First Taste of Gardening

With exception to the crazy afternoon winds, we have had a rather pleasant late winter. With the sun shining this morning, and knowing Bug needed a bath, we headed out to play in the dirt. With hopes of expanding our garden this year, from seeds no less, I started prepping the soil. I am already craving the sweet tomatoes and peppers and their beautiful colors. We hope to add green beans and some summer squash this year.

I tried to teach Lily how to pull weeds, but she wasn't very good at it. Don't worry, we'll keep working at it. She was, however, really good at picking up rocks and throwing them in the bag. When we added the block wall, the workers asked us what to do with all the dirt. Gleefully, I asked them to throw it against the back fence, excited we wouldn't need to buy dirt to fill the retaining wall that would be added a few weeks later. What I didn't anticipate was everything that went with the dirt; nails and screws, cement clumps, rocks, PVC pipe, broken fence pieces, and shoelaces. Thus, we may be cleaning out the dirt for quite some time.

Toward the end of our time, it looked as if Lily had rolled in the dirt. She was covered in it but was having a blast. I moved along the wall pulling weeds when I heard her start repeating, "A bite. A bite. A bite." As my typical response to her non-stop chatter, I simply said, "Mmm-hmm." I then realized what she was saying to turn around and see her use the shovel as a spoon to taste the dirt she had just dug up.

Believe it or not, the photo above is not her first bite but probably the fifth time I had wiped the dirt from her face and tongue. She repeatedly took bites of the gritty stuff and then tried to chew the sand.

Kitchen Repair - Part Seven and Final

I realized I never finished updating my blog for our kitchen repair. So either you came over and saw it, or don't care. But for documentation purposes, and my own (in)sanity, I will catch you up.
We upgraded the countertops to a nice stone. For whatever reason, it was really nerve wracking, trying to pick the details out and insure they all matched. Everything from paint, to floor, to countertops was outsourced, and all at the same time. We didn't really have time for one to finish before picking out the next detail. I'm sure we looked hilarious carrying ceramic tiles to the slab lot to make sure our flooring didn't clash with the stone.

Here is a picture of the counters the day they went in. You can see the floor is not done and there are still a few details to work out, like the plumbing. . .

Here is my new sink. And while I wanted a nice white porclain coated cast iron bowl to match my appliances, I do like my deep uneven sink bowls. It hides more dirty dishes, too. The handle and faucet didn't get installed in the right holes, but I think Daddy Dearest can fix it the next time he comes down. (I just haven't asked him yet.)

But the reason I haven't done this blogis that my kitchen is never clean enough to take pictures. So today, I bit the bullet and am showing you the state of my kitchen on a regular basis. The computer is usually out on the counter, and the baby seat where Lily hangs out when I am in the kitchen doesn't typically leave the kitchen. Most of the dishes are clean but are out drying on the counter.

Here is a picture of our "wood" tiles. It is ceramic tile with a faux wood finish screened on top. And although I should have picked a darker grout, I really like the tile. It is unfortunate that things (like glasses) don't bounce like they used to on the wood. With this image, you can also see the used burp rag in the door way. The picture shows how I "really" live.

Here is a better shot of the stone but you also get to see my baking sheet left out from breakfast as well as my dirty stove and almost empty goody jars.

The other counter shows more clean dishes, and my produce that I need to cook and prepare before it goes bad.

The kitchen is done. We love it. I am mostly glad to not be doing dishes in the bathroom sink and can cook with large dishes not fearing how I will wash them!

Kitchen Repair - Part Six

I haven't posted much about the kitchen because not much has happened. Two and a half weeks ago they rebuilt the cabinets using the old faces, doors, and drawers. This was a three day process, mostly because it was just one guy. Another guy showed up for part of it, but he wasn't here when the first guy showed up, and left before it was done. Not quite sure his expertise. But the cabinets were built. Then the painters came. They painted the kitchen, two walls in the dining room, one wall in the family room and the ceiling in the kitchen and the family room. I lost my gold wall in my kitchen. I'm not too heart broken. It wasn't the color I really wanted originally and the painters came before we picked out a counter top. So taupe it is. There was a small mark on the ceiling in my dining room/living room from where they put the pole up for the containment tent. The guys were going to paint the whole vaulted ceiling to make sure that the new paint didn't show against the old. We only painted two and a half years ago, so I pulled out my leftover ceiling paint and had them roll the tiny spot. It was not worth their trouble, nor mine of losing access to these rooms as well as the others. Plus it gave us more of a credit toward our upgrades.

