Enjoy!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Nor'Easter Update
It's Friday morning and everything is closed and canceled in Virginia Beach. They are begging people to stay off the roads.
We got through the evening with split second flashes of lost power, but none of them held. We are not one of the 35,000 households without power. A big limb came off the sweet gum tree in the front yard, but landed harmlessly between the tree and the house. It didn't even harm my new shrubs in front of the house. The evergreen tree, that our behind the fence neighbor gave us in return for removing our large fence line tree that kept getting leaves in his pool, toppled completely over and is resting on the side fence. There is a line of leaves about 6 feet up on the front lawn showing the high water mark. The water completely covered the street and came up to the van's wheels on the driveway. Wind gusts reached 70mph in VB last night. Rain was 9 - 13".
Today the water is down to looking like overfilled gutters in front of our house, but the street is still flooded to the left of us (towards the puppy people's house). It is still windy.
We got a lot of painting and organizing done yesterday, but no drywall or baseboards. So, we still can't move the table and buffet back into the kitchen. :(
Our fingers are crossed about our countertop installation date.
We got through the evening with split second flashes of lost power, but none of them held. We are not one of the 35,000 households without power. A big limb came off the sweet gum tree in the front yard, but landed harmlessly between the tree and the house. It didn't even harm my new shrubs in front of the house. The evergreen tree, that our behind the fence neighbor gave us in return for removing our large fence line tree that kept getting leaves in his pool, toppled completely over and is resting on the side fence. There is a line of leaves about 6 feet up on the front lawn showing the high water mark. The water completely covered the street and came up to the van's wheels on the driveway. Wind gusts reached 70mph in VB last night. Rain was 9 - 13".
Today the water is down to looking like overfilled gutters in front of our house, but the street is still flooded to the left of us (towards the puppy people's house). It is still windy.
We got a lot of painting and organizing done yesterday, but no drywall or baseboards. So, we still can't move the table and buffet back into the kitchen. :(
Our fingers are crossed about our countertop installation date.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Send your own ElfYourself eCards
Is this the cutest thing you have ever seen???!!! I love the tall Kevin!! I'm ready for Christmas now!
Is this the cutest thing you have ever seen???!!! I love the tall Kevin!! I'm ready for Christmas now!
Weather Update
It is 1pm and still raining and windy. So many businesses are closed today, I hope it doesn't affect our countertop installation date. The water is building up on the street and we are giving up on garbage collection. The trash cans have all toppled over on the street as the water rose underneath them. Even though they are heavy, the wind and rising water took over.
It is interesting watching water go along your street in waves. David moved the van up into the driveway early this morning.
Our rain gauge in the backyard is now useless as it is full to the top, about 6 inches.
Katie
Last week the kitchen renovation and just about everything came to a halt. A young mother in our ward, Katie Young, was killed in a car accident the day before Halloween. It was all so very tragic. Her son is 8 years old and her daughter is 5. She was a sweet and lovely woman. The ward rallied around the family and the acts of service were constant and amazing. I was heavily involved and was inundated with calls from people in several wards in the area wanting to help.
The funeral was Friday, the 6th, and it was lovely. There were about 250 people there and 150 came back to the church for the reception following. There seemed to be at least that many people helping. At times I felt like I was making up things for people to do! The kitchen got a little crowded at times.
To see a life end so early, and a family whose temporary separation will last longer than most, was saddening. My gratitude for temple marriage and our eternal family is boundless. I am so grateful for my sweet kiddos and their righteous lives. I know we will be together FOREVER.
Please, please, please, remember to wear your seatbelts ALWAYS; even if you are just going around the block.
The funeral was Friday, the 6th, and it was lovely. There were about 250 people there and 150 came back to the church for the reception following. There seemed to be at least that many people helping. At times I felt like I was making up things for people to do! The kitchen got a little crowded at times.
To see a life end so early, and a family whose temporary separation will last longer than most, was saddening. My gratitude for temple marriage and our eternal family is boundless. I am so grateful for my sweet kiddos and their righteous lives. I know we will be together FOREVER.
Please, please, please, remember to wear your seatbelts ALWAYS; even if you are just going around the block.
