This phase of the project is winding down

In case you have forgotten short term memory loss...like me sometimes! this is what my porch looked like when everything from the kitchen was moved out temporarily
but here's what it looks like NOW!< not the best shot...but you get the idea...I hope ..
One table is back in the garage...and this is what's left....
one of the new drawers all filled up
and one of the cabinets
the old key holder doesn't really "match" anymore...so it's off to the Thrift Shop/Garage sale/wherever...for it
and here's the cute new one I bought myself
one slight problem...remember that wooden cabinet...well it's still full of napkins, linens, etc....
and this is the last drawer....I don't think it's all going to fit....I am going to have to get creative
and finally...a mystery item...
This was in one of my cabinets...... and I have absolutely no idea who Kim and Ted are....hahahaha hope the "party" is going as hoped!

The Kitchen Project Continues

The plumbers and electricians came...so things are working again...The new microwave is in
my oven is back,,,already baked a batch of cookies :)!
and my new valance arrived...but it's not up yet...you can kind of see the new granite in the background. Nothing dramatic...but I like it all together. Yesterday was my day off...and I spent a good part of the day putting things back into the cabinets and drawers...I can see the floor out on the porch....so I can see progress! Still have plenty to put away though ...maybe tomorrow.. The good thing about a project like this is the other basic upgrades you can make along with the new work...like extra electrical outlets....and under cabinet lighting..a nice addition. And really the best thing about this whole thing (project)..is that I wasn't expecting to do this remodel...so I never lost any sleep over planning it out...it's just all coming together with John taking charge! and that's fine with me. (I picked out the valance...haha and helped select the colors for the granite and the cabinets...)

What to do on a day off........

The kitchen is slowly getting put back together...yesterday the new counter tops were installed.
They look nice!..Now that the counter tops are in...I can begin to put things away. I have a few extra drawers...so I have/get to decide what's going to go where. So far I only filled up two drawers...and emptied one old one. This is going to take some time! Fortunately...the electricians still have work to do, so I have some time. I am tempted to just put things back in the same general areas where they were...but then again I am thinking...what's the best place for _____________? So this is going to be a challenge!
Well...part of my day off was spent wiping down the inside of the cabinets and drawers; then filling them up with all my odds and ends...but I did have some fun today too. I did a little yard work, I took a bike ride and I went to read to my friend Amy's 1st graders again.
I now have a nice little corner on the end. My goal is to put as much "stuff" as I can in the cabinets and keep it off the counter.
Today's theme...DOGS. I picked up these four fun books to read. Two by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel.... "The Great Fuzz Frenzy" and "My Big Dog". First "The Great Fuzz Frenzy" is about a group of prairie dogs who discover a green ball dropped down into the burrow by Violet the dog. No one knows what the green thing is...but they start pulling off the fuzz...puffing,stretching,tugging,twirling,spiking and swirling it until "the whole prairie was abuzz about fuzz!" After a bit things start to get out of hand and the fun turns into fiasco! I won't spoil it by telling you the end...but it's a fun story about taking care of your friends.Next up...."Charlie's Checklist" by Rory S. Lerman. This sweet story about a boy (Chester) and a dog (Charlie) who are good friends. Charlie was born on a farm in the English countryside...next door to where Chester lives. The last pup left in the litter....Charlie is lonely and dreams of moving to the big city. With Chester's help he puts a personal ad in the London paper and waits for the "perfect" person to adopt him. Charlie has a checklist of strict criteria...or "a list of Must Haves and Must Be's" and he and Chester sort through the stacks of responses to his ad. After two weeks Charlie receives the letter of his dreams...and then he has a big decision to make. You'll have to check it out to see what happens....

"My Big Dog" is a funny story as told by Merl the cat ("I am a cat, a very special cat.") Merl loves his house, owned by cat people and everything is purrrrfect...until one day when a big, panting, slurping, puppy arrives. The puppy turns into a huge dog and Merl decides there is nothing to do but take his mouse toy and leave! He tries to find a better place to live and eventually ends up back in his old purrrrrfect house where everything is his...including "my big dog!". I love this book!
Another favorite is "Murphy Meets the Treadmill" by Harriet Zeifert. It's about Murphy...a simple dog who enjoys simple pleasures...like lying on the front porch, watching people and EATING!
And like my dog Kiena...Murphy likes to eat between meals...and lucky for him (and Kiena!) there are plenty of people who like to feed him! Murphy's owner decides that he needs to go on a diet...even though Murphy thinks he has a good build and is a fine example of his breed. haha His owner "Cheryl" puts him on a diet, takes him for runs...instead of walks....and then one day... a delivery van arrives. In spite of the fact that Murphy barks and growls and tries his best to look ferocious...the men unload the machine anyway...and you guessed it...it's a treadmill. He barks at it "louder than I bark at the vacuum cleaner." but it doesn't do any good...the treadmill stays. Pretty soon Murphy gets back in shape and he's the hit of the neighborhood and when Nikka the neighbor's hound comes by to check him out...he decides that "Exercise is worth it!"The kids had fun laughing along with all the stories...if you have any little friends to share them with they are worth checking out.

