My friend sent me an email asking how things were going because she hadn't heard an update on the blog. I know I've been terrible at posting, mostly because we haven't had our OWN internet connection until now, so access was sporadic. Also, I just got a new computer. Saweet! Not to mention the unpacking, organizing, and CLEANING of the house. I am overwhelmed by the DAILY amount of cleaning required and I am learning how to be more efficient. I can't talk about US without talking about the house right now because THE HOUSE HAS CONSUMED US. Eaten us alive, really.
That has changed now, thanks to some guests I had last weekend. My parents and grandparents came over Friday while they were in town for my cousin's wedding. My dad built shelves in the broom closet to make it a pantry, my grandpa found several projects around the house that needed a quick fix (and he bought us a bunch of odds and ends at Home Depot), my grandma and I organized the office, and my mom watched the kids. It was a great feeling to get a contractor's eye and advice about the house.
Here are the stages of the pantry:
I missed the BEFORE, but it looked similar to our hall closet. Only it had 2 high shelves with no rod.
And after my dad put the shelves in:
I don't like deep shelves because stuff gets lost and I didn't want the sides to stick out and in front of the doorway so this is how I wanted my shelves designed. I did want drawers but it wasn't practical with the doorway. I'm still trying to figure out how to do the spice rack.
Tal and I spent WAY too much time filling in the holes, sanding, painting the inside, caulking, and then painting chalkboard paint on the door and front facing edge of the shelves. Hey, if you're going to do something, might as well do it right. Even if it is only a pantry (which Tally kept repeating to me). It WAS pretty annoying to have all of our food out and on the table for over a week. We quickly outgrew the one cupboard above the dishwasher. Here it is with paint and FOOD!
And now with a bit of chalk...
Kelsey and I had some fun with it today. Which was nice since it was raining outside. She LOVES chalk. I need a thinner piece though to write on the shelves.
We also got our new table, conveniently delivered right when I brought my parents home from the airport.
The hydrangeas were beautiful, a big thank you to Aubrey for getting married and having great taste in flowers.
And here is the other side of the room, the kitchen.
I would love to get a less see-through glass for those cabinets and better pottery for display ;) Too bad I didn't know I would have this when I was in Nove.
We're having to adjust to YARDWORK. Instead of taking off to another country for the weekend, we are at home making our house look nice and pretty. I always knew owning a home would be expensive but MAN!! We have made so many trips to Home Depot lately they're starting to recognize us. Here's my laborer ;).
I took the kids outside with me on Friday (Tal at work, it was supposed to rain all Saturday) while I did some yard work (weeds, leaves, etc.) and it turned out to be a great experience. I met several of my neighbors who "kept meaning to come by" but hadn't yet (I know how that goes, I've been meaning to come by too). It was really nice to be out in the sunny weather.
All is well here with us. The kids have had pink eye and now slight colds. My parents are in Hawaii and Tal is back in Switzerland right now. Although I'm wishing I were there with him (Stupid unreliable volcano) I'm enjoying this rainy midnight alone. We are all (relatively) healthy and happy right now, and that's good enough for me. I feel very BLESSED. Nighty night!
