The Kitchen Revealed

Yesterday, we had the final appraisal done on the house. This appraiser took a look at the improvements we've done and confirmed the value from the first one. It's all rather confusing. But with that said..the kitchen is done. (Well almost..but done enough..I've discovered it never really ends.)

I thought I'd share some of the final pictures of my kitchen. My camera received the peanut butter facial from my two year-old several months back and I've been unable to get it functioning right again. All pictures were thus taken with my camera phone. Please excuse the graininess. This all came about so quick that by the time I thought to take before pictures of the kitchen we were halfway through. So, imagine if you will, tan striped countertops that are scratched, burned and stained. Imagine 1960's appliances: 27" wall oven-white with broken glass, white electric cooktop with one broken burner, black microwave sitting on counter, stainless steal sink, several cabinet doors missing, several doors missing small pieces, all of them painted a very dark brown. Oh..the walls..imagine, pealing dusty wall paper along the top of the walls, and nothing but dry wall above the counters and old worn saltillo tile on the floor. The best part of this image should be the kitchen table. One end broken off of the dark table and broken, mismatched chairs pushed up to it. Some of the chairs are even dark green plastic patio chairs. Ok..image complete? Now we can look at my new kitchen.

The only thing (including drywall) that transitioned from one kitchen to the next is the refrigerator. Maytag makes fine refrigerators.

Welcome to my kitchen!



Here are a few more views:

This is the range side of the kitchen taken from the opposite view.


This is the sink side of the kitchen.



A closer view of my wonderful new kitchen table. I am in love with this table. It has become the center point of our family.



And finally, a close look at the tile. My brother-in-law the tile guy did an amazing job of transitioning the tile from the new to the old worn saltillo. We couldn't really replace it all right now (it covers our living room and hallways too). He even added a little diamond. This is the entryway into the kitchen. The front door is inches away. This fun little touch has been as impressive to people as the new cabinets.


With most of the crazy stress behind me, I am now hoping to enjoy the feeling of writing here more frequently. Who would want to miss the stories of me potty training Robert (3 yr-old) and Brandon 2(yr-old) at the same time! YAY! I'll really try my best not to turn this into the Poop Chronicles, but I suspect that my life will be taking that turn for a little while. Wish me luck!

To Choose or Not to Choose, That is the Question

My husband and I had a talk with our daughter tonight about choices. We explained, yet again, to her how her choices will effect not only the others around her, but her opportunities or consequences in the future. This is such a tough thing for kids to learn and grasp. Their lives revolve so much in the present. I wonder if making such a case for choosing carefully really has much effect on her. I'd rather she get it now that have the ample opportunities for the 'I Told You So's' in the future.

I watched gymnastics last night. It was a competition that determines the national women's team for the upcoming world championships. I always marvel at the choices that those girls make in order to be where they are at. They sacrifice so much. Not just time and friendships in order to train, but also they sacrifice their bodies to the sport. Some have such strong little bodies there isn't much to them except the muscles. They were 14-20 years old, but I saw only one that looked as if any form of womanhood had reached her. They put off through the extreme physical training the maturation of their bodies. The end result can be breathtaking though. They tumble, jump, spin and toss themselves around in the most amazing ways. Each girl makes very specific choices to lead her to that level of eliteness in her sport.

I think about my house. We have made so many quick choices as to the renovations and changes we want to make. It has been mind numbing how quick it has all flown by. I have had to do a lot of trusting in my instinctual choices when it comes to colors and styles. Thus far, I have not been disappointed. Still, there is a lot of trust that comes when forgoing normal research times. I am grateful my husband has been trusting of my opinions. But then I look at some of the houses in my neighborhood and wonder just how long some of the other homeowners spent deciding on house color. There are some shocking examples of poor choice making in my opinion. Granted, my tastes are not like everyone else's but there are just some shades of teal that do not belong on a house. The choices I make about how the exterior of my house looks, will have an effect on those living around me.

Choices and consequences. It is impossible to be careful enough to make sure nothing bad happens, but certainly we can try to be good, considerate people. How does this stack up when it comes to choices that may not be the best for us, but yet we really want something. It reminds me of going to a buffet style restaurant this weekend. I know my choices there were really not all in my best interest. Which is typically why I usually avoid such places. Still, it was a very pleasant meal with my family. The kids were so well behaved, I got compliments from the strangers around us. I was able, in front of my kids, to brag a bit about them. This is always good for the self confidence. Do the good and the not so goods in this case balance out? Or should I still regret my poor decision making when it came to eating?

It is tough to teach proper decision making when I struggle with it myself. I hope my daughter understood what we were trying to explain to her tonight, but somehow I doubt it will create much change in her. It is more likely that we will need to provide instant negative consequences to some of her choices to help her understand that they really were poor choices. Parenting is tough.

Hello, Is Anybody In There?

Renovations often bring unexpected obstacles. This is really just a truth about being your own general contractor. But, having heard this and having lived this are two very separate things. And look at me..I put that in the past tense, like it is all over and done with. I hope I haven't just jinxed myself with another month of headaches, heh.