Kitchen Renovations 10
Painting
The two floors are grouted and sealed. As of Monday night the washer and dryer are hooked up again! David is now the proud owner of a hand truck. By Tuesday night I had done 10 loads of wash; 6 of ours and 4 of church tablecloths. Last night was supposed to be drywall repair in the area behind the fridge, but there were some mishaps, so that will be tonight. Then the baseboard and quarter round gets reattached and painted. THEN... we can move the buffet and table back in.
The tile is so pretty!
David is doing a great job of priming all the areas we will need to paint/repaint. It's looking really good! And we have the matching paint for just about everything!
Priming the wall and cabinet sides around the sink. Check out the new hand truck and its fabulous cargo!
Countertop
The countertop measurement was an interesting process. The fellow used a special jointed "arm" attached to his laptop to make the measurements with some CAD program. He was very nice and explained a lot of things. We ended up with some adjustments we had to make: some extra support to be added behind the sink cabinet, trim trimming, temporary pipe removal etc.
Thomas across the street is making a dump run this week (weather permitting) and called to offer to take anything we had. So nice! Soon we will no longer have a countertop and old sink on our front porch.
They are coming to install the new countertop on Monday, the 16th! On Friday they will call with the time window. I am so excited!
The countertop comes with a new stainless steel sink undermounted. We haven't had a kitchen sink in sooo long! Jason comes Monday night to hook up the sink and the DISHWASHER!!!!
Current dishwashing facilities.
The two floors are grouted and sealed. As of Monday night the washer and dryer are hooked up again! David is now the proud owner of a hand truck. By Tuesday night I had done 10 loads of wash; 6 of ours and 4 of church tablecloths. Last night was supposed to be drywall repair in the area behind the fridge, but there were some mishaps, so that will be tonight. Then the baseboard and quarter round gets reattached and painted. THEN... we can move the buffet and table back in.
The tile is so pretty!David is doing a great job of priming all the areas we will need to paint/repaint. It's looking really good! And we have the matching paint for just about everything!
Priming the wall and cabinet sides around the sink. Check out the new hand truck and its fabulous cargo!Countertop
The countertop measurement was an interesting process. The fellow used a special jointed "arm" attached to his laptop to make the measurements with some CAD program. He was very nice and explained a lot of things. We ended up with some adjustments we had to make: some extra support to be added behind the sink cabinet, trim trimming, temporary pipe removal etc.
Thomas across the street is making a dump run this week (weather permitting) and called to offer to take anything we had. So nice! Soon we will no longer have a countertop and old sink on our front porch.
They are coming to install the new countertop on Monday, the 16th! On Friday they will call with the time window. I am so excited!
The countertop comes with a new stainless steel sink undermounted. We haven't had a kitchen sink in sooo long! Jason comes Monday night to hook up the sink and the DISHWASHER!!!!
Current dishwashing facilities.November Nor'Easter
Today everything in this area is closed because of weather. We are having a nor'easter combined with the remnants of Hurricane Ida, and it is miserable. The governor has declared a state of emergency. It has been raining continually since Tuesday night. Flood warnings are in effect; winds are 45 mph; and rain is predicted to reach 6 - 8" by tomorrow. I will be surprised if a single leaf remains on any tree after all this. Not a nice day.
We plan on getting lots of stuff done in the house!
We plan on getting lots of stuff done in the house!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Kitchen Renovations 9
Update
Monday the tile in the kitchen was grounted and the old tile in the laundry room was removed later that night. The tile doesn't look much different in pictures, so ... no picture. Today the laundry room was almost completely tiled, but again no picture since the beautiful kitchen floor is now covered with laundry room appliances.
On Wednesday between 9am and noon they will come to make the template for the countertop! Dad has anchored the cabinets to the floor and each other. He also did a wonderful job of finishing off the sides with paneling just like the family room half wall. We will have a lot of painting and repairing to do, baseboards, etc., when this is all over.
The laundry room will be grouted tomorrow and the water heater will be hooked back up. We have been on cold water since this afternoon.
By Wednesday night it will be 48 hours and we can seal the grout and maybe move the appliances and table back in; things we can do before we finish off the baseboards and quarter round. We still won't have a sink or connected dishwasher for a couple of weeks.
Thursday this week is electricity day!
Monday the tile in the kitchen was grounted and the old tile in the laundry room was removed later that night. The tile doesn't look much different in pictures, so ... no picture. Today the laundry room was almost completely tiled, but again no picture since the beautiful kitchen floor is now covered with laundry room appliances.
