Kitchen Reveal - BEFORE AND AFTER!!!

We finally finished our house remodel after 18 months of destruction, construction, and general mess. What a relief it is to come home and not clean up saw dust and drywall mess. We haven't got curtains and artwork, etc... back up but we are getting closer to being done! Thought I would share some kitchen before and after photos. It's still remarkable to me and hard to believe the transformation it made!

Here are a few early photos from when I first rented the house back in 2000. After Gail and I got married, we did some minor updates to get by until "someday". I believe the beautiful green oven (with matching sink) quit working and that started the whole process. We got rid of the lovely wall paper and put drywall over the old paneling. A new backsplash and countertop did wonders for the look but it was still a TINY little one butt kitchen!

No... we don't let our children climb ladders unsupervised, and yes... that is Allison about 7 years ago!!! Always has and always will be a great helper!!!

Right before tearing out the kitchen...

This shows the old walls that separated the kitchen, living room and laundry area. They are all gone now and it totally changed the look!

Here we are during the destuction phase.... What a mess we lived in for so long. But TOTALLY worth it!

We spent a few months eating out of the new laundry room while the old kitchen was torn out!

And I will leave you with one last shot to drool over. I know I do everyday when I come home. I LOVE LOVE LOVE our new space!

More destruction.... kitchen style!

Just last week when we were finally getting settled into the new part of the house, things were looking up. I was a cleaning machine, organizing queen, and anti-hoarder neat freak all wrapped into one. And then they came back.... the construction workers that is. They are like members of our household after nine months. We've decided it's been too long when we no longer worry about strangers in the house and we quit rushing around every night when we get home to see what new and exiciting progress they have made. It's nice to feel comfortable in your pj's among non-family but seriously... you reach a point in a remodeling project when you just want it to be over. Now is not a good time for that feeling as we just began PHASE II: the kitchen. Hopefully we are on the downhill slide but I'm smart enough to know not to hang onto expectations whether they be completion dates, financial estimates, or mental pictures. They pretty much go out the window with the remains of the 1980's wall paper. So here are a few before and "during" shots. I'd love to wait for a dramatic before and after feature but that could be months and you know how I hate to keep you all in suspense!

This is the tiny "hallway" style kitchen we have used for over 10 years.

A view from the living room looking toward the kitchen. You'll see the same view in an "after" shot below. (That is the remains of the original wallpaper in an area of the wall to be ripped out.)

Standing in the new addition looking toward the old entry - this space was our hall closet, washer/dryer, kitchen entry, and general catch-all area!

And now the BIG reveal from the same views shown above... (insert drum roll here)...

We are grateful that the old cabinets along the walls can stay until the new cabinets arrive. Hopefully we can somewhat function until that time. Be sure to stay tuned in about 2-3 months to see how it turns out!

The shower reveal...

I don't know what you are expecting to see "revealed" but if it's some gorgeous tile in my bathroom, then browse away! I've been impatiently waiting for nearly two weeks to get these up. I took pictures of the progress nearly every night but I decided it would be worth the wait and the "wow" factor to show the final view first rather than the gradual completion. You'll notice I didn't wait for the grout, but you get the idea. The plumber is waiting on the grout before he finishes the plumbing fixtures. The oil rubbed bronze trim should really stand out on this light colored tile. They still need to do the partial glass block wall that extends out from the wall shown in this picture.

The round window facing west...

Here is a shot of the floor after the pebble stone was grouted in. We love how it turned out and he did a great job with it. It has a great texture to it and I can't wait to feel it with bare feet!

They have also been busy with the trim work in the new addition. The downstairs is complete and they made a lot of progress today on the bedroom upstairs. Here is a shot of the custom trim he is doing around the large windows upstairs:

Trim work on the large round top window facing east in the new upstairs addition:

The downstairs bathroom is complete. They haven't given us the green light to actually use it but everything is hooked up and should be good to go as soon the new water softner system is hooked up.

The laundry room is complete after three attempts at the countertop! They still have to do the sink cut out so keep your fingers crossed it all goes well! We're hoping to move the washer and dryer in there soon so bring your laundry and come on over!

Today I am thankful for:

1) Sunshine and a 60 degree day (even if they are predicting snow in two days!)

2) The first sign of my tulips and daphodils in the landscaping!

3) The opportunity to see my brother in his element as he coached his basketball team to a 22-3 season and an 18 game winning streak. Way to go Marauders!!!

What's behind door #3???

There's not a lot to show you behind the doors, but boy do I love showing the doors themselves. A few words come to mind: Gorgeous. Beautiful. Amazing. Hubby says it's only because it finally makes it look like a real house. I say it's because they are truly gorgeous, beautiful, and amazing! I can only imagine what they will be like when they actually have trim around them. I can also imagine them throughout the old part of the house as well. SOMEDAY! Probably not in the budget this go around, but what a difference they do make. Here's a few of the various rooms:

Laundry Room with frosted glass:

Storage Room Closet:

Downstairs Bathroom:

Upstairs bathroom:

They also got the pebble tile flooring in the shower. Here it is before the grout stage. He is sealing it today and will probably grout Monday. Hopefully the grout doesn't change the look too much! It feels so smooth on your feet when you stand on it... like one of those stone massages almost!

Today I am thankful for:

1) The fact that we got an inch plus of rain last night instead of the 8+ inches of snow it would have been if it were colder!

2) A dinner date with the hubby while the kids went to a play with grandma and grandpa.

3) My brother's amazing basketball season and his talented coaching abilities! Goodluck in your post-season tournament!!!!

