"Daddy, Take My Training Wheels Off"

We got home from Bible School tonight and, as we were cleaning up the garage from Andy's woodworking, Hanna asked to have her training wheels removed. It was like 9:15pm and so random...I thought it would be a lesson for another day when we had plenty of time. I was way off...Hanna was cruising unaided within 5 minutes! Now she needs a bigger bike! (Sorry for the low light, I know it's hard to see!)

Back on the Grid

Today, a sweltering day, was spent without power. Andy cut power to the house at around 9:30/10am and proceeded to replace our old, obsolete, and small load center. I am continually amazed at the hands-on knowledge he has with this remodel. Electrical scares me. It was a long and tedious day for him, but at around 8:00pm, he got us back up and running--better than ever. (We were happy to note that the house retained it's normal temp the whole time!) So-yippy-our oven and cooktop are now ready and working. Glory be, we're having cinnamon rolls and a cup of tea for breakfast tomorrow! :0)

Countertop!

Not much to say, just YEAH! Now we're getting somewhere!

Our Week So Far...

Joel is attending Boy Scout Day Camp all week (wish I had pics, but he's carpooling with a friend and is being well cared for by that family) and so I promised Hanna some special things for her during the days. Today we went to the Children's Museum and she had her run of the place without worrying about what anyone else wanted to do. Her favorite is always the carousel. We spent time in Playscape with sand, water, and FingerPlay time. We saw a Planetarium show with Big Bird and Elmo, and we spent plenty of time in the Barbie exhibit.

Finishing up in the dino dig area...

Standing inside the door of the pantry, once the front of the garage. Not completely finished yet, but almost there.

After Andy did the cabinet lighting, I finally had the green light to get back out my pottery. Does this mean I have to dust on a regular basis?

Anyway, Joel is loving scout camp. He's had opportunities to swim lots, ropes/obstacle course, canoe, zip line, archery, and shoot bb guns. And he gets to be with his best buddy to boot! In fact, he's having a sleepover tomorrow night with the friend/carpool fam. That sent Hanna reeling! I think tomorrow, she and I will go see a movie; perhaps Toy Story 3. It's nice to get somewhat back into having a life unrelated to remodel... (I just got an eye-roll from Andy on that one!)

Slave Labor

Okay, not really. The kids begged to help mud the outer wall of the pantry and Andy (NOT being the control freak that I am) said, "have at it". Since it's basically a garage wall and will be covered with shelving, the random piles of joint compound are no big deal. Tonight, we wait for drying and then sand/paint the entire pantry tomorrow. Flooring if we're on a roll... No true pantry pics until we are finished--sorry Mom!

Still Working...

Building our pantry from scratch...it will be more room than what we had in the tiny little closet version, but it will definitely be narrow! We wish we could've afforded R-30 insulation, but woah-pricey. Anyway, this R-19 is an upgrade from the R-11 that was in there. We don't even think they make it that low anymore! I sure am learning more each day...for instance, I had no idea you needed to put special barrier under the framing anywhere it touched the concrete. I never knew what "sistering" a stud meant or what a "cripple" was. (nothing politically incorrect!) My hubby is jack-of-all-trades! Andy's picking up the cement nailer this afternoon so he can secure the joists and continue framing. Then insulate the floor, add subfloor, and more drywalling---yeah.
The countertop guy came this morning to measure for template. They say they'll come back by next Thursday for the install...amazing! We can't wait... Well, it's blazing hot and humid here, so I think the kids and I will visit the sprinkler park after lunch. We need the occasional diversion.

Eeeeeewwwwwww.....

So tonight we tore out a floor-to-ceiling cabinet that took up the corner of the garage where we will be connecting the pantry. Then we tore out the drywall. I saw things I do not want to look upon again. A short bit of history: when we had the house inspected before we bought it, the inspector said there was evidence of past termites and the house was treated. He said there were no active runs. Several years back, we found out otherwise and immediately had treatment and have had wonderful ongoing service that offers peace of mind. I think we were lucky to find out about it then... The root of the problem was in the corner of the house by where the garage meets front room: exactly where we are working now. Long story-short: we are looking at much additional expense and time to deal with what those nasty things left behind. Replacing insulation, a couple of studs, and spraying lots and lots of KILZ! Wish us luck...... No pictures of this mess! :0)

Starting to Feel Like Living Space

Just a few shots to catch-up to where we are. Fridge came today, dishwasher Thursday, so we now have all appliances. We installed 3 of 4 today, as the cooktop must wait until the countertop comes in. With moving some seating in, it's starting to feel more like home. At least we can take a load off on something other than a bed or a folding chair that's in the garage!

The cabinets are nice, although they did come with some minor issues. Nothing we couldn't conquer...

Don't know why the lighting went funky here...so much brighter all of the sudden! Can't wait to use that new dishwasher! Sunday will be spent moving fridge food from garage into the new fridge and getting pantry staples and microwave back into the house so it's at least one step closer. Then we'll be working hard on building out our new pantry. Andy's not looking forward to getting the estimated amount of lumber! Gotta keep on keepin' on...

The Next Leg

Where once sat a large pile of flooring waiting to be installed now sits a large pile of cabinets waiting to be assembled/installed. But first, this "buffer" day of rearranging the garage to accommodate most of the stuff in the PODS which leaves tomorrow. Touching the stuff so many times has Andy frustrated; "It goes against everything I was taught", he says, but what can we do? THEN, on to the next leg!

We Did It!

After 2 days of non-stop working, we have bamboo flooring! I shot this video before we finished the front room area, but now we are done and exhausted! Cabinet boxes come in tomorrow, PODS gets unloaded Wednesday...eyes on the prize...

Flooring In Progress

While others spent the day gathering for barbecues and family get-togethers, we laid bamboo flooring. The time and effort will most definitely be worth it...we think it is beautiful! We pushed through the day, and then decided to stop at 10:00pm--even though we are childless tonight (thanks Gma and Gpa!)--we're just too weary to burn the midnight oil. Start fresh in the morning and finish the job!

The pictures just don't do it justice. We made it to where the hallway spills into main area. We are halfway through those 43 boxes of bamboo and celebrating our independence from grungy carpet and bad laminate!

Nothing To Do With Remodel

I spent today doing tasks completely unrelated to the remodel. It felt good being "normal" for a day. Laundry, cleaning bathrooms, mowing the yard, cleaning out the van, and picking up the garage in preparation for the woodworking stage. As I was folding laundry, I chuckled when I came to these t-shirts. For years now, I've given Andy a hard time about his tendency to wear a t-shirt to the point of threadbare. I always point out that they simply must be thrown away. What you are seeing is his comfy yellow t-shirt from a gig with the Decatur Park Singers (circa 1996). Notice the light from our bedroom window shining through it...

Then I came to one of my three comfy School of Tunes t-shirts from Millikin (circa 1995). I realized I no longer have room to goad him. Although it's not see-through, it certainly has seen it's share of paint, stain, joint compound, and Great Stuff foam! I wouldn't toss it for anything! I guess I'll let him keep his...

Color!

My favorite part is the wine-colored front room/kitchen area! In the daytime, it takes on a rich hue.

The livingroom is a suede brown...I had hoped it would be a touch more chocolatey, but with everything moved in, it should be fine.

More front room with the newly-installed ceiling fan. Don't laugh...getting ceiling fans and overhead lighting is a BIG deal for us!

Hallway is a touch lighter than the LR, but it's hard to tell.

Took this shot tonight with all the area lights on. That, paired with my flash, gave the color a candy-apple red look. Now on to flooring!