Welcome to our new kitchen

I can finally say that our kitchen is complete. Thirty-three years is an awfully long time to wait. It was a long, stressful, fun process, but I'm glad it's done. I absolutely love everything about it. We now know some very reliable, local carpenters, electrician and plumber. They were the best and worked hard to make my kitchen happen.

We went from planning a yellow kitchen to a blue kitchen. I was disappointed at first, but I'm really pleased with the cool, soothing color of blue we used. One of my splurges was a tiffany pendant light over the sink. It was love at first sight for me. Well, I guess I should post my pictures so you can see what I'm talking about.....................

As you can see, I still don't have the hang of this blogging stuff. I originally had all my words first and the pictures. Oh well, at least you can see what we've done :)

Kitchen update

I thought it was time for some updated pictures. Most of the cabinets are in....2 to go. Our countertop will be in on Friday, probably installed on Monday. I also splurged today and bought myself an orchid for my new kitchen. I am soo excited.

Old & In-Between Kitchen

Here are some old and in-between pictures of our kitchen.............................

Kitchen update

Well, the drywall is all up and primed for paint. Our ceiling has been popcorned. It looks really nice. Today we visited Lowe's twice to pick up samples of paint colors. First we started with two different shades of yellow. Jim was not a fan. So off to Lowe's we go again. We brought a sample of oak (the color of our cabinets) and a sample piece of floor tile. We proceeded to the countertop dept to look at colors there. Then, back to paint samples. Very confusing :( Finally, we found some help. We had gone to the paint desk to have samples made. The salesman, Tom, could tell that we weren't agreeing on what we wanted. He offered his opinion. While he & I were checking paint colors, Jim went to get some countertop samples to compare. I think we were finally getting somewhere. We were starting to put things together and thinking together! What a concept! Tom had some great ideas and helped us to see the whole picture. We chose samples of a light blue and an deeper blue/green shade. And I think we're going to go for a darkish shade of gray speckled granite for countertops. Amen, I think we're on to something............we'll see how our sample colors looks in the morning light. O boy............

New Kitchen

Here we go..............demolition on our kitchen starts tomorrow! We've hired a man to help Jim do all the prep work. Hopefully, this will all go relatively smoothly.

Well, my kitchen is looking pretty sad. No ceiling or walls.............just wood & studs. Jim & Tim worked all morning tearing everything down. They did a really good job and cleaned up after themselves. I spent my morning working and doing errands. I wanted to stay away from home as long as possible. The electrician also came by to start laying new wiring. Hopefully, tomorrow the drywall will be going up. Our kitchen guy, Joe, will be coming by tomorrow to do final measuring for the cabinets. I'm so excited................I guess I better get busy picking out new appliances, especially a new stove! My present stove is well over 50 years old and we paid $35.00 for it secondhand. Time to move on..............

Camping

We are about to leave for our first camping weekend. We are going to Rocky Neck Beach Campground in Ct. I had forgotten how much work needs to be done before taking off for the first camp out. We'll be with our friends, Lin & Bob Cameron and Billy Wilmot. Should be a nice, relaxing weekend.

A nice surprise

It was brought to my attention recently that I have a "son from another mother". My dear friend, Ben. He is a young man whom I have worked with for the last 5 years. He came to Lifetouch as a 20 year old photographer. We hit it off right away. In so many ways, he reminds me of my own son, Sean. Ben has also been working a second job at a group home for adults. He is such a kind and caring young man. He finally accepted a full time position and will be leaving Lifetouch next week. I was truly suprised last week when I received an email from him inviting Jim & I to have dinner with him and his Mom. He wanted to show his appreciation for all that I'd done for him. I was so touched by his kind words. Little does he realize how much he's done for me, too. We will always be friends, this son I never knew I had................ It's nice to be reminded how the littlest things we do, like a smile or a helping hand, can make a difference in someone else's life............

A new view of Brayden

Well, we had a skype call with Tab, Sean & Brayden the other night. Sean had brought his laptop and webcam out into the backyard. It was so nice to see them enjoying their nice weather outside. But, the best part of our whole conversation, was when Brayden tried one of his new learned skills. He would walk right up to the camera.......first, his cheeks, nose and then giant eyeball was all we could see. He thought that maybe he could see us better through the camera! It was hysterical. He is so precious. And smart, too! We were treated to quite a show: he cut the grass, hit his tee ball and used some new words. He can now call Toby and Oscar by their names...........so cute. Can you tell that I think he's the best boy in the whole world!!

