Progress. . .

 Some of the counters were finished and installed last night. . .we like it even better than what we thought in the store!  It looks really nice.  Unfortunately, the camera doesn't do it justice . . will try to take some shots later with the better camera.  We started trying a few paint swatches out, too.  I'm so excited to see the sink go in.  Tomorrow it should be hooked up and working! 

 The Arch painted and near completion.  Still need to paint the pillars.

I found these two shirts at the thrift store and couldn't resist.  Bekah's says "It's my brother's fault" and Jonathan's shirt reads "I didn't do it."  Perfect for those two!

As the counter guys were coming in last night, Naomi stepped on a scooter and the handle came up and knocked her good in the eyebrow.  I ended up leaving and taking her into town for possible stitches.  Turns out she was sterry stripped instead but made for a crazy evening. . .I keep asking myself "when will life be normal?"  Oh yeah, this is my normal!

Dismantling. . .

 While it is a beautiful fireplace mantle, it is HUGE.  You really have to be standing in the room to have a good understanding of it's dominance.  A friend from church wanted it and helped remove it. . .always a surprise at what you might find and we found the original brick under. 

 Dismantling the mantle.

 Another family involved project.

This is basically down to size.  Now we get to have fun thinking of how to change it and make it more fluid with the kitchen.  Without the big mantle it really opens the room up and makes it look bigger.

St. Patrick's Day Fun

 St. Patrick's Day is just a fun day that we all look forward to each year.  It's a great time to remember who Patrick was and how he took the Gospel to those who had enslaved him.  We also just have some silly fun with our local leprechaun, Lucky, who likes to leave us his cereal and a fun morning of clues and excitement.

 We really had to work this year to find all the clues on six acres!  Lucky always eludes us, but is kind enough to leave us some golden treats!

 A compliment from the teen-ager, "Mom, when did you do all this without us seeing?"  I'm SO glad she still loves to run around and help with the excitement.

 Hani helps with the clues. . .

Ok, this has nothing to do with St. Patrick's Day. . .he's just too cute.  Sarah filmed Joey taking on and off her hat and blowing bubbles.  I could just eat him!

Making do. . .

 Sarah and Josh cook up breakfast in our make-shift kitchen.  Daily I'm thankful for the fact that we have accessible water. . .just wish it were in kitchen!

 The is the basic lay out.  It's as big as it looks.  Maybe with 8 kids it will look just right!  Some of the cabinets are still coming. . .counters have been templated. . .

Starting to install. . .

A shot on Sunday night standing at the south end of the kitchen and facing north at the built in cabinets. . .so much mess and dust.

We can start to get an idea of how it's going to look!  Exciting.  Still some mess-ups with cabinets and doors. . .the glaze was forgotten on most. . .this is facing south.  Day 1 of install

Facing west, or the back yard.

The corner set-up heading out to the garage, soon to be school room. . .or not so soon!

Super pantries going in. . .

Adios Kitchen!

What a full day of work.  The bathroom had to be closed up on the kitchen side.  The kids are still accessing it from the other side, but will be a few days before we work on that aspect of the project.

The bathroom is sealed! 

The white cabinets are out as well.

The arch is really taking on a nice shape.  After two days of mudding the ceiling, finally a professional came to help me out!

Our friend Jerry built the two pillars that will go under the arch way.  Sweet!

Good- bye kitchen!  The rest of the cabinets and counters are being hauled off.

My sweet little baby boy!  In the midst of it all, Joey thinks it's time for him to start crawling.

Oh so fun to watch!  What a sweet smile!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

Brothers!

We all wished Josh a wonderful 12th birthday on February 22nd!  A true "pre-teen" now. . .

This has become a family funny. . .sweet friends of ours had a car they wanted to give us which will assist us in our commutes from the country.  If Paul was in town, I was left going to and from places with the "gas guzzler" vechicle.  I'm hopeful this will help decrease those huge gas bills (especially at these ridiculous prices!).  Anyway, they gave us the car title on Josh's birthday and it was dated for 2/22/11.  So, I tossed him the keys and said "guess you just got a car for your birthday!"  He was involved in a book and kind of just stared and didn't have much reaction.  BUT SARAH, who was sitting by me jumped up and almost dove onto him to get the keys!  She couldn't believe that her little 12 year old brother would get a car for his birthday and before her. . .LOL.  Obviously, neither get the car - but we do all laugh about it!

Other items 12 year old boys like:  bows and arrows, Legos, books (especially the Missionary Trailblazer series), and MONEY!

Sweet Thoughts. . .

Hannah and I were looking through the ads the other day and Hannah said excitedly, "Mom!  They have babies on sale! Can we get one?"  I told her we'd get ten. . .but that they don't really sell the kids just the outfits. . .

The Arch ...

The entry way into the dining room begins to take shape...

This is what it looked like yesterday...

Getting the dry wall in...

Re-Modeling. . .

It seems if one has been in church a number of years we hear the analogies between construction and our life in Christ.  This is especially true when thinking of building with a true foundation and how the entire house hinges on the foundation laid. 

There are so many other analogies as well.  The ones I am learning have to do with re-modeling.  It's amazing how a beautifully painted wall can look appear so nice until you cut the wall and a bunch of dust flies out - literally.  It covers everything.  How I don't want to be like that!  A nice exterior only to be crumbling in the inner man.  May my outer man merely allow the inner "re-modeled" self to shine out and through.

Today was a long day of work, from sunrise to sundown (and moon rise!).  Yet, when I looked around it just didn't seem like much was done.  The main thrust today was electrical.  So much work, so much wiring, so much prep. . .yet so unnoticed.  Unnoticed until I was looking for the light tonight.  Hmm.  When I was made alive in Christ, so much was demolished.  In fact, the filthy dust of sin was swept clean!  But in the daily re-modeling, so many times I don't "see" the Spirit's work - but may it be there allowing Christ's light to shine forth in bringing God glory.

We spend a hot afternoon bagging up insulation in order for the electricians to find all the wires.

Some of the bagged insulation.  There was still plenty we didn't get to.

The can lights went in today with much gratitude to friends with know-how.

Ever heard of a kitchen work triangle?  Prior owners of this house took that literally.  This has been my hub of life for the past 10 months.  It really is that confining and small.

Why a new lay-out was important.  Not only is a tight squeeze with several chefs/helpers, but once you are in - it's hard to get out!  I figure I wasted at least several days of the last 10 months with all the extra steps I as taking to get around this thing.

The barrier is broken down...

 We got the boys' room emptied and the dining room carpet put in and everything put back. . .amazing what two boys can collect in ten months!  It was good to do another cleaning out of old gun shells, bubble gum wrappers, bug collections, rocks, etc. . .

 With the new double pane windows and cozier carpet it's beginning to feel like a real room and not just the garage!

 Today it was time to start removing the barrier which has blocked us in for the last 10 months.  What a beast!

 That's Bekah, pulling out the trim.  The kids are learning a TON about construction these days.

 We're starting to get a better picture of what the kitchen will look like opened up. . .

Wow.  What a mess! It seems like I just got it all unpacked!  Amazing what a woman can collect in ten months, too!