On Wednesday between 9am and noon they will come to make the template for the countertop! Dad has anchored the cabinets to the floor and each other. He also did a wonderful job of finishing off the sides with paneling just like the family room half wall. We will have a lot of painting and repairing to do, baseboards, etc., when this is all over.
The laundry room will be grouted tomorrow and the water heater will be hooked back up. We have been on cold water since this afternoon.
By Wednesday night it will be 48 hours and we can seal the grout and maybe move the appliances and table back in; things we can do before we finish off the baseboards and quarter round. We still won't have a sink or connected dishwasher for a couple of weeks.
Thursday this week is electricity day!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Kitchen Renovations 8
Saturday
We have tile on our floor. No grout yet, but very pretty tile all the same. Click in for closeups. Grout comes on Monday. The laundry room floor follows soon after. And yes, we are paying extra to have it on the diagonal because it is just so cool looking that way! Hurray!
There is another piece of pvc pipe in the wall due to a little mishap. What would this renovation be without a daily surprise?
The dishwasher is in the laundry room right now, blocked by the stove. Sorry, I can't get a picture of it. It is white, a Consumer Reports Best Buy, Kenmore 13742 If you run your mouse over the front display, you can read all the cycles! It is a tall tub, and has an adjustable top rack and all sorts of other features. We won't be able to have it installed until the countertop is in, so it will be more than two weeks still.
They are coming back to make the countertop template on Wednesday, November 4th.
The plan is for everything to be done by Thanksgiving. We are keeping our fingers crossed!
Friday
We took Friday off from kitchen renovations and went to Busch Gardens with Bethany and the Miller family. We met up there in the late afternoon and had a great time. The Millers have 3 boys (next year it will be 4) and they all love Dad.
Here is Dad with Vaden Miller, 5, in orange and Levi Miller, 1, in a hollow tree.
Chatting with a strolling demon we have Bethany with Levi, Dad with Lincoln, 3, and Vaden looking on.
Here is Dad with Vaden Miller, 5, in orange and Levi Miller, 1, in a hollow tree.
Chatting with a strolling demon we have Bethany with Levi, Dad with Lincoln, 3, and Vaden looking on.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Kitchen Renovations 7
Friday morning
A lot was accomplished last night. Today I can finally do laundry, and we are taking in Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens in the late afternoon and evening. Saturday at 8am the tiling of the kitchen will begin!
The kitchen bare of linoleum tile.
The refugee cabinet has found a permanent home. To get the fridge back into the kitchen we will have to unload and move one of the family room bookcases.
The new vent pipe. New insulation and drywall still to come.
A lot was accomplished last night. Today I can finally do laundry, and we are taking in Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens in the late afternoon and evening. Saturday at 8am the tiling of the kitchen will begin!
The kitchen bare of linoleum tile.
The refugee cabinet has found a permanent home. To get the fridge back into the kitchen we will have to unload and move one of the family room bookcases.
The new vent pipe. New insulation and drywall still to come.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Kitchen Renovations 6
Hardworking David
The Floor
Did you ever believe I would post so often?
It turns out it was a good thing that the newly situated cabinet was not anchored to the floor, because then it would have been impossible to put the fridge in the family room! How is that for looking on the bright side?
This afternoon about 4:30 Mike came to begin on the floor. We mutually decided it would be best to start in the kitchen rather than the laundry room ("which room do you want back first?"), so we began moving things out. Our house really isn't very big. There just aren't too many places to put major appliances that have been forced out of their regular homes. Refugee appliances.
Here is the empty kitchen from all four angles:
Jason, the plumber, should be here soon too.
Now here is the living room with extra furniture:
everything in the buffet piled on the dining room table, and that constantly re-situated cabinet:
The family room with the loveseat blocking the sofa:
And, of course, the fridge. Doesn't everyone keep it beside the television?
Here is the floor, half torn up.
Jason is here now. Stay tuned for updates!
The Floor
Did you ever believe I would post so often?
It turns out it was a good thing that the newly situated cabinet was not anchored to the floor, because then it would have been impossible to put the fridge in the family room! How is that for looking on the bright side?
