It's already feeling like summer!

Were it not for three years of experience with mercurial Ohio weather, I would be worried that it has exceeded 90 degrees several days consecutively when it is only the last week of May. But no doubt we'll see cooler temperatures before summer truly sets in. But since it was hot, the kids got to break out the swimsuits and play in the hose. :-)

Dave also got to play with the hose - he power-washed the deck (and patio furniture while he was at it) so he could weather-proof.

Vera Gail and Gareth conversing over popsicles while supervising the power-washing.

A toast to warm afternoons in the yard!

Emmett and Gareth going wild in the sprinkler!

Emmett goof-balling for the camera, and Gareth taking off on a sprinkler run in the background. (I think this picture is one of my favourites, both boys are hilarious.) :-D

Gosh, that boy is getting big! You don't realize how much they've grown till you see all those gangly arms and legs when the weather warms up.

Speaking of getting big, look at this towering sprout!

Full speed ahead!!

Sprinkler engineering.

Vera Gail showing off her new swimsuit (which I got in 4T because she is tall and I wanted her to be able to wear it all summer without out-growing it; I put on the shorts and they were a little roomy, but it looked like they would stay up, until she stretched her arms up to get the shirt on, and down when the shorts! A safety pin was definitely required!).

The boys hamming it up in the spray. :-D

Gareth's last day of preschool!!

Gareth is now officially done with preschool - Kindergarten, watch out! The last day at school they had 'cowboy day', and then that evening was "Family Fun Night", where all the classes sang a few songs and there were snacks after and a chance to say good-bye to the teachers.

My photo-shy cow-guy.

Vera Gail and Emmett waiting to watch Gareth sing.

Out dippy rock-star cowboy, who gave a performance liberally peppered with yawns, wiggles, and other non-choreographed motions. (He did sing along some of the time, particularly to the patriotic songs.) :-) Since I was expecting no less after three years of preschool events, it was utterly hilarious. ;-D

A bit of what is up around here

Wooohoooo!! We nearly have a finished deck now! (Okay, so we've had a nearly-finished deck for far, far longer than I care to admit...) Or at least now there are steps from the bottom level of the deck (it has three levels) to the ground, so we don't have to literally climb up onto it from the lawn. ;-) Dave worked hard last weekend digging out and pouring a concrete pad - my man carried about a thousand pounds worth of concrete from his truck around to the back to make that pad!!

The boys intently watching the installation of the stringers. (They thought it was bodaciously cool that Daddy could drill screws into concrete, heheh.) :-D

Emmett striking a goofy pose for the camera. (Look, he has front teeth again!)

No words are necessary to convey Gareth's opinion of my attempts to photographically document his childhood. ;-)

The man himself in action!

Aaaaaaahhhhh!! It's a Q-tip alien girl!!!! (She was napping during stair-building, so here's her quirky moment of fame, lol.) :-)

A few pictures from Grandpa's visit :-)

I did manage to get a few pictures of the kids with Grandpa while he was here helping re-do the kitchen. :-) So here he is with the boys...

..and reading a bedtime story to Gareth and Vera Gail.


And here is Vera Gail modeling her beautiful dress that Grandpa and Grandma brought back for her from Aruba. :-)

Kitchen Remodel

Ah, finally, the promised pictures of our kitchen re-do! Dave and I decided to give our kitchen a budget make-over, and the results are splendid! :-) I'm starting with some 'before and after' pictures (because I just love those, it's so fun to see the transformation - naturally it would help if I had better pictures/was better at taking pictures, but still, it's quite a difference), and then I have pictures of the process. Dave's dad came out for a long weekend to assist with tear-out and installation, and that was a tremendous help, thanks Dad!! :-)

BEFORE: Alright, we'll start with the left side of the kitchen. This picture doesn't have the shelf on the wall because I was a dolt and forgot to take a picture right before tear-out (and this photo is from when we first moved in), but you get the idea.

AFTER: Goodbye wall, hello peninsula (and vastly expanded counter space)!! :-D



BEFORE: Now for the right side of kitchen. It is likely that the pre-existing cabinets were original to the house (i.e. 30+ years old..); we took off the doors to paint them but never did because we figured it wasn't worth the effort, so we just left the cabinets doorless (and yes, very ugly).

AFTER: To save money and give the kitchen a more spacious look, we chose to put in open shelving overhead. Dave did those entirely himself. :-) He also finished the cabinets below, aren't they gorgeous? :-)

And here is a photo with the shelves empty.


THE PROCESS

The first thing Dave did was take out cabinet on the left, and then he tore out the wall.

No more cabinet...

And the wall is going.., going..,

GONE!


Then Dave and Dad got to have 'fun' re-wiring, since there had been an outlet on one side of the wall and the switch for the dining room light on the other.

The upper cabinets on the right side were next to go.


And the bottom cabinets next!


And now some new bottom cabinets are in and the upper wall is freshly painted, and you can see the patched wall on the left.


Gareth giving the disassembled disposal a thorough examination. ;-) (eeeeewwwww...)


The bottom cabinets and new countertop installed, and the peninsula resting in its spot.


"Hey, there used to be a wall here!"

Now there is just some trim left to do, but all in all, the kitchen is transformed, and we love it! It feels so much bigger and brighter with the wall removed, and I am happier than a clam at high tide with the increased cabinet and counter space, not to mention the amazingly improved appearance! :-)