pace,

 I have decided to give myself the gift of a word this year.

slowly

May this word give me intentional
gratitude for this wonderful life of mine.

What will this word mean to me?
We'll see this time next year!

Happy New Year to you!

Denise 

Next step...

We are now in the process of installing kitchen tile.

After focusing on a dozen possibilities,

and changing my mind a few hundred times,

I came back to simple white subway tile.

The task is not a large one, but it is,

of course, filled with some complications.

And, since the kitchen is not quite usable

right now, we must get this project completed

within the next couple of days.

Seeing the time it is taking to complete the kitchen,

getting this finished asap is a good thing.

I am downright happy right now.

Denise

Christmas at the zoo

Happiness is Christmas at the zoo.

Hoping your Christmas was merry and bright,

Denise

tumbling little guy

Tumbling for little ones involves much running, jumping, landing,
jumping, running,

 not always listening, but sometimes listening,

and loads of fun!

Denise

what a happy morning

A little bit misty, cool, and quiet morning.

I need to find a place

for a table and chairs

so I can sit outside, with my coffee.

Speaking of mornings,

August came to visit this morning.

What a funny boy!

As he was eating his breakfast,

 I was in the kitchen. 

When I came back I noticed Cheerios

all over the room, with Henry frantically

trying to eat them all before any clean-up could occur.

I asked Gus what happened.

He answered,

"Henry likes Cheerios just like me."

and threw handful at Henry.

So that's why Henry is constantly by August's side.

As he built his train track

and made cars and other things with the Legos,

I mentioned that he might end up

becoming an engineer when he grew up.

He answered,

"No. I'm gonna be a BIG dinosaur when I grow up!

Pobly a T Rex!"

Although we had discussed this before,

we began to talk about Halloween costumes again.

August is going to be a 

red Lego.

He told me his dad was going to be a 

blue Lego.

His mom was going to be a

polar bear.

I guess I am going to be a 

seal.

Earlier he had told me that Papaw was

too big for a costume.

When I said,"Oh that's too bad for Papaw!"

August replied in such a sad tone, "Yes, that's too bad for Papaw!"

He really seemed sad.

But today he told me with a smile,

"Maybe a dinosaur costume would

be big enough for Papaw!"

Wow, August, that would be quite a sight!

Happy Autumn today!

Denise

off to the pumpkin patch

Saturday morning awoke

cold and windy, 

very much

the feel of autumn.

Hitting the pumpkin patch

early helped with the

crowds.

August loved playing

on the "hay mountain."

Picking just the right

pumpkin is always

tough.

Of course,

August found the best one of all.

Denise