Wednesday, July 18, 2007

An impromptu playdate

My friend A. stopped by the other day to pick up some diaper covers and she had her son B. with her. B. is a week older than Corinna but quite a bit bigger (16 lbs versus Roo's 14 1/2 lbs). The two were a treat to watch because now they actually can interact with each other. Corinna would just grin when she'd look at B.



B.: Mmm...tasty tractor. Corinna: Yeah, well this makes noise.



Corinna to B: Wow! That is cool! Can I have that? I have brothers and they taught me how to share. Promise I'll give it back.



Corinna: Well...tractors are cool, but taxis are even better. B.: Hey...this thing does make noise.



Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Holy Cow! (picture heavy...)

Okay. Seriously. Can't believe it's been a month since I posted an update here. I'm thinking that's a bit crazy. Really, it's more a symptom of the disease here. Hubby and I have realized that we were already overcommitted before we bought the house. Now? We're obscenely overcommitted. More like needin' to be committed. In straightjackets. In a rubber room. We've decided that we might finally finish everything some time around the time Corinna turns 18. Well. Maybe not 18. Maybe 8 months.


So how are things progressing, you ask? Well, we have first coats of primer and paint in 3 rooms. The upstairs bath has two coats of paint. The floor in what will be the baby's room is finished (fiasco that I'll talk about another time). Two other floors have multiple coats of polyurethane on them (but aren't yet done (again...fiasco to follow)). The powder room has tile and now needs the grout. We have updated electric and completely new guts to the well system. MIL scooped three shovelsful of cat crap out of the basement and scrubbed the floors down there so it no longer smells like cat box. The most recent update is the demo of the kitchen.


So here's a photo tour of our progress:



We begin in the foyer, where the nasty white glazed brick tile was lovingly pickaxed away by my hubby and hardworking FIL. Left behind is some kind of double-sided sticky tape that was used to hold the tiles down. The grout was some funny rubberized stuff that I swear must have just been poured in. Freaky stuff. You can see the hardwood peeking out from under the sticky tape in spots. With some Gooph Off, we think we can get the sticky stuff off so we can refinish the hardwood beneath.

Looking from the foyer into the kitchen. Under the tile in the kitchen is subfloor. And not nice subfloor either. Note the white cabinets and countertop in this picture.


We all got to take turns doing some demo. What woman wouldn't be turned on by a hottie like this wielding a big hammer? I made him pose before he hit the cabinet with it. Then I got to take a turn. We didn't get that on camera.


Both boys got a turn with the smaller sledge hammer. Liam enjoyed it....


but Jonah took it to a whole other level. He really got into it. He would put the glasses on and announce that he needed to go do his work and off he'd go to pound in the kitchen. He seriously got some oomph behind his swings for someone so little. I'm tellin' ya, that boy's got contractor written all over him.


Even I took a turn with the sledge hammers (my tee has a drywall company name on it. Fitting considering I'm tearin' it up). The big one was loads of fun for bangin' on the stubborn cabinets that had been built on site and were nailed to the drywall. Once we got to disassembling the wall, I really had a good time. I karate kicked the wall as a joke and did a Funniest Videos moment when my foot went through and kept going while I ended up in the splits with my leg hooked over where the drywall was still attached. Hubby and I both laughed hysterically while I hollered about being stuck and needing help up, and I've got some nice bruises and scuffs where I went through. There's probably a good reason the pros don't do that. Like, you could get hurt.


We had to leave a couple of the studs, because there is an outlet attached to one that has a wire that goes up to the second floor that will need re-routed. But this view looks from the new eating area into the kitchen. Much of the ceiling has been pulled down (we'll get the rest down this weekend, needed an empty dumpster), as there had been water damage that the previous owners didn't want to address. You can see the living room in the distance.


New! Improved! Now with no added cabinets! We have to keep the soffit over the sink and the range because of plumbing, but we took out the soffit that was attached to the wall we took out. I will be able to stand in the kitchen when the new cabinets are in and see what's going on in the dining room, and vice versa. We have a lot of work left to do before the new cabinets can go in, like replacing rotten subfloor, new tile floor prep, replacing drywall, patching other drywall, putting in new shutoff valves, new lights in the soffit, new ceiling fan, can lights, gas line for range, water line for fridge....ooh...gettin' woozy just thinkin' about it.


Looking from the living room into the new kitchen and eating area. See how open?


Speaking of the living room, here's the paint scheme (and temporary clutter). The mantle was really dark wood before. Still needs a second coat. It's not as pink as it's appearing in the photo. Floors will also need refinished.


And these built ins were also dark wood. Painting them white has really helped to brighten the room. Love the new door to the garage that hubby and FIL put in.


New tile floor in powder room. These walls have been patched and primed and are ready for some color! Once we get the grout down and let it cure, that is. I have a nice white beadboard front vanity to go in here.




The family room is a nice calm shade of green that matches the rug in our other house perfectly. Well, when it's clean, anyway. The carpet here is coming out, and the blond hardwood underneath will be refinished.


Speaking of hardwood, here are the floors in the boys' room. Still needs some work on the floor and painted.




Our upstairs bath in a super cool shade of blue. Just needs the trim painted.

Roo's room in a buttery shade of yellow. Just needs a second coat and trim painted.

Because I have a complete lack of time to work outside, my feeble attempt to spruce the place up with some hanging baskets of impatiens. The containers on the porch are all perennials, so once the weather cools, I'll find spots for them for the winter until I can do something with them next spring.

So now you all are in the know!