But after picking out a counter top on Friday, we have been at a standstill. Nothing happened this week. Well, nothing at the house. The slab is being cut for installation next Monday. If everything goes as planned the kitchen should be complete next Friday. I hope everything we have picked out at separate times matches!

Kitchen Repair - Part Five

Today they finished the dry wall and addded a coat of primer. The doorway was reframed and the baseboards were intstalled.

Kitchen Repair - Part Four

We have insulation, drywall, and texture.

Kitchen Repair - Part Three

The tents are down and not much remains of the kitchen. The cupboards are gone. The tile is gone. The dry wall is gone. The floor is gone. The MOLD IS GONE!

And now we wait . . .

We have agree to go with the company that our insurance company recommended; we have liked them so far. We signed a contract which holds our place in line of projects but the guys that spoke to Kevin on Friday said the earliest they could get started on our house was the 24th. They still have to put together a contract with AAA of how much everything will cost. It is going to be a long time without a sink. One positive is that I have my microwave and oven back. I am hesitant to cook anything stove top as it is difficult to wash dishes in the shallow bathroom sink. So we eat out. And I'm already tired of it. Earlier this week I made a roast and carrots in the crock pot with crock pot liners and made instant mashed potatoes using hot water from my Mrs. Tea pot. We went to grill tonight and I realized that the lighters for the BBQ were in a box somewhere. I will head to the store tomorrow to keep some easy to grab food and snacks on hand. . . as well as another lighter.

I leave you with a picture of my new kitchen, formally the playroom.

Kitchen Repair - Part Two

The crew started work on the house today. The cabinets have been pulled away from the walls and the tent set up. We no longer have access to anything in the kitchen.

Here is the family room. You can see the sink on the floor. The tent has been attached to the sliding glass door. The dogs have to get to the backyard through the garage; which doesn't really work very well. They saved the drawers, cabinet doors, and frame. But when we looked at it today, some of the frames were cracked. We are hoping to replace the sink while they have it out.The tent entrance in the living room.We could hang out in this small portion of the living room, but we spend most of our time in our bedroom. The three of us hung out, had dinner, and watched Bill Engvall from our bed. The crew used the toilet in my "kitchen", and even though I knew they would, they left the seat up. At least they didn't pee in my backyard.

Kitchen Repair - Part One

On January 12, two days before I become unemployed, we notice that water is coming out from underneath our kitchen floor; on the other side of the room from the pipes. Not good. We check under the sink and all seems fine. But as my head is in the cabinet, I hear a faint drip . . . drip . . .drip. Kevin pulls the dishwasher out from underneath the cabinet to discover an inch of standing water. Ugh. The next day we begin making calls; home warranty and then home owners insurance.

Our insurance company sent out a restoration company to take a look at our situation. The lady at AAA went back an forth on a decision for our claim. At first it was going to be covered, and then when they found mold in our baseboards they decided it was a long standing issue and they weren't going to cover it. Finally they sent the restoration company out to tear open the wall so AAA could see how long the issue had been there. When a piece of the drywall was removed, we found particle board all the way up. This meant that the wood had been soaking up the water, now two and a half feet up the wall, and it AAA made a decision in our favor.

Here is a picture of the wall before it was covered up with plastic and duct tape. Wet.

The restoration company brought in two dehumidifiers to suck the moisture out. By the time they pulled them out of the house, I was going crazy from the noise. They weren't so much loud and just constant noise. Here I am being sly with my camera phone getting Joe checking the mold behind the baseboard in the dining room.

Here was my kitchen for 3 weeks. Dishwasher and dehumidifier in the middle of the room. You don't realize how much you use your dishwasher until it is useless; I am so tired of doing dishes.


Yesterday, they moved my dishwasher and refrigerator out of the kitchen. Today they came and packed up everything in my lower cabinets and drawers. So I have plates to eat off of, but no flatware or cookware.

The living room now holds my refrigerator. Convenient for entertaining. Not so great for smells.
And my family room has become a storage unit holding my dishwasher and everything from my kitchen.