This summer of fixing the house came as a surprise for me. It certainly wasn't in my summer plans back in May. BUT- then the air conditioner stopped working and since the thing was ancient and it needed a new compressor..well no point in fixing it. Might as well spend $10K to get a new one. Oh, but wait, I don't have that much money just laying around. So, we entered a very confusing world of refinancing and home equity. We ended up diving head first into home renovations in the matter of a couple of weeks. There really is only so much you can do to prepare for such things anyway, but a bit more planning might have been helpful.

Anyway, I have learned more then I ever thought I would know about getting permits from the city. And the biggest lesson of getting permits? If the inspector says you have to have a permit...you get a permit no matter what the people at City Hall say. Gotta love bureaucracy. Because we were having major electrical work done on the house, we had to have a city inspector come out and say all was good before we could turn back power to the house. Not just turn back on the power, but have the power company reconnect the house to the wires dangling from the dead tree in my backyard. It is amazing what the city inspector will find wrong with your house once you let him into the yard. UGH!

In all of this, we got to go look at aerial photographs of our neighborhood from around the time the house was built. It is crazy to see how little the structures of the area have changed in the past 40 years. It must be the fear of those city inspectors...

I sat all afternoon one day comparing the black and white images we got from city hall to my neighborhood on Google maps. Google is cool. What a fun way to spy on the neighbors. And look at who's backyards are messier than mine. (Actually..with all the work..my backyard is looking better than it has since we moved in..emptying a pool into the yard sure does help the grass grow).

My kids love Google maps too. We roam around the city with it finding Grandma's house and their school and their favorite parks. How did I ever survive without a birdseye view of my world as a kid?

This week, school started again for my kids. I have been alone all day with my two little hellions boys. Keep in mind that this house still does not have a functioning kitchen. (Although those adorable, sweet little boys have already gone in with marker and scribbled on all the new cabinet doors...Thank goodness for magic eraser). I have started to feel like I am living in a very narrow universe. My bipolar mind does not like this and has been trying to go on Strike.

For months, I have lived one day at a time. I know that sounds cliché ..and well it is a cliché. Each morning through all this, I would get up to take care of my kids..keeping them from destroying whoever's house we were staying at that week. Rush them off to swim lessons etc. and then spend the afternoon doing laundry at the laundromat, or dealing with workers at the house (or meeting the city inspector to beg to let us have the power back on). I hopped from one chaotic moment to the next, trying to just keep it all moving forward. So, is it any wonder I am struggling to find my old routines? Is it any wonder my little boys are going a bit crazy too?

I am missing my Google maps view of my life right now. I feel like I am focused down onto a little speck of dust and can't stop staring at it. I am struggling to zoom out and see the whole picture. I feel trapped..staring at that speck.

As much as all of what I am feeling is understandable..I am still stuck. My mind wants to stop and just stand outside of me with that picket sign. The intense need I feel to run away right now is overwhelming. I don't feel hopeless or helpless...more that I don't care anymore. But I have to care. The hardest part is that despite largely understanding what I am feeling..it doesn't stop the feeling. But the exploration of it all, does help me to keep fighting. And eventually, I'll beat it. I always do.

You Can Call Me Pharoah

This is from a really short and simple find out more about yourself type quiz. This one makes me laugh because as my husband would attest..there is certainly a grain of truth to it.

You're Egypt!

Curator of ancient mystical secrets, your life on the surface is fairly
typical these days. Though you are in denial about more things than most people.
Nevertheless, you're trying to convince people that you're safe despite your more
volatile and unstable times that seem to be behind you. You like cats a whole lot.
You'd probably really appreciate The Blue
Pyramid.


Take the Country Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid

School started yesterday and my little boy got his cast off today. So, it has already been an eventful week. I still need to get working on painting my house. Outside painting my house..which is miserable because we are in the midst of a heat wave. They've been calling it a summer blizzard, which I find odd. Temps over 110F and freak rain..I'd almost take the winter blizzard (I said almost..I really would have a tough time living in the snow, even nonblizzard type).

Painting in the heat is not fun, especially when perched atop a ladder. I am very grateful to have the pool finished. And now with the cast off..even Robert can join us in the water now! Yay!

My Summer Vacation

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

by Oshee

I don't know which part of this summer has been the most exciting for me. I keep thinking, 'the house, the house, it's gotta be the house!'. But then I remember my poor 11 yr old daughter and her relentless coughing. I think back over the 3 yr old's surgery on his poor little broken elbow. And then settle in on both my daughters', 11 yr old and 7 yr old, vomiting onto my mother's floor.

Excitement has rained supreme this summer. I can hardly believe I still have a week and a half before school begins. I wonder what adventure will arrive just in time for the tardy bell.

Five weeks. I think, Five Weeks, would also make a very good title for this essay. Five weeks to the day I have spent with my family living in and sleeping in other people's homes. First, I am overwhelmingly thankful for the kindness of the family that has given my children safe beds (or couches) to sleep on each night. Still, this night, as I look around my own bedroom and my snoring husband, I am even more grateful to be home.

