Kitchen cabinets are ordered!!

Thank you Aunt L...You are so sweet and we are so thankful!!)

Thank you for making our day Aunt L!! Here are some pics of the kids enjoying there treasures.

Thank you Aunt L!!}

Out of the woods...

We have had a round of fevers course through the family....today...I thought we were out of the woods...so off to the woods we went!! Four miles away we have a really nice metro park that occasionally holds family friendly activities. So we headed off to the Rocky River Reservation. We had a great day of sunshine...live music...seedling planting...live animal demonstrations...and our personal favorite...pond dipping. A naturalist was available to help fish out live wiggly squiggly things out of a pond to study. Ohh..and I learned baby geese are almost green...too cool. We came home exhausted but our JB seemed a little too exhausted. Sure enough it's her turn for the fever....

Magnolia

Yeah...it finally bloomed.

Back to the kitchen...

Where to start. I have been holding back on the ongoings of our Home Depot experience but it has not been fun. I am so frustrated with the process. It's not even the design element of the process that's challenging. That part is mostly fun. It's the lack of listening and the high pressure sales. I went in with exact cabinet and color choices and somewhere down the line...she changes colors and design....forgets that we have a cook top and not a range and doesn't include a space for the microwave? What? Really? She didn't even have a island included and states she had a migraine for a week ( I can COMPLETELY understand that....) but then don't call me and say....oh by the way ....you need to order this now because the sale ends Wed. Order what....there is not a kitchen yet. ARRRGGGGHHH I guess I should either just move along and do the best I can with her or regroup and try somewhere else. What to do.....

I should be doing about 100 other things.....but here we are

I would not want to be the guy on the other side of the rope!!}

Kitchen Ongoing....

I visited with the kitchen designer at HD for another meeting and I believe we have a better plan in the works! Yeh! The island (now there is one...) is functional with seating and counter space. I may be losing the cabinets with drawers to save pennies, though. On this most recent plan, I don't see where she put the microwave. In our kitchen, it won't work over the cooktop....so where to put it?

I have a blind date tonight.....

A blind date tonight....with my husband and nine blinds!!>

I love this kitchen

This kitchen picture is from HGTV's rate my space site. This is so similar to what I'm hoping to create in our home. My Sweet Savannah's blog had a link to this recently and between her beautiful decorating and this kitchen...I really feel like I have a sense of what we want. (I'm new to blogging so I hope I' m giving sufficient credit where credit is due...)

So off to Home Depot we went the other day to get prices and a lay out. We left pictures and measurements and anything we could think of to get the kitchen ordered. Today I went back for a follow up appointment and the designer had a really limited computer image of a kitchen that absolutely wasn't going to be ours. All of the elements that were important to us were not there and it's so frustrating! My dear husband was working so I was there with the kiddos and that didn't help. I just wonder if she even looked at what we brought in. There is a couple of other places for cabinets we can explore so I guess the search continues......Until then.....I'll stare at other peoples' kitchens.

the kitchen begins....

So today we went to Home Depot with our pictures measurements and our ideas. We also brought our three children...it was all going pretty well until they found this huge (reachable) bin filled with these little bright yellow plunger things. Let the games begin! Why don't they play with their toys like this?

What we learned was if you are planning to have Home Depot install the cabinets, they charge $100. to come out and measure your space. If your planning to install, you get charged sales tax ( there is not a sales tax charge under their install price,) and they are not liable if the lay out doesn't work. Fair, I guess. I have convinced my husband to finally get 3 estimates and different lay outs before we choose. So we are now in the planning stages...exciting and terrifying!!

summer things to do

www.kidsbowlfree.com kids can bowl 2 free games a day all summer. Shoe rental is 2.50
Anyone have good ideas for cheaper family fun?

Spring has sprung..at the Cleveland Zoo

Does JB think her brother will fall in? See her overprotecting hold?
Reindeer stink....who knew?

from the mouth of babes...

Remodeling on hold to celebrate....

Lessons

The kids were granted a small scholarship to be used towards their piano lessons and right now they are teaching me something. Small step by small step...it's amazing what lessons can be learned. Remember that we're not all supposed to bloom at the same time.

still hanging my head low...

well...here is the wreath...on the door.....that I painted. Have you ever read the story, "If You Give a Moose a Muffin?" Well, this is the story....if you give the mommy a paintbrush. Long story short one thing leads to another and it's all a mess!!) So I'm not posting the door today because my tissue from crying is sticking to the paint.

Another view of the back porch....

The fire extinguisher? Have you seen us remodel?

I have some explaining to do.....

Before:

This is a picture of our back porch door. The porch is hugely functional...but really ugly. We plan on redoing the porch but that obviously takes a back seat ( back porch..) to the kitchen mess..I mean kitchen remodel. This is where the splaining needs to be done...and I'm hanging my head low...but willing to reveal my mishaps. If I'm accountable...I just might learn. I opened a can of paint today. No back up....no one here to say...hey...don't do that ...you DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PAINT!! There I stood.... brush in hand ...looking at the back screen door, already in bad shape. So, what wrong can I possible commit? The weather is beautiful...the birds seem to sing...fix your home....I painted the back door black. I'll post the second coat tomorrow. It should look better then, right?

proud mama moment

The Cleveland Piano Teacher's Association was offering scholarship opportunities. The kids had to perform a piece by memory and a some of the competition was quite a bit older. They did well and we are so proud..............