Kitchen Remodel - Part 4

I decided on an over the range microwave and fan.  Sean had to install it in order to finish the tilework.  I can't wait to see the new black range because our old one really sticks out like a sore thumb.

                                                            All the tilework was finished.

                                          Tomorrow Sean is hoping to start grouting the tile.

The knockdown ceilings were done today also.  Rocketman and I LOVE them.  I just wish I could do the whole house but it is definitely on our wishlist.

Kitchen Remodel - Part 3

Sean, our contractor, started the tilework on Friday.  The tile we chose was not easy to install and it took a lot longer to do but I gotta say I LOVE IT.

                  This is where normally our kitchen table would be so we had to improvise.

We are eating Korean style with my Korean table.  It was so cool to pull it out and eat on it.  It brought back a lot of memories.

Here is our new kitchen sink and faucet.  It's a lot deeper than our old one.   The faucet has a coil inside so you can pull it out and use it like a sprayer.  So cool!   Work continues tomorrow.

Kitchen Remodel - Part 2

Here's the empty family room (except for the sofa) and we had only a one evening warning that we needed to have it empty.  I'm starting to agree with Rocketman when he says we have too much stuff but don't tell him I said that.  The ceiling was scraped of all the popcorn along with the kitchen ceiling. 

                                                       The old countertops were removed.

And here is the new Silastone countertops.  I love them!  Tomorrow the backsplash is going up.  We are also looking at a new stove and refrigerator.  I still haven't convinced Rocketman but he's coming around.

Louie has been hiding out somewhere and coming out only at night.  Everything in the family room is now in the living room so there are lots of places for him to hide in.

My Sunday

was spent setting up my maedeup cording.  Originally, it was going to be in the basement but when Rocketman called me down, I knew something was up.  It turned out that there was not enough wall room so he suggested our guest bedroom.  At first, I thought that was a terrible idea but since we don't have guest sleeping over too often, it became the perfect solution.  This is the before picture.

Louie came in and was pretty curious about the room.  We normally keep the guestroom door shut.  He walked around checking the place out as I unloaded and unrubberbanded (is that even a word) bundle after bundle of cording.  I thought it would take a few hours but it ended up taking most of the day.

Here it is all finished.  I just love all the colors.  I just hope our houseguests don't mind too much.  I can't believe my crafts have truly taken over the house.  I wouldn't have it any other way but I wouldn't ask Rocketman if I were you.

                                    Louie ended up here in our bedroom.  He's got it tough.

Rocketman vs. Wasps

Monday was a beautiful 100 degree plus night and I decided to do brats on the grill.  I removed the cover and tried to start the grill to no avail.  I figured we had run out of gas which always seems to happen when I'm trying to grill out.  I decided not to stress Rocketman as soon as he came home and I proceeded to cook the brats on the stove.

After I knew Rocketman had a full tummy, I told him about the grill and asked him if we had an extra tank of gas.  He went into the garage and made his way to the deck with the extra gas.  I was watching television by this time when I heard a huge bang that sounded like an explosion.  I ran to the sliding glass door to see Rocketman staggering in.  He had been stung by wasps.

See the corner of the grill in the photo above?

This is what was hiding on the underside and Rocketman stuck his pointer finger right into the hive.  He was stung immediately and ran towards the door tripping over a lounge chair and the sound I had heard was his head hitting the sliding glass door.  He was surprised that the glass did not shatter.  He was in incredible pain and ran the finger under cold water.  He also had a horrible headache but no bump on his head from the header into the glass.

The next night we went to Lowe's to buy a faucet for the kitchen and to also pick up some wasp killer spray.  It worked like a charm.

                                                   The hive was the size of a fist.

This was his finger Tuesday night.  It was worse and I want him to go to our doctor but he is stubbornly being resistent. 

This is what it looks like today, Wednesday.  Am I being overly concerned?   He is taking Benadryl and icing it. 

A Work in Progress - The Kitchen

We have finally started our kitchen update.  I spent the week Rocketman was in Asia peeling and steaming the wallpaper off the walls.  Rocketman just needs to wash the walls (twice), fill holes and finally paint the walls. We have a great contractor that we used a decade ago to sheetrock our basement and he is putting in the new countertops and tile backsplash.

                          This is the countertop we chose.  It's quartz and is made by Silastone.

Then we went to the tile shop and had a gal help us match the backsplash to the countertop.  Unknowingly, we picked a few popular tile and it is backordered until the end of the month.  She had to call and reserve the tile we would need. 

We are still debating about the wall color.  We are leaning towards a shade of brown but we are unsure what to pick at this point.  I sure wish Nate Berkus would show up at my door and solve this problem for us.

I'm hoping to also get a new stove and refrigerator but I'm not sure Rocketman is on board for that.  He doesn't seem as excited about the tile and quartz as I am.  I keep telling him that our kitchen is 22 years old and it's time for a change.  I also want to put in new floors but that's later in the year.  I'll keep you updated.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we have a new wet spot in our ceiling.  Rocketman measured and it's coming from out upstairs shower drain.  Oh joy, I get to call the plumber tomorrow.  Rocketman is also thrilled (not) because we weren't going to paint the ceiling but now we will have to because of the leak.

Summers with Louie the Three-Legged Cat

Louie LOVES to be on our deck and he found a way to get onto the deck without me even knowing he is there.

He made his own little opening while we were living in South Korea.  He can go in and out at will.  Although I don't open the sliding glass door until I can keep an eye on him.  We did have a wolf in our backyard one time.

This is one of the reasons he loves the deck....chipmunks!!!  He also loves to watch the birds at the birdfeeder.

It's one of his favorite things to do.  He will meow and meow at me until I let him out even if it is raining.  I'll let him out in the pouring rain and he runs out, only to run right back in.  He also doesn't care to be out if it's too hot.  If it gets up into the upper eighty's or ninety's or even 100's, he doesn't stay out too long.

And by the way, Rocketman did buy some screening material to redo the screen door but we just don't have the heart to fix it right now.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

First, I'm still recovering from the Reiki training I received over the weekend.  I feel like I've run a marathon the last few day and my energy is almost non-existent.  I will blog about the whole experience later when I feel better.

But for today, here is a photo of my bojagi.  I have two more rows I want to do and then I will add the border.  I have this sitting on my coffee table in our living room.  I had the grandkids overnight last weekend and little Ez could not stay away from it.  He kept touching it and picking it up.  I finally had to put it up so he couldn't reach it.  With a smile on his face, six year old Noah told me that Ez couldn't help himself because the bojagi was so beautiful.  Out of the mouths of babes.

I've always wanted a tree in a certain area of our backyard and look what happened while we were in Korea!  It is in my garden which is mostly raspberry bushes (and weeds) but it is in a perfect spot for me.  I'm not sure what kind of tree it is but it is most welcome. 

Have a wonderful 4th of July!!