A New Kitchen

Our kitchen has been torn up since just after Christmas. Finally, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The drywall has all been repaired, and work has been ongoing for the past week and a half. The painting is almost done. The painters suggested leaving the under-side o the soffet white, but we've decided we don't like it, so they will be coming back to finish that painting.



This week, they have been installing a new floor. We originally were going to have them install linoleum that looks like tile, but as it turns out, tile is cheaper than linoleum - who knew?? So, we decided on 18" travertine tiles. I wasn't sure about it at first - I tend to like consistency, and with a natural stone, it is anything but consistent. But...now that it is in, I think we are going to really like it.

They grouted the floor yesterday, and we have to wait until Friday for them to come back and put on the final sealer. Can't wait! Working on the floor means disconnecting the dishwasher and moving the refrigerator out. The fridge is currently on the back deck - probably not the best place considering we are supposed to get 2-4 inches of snow tomorrow night - ugh - just what we need...more snow!

Carleigh's First History Project

At the kids' school, they study ancient Egypt in 2nd grade history.  For their history program, each of the kids put together a presentation related to one of their weekly lessons.  Carleigh's was "Egypt Falls to Rome".  Along with her presentation board, she presented 5 facts about Cleopatra, Mark Antony, and Octavius.

It is so much fun watching the kids learn and grow!

Carleigh Turns 8!

We had a fun time on Carleigh's birthday.  We had cake and ice cream at home, and opened presents - then we went to Red Robin for an early dinner.

Sleeping Beauties

Just a fun pic of my baby...and our furry babies.

I'm Melting...

...but not quite in the same way as the wicked witch from the Wizard of Oz.

The weather has calmed down significantly, and the snow has been slowly melting for the last couple of weeks.  Mind you, we still have a LOT of snow on the ground, but the roads are mostly clear, and it is melting slowly enough that we haven't had any flooding issues.

Nothing big to report regarding us.  We are waiting for the insurance check before continuing with the repairs to the house.  The kids are back in school, and we are all back to a normal routine.

I'm hoping to find time soon to get back to some of  my knitting projects...depending on how it all goes, I might just post a few pictures here of my progress...

Sheriff Requested School Closure

The kids have been out of school for 2 weeks (plus 2 snow days), and are scheduled to go back tomorrow. But, the county sheriff's office has requested that all schools stay closed tomorrow. The biggest reason is the fact that so many kids walk to school, and the vast majority of area sidewalks are not clear - and the snow berms are taller than the kids. So, it looks like all area schools are going to be closed tomorrow - and we are under another Winter Storm Watch from 10 tonight until 10 tomorrow morning, which is expected to bring another 4-7 inches.

The good news, if there is such a thing at this point, is that we are supposed to be warming up starting on Tuesday, and there is no more snow in the forecast for the rest of the week. Instead, we have rain and possible flooding in the forecast!

Here are a few pictures I took today of the house, and the kids playing:

This is the covered area of our back deck - and that is the door where we are experiencing the new leak. John found a large ice dam up on that part of the roof today, and was able to get it broken up and cleared off - and the leak does seem to have slowed down.

This is the roof over the kitchen (on the left), and over our bedroom (on the right - with the satellite dish).

Here is the covered area outside the back of the garage.  And the large grey "box" is the motorhome.

Here's another shot taken from the back deck - looking toward the garage.

Believe it or not, this is our swimming pool.


The kids begged to go out and play on this last day of Christmas break, and as you can see, they had a great time.

Snow Angels~

I'll probably be in trouble for showing this next picture.  John didn't want me to take it for fear it would look like he was enjoying the snow.  So, I show this only with the disclaimer that it is not an accurate reflection of John's opinion of the snowfall! :)

Will It Ever End????

We concluded 2008 with record snowfall of 61.5 inches within the last 2 weeks.  And we have started 2009 with additional damage to the house as a result.

The insurance adjuster and the construction crew were both here today to review the work that needs to be done, and we all reached an agreement...so all is well, right?  Sure...until this evening.  Tyler, John and I were sitting in the dining room playing a mean game of "Sorry!", when we start hearing the ominous sound of..."drip"..."drip"..."drip"...  We looked high and low, and couldn't find the source.  Finally, we found it...behind the curtain, water was dripping from the trim around the door that leads to the covered portion of our back deck.

So, we called the insurance adjuster and the construction crew to let them know.  We will be calling the insurance company tomorrow to add this to our claim.  But wait, that's not all, after we pulled off the trim, placed a bucket, and shoved a towel into the crack to manage the water, I happened to pull back the curtain in the living room - in the front of the house, and what do I see?...A huge break in the glass in the front window!

It doesn't show up real well in the picture, but the inside pane is broken - starting at the lower left, and extending about 3.5 feet up the window, which is 5 feet tall.

I half expect to wake up in the morning to find the roof has caved in!  And guess what...we are under another Winter Storm Watch - expecting somewhere between 4 and 12 inches Sunday night and Monday...are you kidding???  One piece of good news is that John found a place that is expecting a shipment of snowblowers, and we have our name on one...they should be here Friday.  We've joked that as soon as we buy a snowblower it will quit snowing, but we've decided it would be money well spent if it happened that way!

I snapped a couple pictures of our neighbor this afternoon.  Gives you another perspective of the snow we are dealing with.

Finally, on a sweeter note, Alyssa made brownies tonight.  She got a fun cookbook for Christmas that came with 6 silicone cupcake cups, and all of the recipes use the cups - everything from scrambled eggs, to mini-lasagna, to desert - including brownies.  She let Carleigh help stir, and they did a great job - the finished product was delicious!