Showing posts with label "Be the general contractor!" they said..."It'll be fun!" they said.... Show all posts
Showing posts with label "Be the general contractor!" they said..."It'll be fun!" they said.... Show all posts

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

Settling into September...

^^ IDKKKK, it seemed more appropriate than my usual, "Wake me up when September ends!" lament post title!  September started with a bang [and ended with even more of a bang.bang.boom-boom.BANGGGG, so stay tuned to the very very end to catch all the month's drama AND MORE!]!

But, beginning with September 1: 

Gymnastics here!   

Soccer there!  

Cabinet installation EVERYWHERE!

Living through organized chaos (AKA a beautiful mess) is the way we roll, and I'm starting to think we're not half bad at it! :)




Amidst getting into the full swing of school + the scheduled weekly events, we also attended Brian's annual family reunion/carnival/town homecoming...

...^^ where Juliette rode her first ever carnival ride [hello, jerky carousel!] and watched her first parade nestled in her stroller parked right between Papa and Grammy.
The kids spent an embarrassing amount of time the following morning sorting candy of all shapes and sizes, because zomg #TREASURES!
We also got countertops for the new buffet cabinets in the dining room...

...celebrated being BACK TO SCHOOL with all of Harper's 2nd grade pals at Joe's Pizza...

...and went to a drive-in move at the kids' school [in the church parking lot], which suchhhhh a super fun night! 

Harper started piano lessons after Labor Day, and I am SO SUPER PROUD of her for wanting to do this and literally can hardly wait for the day that she's able to play duets with me (and/or Grammy). I absolutely loved duet-ing with my mom as a kid [and we still enjoy playing together today!].  I know learning piano is a skill that Harper can use all the way through life, and I pray that she always has heavenly music in her heart just like her patron saint. St. Cecilia, pray for us! 

For some Friday night funsies, we took the kids to a high school football game to cheer on our cousin! Go, Tigers! 


As evidenced by winter coats and hats here ^^ and short and short sleeves there, the weather was all over the place this month [but no surprise for a typical midwestern autumn!]. Mid-way through the month, Brian spent a week in Orlando at Universal Studios [he said he was on a "work trip," but after seeing all the photos of beers and desserts and day-long tours of Harry Potter Land and more beers, I'm really not quite sure how much work was done, hehe].  When he came home, we took the kids to a Cardinals game, which just so happened to be Juliette's first time at Busch Stadium! She loved cheering for the Redbirds and hanging with her fam for a special night out!




Meanwhile, Scarlett was 3 days deep into an ear infection, and me -- being my total dumb-mom self -- did not even put 2+2 together that the loud cheering [especially when #5 came up to the plate.....!!!] would really bother her ears!  Needless to say, after just a few roars from the crowd, Brian and I ended up trading off with pushing the double stroller [with Scarlett and Juliette in tow!] all around the perimeter of Busch Stadium until finally we threw in the towel and made a dash for it.  We watched the end of the game from home in our pajamas, and [now my memory fails me, but] I think they lost and I also think Pujols hit a homerun that we missed en route from the stadium to the house. #lifewithlittles #letsgocards #698




On the ear infection front, Scarlett made it through 8 [of 10] days of amoxicillin before waking up on the last Saturday morning of September covered head to TOE in hives of every shape and size!!! I immediately gave her Benadryl and did NOT give that morning's dose of antibiotics. I talked to the pediatrician later on in the morning, and she instructed me to administer Benadryl every 6 hours as needed for itching and to watch for other more serious reactions/symptoms throughout the day [including joint swelling, which would be "more rare but very serious" reaction.......................]

...And so, if you've followed me for long, you know that this is about to turn into the saga of all sagas...

...and SINCE the baby is up from her nap and this isn't anywhere near finished...

...I'm cutting it off here and starting a brand new post lata on!

STAY TUNSIES, 'cause I'll be backkkk with all the detailed drama you're waiting on. ;) :)


Tuesday, September 15, 2020

- Slinging Sod -

Throwback hoe-backkkkk!