I was able to do some cooking on Monday and Tuesday so we had some food for the rest of the week; casserole, quiche, enchiladas, granola, bread, and the much needed chocolate chip cookies.

Hang on ladies and gentlemen, we are in for a ride.

Baby's Nursery

It has taken me 3 days to download the pictures for this blog due to intermittent internet but I wanted to show you Baby's nursery.

My Uncle Mike and Cousin Mike (Mikey to family) came down to Riverside with my Aunt, Cousin, and Grandmother for my shower. We bribed them with golf if they painted Baby's room while we were at the shower. I had originally picked out vinyl stickers on Etsy but the would end up spending close to $300. So my family offered to do it for free. I picked out a couple of pictures on the web and the boys projected them on the wall as stencils. I love the way they turned out.

I really wanted this shelf but there was very little wall space left in the little room. You can see the quilt on the edge of the crib. It was the inspiration for the room. I picked it out a while ago and then we found it on clearance in May (thanks Mom).

Here is the mobile I decided to use. It was the one my mom attached to my crib as a baby. I wrapped it in ribbon and hung it from the ceiling.

The book shelf filled with both new and used books. Many were given to us at the shower, some are mine, and some are from Grandma and Papa Rookus. The baskets on the window seat hold toys, both new and used.

On top of the shelf is my teddy bear with the button from the hospital where Kevin was born. The silver cup is mine with my birth stats on it; August 14, 1981, 8 pounds, 1 ounce, 21 inches, 10:35 am. The shoe on the left was from Great-Papa Rookus from the 1920's and the shoe on the right is from Great Aunt Kathy from the 1940's.

This is a four generation picture of my G.G., Mimi, Mama, and me when I was about a year old.

Our little dresser from Ikea that Kevin put together. I like the little baskets we found at Babies R Us; they match the shelf. I've had that lamp forever but bought a new shade so I decided to spray paint the lamp. It's a little brighter than anticipated but the room could use some color.

Lots and lots of onesies. All hand-me-downs.

More clothes.

This is an old night stand that was given to me years ago as a hand-me-down. It was a blond wood. So I sanded it and spray painted it white. The box on top was a gift from a friend from Africa. It's hard to tell, but there are giraffes carved on it.

A little touch of giraffe print.

We still have a large blank wall that we don't really know what to do with. We probably will end up doing something with Baby's name; as soon as we pick one . . .

Phase 2 - Part 2

We have been in our house two years this month. When we bought our house it needed a face lift. Or at least a little make-up.

PHASE 1 - The Interior
We repainted the whole inside. (And when I say we, I mean the nice guys from our church.) New paint on every wall, every door, every cupboard, and every vent. New carpet upstairs and new tile in the downstairs. It was a whole new house.

PHASE 2 - The Exterior
But now that the inside is mostly done, it was time to move to the exterior. I really want to be able to entertain outdoors and it really hasn't been an option. When we moved in, the back yard was a hodgepodge of plants; fig trees, plum trees, palm trees, a random tiki hut, and even some cactus. It was all quite bizarre. We pulled most of it out. I don't like bees, and the only thing Kevin hates more is spiders, so anything that bloomed had to go. Then we got dogs . . .

We love our boys, but they destroyed the back yard. They dug holes, chewed up sprinklers, and ate threw the fence. (In their defense, the fence was pretty rotted.)

The first part was to put up our patio cover. I'm not sure I wrote about it before, but about 6 months (maybe a year ago), we (again, not actually us doing the labor) put up a patio cover. The main reason for the cover was to block the morning sun that heats up the family room and kitchen. After fighting with the HOA for a month, we finally got the cover up and were very pleased with the results. It's cooler, and we enjoy the fans we had installed as well. The boys have chewed on the plastic drain pipe, but the alumi-wood cover seems to be fine.

This last week we started part 2; the block wall. We only did the wall on one side, and will eventually put a dog run along side it. Lets see the boys chew through that!

Stoney Masonry did the work, and so far, we are very pleased.

Here are the materials I came home to find in my drive way last Monday.

And the view of the back yard after the fence was down. Anything green belongs to my neighbor.
And the almost finished wall. We are waiting on the final inspection before they wrap it all up.

My goal, or at least the one I keep telling Kevin, is just grass before Baby comes. I just want to be able to let the boys back in the yard to pee!