I love laundry

Okay... so maybe I don't LOVE laundry but I'm sure lovin' my new laundry room. They aren't quite done but it's close enough to get a pretty good idea how it looks. The back countertop didn't fit so they are sending it back on Monday. Par for the course I guess. The electrical and water aren't turned on in the addition yet and we are still waiting on the flooring to come in before they proceed too much farther. Trim will go up after the flooring. Otherwise, it's slowing plugging along. Just had to share a couple of pics of the cabinets and wall color. The maple cabinets are "Suede" stain with a chocoloate glaze.

This is an open shelving unit where I can store baskets of craft supplies and finally get them all organized in ONE place! I think it's one of my favorite features. This will be a multi-purpose room for craft projects, extra kitchen storage, and of course.... LAUNDRY!!!

Have a great weekend and a HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

BEST Birthday Ever...

I am a firm believer that once you hit 21, most years are just another birthday. But this year was special. Not a landmark year or anything, just a special day. I think it has something to do with the age of our kids (4 and 7) and the excitement they have for birthdays regardless of your age! Watching their enthusiasm for life is a great reminder to stop rushing around and enjoy the little things. Easier said than done, I know. But even if I try a little bit each day, I'm making progress. And you all know how much I LOVE progress! These are a few things that made my day special (in no particular order):

• Having Ally wake up smiling and singing "Happy Birthday" to me while she was still laying in bed. Note: Ally does NOT wake up easily in the mornings and getting a smile first thing is DEFINITELY a stretch so this rare occasion set the happy mood for the whole day!
• Flowers from the hubby. Enough said.

• Lunch with just the hubby (even though I had to buy!)
• Having Nathan insist that he pick out his very own gift for me and that he wanted to wrap it all by himself. I LOVE my new coffee mug. Suits me, don't you think??
• Having an excuse to go to town first thing so I could get my Grande sized non-fat Vanilla Spiced Chai Latte. Gotta love me a good latte!
• Phone calls, e-mails, and facebook wishes from friends and family all over the country. Reminds me that I should take time to chat with those folks more often!!!
• Having Ally take her very first "message" from a phone call while we were outside. She neatly wrote down everything the lady told her and spelled everything almost perfect. I was sooooo proud of her! Not sure when she got so big on me!
• Having 25 minutes of alone time to go run a quick 2.5 miles (even though the last thing Nate said to me was... "You shouldn't go runnin' off when it's your birthday").
• Homemade birthday cards from the kids.
• Oh... and did I mention we have some PAINT?!?!?!? There's that PROGRESS again that I love so much! Hoping to see a lot of it this week! Happy Birthday to ME!!!

What did you do today that made it special?!?!

Mudroom: Trial Run

Some "country" houses have mudrooms that look straight out of a magazine. You know the kind... with the cute shelves and fresh flowers and fancy garden gloves sitting on the shelf. Something like this maybe...

or this...

But in a REAL "country" house, things are slightly different. We actually bring mud (among other things) into our mud rooms. We have piles of coats and shoes for every person and every type of weather and there is never a shortage of farm "stuff" that makes its way thru the door. So needless to say, we are REALLY looking forward to our spacious new mudroom that is part of the new addition. As I mentioned in my last post, we are still stuck in drywall mode. It looks the same as the last pictures I posted, but that didn't stop my husband from giving it a good 'ole trial run to make sure it would serve our needs. Thus enters this little guy on Sunday morning....

The kids were in charge of making sure he didn't wander off while we were out with mama trying to convince her to go ahead and deliver his little sister! Don't you just love PJ's and cowboy boots?!?!?

Guess the mudroom passed the test and served our needs...for today anyway!

Today I am thankful for:

1. Precious baby calves and the joy they bring the kids
2. 40 degree days and sunshine in February
3. Finding out Ally is promoted to reading at a 2nd grade level!

I'm dreaming of a white.... Kitchen!

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We seem to be at a standstill on the house remodel... so close, yet so far. They just need to finish the drywall, paint, floors and trim. Not very much or a WHOLE lotta work! Depends on your perspective (and patience level). Meanwhile, we are trying to make decisions on the kitchen so at the exact point in time when they finish the addition, we can start over and make another mess. It wasn't part of the "original" plan (whatever that was) but it became fairly obvious as we got in the middle of it. As usual, it was spend a little less now and re-do later or just bite the proverbial bullet and get it over with all at once. In the long run, it will be more cost effective and I know we'll love it, but jeesh.... we are about decisioned out. At any rate, in the course of racking my brain for kitchen ideas, I discovered the joy of bing.com image searches. Type in "dream _______ " (insert your favorite room here) and be prepared to be impressed. Granted, our budget and space restrictions might factor in here, but they sure are fun to look at! Bottomline... it's not the design or the budget that makes it a dream. It's the family hustle and bustle, the tiny feet & giggles from riding imaginary horses thru the hall, the precious 45 minutes or so we get when all four of us are sitting at the same table at the same time without distraction for a meal; these are the requirements of my dream kitchen!

Okay... back to reality. Here's what our mess is looking like as of right now:

Laundry Room

Mudroom / Storage / Commons Area

Upstairs - Arch to bathroom

Upstairs - bedroom

Hopefully I will have some "after" pictures in the VERY NEAR FUTURE. Keep your fingers crossed... or better yet, come over and help!

My thankful three:

1) I'm thankful for healthy kids. I can handle ear infections and strep throat all day and night when I think of all the other horrible things out there in this world that other parents are dealing with at any point in time.

2) I'm thankful for farm life....calving season is lurking around the corner!

3) I'm thankful for my amazing husband who does laundry & dishes, cooks, takes kids to the doctor and heifers to the vet all on his day off!

Have a great day!!!