Kitchen/Dining Room Remodel - Fall 2009

Good-bye old dining room and front room. I think the front room was originally a formal living room, but we never used it for that purpose. Over the years, it was a room for the overflow dining room furniture, a piano room, a computer room, etc.



It was amazing how quickly the walls came down.



There's no going back now.



Well, we did mention having an "open layout."



The oven, sink, and 'frig were connected for awhile, but without cabinets and countertops it was hard to prepare meals.



Cabinet bases are in. We had to leave the house when the cabinets were painted because the fumes were overwhelming.



After the tiling was completed and the countertops installed, it felt like it was really going to happen.



Remodeling takes a lot of hard work! It can be exhausting!



Looking from kitchen into dining room.



Looking from foyer into dining room.


Looking toward the breakfast nook.



Still waiting for the undercabinet lighting, but we've been able to move back in, and I'm cooking again.



I love spending time in my Dream Kitchen!

Hall Bathroom Renovation - Summer 2009

Well past its prime...this horribly embarrassing excuse for a bathroom has got to go!!


I've spent 26 years scrubbing this bathroom weekly, and this is the best it looks!!!


Good-bye and good riddance!!!


Already looking better!


Moose and Macie have been unaffected by the commotion in the house, as long as they are allowed access to the kitchen.


Not so creepy looking now.


Uh-oh. This is not the color I was going for. It looked much more beige/tan on the paint chip and the sample board. Now it looks yellow on the walls! I'll have to pick out another color because this is not going to work.


It's beginning to look like a room again.


Tiling the walls. This is what caused me the most anxiety. It always looks so quick and easy on HGTV. But a lot of "downtime" goes into it. There is a lot of drying time between steps, and there were a few mishaps along the way. Two decorative tiles were missing when the order came in, so they had to be reordered. When they came in, one tile was not the right one, and the tiler broke the other tile as he was installing it. So more delays. And everything else...the final painting, the plumbing, and the electrical work...was dependent on the tile work being completed. Also, all of the demolition and other work had been completed during the weekdays while we were at work. So we weren't aware of the hammering, sawing, mixing, etc. But the tilers had to work over one weekend to make up for lost time, so it was an effort to keep the dogs under control, be calm while people were coming and going through the house, leaving doors open, flies coming in, etc. But well worth it in the end!

The tiling is almost done! Yay!


The plumbing work is complete. We have running water and a functioning potty again! Actually, three adults sharing one small bathroom wasn't too bad because Jim and I got dressed for work in the morning, and Justin cleaned up when he came home from work in the evening.


Getting close.


TAH DAH!!

Baltimore June 2009

The Inner Harbor. We enjoyed strolling on the promenade, eating at open-air restaurants on the water, and shopping at interesting little shops while here.


I had forgotten the significance of the sea in Baltimore's history, and how events in the area impacted Colonial and Early American history.


Father's Day. A man and his son washing their boat. The mom and three little girls were waiting at the play area nearby.


Jim recording his thoughts on Facebook.


The Water Taxi. We found out too late that we should have boarded at the entrance to the harbor.


Still on the promenade and thinking Fort McHenry was just around the corner.


We should have known we had gotten off track when we ended up in the middle of a bunch of condos overlooking the harbor.


After several hours of walking through residential neighborhoods, deserted commercial zones where there were no sidewalks, and over a very long bridge, we finally made it to Fort McHenry. It was worth it to have a glimpse into history and feel a patriotic surge. The flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner" was at this exact location.


The living quarters for officers and enlisted men at Fort McHenry.



Cannons overlooking Chesapeake Bay.


Waiting for the city bus to take us back to the Inner Harbor, after several calls for a cab (and none showing up after an hour and a half).


Back at the Inner Harbor. Jim finally gets his reward for walking "12 miles"...a frozen mojito.


At the Inner Harbor at the end of a long day.

Homer, Louisiana - Bret's Wedding

Justin and Mom.


In the lodge before going outside to the wedding. What's up with Dad???

Working on the house - exterior

This was the first impression people got of our house.


Ugh!


I was surprised to see that the walls had been insulated, especially since the ones along the back bathroom wall do not have insulation!


Not nearly as embarrassing.


Much more welcoming.


And the back --- Thinking about adding ceiling fans.


Moose wants to know when the hamburgers are going to be ready.

Texas Snowfall Dec. 08

The snowy peak of Mt. Scooby.



Ahhhhhhh...Thoughts of Hawaii.



Quite a bit stayed on the roofs.



Not much left to make a snowman with.




The snow was already melting by the time daylight arrived Thursday morning.