a new look

Kitchen time!  We are mostly finished with kitchen projects (still hunting for a light fixture for the breakfast nook..gotta finish some painting...)  But it feels so good to be here.  Good to be done with the crazy parts.

  I walk downstairs each morning and pinch myself.

Kitchen before (well, we had already refinished the floors)

I like the antique brass hardware, warms the space up.  Knobs on top, pulls on bottom.

It's a big process trying to decide exactly where you want to spend your money,

and your (husbands) time.

There were a few ideas that didn't make it pass the chopping block, but all in all, I am loving the changes we did make.

 This little nook to the left of the refrigerator is one of my favorite places.
It's my baking pantry in a cabinet (idea ala pinterest)

I keep most baking supplies here as opposed to in the pantry.

The drawer on the right is filled with baking spices, 

and the drawer on the left contains all those baking gadgets

(measuring cups and spoons, mixer attachments etc.)

Below are my baking pans and trays. 

Organizing in this fashion has really streamlined my process.

 I love this little area in a ridiculous way.

I love that it's something one could implement in any kitchen.

View from behind the island.

I soooo appreciate how quiet the dishwasher is :)

(anything that lowers the decibel level in this house is a friend of mine!)

There were decisions to save or splurge the whole way through.

The faucet was one place I spent a little more, and I don't regret it a bit.

It's front and center in the kitchen and to me, like jewelry.

We saved on hardware (clearance find!), backsplash, and doing most work ourselves, 

but the other splurge was probably the countertops and again...we are so happy with the result.

It's a white quartzite stone with beautiful veining.

Between my wonderful (but messy/destructive) children, and my own kitchen habits,

I appreciate that it is durable and performs like a granite. 

Also loving....that deep single basin sink.

 David ran a new gas line, and my cooking dreams came true.  It's as wonderful as I suspected.

 Most all of the changes we made were cosmetic.  One thing I always loved about this kitchen was the layout.  It functions so well and has pretty little corners (like the glass cabinets) that keep it interesting.

Like most good things the kitchen was a combination of preparation (saving up our pennies) and right-timing (how long I dreamed of my own home again) and a large dose of blessing.  I feel the blessing part every time I walk into the kitchen.  It's super fun to dream and scheme and then to make it/see it happen.  Lots of satisfaction in the process for sure!

Now it's on to other projects, like actually hanging something on a wall.

Baptism

This is surreal. 

It went through my mind each time I did something in preparation for Zachary's Baptism day.

Ordering his first quad-set with name lovingly engraved...

Emailing the program details...

Writing a little talk about the Gift of the Holy Ghost...

Shopping for a snazzy new church outfit (for him)...

The significance of the day was not lost on me.

It was simple and meaningful.

And most importantly, his choice.

(what I love most about being baptized at the age of 8)

While singing the opening hymn Baptism (again, his choice)

the most sweet spirit filled my heart.

There are few life experiences that actually, truly reach the designation of joyful, 

but this, 

this was one of them.

Guest Post from the Hubby

This is my first attempt to hijack my wife's blog and I hope I survive. 

It has been a three week long ordeal with the "sickness". Well I guess its been a week since the last incident, but it lasted for 3 weeks. My dear sweet wife that is already borderline sick at night because of the pregnancy could only offered up moral support from the other room as I bathed kids, cleaned sheets, and scrubbed the carpet and rugs.  I told her she better make me out to be the best dad and a beyond amazing husband. She has been doing a pretty darn good job so far. She found this video to show me. I guess in my mind if she feeling and is thinking these things about me than that is better than any "thank you" or "your the greatest" she could ever say. This post is not meant to be about me its to let the whole world know that my wife is amazing. She is the best friend anyone could ever have. She is my Eternal Companion and the mother of my children. I would be completely lost (shes not afraid to remind me of this) with out her. Every day I hope that I can find some way to reassure her of my love and commitment to her. 

David

He gets his skillz (and sweet follow through) from his momma.

His fans... preoccupied.

A few weeks ago Zachary got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, only, instead of using his own, he walked into Dave's office and flipped the light, thereby waking David and I.  Of course, we were only awake for a second before we realized what was going on, and drifted back to sleep.  I remember (vaguely) the lights being turned back off, but it seemed much, much later.  One of those weird sleep tricks, I supposed.

The next morning David and I conferred.  It seemed to both of us that Zachary had been up for a long time.  Sure enough, a quick check on the computer's history revealed that Zach had been awake from 2:00- 3:30 am and had perused ESPN.com reading players stats and histories the entire time.  We were rolling with laughter at the 20+ names he had typed into the search bar in hopes of reading more about his favorite players.

One morning while making his bed I found a small notebook, flashlight and pencil. He had recorded page after page after page of what I am assuming are his fantasy teams.  Careful lists of teams, coaches, and players, names I know nothing about, filled the front and back of each sheet.

