Patch, Caulk, Repeat

Seems like an endless line of things to patch, caulk, etc...

But a buddy makes it all better. :-)

Where's the Little Dutch Boy when we need him?

Well, the birthday party happened last night.  40+ people in our house, incredibly yummy fajitas - such a good night. And now, back to work. 

James decided to take down the cabinets to start taping and bedding the sheetrock.  And in the process, discovered that a screw had previously been placed right into the water line in the wall. So when he removed the screw, it was a like a fire hydrant shooting across the kitchen.  He ran to shut off the water while I attempted to plug the hole and catch the water with buckets and towels. And then I cried. HA! It had been a good couple of weeks of progress, everything going so smoothly, and I just hated for him that we had another mess to deal with. 

But he jumped into action, and within an hour, the water line was replaced, and the sheet rock was back up.  Now to avoid doing that again...

And as always, the girls adapt - Charis moved to the dining room table to roll out the dough for Chicken Pot Pie. :-)

Just another Monday

A weekend of working on the house is always followed by the reset on Monday. Usually the girls are a huge part of that.  And this time was no different.  After weeks of the school shelves being in the playroom while the tile was laid, it was finally time to get them back in the dining room. 

It's always so refreshing to me to put things back in their place. Especially now, when all the work we do is PROGRESS - visible progress!  One weekend at a time...

Isn't it beautiful?!

It's the Little Things

James spent weeks planning a big 40th birthday party for me - I wasn't allowed to do a thing!  That meant that while he was finishing the island and the tile, he was also shopping for fajita meat and organizing the menu.  And he had one last house chore on his list, to help improve the look in the main part of the house - a door for the laundry room.  

It's amazing how it improved the look of things - we'll paint it one of these days.

Back in Business

After dinner was over, and the men left, it was time to cut the hole for plumbing and get the island set in just the right place. 

Then to install the new countertop. :-)  This will do for now...

And just to be an overachiever, he got the sink back in place, too.

The next day, we had to get Darcy out of her new favorite hiding place so James could put the dishwasher in. 

And in the meantime, Uncle Jeff came by to get the carpet trimmed and re-stretched next to the new tile.

The Island Has Landed

After a day to let the tile set, it's a big moment around here. 

James enlisted the help of family - Dad, Ray, Daniel, and Stephen - to get the island from the barn to our kitchen.  SO thankful for these men. And thankful to Jan, who provided dinner for them to eat when they were done.

I can't believe it's actually here!

Island Out, Tile In

Well, the new island is stained and sealed. The tile is done - as much as is possible. It's time. 

BEFORE:

The old "island" found a new home in the backyard (for now), and we set up shop in the laundry room. You know, we installed this utility sink YEARS ago in preparation for being without a kitchen sink for a few days. It's finally paying off. :-) 

Now time to finish the last of the tile!

THE LAST ONE!!!  (of over 500!)