Spring has arrived

Yesterday was GLORIOUS! It finally felt like spring was here! Now...I really didn't mind the cooler weather...it's going to get hot soon...and I will be uncomfortable...I'll take a cool sunny day anytime! But...it was unusually cold here this winter and everyone was getting restless...wondering when spring was going to get here...Last week we had a few nice days.......cool mornings and than lovely warm and sunny afternoons. But yesterday...just in time for the first day of spring...it was absolutely beautiful. The kind of day that you just want to do something outside...anything! I understand it was also nice up in DC...Brenna and Megan both called to say they were really enjoying the day. Today started out okay and then we had a thunderstorm with heavy rain...which actually cleared up by sunset. This week looks like it's going to be a nice one.... which makes me think of this..

THE YEAR'S AT THE SPRING by ROBERT BROWNING
The year's at the spring.
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his Heaven--
All's right with the world!

May I suggest.........

I am always on the lookout for a good (healthy) snack for work....because sometimes I work a 5 hour stretch like 9:30-2:30...which makes me end up hungry...but it's too late for lunch and too early for dinner when I get off

my solution....snack as I go along... when I can!
I try hard to eat a good high protein breakfast...like Panera's Power breakfast sandwich!...It's good and it keeps me from getting hungry. Or Starbucks Oatmeal with all the mix-ins! Tasty and good source of fiber. You get the oatmeal, brown sugar, mixed dried fruits and nuts. Yum

But...this little Snack Pack from Starbucks is also a favorite. A little cheese, some apple slices, some little cookies and raisins. Everything in it is tasty and it works well for people like me who have to nibble as they go along. (Those little bite-size rabbit cookies are perfect!) So...if you have a little friend...or you need a little treat...I recommend one of these! (less than 300 calories!)

The kitchen project continues

...my old kitchen is gonebut where did it all go, you might wonder??????? Here's part of it...
on the table, under the table, around the table....anywhere there's space.....
nobody better try sneaking into my house by way of the back door...or they're likely to lose a toe or something (shin maybe)hahha


the good news is the new cabinets arrived and got put in yesterday

assorted drawers and storage area
trash will be hidden in here...so much nicer than looking at the trash can! (no temptation for Haze when he comes to visit!haha)
oven area...no more rubber bands to hold my cabinet doors closed! haha
kitchen sink area
I now have drawers! yippee...so much more convenient!
end shelf where my old beat up wooden cabinet was. The shelves are adjustable....however I still have no clue what I'm going to put on them.
As always...as soon as the guys were done...John had the vacuum cleaner plugged in and giving everything a once over...finding all the spots John & Chuck missed.....

And here she is...our newest neighbor....Savannah. She did not come with the new kitchen...but I just wanted to show you her sweet little face.

The next phase will be the counter tops...can't put anything away just yet...because I don't know how much dust will be created when they cut the granite....trying not to think about it....then we will need a new paint color for the walls....cabinets are a creamy (yellow tone) white with red/brown trim...trying to decide what color would work best??? ideas???? Then the backsplash...John has something in mind....at least I know I can trust him! So far....so good.
Off to work........Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Annual St. Patrick's Day Party

Last night was our neighbor's annual St. Parick's Day party...and this year it was better than ever! It seemed like there were more people there this year than the past few years. Cars lined the sides of the street...making it a little hard to get down the street...but most of the neighbors were at the party...so we didn't care! hahaha
It had rained about 4 inches the two days before the party...so everyone was happy that the clear skies returned...even if it was a little windy! (by the time it was dark...there was not an open spot on the street to park...there were cars everywhere!)
Ra was ready to enjoy the party.
It had been a long week...the Saturday before the party we were all at our neighbor John's funeral (Sat the 6th); then Ra's son Tim and Angela were expecting the birth of their first child. After 3 days in the hospital.. ..induced labor, and various other things "to get things going" Savannah was born Wednesday night. Everyone is doing well and relieved that the baby is finally here! She is a beautiful baby!
On top of it all Ra had to work every day...so it was a busy week. Luckily she had her sister Janice, cousin Monica, and Pilar, Heather, Maggie and a couple other friends and relatives helping. Bill down the street peeled 30 pounds of potatoes, Martha next door mashed them...some of the younger kids set up chairs...it was a group effort...that's for sure!
It was fun. Janice and the crew decorated the house from top to bottom. Flags out front, shamrocks, leprchauns,and every green thing you could imagine scattered around the inside. Ra said she barely had room to sit and have a cup of coffee the morning before the party!haha The backyard had ballooons and lights and more flags and banners.
The dinner buffett was set up outside on the patio...inside was the dessert table!
It WAS like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! hahaha My favorite...sheet cake from Publix! they have the best buttercream frosting!...my neighbor M (name withheld to protect the innocent..hahaha) who works at WalMart said even she and many of her coworkers get their cakes from Publix when they have parties...they're the best!
now they have these little mini cakes...perfect size for a few people...I can't wait till the next time I need some cake...it's perfect! I loved this little Leprechaun! (notice the picture frame in the background...with a photo of the new baby granddaughter)
Ra's sister Janice...setting out the food...she was quite the organizer! She had everyone keeping things hot and making sure all the platters were full all night long!
All the usual items were on the menu...Corned Beef, Cabbage, Irish Stew, Colcannon (sp?), Shepherd's Pie, Boiled Potatoes...(Brenna and Megan's favorite) Irish Soda Bread...





The Bagpiper and drummer...they played off and on all night...
there were dancers...mostly kids...but some adults



Ra's daughter, Maggie, her cousin Monica (from Ireland), and another friend Terry, Heather and Pilar.... who helped with many of the preparations
this banner says it all