This afternoon about 4:30 Mike came to begin on the floor. We mutually decided it would be best to start in the kitchen rather than the laundry room ("which room do you want back first?"), so we began moving things out. Our house really isn't very big. There just aren't too many places to put major appliances that have been forced out of their regular homes. Refugee appliances.
Here is the empty kitchen from all four angles:
Jason, the plumber, should be here soon too.
Now here is the living room with extra furniture:
everything in the buffet piled on the dining room table, and that constantly re-situated cabinet:
The family room with the loveseat blocking the sofa:
And, of course, the fridge. Doesn't everyone keep it beside the television?
Here is the floor, half torn up.
Jason is here now. Stay tuned for updates!
Kitchen Renovations 5
Okay, it's Thursday afternoon and we have hit our first brick wall (of the day). The countertop people would not make the template because the re-situated cabinet and the one next to it (left side of the stove) were not anchored to the floor.
They wouldn't wait or come back in the same day, so we will be contacted about a "new appointment." There is no indication of when that will be. Meanwhile, we have no sink, countertop, and the stove isn't plugged in.
We went out for hamburgers for lunch.
They wouldn't wait or come back in the same day, so we will be contacted about a "new appointment." There is no indication of when that will be. Meanwhile, we have no sink, countertop, and the stove isn't plugged in.
We went out for hamburgers for lunch.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Kitchen Renovations 4
Wednesday Night
Somebody is working hard!
The diagonal thing in the lower right of this picture is the former countertop with the sink. It makes getting around the kitchen a little awkward!
Somebody is working hard!
The diagonal thing in the lower right of this picture is the former countertop with the sink. It makes getting around the kitchen a little awkward!
Kitchen Renovations 3
Thursday is going to be BIG!
Last night I came home from a church group and a friend was in the house with David measuring the kitchen floor. For the porcelain tile! It looks like this is actually going to happen. In fact it is going to start happening Thursday!
Of course on Thursday, one of my LOLs has two doctor appointments.
Thursday from 10am to 2pm is the window for the countertop people to come and make a template. That means tonight we take the old countertop off and finish the preparations.
Thursday evening our friend, Jason, the plumber, is coming to repair the vent pipe and figure out what we need to do to install the dishwasher. That can't happen until after the countertop is installed in 7 to 10 business days, because the countertop comes with a brand new sink. All that will probably require different measurements, etc.
Also on Thursday evening, Mike comes back to begin the linoleum tile removal and porcelain tile installation! He will start in the laundry room, under the almost 3 week old water heater.
Normally if I was expecting this much company, I would clean the house thoroughly and bake cookies. But the house is in semi demolition disarray and I don't have much of a functioning kitchen!
Is this all really happening? I was thinking about the fact that since we have very seldom paid anyone to do stuff in our house, why aren't we more of the "do it yourself" types? Then I realized that we have never really done anything in our house. So .... it is about time!!
Anyway you look at it, Thursday is going to be QUITE a day!!
Last night I came home from a church group and a friend was in the house with David measuring the kitchen floor. For the porcelain tile! It looks like this is actually going to happen. In fact it is going to start happening Thursday!
Of course on Thursday, one of my LOLs has two doctor appointments.
Thursday from 10am to 2pm is the window for the countertop people to come and make a template. That means tonight we take the old countertop off and finish the preparations.
Thursday evening our friend, Jason, the plumber, is coming to repair the vent pipe and figure out what we need to do to install the dishwasher. That can't happen until after the countertop is installed in 7 to 10 business days, because the countertop comes with a brand new sink. All that will probably require different measurements, etc.
Also on Thursday evening, Mike comes back to begin the linoleum tile removal and porcelain tile installation! He will start in the laundry room, under the almost 3 week old water heater.
Normally if I was expecting this much company, I would clean the house thoroughly and bake cookies. But the house is in semi demolition disarray and I don't have much of a functioning kitchen!
Is this all really happening? I was thinking about the fact that since we have very seldom paid anyone to do stuff in our house, why aren't we more of the "do it yourself" types? Then I realized that we have never really done anything in our house. So .... it is about time!!
Anyway you look at it, Thursday is going to be QUITE a day!!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Kitchen Renovations 2
The lovely dishwasher arrived at about 5:10pm on Saturday. It is so pretty! Right now it is in the laundry room, but it is out of the box, so we can look at it.
