12 in 12

Remember that list of things Daddy-o had planned for his paternity leave?  It started off as his 12 Projects in 12 Weeks, only as we brainstormed what would be nice to get done, the list grew to 28 items.  And then, with the reality of a new baby and the sleep deprivation that always brings, 2 other kids out of school all summer, and the HOT, muggy weather that we've had, even getting 12 projects done became a challenge.  Some of the items on the list would have been a summer project by themselves--writing a life history, transcribing journals, scanning all the non-digital photos in our house--lot of time consuming ideas here.

But Daddy-o did finish off several things this summer, including my craft room, which was one of my top priorities. And he did the lighting in our kitchen which has been on hold for almost 3 years because we weren't quite decided on what we wanted.  But I think the overall effect is great now, and its so useful having lights over the sink again.

 Daddy-o also braved the mugginess a few mornings to try to do some damage control on the house.  He got rid of some mildew we had growing on the side of our house and painted the trim on the front of the house which really needed to be done--its amazing how fast wood weathers here.  We can see the appeal of the all brick homes.

Another project that was almost finished last summer but needed a few more hours of work--the deck rails were finally all replaced and the whole thing is stained.  Now we're just waiting for it to cool down so we can enjoy it again.

Throw in cleaning out gutters, fixing a kitchen drawer, and planning and making dinner, and spending time with his wife and new child (I added those last 2 to his list because I wanted to make sure he got credit for the time he spent doing what I really wanted to have done this summer), and he made it to 9, with some other partials (the mission journal transcription was started).

And he's still plugging away at the list.  There is a ceiling fan in parts on our bedroom floor right now, just waiting for one more piece before installation.  Thank goodness for nights and weekends.

The Kitchen is Done!!!

(Or, pretty much done. Done enough to take pictures. Are these projects ever completely finished?)

So, after a lot of promises (and sorry its a day late--had some camera-to-computer issues last night), the moment you've all been waiting for has arrived (I know you've all been sitting here for the last 5 months wondering when I was going to get these pictures on here. ;) Believe me, I've been wondering, too.)

Before: Ugly light box, popcorn ceiling, uninspiring cabinets with no trim After: Smooth ceiling, crown molding on the cabinets, and a color that actually brings out the colors in the countersBefore:

After:

Before:

After:

Now we just need to decide on the light fixtures so we can take down the $6 porch light that replaced the fluorescent lights, but for now, we can see and the cupboards have doors so I'm happy, and so glad that this project is over. Not so excited about starting the next one of the list after I've seen just what it all entails.

Renovations, Kid's View

Just a little sneak-peek of the house so far, taken by the kids (who hijacked my camera while I was finishing off some painting).

Progress Update

It's slow, but it is happening. We actually had a very successful Saturday this weekend, thanks to our very cooperative kids (and the fact that they are always asleep before 8 p.m.). Lots of sanding and cleanup and priming. We're almost ready to paint which is a very exciting thought--I can't wait to get a feel for how the kitchen is going to look with our new cabinet color.

And this is a glimpse into our "camping" situation.

It's pretty simple, but its working. Luckily we had a lot of books and toys in our storage container so they are like new for the kids which makes the whole experience pertty exciting.Our makeshift kitchen.
And as far as how the kids are sleeping--not so well. Friday night they were each awake twice and then Bugaboo woke up at 5:40. He did fall back asleep, finally, in our bed after over an hour of crying and fighting with us. We were just glad that Bean slept in until 8 that morning so we all got another hour of sleep. And all I can say is that the quietness at the new house is at least a nice change. No train or garbage truck or noisy cars or upstairs neighbors. So its only our kids waking us up.
And here we are coming back to our city home. Kind of crazy that we currently have two homes. The kids seem pretty happy at both.