Barber Bustlings

Dishwasher is missing the bottom piece but still works.  Well, "works" means I basically rinse every dish  before loading the dishwasher and run it, just so my  kids will have the chore of unloading it.  I had to take pics the morning after book club because my kitchen was finally finished and still clean! For those of you who know how long this process took (6 months, 3 weeks - but who was counting but me?) you can understand how good this feels. I got a little emotional last week when I finished the glaze on the cabinets. What started out as a kitchen remodel quickly turned into a long process of fighting emotional demons and facing many setbacks as far as time, cost, health, energy and willpower go. We are finally making this house a home and for those who know how hard this move has been on me, this is saying something HUGE. We started the bathroom remodel in February, as well. (Don't ask - we're crazy.) When we finish that up I wil...

I am pleased to state here and now that I have officially moved my heart to Utah. The trip home to Az for Christmas was a wonderful reminder that I will always be loved there by amazing people and I will always have the memories and the home to return to for holidays and special occasions. But God wants me in Utah and He didn't send me here as a punishment; He sent me here to thrive. I am doing things out of my comfort zone and it is so great for me. I am building a righteous sense of self-worth and I owe it all to Him. My little family and I are able to spend time together here and truly connect. I feel I am a better mother now, that I am not just going through the motions but am truly enjoying them and the little moments. Scott is around so much more than when we lived in Arizona and he had a horrendous commute and a very demanding job. I am bettering myself at Master's swim a few times a week. I am writing for the South Valley Journal, covering the government beat in ...

This is what you see when you enter our  house and walk up the stairs - a kitchen with a floor  Fridge is where the fridge belongs - Woohoo!  Dishwasher needs help but works I have a pantry!  So much more room  Kitchen is totally different than when we first moved in 8 months ago So, many of you know me and some of my personality defects. I have been waiting to finish the kitchen before posting any pics because I wanted it to be DONE first. I was also planning on cleaning before taking the pictures. Didn't happen. This is where we are right now and it is good. We have come so far with so much left to do, but being in the process is no longer as torturous for me as it once was. We have completely gutted our kitchen; the vaulted ceiling rocks compared to the low 7' ceiling of the past. We added different cabinets (that we sanded and painted). We have a pantry and those extra two inches that we needed to put t...

Christmas in Arizona  Ninjago for one and all  Fun with Grandma and Grandpa  Nativity with cousins in Utah Rockin' Shepherds  Reindeer crafts Check out the chocolate on my lip that no one told me about - "I thought it was chocolate" is the excuse I heard from several people....  Crafting with Grandma  Lots of reindeer roaming around  Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa (my father's parents)  This year I am going to include more pics of me. (I'm sure everyone read that blog post by the  mom who wants to finally claim her place in front of the camera once in awhile, to prove she was  actually there, emotionally and physically.  I loved that message.)  Kai piñata, from Ninjago  Our favorite little ninja  My kids are really good at capturing stills Well, we have not progressed on t...

the "before" pics  the only way to describe the yellow is  that it's the color of vaseline - YUCK! a garage full of cabinets that took weeks to sand down  the makeshift pantry (where the fridge belongs)  raise the roof!  such a difference without the low ceiling and hanging cabinets  just needs to be painted so we can hang the uppers on Friday!  the primed cabinets to be painted tomorrow and Tuesday (hopefully to be finished by Friday for hanging) I cannot wait to post "AFTER" pics of our kitchen. It may be awhile, so I will continue to post pics of the current situation. Right now I am gearing up for a lot of hours spent painting cabinets. I am so lucky my sister is going to help me. This is consuming most of my thoughts right now, though I try to keep perspective so I can be a decent wife/mother. I am really trying to enjoy the process but that is not my natural M.O.

We are in the middle of redoing our kitchen. I can't find my camera but I will post before and after pics. We are sanding down our "new"(used) cabinets in the garage every chance we get. After they are sanded we prime, paint, glaze and seal them. Then we get to take out the existing cabinets, find flooring to match and add it, then install the new ones. We are going to try to spray paint our 70s-looking beige appliances black to match the fridge and then add the backsplash. We have a lot of work behind and ahead of us, but it is going to be so nice when done. Last week was a nightmare. We had some workers here to raise our 7' ceiling and the kitchen was a mess. They took 2 days longer than anticipated, pushing back cleanup for our pending guests. In the interim we had a makeshift kitchen in our basement, complete with microwave, Scott's college fridge, folding chairs and card table, and our griddle. We did dishes in the bathroom. I was also really sick with a ba...

These are pics from Elliot Day. We went to the park with our balloons: my red heart, Scott's blue star, Bailey's truck, Myles' Sponge Bob one and Landon's Spiderman one. Each of us wrote a message to Elliot and attached it, let the balloons go, taking our messages to him in heaven. We had a great time at the park together. We talked about how much we missed him and what he might be doing if he were here with us. Then the kids played at the park and Scott and I sat together. It was a wonderful day for our family and I know Elliot was with us, buoying us up, being our angel. Big breath - we made it through the first year, which I do hope will be the hardest.