Dad cut away the drywall in a suitable square shape and got things ready for the next step. Since we were waiting on the delivery at that point, he made up a little of the cement we bought and repaired the crumbling edges around the foundation. Now we can't see daylight out of the bottom of the wall! Of course it is night, but the hole is gone too. He had enough mixed up that he repaired the outside threshold of the front door. It looks really nice.
The big discovery is why everything in the wall in that area behind the fridge is damp. Apparently the vent pipe that goes to the roof has rusted out just above the main water pipe. So, whenever we have a backup, or a surge of water, it was going into the wall -- and out onto the back porch! What a mess!
Now we need to figure out how to fix that. But it is Saturday night and there is a Regional Youth Activity and Dance in Newport News, so Dad is gone. We have a call in to our friend, Jason Miller, a plumber. Meanwhile, no laundry or extensive dishwashing until we get a pipe in that creepily empty space. Then we can put in the insulation and drywall we just got, and it will stay DRY. I wanted to take a picture of the pipe, but Dad sweetly pushed the fridge back and tidied up before he left.
So considerate!
Dad cut away the drywall in a suitable square shape and got things ready for the next step. Since we were waiting on the delivery at that point, he made up a little of the cement we bought and repaired the crumbling edges around the foundation. Now we can't see daylight out of the bottom of the wall! Of course it is night, but the hole is gone too. He had enough mixed up that he repaired the outside threshold of the front door. It looks really nice.
The big discovery is why everything in the wall in that area behind the fridge is damp. Apparently the vent pipe that goes to the roof has rusted out just above the main water pipe. So, whenever we have a backup, or a surge of water, it was going into the wall -- and out onto the back porch! What a mess!
Now we need to figure out how to fix that. But it is Saturday night and there is a Regional Youth Activity and Dance in Newport News, so Dad is gone. We have a call in to our friend, Jason Miller, a plumber. Meanwhile, no laundry or extensive dishwashing until we get a pipe in that creepily empty space. Then we can put in the insulation and drywall we just got, and it will stay DRY. I wanted to take a picture of the pipe, but Dad sweetly pushed the fridge back and tidied up before he left.
So considerate!
Kitchen Renovations 1
There seems to be some special curse associated with home improvements, that whatever you try to accomplish keeps multiplying.
Today we are having the dishwasher delivered between 4:30 and 6:30pm. This is a monumental experience for us.
So, this morning and afternoon we are making some preparations for the rest of the new kitchen plan. We have to have the cabinets and dishwasher in place when they come and make the measurements for the new countertop on Thursday.
David is sick with a cold and still working very hard at this.
In attempting to remove the cabinet between the sink and the fridge (this is where the dw will go) we had to move the fridge and take off some baseboard. Surprise! The drywall and insulation are rotted away at the base of the wall, probably from the numerous water backups we have had over the decades.
This is what happened when we took the baseboard off.
This is when David started removing the damaged drywall.
Off to the store to get supplies: drywall, concrete (might as well fix the cracks at the front and back door outside thresholds with the extra), insulation, assorted tools and the wood to make new endwalls to the kitchen base cabinet area - the areas between the sink and dw, and the dw and fridge.
This has taken all day. Now we are at a stopping point waiting for the dishwasher! We have to make a path to the laundry room to store the dw in there until we have its new home properly prepared.
Today we are having the dishwasher delivered between 4:30 and 6:30pm. This is a monumental experience for us.
So, this morning and afternoon we are making some preparations for the rest of the new kitchen plan. We have to have the cabinets and dishwasher in place when they come and make the measurements for the new countertop on Thursday.
David is sick with a cold and still working very hard at this.
In attempting to remove the cabinet between the sink and the fridge (this is where the dw will go) we had to move the fridge and take off some baseboard. Surprise! The drywall and insulation are rotted away at the base of the wall, probably from the numerous water backups we have had over the decades.
This is what happened when we took the baseboard off.
This is when David started removing the damaged drywall.Off to the store to get supplies: drywall, concrete (might as well fix the cracks at the front and back door outside thresholds with the extra), insulation, assorted tools and the wood to make new endwalls to the kitchen base cabinet area - the areas between the sink and dw, and the dw and fridge.
This has taken all day. Now we are at a stopping point waiting for the dishwasher! We have to make a path to the laundry room to store the dw in there until we have its new home properly prepared.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Water!