But what is home without a kitchen? Wait, I have a kitchen. It is a big empty room, with fresh dry wall. So what! My refrigerator is in the living room and my range and cabinets are still stored sweetly in their boxes. I have a kitchen, it is even halfway tiled. Ah yes, this is the adventure. The adventure of feeding five hungry children each day with only a bbq, refrigerator and a microwave.

It feels like school just let out. It feels like swimming just began, even though it has just ended. It feels like I'm missing something, missing my summer.

Has it really been five weeks?

House Headache Update

Hi blogland.

I've been sick, stressed and feeling incapable of writing a decent post.

We've had some problems with the home loan and now are faced with getting a ton of home improvements done in less than 60 days. Silly loan company making all sorts of demands. But since we want it all done anyway..and we have found a way to make it work..we are working..hard.

So, just let me say..having a poor excuse for a evaporative cooler and no functioning air conditioner in constant 110 F days...SUCKS. So, while much of the work is taking place on the house over the next several weeks, we will be staying at my brother-in-laws. (They are on an extended vacation).

In addition, having a summer cold (cold as in illness not temperature) in a house with poor cooling (90+ F in the house in the afternoons) SUCKS even more.

BUT

Despite all the struggles to get a decent loan and to get anything fixed or replaced in this house...

I still have hope that by August things will be much happier (and cooler) around here.

In the meantime, it makes it tough to post, when I feel so many complaints bubbling inside of me (not to mention the stuff leaking out my nose).

So lets all say a loud Hallelujah! for vacationing family and a Thank you! for those helping us make this work out. We will have friends and family up on our very hot roof helping us reshingle over the next two weekends. If nothing else, that reminds me how loved we really are. Oh, and as much as we need the rain...please all pray for NO RAIN during the week we have NO ROOF. Thanks..

To Do List: One Down, Fourteen to Go

We got our appraisal today.

We appraised $10K higher than we were hoping for! Yay..I love when really tough things end up being so worth it!

I'll return in a more substantive way after Day Camp is over this week.

The House's Revenge

Just a quick note because while I am alive and mostly well, the appraiser comes Friday. That is 38 hours from now. I have ten years of living in this house to hide before he comes.

I think there is some sort of rule that says that everything and anything that can, will fall apart right before the appraisal. Our Evaporative Cooler we got working again because the AC died..thus requiring the refinancing...Well it starting having troubles this afternoon and ended up causing a nice pool of water to form up in our attic. Um..not good. Thankfully, we live in the driest possible climate and it has mostly all dried up on its own. But my goodness...what's next? The dryer died a couple of weeks ago...so is the washer next? Actually, I've decided since the laundry room is clean, there will be nothing more washed until Friday evening. Ha..so the washer can't die on me.

Hmm..my question of what next? Is completely rhetorical...because if you say it, it probably will break. So don't say it. Don't even think it..please!

Think only positive happy thoughts about my poor house. Especially on Friday afternoon. Send enough positive vibes the appraiser can't help but absolutely fall in love with the house! Or at least, fall in love with my husband so that he gives us a great dollar figure anyway. He he.

Wish me luck as I crawl back into my closet. I will have it clean.. I WILL!

Oh and Hope, I got your questions. Look for the answers next week sometime.

Hope led me to this post. This isn't a blog I regularly read, but I plan on visiting again soon. So, if you already read it..great..if not, go read it.

Part of the beauty of such a story is how universal it is. We each can pause and question ourselves, which wolf am I feeding today? I find myself in constant need of such reminders.

We have a loan approved..now they are just waiting on the home appraisal.

**Warning..Optimistic Comment Ahead**

Soon, this nightmarish stress will be over.


I am an adult. I like to think I can see the world through logical eyes. Yet, when faced with something really good, something I want so badly it aches, I find myself unable to believe it will really happen. Then, when things go badly, I turn into little Miss "I-Told-You-So". I bet you can imagine how this drives my naturally optimistic husband absolutely crazy.

In two week, the big Cub Scout Day Camp we are planning will be over too. I have hope things will go well.

I tell ya what tho..when the refinancing and the day camp are over, I'm done. No more anything all summer. Well, except for the normal things we plan. Swimming lessons, dive team, swim team. Those will be fun and relaxing compared to this.

Appraisal Inperfection

I've looked online for some information and I have struggled finding just what I was looking for. I am usually a master with google. It seems that people just don't like spelling out anything having to do with real estate. Sure, they will put up websites saying they can help, but you have to trade all your personal information for it first.

Um..no thanks.

So, I will ask blogland for some help.

We are going to have an appraisal done within the the next two weeks. We are refinancing the house, not selling. I know there must be a lower level of perfection expected in a house being refinanced (especially when most of the money taking out is going right back into the house). Everything I have found online is for preparing one's house for appraisal when you are selling.

Here's my question.

How much can I get away with not cleaning/organizing/painting/fixing for this appraisal? I don't have a ton of time and very little money to do this. I want to make a difference where it really matters. Any suggestions?