A special day

Today is Sean & Tabitha's 4th wedding anniversary. How could it be possible that our children are old enough to be married? It seems like only yesterday that Sean was going to kindergarten. Now, he's a Dad and married to the love of his life. I'm so proud of both of them..........and love them to pieces. Happy Anniversary and many, many more!!!!

YoWindow - Living Weather

Spring Photos

Well, back to work this week--it's time for spring photos in the schools. It's always tough going back after having time off. The old body is not used to carrying and setting up so much heavy equipment. Oh well, it is good to be back to work. Making money and accruing hours towards my retirement fund. It's what it's all about after all. If only, Jim-Mr. Green Thumb-could plant a money tree in the back yard, we would be all set!!!

Mini Vacation

I went on a mini vacation this week. Wednesday morning around 6:00, I headed north to New Hampshire. The plan was to pick up my dear friend Judy and whisk her away on a short road trip. It was so great to see her looking so well after an intense bout of chemo. It was a long haul but it seems to have helped. We headed to Maine to check out the area where her brother and nephew live. Gorgeous.......right on a huge lake. Then we meandered further east to Portland, Maine. Decisions, decisions.......where to go next? Well, I just had to mention having dinner at the Muddy Moose restaurant in North Conway and Judy agreed that that should be our next destination. So, we headed west and checked into a motel for the night. Then, we headed to the Muddy Moose and had the best burgers. Yum!! After staying up late talking, we finally fell asleep. We awoke to another sunny, blue sky day. Before breakfast, I wanted to head out to take some pics of a snow covered Mount Washington. We also managed to do a little shopping before heading back to her house. It was a wonderful getaway for both of us and we can't wait to do it again. Here are some pictures............

Brayden's favorite animals at the Little Rock Zoo

We spent some time at the Little Rock Zoo with Sean and Brayden. It is a really nice zoo with lots of different animals. We were very lucky to see the animals so active. Here's Brayden's favorite video. He asked me to play it for him at least 20 times while we were there.

Brayden's 2nd Birthday-blowing out the candles

Here's a video of Brayden blowing out his birthday candle............

Our Arkansas visit

In side his new "house"

Love that swing

Our little engineer tooting his whistle

oh-oh

So, it seems we'll be spending a little more time here in Arkansas. Due to weather beyond our control, we have cancelled and rescheduled our flight home to Thursday. I'm psyched! Two more days with my southern family! Brayden should be good and spoiled by the time we leave. We love babysitting him. He's such a fun boy.

Time to check on dinner and to plan our next two "vacation" days......whoohooo!!!!

Bed time

Last nite Jim was reading to Brayden before bed. Look who's asleep first.....

We made it!

Well, we have arrived!! The snow in RI didn't delay our flight out at all. Clear sailing all the way to Baltimore. After lunch we headed to the gate for the second leg of our trip. I was lucky to get a window seat and we saw a beautiful sunset. Tabitha picked us up; one quick pizza stop and we were "home". Brayden!!! Boy, what a bundle of energy...........he never stops. He is just so cute. He loves to tickle Jim's beard--he just laughs and laughs. After his bath, Pop-Pops read him a book. Bedtime at last (for everyone!) That's where I'm heading now........it's been a long day. Tonite is only the beginning of a fun week.

snow!!!

Okay....is this a trick? It's really snowing; huge, fluffy white flakes. We're flying today! I did receive an email from Southwest..........all flights are on time. And , as I type, I hear a plane taking off over my house. Phew..........I guess we'll be ok. Warmer weather and adorable Brayden----here we come!!!!!!!!!!!

Arkansas....here we come!!

So, it's a balmy 17 degrees right now here in little Rhody. It has been bitterly cold most of this week. Well, hopefully, it will be warmer in Arkansas. We leave tomorrow at 12:10! No matter what the temperature or weather, just being with family will warm our hearts. One smile from Brayden and all the icy cold will just melt away. We're going to visit and celebrate Brayden's 2nd birthday. It doesn't seem possible that he's that old already. I had forgotten how fast they grow. He's learning new things all the time. His little brain is a sponge.......soaking up everything. I think he's remarkable, actually. He's talking more and his eye to hand to foot coordination is amazing. Am I bragging.....well, maybe a little. I'm just so proud of him and his Mom & Dad. They're doing such a good job. Well, I'm just about all packed and can't wait til tomorrow. See you soon, Brayden!!