We have had a lot of rain the past couple of weeks, but that wasn't the most troublesome water.
I went to NC with Bethany on Friday, October 2, for a visit. Bethany went home all by herself on Sunday. Thanks, sweetie, for the ride! David came to NC Wednesday afternoon to visit grandbabies and go to the county fair. On beautiful, clear, Thursday we had a great, long afternoon at the Dixie Classic Fair and then we started home in the evening. Friday morning after class, David was off to northern VA for a conference. I had considered going to "Time Out for Women" in Richmond for the weekend, but it looked like it was going to be too hectic. Friday night Bethany and I went to "La Boheme" my favorite opera.
Saturday morning I woke up way before my alarm for a very busy day of church and social obligations. That all changed when I went into the kitchen and noticed a puddle in the laundry room.
Yep, it was the water heater. David was at his conference with his cell phone off (surprise!) and our home teacher didn't answer his phone either. Well, I went up the chain of command and called the Stake President! He came right over. Long story short, he and another brother had the old water heater to the dump and the new one installed by mid afternoon. It is really nice. We are especially grateful for the expertise and unselfish service of friends! David missed all the work -- and excitement.
Spending all that time in the home improvement store started me really thinking about the state of our kitchen, but that will be for another post.
It is still raining.
I went to NC with Bethany on Friday, October 2, for a visit. Bethany went home all by herself on Sunday. Thanks, sweetie, for the ride! David came to NC Wednesday afternoon to visit grandbabies and go to the county fair. On beautiful, clear, Thursday we had a great, long afternoon at the Dixie Classic Fair and then we started home in the evening. Friday morning after class, David was off to northern VA for a conference. I had considered going to "Time Out for Women" in Richmond for the weekend, but it looked like it was going to be too hectic. Friday night Bethany and I went to "La Boheme" my favorite opera.
Saturday morning I woke up way before my alarm for a very busy day of church and social obligations. That all changed when I went into the kitchen and noticed a puddle in the laundry room.
Yep, it was the water heater. David was at his conference with his cell phone off (surprise!) and our home teacher didn't answer his phone either. Well, I went up the chain of command and called the Stake President! He came right over. Long story short, he and another brother had the old water heater to the dump and the new one installed by mid afternoon. It is really nice. We are especially grateful for the expertise and unselfish service of friends! David missed all the work -- and excitement.
Spending all that time in the home improvement store started me really thinking about the state of our kitchen, but that will be for another post.
It is still raining.
Kitchen
Tonight was very frustrating. After our excited anticipation about making some changes in our kitchen, we had our first meeting with designers/contractors. Everything they said was much more expensive than what we had figured by the store posted costs and estimates. Even the measurements for our kitchen countertop was somehow much larger and more $$$ than what our tape measure indicated. We were hoping to have the major part of the changes done by Thanksgiving or at least Christmas, but now we will have to rethink and talk to a lot of other estimators/salespeople. Not good. It is hard enough to get a night when we will both be home, let alone one when we actually want to tolerate salespeople!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Sigh,
I have so much catching up to do, I don't know where to start. This summer was filled with wonderful visits to children and grandchildren. I feel like I should post all sorts of pictures, I know the few people who follow my blog are the parents of those very same beautiful babies. The pictures would probably be their own!
Ariana on her blessing day!
Kevin in the bathtub!
Elena making friends at Old Navy!
Okay, so I couldn't resist!
This summer I also finished a few quilts, thanks to incentive deadlines by my favorite quilt store. Maybe I will put up pictures of those, too.
This is David's Astronomy quilt. The pattern is called "Turning Twenty Again."
I bought the fabric for this one about four years ago and just started it this spring. It's called "Mosaic Garden" and is for the guest room bed (as soon as we get the mattress!)
This is a baby quilt made from scraps left over from the Mosaic Garden, so I guess it is for baby guests.
This was from a class I took at my favorite quilt store. It is called "Belgian Waffle."
I didn't even know when I got this kit that it had pigs all over it!
This is a quilt using the technique of English Paper Piecing. It is my first attempt at it and I worked on it off and on for about the last 4 years!
So, it was quite a summer!
Ariana on her blessing day!
Kevin in the bathtub!
Elena making friends at Old Navy!Okay, so I couldn't resist!
