Plodding Along

I realized today that it has been almost a month since my last post (gasp!), and was severely depressed to realize I don't have much to report. But, in an attempt to keep everyone informed, I'm hoping there will be a few noteworthy events in the blabbering that follows.

I spent two weeks this month visiting my mom, sisters, extended family, and friends. It was wonderful to see everyone, and I really didn't want to leave. We have been doing wonderfully since we moved to Wheatland, but I've been so busy that I haven't allowed myself much time to think about how much I miss having family close by. I came home with a renewed determination (as I usually do) to move back to the Big Horn Basin as soon as we possibly can!

I was able to make a quick trip to see Miriah and her beautiful family (including my new nephew!), and I was so grateful for that opportunity. Let me take a minute here to gush... Their house is adorable, their children are angels (yes, Miriah, even Ethan... seriously, he is NOT a screamer, so don't even pretend), and their happiness with their life is apparent to everyone around them! I'm so glad I was able to be immersed in their personal world in the short time we were there!

While I was away, William worked hard on several projects. He got a LOT of rewiring done, with no trips to the ER, which is a MAJOR, unexpected plus! He also raised my countertops, which is a drastic improvement... I no longer have to fold myself in half to wash dishes or appear as though I'm praying to my vegetables as I'm chopping them! Now we can begin to pay a little more attention to cosmetic details in our kitchen, though even that will take some time. We're working really hard to be a frugal as possible with our rennovations, so we have to wait to find the killer deals. That then leads us to begin new projects while we're waiting, which leads to our little family living among construction rubble! *sigh* It'll be worth it once it's done, I suppose. I just need to do a lot of yoga and that weird chanting/humming crap, I guess.

We did manage to make some headway and clear some space today, however. There were a lot of "extras" that came with the house when we moved in (most of which were a surprise to us), and we needed to clear out extra appliances, furniture, household goods, etc. So, we had a yard sale. We made over $300! Wahoo! So, of course, I visited a few yardsales myself (yes, I attend meetings for my disorder... they don't help), and was able to score a new memory foam mattress for William & I! It's the type with the pillowtop to give some extra firmness and support. I got it WAAAYYY cheap, and we're excited to see how it works for us.

Well, that's about all. Did you find anything worthy of the publication I gave it within my ramblings? No? Well, then next time quit reading sooner and you won't deserve the boredom induced stupor you're experiencing.

Kitchen Progression

So, this last week, with my MIL's help since she was here (Thanks, Carol!), we tackled some big jobs in the kitchen. I don't know if you remember what it looked like, so here's a reminder!

The yellow looks bright and sunny in the pic, but in reality it was harsh and garish... YUCK! You also can't see the horrible stick-on copper tiles done as a backsplash over the counters and covering two walls! Double YUCK!

And then, there were the floors...

I know... I'll wait while you puke.

Finished?

The previous owner had ripped up carpet (who puts carpet in the kitchen? DUMB!!!), but hadn't gotten any further with the renovation (that happened with A LOT of things in this house). So, this is several layers of linolium (and yes, that is the correct spelling. If your spell checker says otherwise, you may want to get a new one) with carpet adhesive that is no longer sticky (a.k.a it's so full of dirt and crud it can't possibly stick to anything else). GROSS!

So, we pulled all of the linolium up.

Now we had hardwood floors covered with the adhesive for the linolium. Of course, we would love to refinish the hardwood floors, but, um... IT'S A LOT OF WORK!!! Anyone willing is more than welcome to tackle the task for us! William said (after 5 weeks of work on the hardwood floors in the living and dining rooms) he's not touching anymore hardwood flooring projects for at least a year.

Anyway, after cleaning up the wood foors, we laid down new tiles, and now we have this:

Ahhhh... pretty, huh?
(Notice, I also painted! Much better!)

We also decided to rip out a few (stupid) cabinets that didn't make much sense where they were.

Yeah, I forgot to take the "before" pic until William started taking it down. But, you get the idea. A coat closet in the middle of my kitchen. We took it out...

To make room for my Hoosier Cabinet knock-off (designed by me and built by hubby!).

We also removed this little number:

Stupid placement... it covers most of the door frame! We plan to cut it down to counter height and make a little nook for all the mail, phone, phone books, etc.

So, I know there I don't have a whole lotta "after" photos yet, but I'll get 'um. It's a work in progress, but at least I can walk through my kitchen without feeling like I need to borrow William's combat boots!