We are not a professional sports watching family.  Playing sports, sure, watching family play sports, absolutely.  But you won't ever find a game on our television (no cable = no espn).  I can't help but think that some of this is just in his genes (it's how I remember my little brothers...to...a...T...) and some of it is just this awesome stage he is in (think The Sandlot movie).  Either way, I'm a fan.

begin again

I've wanted to come back to this space for so long, exciting that today's the day.  More than once over this little break I've pulled up a picture or story from the blog to show or tell someone.  (Even my sister did the same.)  I miss recording those bits of life.

November and December were quite a doozy, mostly because I felt so horrible.  With each pregnancy I've experienced morning sickness to a greater degree.  I was so hoping to escape that pattern, but no such luck.  I'm 17 weeks, and due in June. (eee!) And, and, so happy to be feeling better.  It's made all the difference.  We are totally the crazy family that just moved into the neighborhood that has "all those kids".  Some friends jumping on the trampoline (before it met it's demise) said to Zach, "Your mom is having another baby!" It's ok, I'll gladly accept the title.  My perfectly biased opinion is that our children are wonderful, kind and talented...of course we hoped for more.  (But if you cornered me right this second I would tell you without skipping a beat...we're done thankyouverymuch).

And so, with that one little detail, I cut myself a whole lotta slack during the holidays.  It was the first year since we've been married I did not send out a Christmas card.  And in my dismal and hormonal state I was a total grump (that's phrasing it generously) during one particular family gathering (that we hosted) oops.  oh dear.

I want to just mention one other very poignant December experience.  I was able to attend the funeral for sweet Emilie Parker (her mother, a dear "Oregon girls" friend) who was killed in the Newtown shooting.  Her services in Utah, just days before Christmas, were absolutely beautiful.  It's the sort of thing I'm not really ready to describe other than to say that with both their silent and spoken testimonies I have been impacted by Alissa and Robbie in such a positive way that it leaves me wishing desperately (and quite impossibly) that I could just repay even a small portion.  They are continually in my prayers.

There is always more.                    
And that's why I'm happy to be back here again.
To keep, capture and record a little bit more.

i love my trick-or-treaters

I coaxed the last bites of chili as the door bell rang with the first batch of trick-or-treaters.
Thanks to the magic of iso, you might not notice that these photos were basically taken in the dark.
David stood behind me with the candy bowl handing sugar out to a steady stream of neighborhood kids while simultaneously trying to get the little bee to smile.  They gave me about 5 seconds to grab a photograph, and then they were off, filling their own treat bags.  With every last Halloween detail and responsibility completed, I walked around the neighborhood in a state of permanent exhale.  Anything for these people.

In the middle.

I've been so lousy at documenting the house stuff.

I think it's because in my mind the "end" seems so far away, 

and some days it feels like we've only just started!

But progress has been made because the fireplace used to look like this:

David built a new surround that I like so much!

We replaced the black tile with carrera marble in a herringbone pattern.

The cabinet doors are gone, and in their place is a little surprise that David came up with.

The mirror slides open to reveal toys! the TV, (that we don't have yet).

It's one of our favorite features so far and it was the perfect compromise.

I didn't love the look of those cabinets when I knew we had this mirror that would fit perfectly.

That and we never, (I mean literally never) watch TV.  

         So David did a little research and found some industrial drawer slides. 

Of course even these pictures show we still have work to do here.

Finish tiling, paint the walls, touch-up stuff and ummm, get that TV.

Also, the floor is done!  We replaced all the carpet downstairs with hardwood.

That meant the living room, dining room & my future office/music room got new flooring.

I've mentioned it before, but the floor project was kind of brutal.

It's a bit like child birth though, because now that it's over, I can hardly remember the bad parts.

The pictures are a bit dark (it was cloudy) but we went with a dark brown stain and a satin clear coat.

I think the end result is lovely.

Here is a semi-before.  The fireplace had been finished, but the carpet is still there.

The hardwoods were a chestnut color.

And this view from the front door into the dining room shows how David had to tie in the new flooring to the existing.  He did top-notch work.  Now that the entire floor has been refinished, I cannot tell where the old and new floor meet.

 Next up...the kitchen.

To give you an idea of the general layout, the french door leads to the office/music room and to the left of it is the glass door that leads to the pantry.  To the left of the pantry is the dining room.  And behind that highchair is a breakfast nook.

 (door opens to deck)

The simple plan is this:  change everything.

Ha!  Close though. 

I really love the layout and we will keep the cabinets and of course the fridge I picked this summer.

But most other aspects of the room will be re-imagined. 

Wish us luck.

Also.

Did I ever mention that we were this close to building a house?

Yes.  We had scoped a lot, selected a plan and a builder. 

We got so far as to actually have two cashiers checks in hand and were in the final meeting

 with the builder to hold the lot and sign the contract.

And I just. couldn't. do. it.

It's a crazy story for another day.

But in the end...this house won out,

in all of it's short-sale glory.

And we knew from the very beginning (and budgeted cash for) the changes we wanted to make.

I remind myself of this often these days because when you are in the middle, 

it's hard not to let your mind drift to the "would have been scenarios".

You know, the ones where we would be living in a house that would reflect our ideas

and ask absolutely nothing of us.

Ahhhhhhh.

And yet, in an undeniable way, this is home.