This summer I also finished a few quilts, thanks to incentive deadlines by my favorite quilt store. Maybe I will put up pictures of those, too.
This is David's Astronomy quilt. The pattern is called "Turning Twenty Again."
I bought the fabric for this one about four years ago and just started it this spring. It's called "Mosaic Garden" and is for the guest room bed (as soon as we get the mattress!)
This is a baby quilt made from scraps left over from the Mosaic Garden, so I guess it is for baby guests.
This was from a class I took at my favorite quilt store. It is called "Belgian Waffle."
I didn't even know when I got this kit that it had pigs all over it!
This is a quilt using the technique of English Paper Piecing. It is my first attempt at it and I worked on it off and on for about the last 4 years!So, it was quite a summer!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Grandbabies
This post is going to take a while to compose. I am holding my 12 day old grandson, Kevin, and trying to type with one hand. Kevin is sound asleep, as is his mother on the couch.
This is heaven - a warm, snuggly baby cuddling up with me.
We have 3 grandchildren now. Elena is a marvel and adjusting to her new brother well.
Kevin seems to be growing and developing overnight. He already looks different than he did at birth; and is making marvelous attempts to hold his head up. I moved the mobile over his portacrib around slowly yesterday, and he followed the motions with his eyes.
Ariana is a beauty that we cannot wait to see in person. That will happen in just a week. We are very grateful for all the pictures!
We have been so blessed with wonderful, loving, honorable children and their perfect, happy, healthy offspring.
Yes, this is heaven!
This is heaven - a warm, snuggly baby cuddling up with me.
We have 3 grandchildren now. Elena is a marvel and adjusting to her new brother well.
Kevin seems to be growing and developing overnight. He already looks different than he did at birth; and is making marvelous attempts to hold his head up. I moved the mobile over his portacrib around slowly yesterday, and he followed the motions with his eyes.
Ariana is a beauty that we cannot wait to see in person. That will happen in just a week. We are very grateful for all the pictures!
We have been so blessed with wonderful, loving, honorable children and their perfect, happy, healthy offspring.
Yes, this is heaven!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Chain of Love
My daughter posted this on her blog and I participated with the promise that I would keep the chain going. So here it goes...
The first five people to comment on this post will get something in the mail from me. My daughter promised something homemade so I'll make the same promise.
The catch is that if you are one of the five to comment, you have to make a similar post on your blog. This keeps us all busy and thinking of others for a while. A chain of LOVE connecting blog after blog! Hope you can participate.
I'm glad there are no deadlines established for this little experiment -- I already have a busy summer planned! And I am obviously a procrastinating blogger.
The first five people to comment on this post will get something in the mail from me. My daughter promised something homemade so I'll make the same promise.
The catch is that if you are one of the five to comment, you have to make a similar post on your blog. This keeps us all busy and thinking of others for a while. A chain of LOVE connecting blog after blog! Hope you can participate.
I'm glad there are no deadlines established for this little experiment -- I already have a busy summer planned! And I am obviously a procrastinating blogger.
Monday, March 9, 2009
New things
Today our new washing machine was delivered. We were excited, and as part of the preparation we cleaned under and behind the old machine. That inspired Dad and he also cleaned under and behind the fridge as well. Well ... that became a push to actually buy the $18 kit and connect the ice maker!! It took about 30 minutes -- after about 10 years!! I am listening to ice drop all evening. We are supposed to throw away the first 3 batches. Then, ICE! Party Time!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Catch up 2
It was great to have everyone visit this winter. We enjoyed having a houseful of "children" again. We realized that you never forget those important Play Doh skills! Also, Childrens' Museums are getting better and better. Go visit one with your favorite child!
Catch up 1
I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog. The holidays have come and gone and they were wonderful. In December and January we were able to see all of our children! We had such fantastic times.
We laughed and ate good food. We got fun and exciting gifts. We renewed our family traditions. And we celebrated a special birthday with a candy filled pinata!
We laughed and ate good food. We got fun and exciting gifts. We renewed our family traditions. And we celebrated a special birthday with a candy filled pinata!
Winter
We had a lovely snowstorm on Monday; a blizzard by local standards. The video is of the backyard taken through our lovely crystal clear family room window. If you listen carefully, you can hear the radio weather report. Today, Sunday, it is almost 80 degrees. Weather is just a little fickle here.
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