[March 2020]

After raking/leveling/driving over every morsel of dirt in the yard throughout the entire month of March...

 ...we ordered up a LOT of pallets of sod...
 
[April 2020] 
 
 ...and laid each rectangle piece down one by one!
 
Harper had to attend an occasional preschool Zoom call [remote learning weeee!] from the front porch...

...but other than that, all 4 of us kept super busy!

 
Take 8,000 pounds of sod + start slinging it here/there/everywhere = WE HAD A FRONT YARD that was miraculously thrown down [literally] in 1 day [!!!]!

I requested that my co-workers meet me at the front entrance with a wheelchair the next morning at work, because I wasn't sure if I'd have the energy to even walk inside!  And while I nursed sore muscles, Brian was back at it the next day ordering more pallets for the sides of the house and back yard!  We [AKA mostly Brian with an occasional pinch of my coveted help] chipped away at the rest of the yard little by little until it was all finished!

 So thankful for our great help...

...especially my dad and Uncle Blake who came down a time or two.


 Thank youuuu, everyone!  We couldn't have done it alone!  
 
And on the seventh day, he rested MOWED!  ;) :)




Friday, February 7, 2020

- Houses and Homes -

A house is made of brick and stone...
...but only love can make a home!

What a whirlwind it's been! So happy to have the past 17 months behind our backs!  Full speed ahead into living and loving and really making this house our home!!! 



- Kitchen Cabbies and Counters and Appliances -

Putting a kitchen together should be no big deal, am I right? 

Meh. Nah...

HOLY PROCESS!  

...Turns out it actually takes quiiiiite a bit of work and tons of coordination and LOTS OF TIME to turn a big empty room into a *functioning* kitchen! :) 

[September 2019]
I just boasted him about 5 minutes ago in the bathroom vanities post, but here's the man himself ^^ who custom designed and created [and delivered] all of the cabinets in our home!  THANK YOU, Tony!  We adore your work and very highly recommend Eickhoff Woodworks! 


After the cabinets were installed, my car basically set itself to auto-drive back and forth between K&D Countertops and home.  So many choices, so little time to choose!  After polling the masses on the top 3 samples [family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers], I confidently chose and ordered the slab that no one else liked...

[October 2019]
...and several weeks later, the ginormous slabs were installed...
...and I'm thrilled to report that I LOVE IT SO MUCH!  It brings brightness and warmth to the kitchen all at the same time, and it ties the colors from the stone fireplace in with the dark kitchen cabbies.  No regrets! 
The neighbors immediately came bearing wine and cake to break in the new countertops! :)
A few weeks following the countertop installation, the appliance truck showed up on the driveway... But a) it was initially delayed a few days because the concrete had recently been poured and needed to dry, then b) the second delivery truck brought ONLY a washer and dryer ...and the dryer was broken so we had 1/7 of the needed appliances to show for.  There were also some petty c), d), and e) complications that I've miraculously erased from my mind at this point, but holy whoa.  Nothing! Was! Easy!

[November 2019]
Finally one snowy day, allllll of the remaining goods were dropped in the garage.  That night, Brian and Marko trudged through the ice and slush to hoist the appliances inside...
...and besides the original stovetop being on backorder indefinitely and the replacement stovetop falling right through the hole that the countertop company cut in the quartz, everything was, seemingly, falling into place [pun intended]! 

[Side note:  The backordered stovetop issue and mismeasured countertop issue caused a huge headache for Brian and eventually, thankfully, all panned out -- but not before MANY phone calls and a couple on-site consults and lots of arguments and maybe also a few choice words!  And actually, we still have an "extra" stovetop sitting in our bedroom that we haven't made time to return yet, so if anyone is in the market and wants to save us the trip...! ;)]

A couple months later, Brian started the task of putting on cabinet handles.  His mini-helpers could always be found close behind!

[January 2020]
While we're still planning to put up crown molding and a backsplash and maybe throw in a few decorations on the island, too...
...I think it's shaping up pretty well, do youuuu?!  :D