Our Kitchen Renovation Begins!

We started our kitchen reno last week...I have been without a 3-prong adapter for my computer because we needed it for the microwave and coffee pot. :)
Let me take a walk through the old kitchen and help you understand why we decided to update! This is our backdoor. We use{d} this door for our main in/out door.

This is the "back hall" which is only a small entry way which goes into the kitchen. There were two large cabinets that went up to the ceiling which I could never reach because I am kind of short. We had a counter here too which caught everything! and was always a mess! Shoes, purses, junk, junk, and more junk!

Heading into the kitchen there was a small peninsula that held the drop-in style stove from 1960 {we even found the brochure for this stove and it was actually dated with 1960!} above the stove there was a hood...a hood which took at least 1o minutes to "warm-up" before the jet engine sounding wind tunnel began to blow whatever you were cooking back in your face! And a lovely shelving unit which was so obtrusive that even I had to duck to talk to someone standing on the other side.


As you walked past the peninsula the refrigerator was on your right and the "nook" was off to the left. Let's talk about the nook...that we never used because it was too small for us to sit in there. You could get in but you could not get out if anyone else was with you. It had 9 foot ceilings with cabinets built right up to the ceiling. Again, storage option, nice. Could I ever get in there? No. So, we turned it into the "cats den" and fed the cats in there, with their own table too!



Our sink was under a window on the wall with most of our cabinets. It was a great sink but the window was something to complain about. It never opened and it was really old. It was always dirty because it was so high up that we couldn't really get to it to clean in...excuses excuses. When you really don't like something, it's easy to ignore it and pretend you don't see it. :)

And just a few more things around our kitchen that will surely not be missed!





Ahhh...change will be good!

A NEW KITCHEN!!! say it with me...A NEW KITCHEN!!!

We bought our house in 2003 two months before we got married. We were on a serious hunt to find a house that we would love and grow in. One Sunday morning our real estate agent called us and told us he knew of a house going up for sale that day and we could go see if before they listed it, so off we went. We drove up to 3307 Dellwood and fell in love. I loved the tree lined street, the kids were out playing, the sun was out, and it wasn't baby blue {not that it isn't a nice color it just isn't for me}. We went through the house looking at things {like a blue leather couch}, talking to the current owner {while she showed me her kids school schedule}. Not noticing the lovely colors of paint they had used {crayola red} or tons of wall paper on the walls or the black bathroom...and who needs to look at the appliances {from 1960} or faux butcher block counter tops??? I LOVED it. I loved the layout and the bones, everything else was cosmetic, right???

Fast forward 6 years...and we have decided to FINALLY realize the kitchen we use on a daily basis and that we cook Thanksgiving and Easter dinner in for 8+ people every year-- HAS TO GO! It is not cosmetic. It is red plaid wall paper with yellowing edges that peel. It is gross flourescent under cabinet lighting, and faux butcher block counter tops. It is a 1960's stove that has the controls built into the wall {???} and Boy is it going to GO! In about 2 weeks...it is going down to the studs! Only to be rebuilt with pretty new cabinets and updated electrical and new appliances! A WALL to be forever removed! I cannot wait!! I am scared about the whole thing since we will be without out kitchen for 6-8 weeks {yikes} but when it's done, I have a beautiful picture in my mind's eye.

I will {definitely} be keeping up to date with photos and the struggles that go with such a huge renovation project. Yahoo!! A new kitchen!

Isn't she lovely!

My sweet friend Jami asked me to take some photos of her preggo belly because she is due in 2 weeks! She is my good friend who has Type 1 diabetes and we have been walking the walk of diabetes & pregnancy walk since she found out she was having this little bundle. We have shared stories, struggles, and surprises along the way. I am so happy to have her as my friend. {and I can't wait to meet Beyonce} heehee

Addendum: Jami and Joey welcomed a bouncing baby boy to their family 09.09.09
Jackson Ari Klein
6 pounds 8 ounces
21.5 inches
8pm-sharp

Getting so big

Garrett is getting so big. It seems so touche to say that but when I look at him sometimes I wonder where the time is going.
A friend of mine is pregnant and I think watching her sweet belly grow makes me think back to when I was pregnant. I don't really remember it...I don't know why. Maybe God makes us that way so we'll do it again {mine was a bit scary}...then again, maybe not. She and I talk about babies and things she is exicted about. Strollers, cribs, bedding, and the stuff that comes along with a baby. I talk about things Garrett tells me or asks me. Like this morning at 6:30am..."Mama, when my cousins get here today, can I buy a race car"? {Um, no.} It's fun watching him grow. It's hard somedays. Really hard. But most of the time we can laugh about something he either said or did that day. :)

Happy Father's Day!

As Brian's Father's Day gift, he and I went out to see a comedian Saturday night with some friends. It was a lot of fun. The comic wasn't so funny but it was still lots of fun laughing and being out! We had a really nice girl babysit for us and she told us to stay out as late as we would like... :)
Sunday morning, we took Brian out for breakfast and then he got to go golfing in the afternoon. I think he had a nice day. He said his golf game was the best he's had in a while.
We had these little treats for dessert...they came out pretty cute, huh?
Happy Father's Day Sweetie! You are a great Dad and Garrett {and I} love you very much!

Look how cute!

OK I think I found THE CUTEST THING EVER this morning when I was looking for cute things to make for a bake sale. You have to check out Bakerella's web site today

I'm going to try it! We'll see what happens... :)

Brings May Flowers