Kitchen Remodel: Reveal!

After four years in this house, we finally saved enough to tackle the kitchen remodel!  When we first moved in, the kitchen looked like this:

I think God was trying to teach me a lesson in patience and perfectionism by giving me white floors in a house in the country with 5 kids!

Also, we didn’t eat in the “dining” area of the house, because it was carpeted!  One of our first major projects was to put in luxury vinyl plank flooring (“dirt” brown color!).

When we put in the flooring, we lifted the island completely out of the kitchen so we could have the flooring go under the island, knowing we hoped to change the footprint of the island in the future.  We also moved the island out toward the living area of the kitchen, giving the kitchen more work space and a more open feel.

Then, the kitchen looked like this:  The countertops were baby blue, the cabinets were a very worn white paint, and the drawers were so stiff to open that the fronts were coming off from all of the pulling.

In October, we began the process of taking out the existing cabinets and countertops, removing the soffit on the ceiling to open up the space, and do some much-needed electrical and plumbing updates.

After several months of work, the remodel is finally complete!  The last pieces were finished just after my foot surgery in early January.

Are you ready for the “after” pictures? I can’t wait to show them to you, because I can hardly believe this is the same house!  I absolutely love how it all came together, and I am one very happy mama.

Ready?…..

 

Ta Da!

Taking out the ceiling soffit and lowering the island to countertop level really opened up the space.  My entire ceiling feels higher!

Yes, there are TWO dishwashers! It’s amazing how much easier it is to clean up, when there is room for everything to go in the dishwasher – even big stuff!

My dad is still finishing up the custom inserts for my baking drawers, and then I will show you the “inside tour” of the storage and functional features that I love.

 

Many thanks to my incredible husband. 

(I love you even more than I love my new kitchen!)

 

 

Credits:

Custom cherry cabinets by Systematic Wood Designs, Walla Walla

Cambria quartz countertops in “Berwyn,” installed through the Costco countertop program

General Contractor: Sutherland Enterprises

Backsplash tile work: Doug Huenergardt, Floor 2 Ceiling Contracting, LLC

 

 

 

And the winner is….

Several months ago, Micah started writing an essay for a contest hosted by the American Life League’s Culture of Life Studies Program.  He doesn’t think that writing is his strong suit (he’d rather do math or science any day!), but he worked hard on the essay, spending 15-20 minutes or more on it each school day for a couple months.

His hard work paid off, and his essay was chosen as the First Place winner in his age category!  Here are some excerpts from the email correspondence we received from the director:

Congratulations! I am pleased and honored to inform you that, after reading over 600 essays in both categories, we have awarded your exceptional essay entitled “My Brother, Matthew” with first place in Category 1 of our 2017 pro-life essay contest!

…Micah, thank you for your enthusiasm and passion for protecting the least of these in our society! We are all very proud of your dedication to life and pray that God continues to bless you as you stand for His precious children, giving you courage, strength, and joy as you influence your generation to stand for life!

 And later, she wrote:

We were all so touched by Micah’s essay. Not only was it very well written, but he really has a great understanding of Christ’s teaching about the least of these. There were so many wonderful essays but his really stood out for many reasons. 

Thank you for all you and your family do to promote the Gospel of Life!

The very first thing Micah wanted to do with his prize money was to buy a gift for Matthew.  After that, he plans to give to the Church, buy a lego set for himself, then save the rest for college.  We are so very proud of him, his achievements, and the incredible young man he is becoming.

To read his prize-winning essay, visit:  www.prolifeessay.com

Back on my feet … er, foot

My recovery from the tarsal nerve release surgery has continued to go very smoothly.  I was happy to trade in the big, bulky splint for a “stylish and festive” cast.  🙂  Believe it or not, the cast, because it is so much lighter and smaller, is more comfortable than the splint.

The intense surgical pain only lasted a couple weeks, and then I was able to be up and around.  My “hands-free crutch” has let me do a lot.  I can walk (like a pirate… arrgh!), but I can use my hands while I’m off my foot – an incredible help!  It also let me navigate tight spaces and toy mine-fields better than I can on my scooter.  I have been very grateful for the assistance of this fancy piece of hardware.

The cast will come off on Friday, and I will move to a walking boot and be able to start walking a little bit. I will also start physical therapy again, and hopefully be walking all over the place before too long!

We had a wonderful Christmas at home with family, and celebrated Nathan’s 4th birthday today.  Enjoy the photos!

Celebrating You

Dear Matthew, my precious son,

8th birthday

Today we celebrate you.  Nine short years ago, you came into this world and stole our hearts.

You learned so much this past year.  You can dress yourself, put your own shoes and socks on, and buckle yourself in the car.  Your speech and reading skills keep improving, and you understand just about everything we tell you.  You can follow directions so much better than you did even just a year ago, and your conversational skills keep impressing me, too.  You have started to be very funny, on purpose.  You definitely love to make people laugh.

You love to be helpful, whether that means getting a gallon of milk from the downstairs fridge, helping to set or clear the table, shopping for and unloading groceries, or helping Nathan with something he needs.  You can even start a “Signing Time” DVD all by yourself, “for Nathan,” of course, but you are kind enough to sit and watch it with him.

These are my favorite things about you:

Your smile

When you say, “I did it!  I did it myself!” 

The way you love your siblings, and the way they love you

Micah said just yesterday, “Mom, I just love people with Down syndrome!  I just want to be around them and spend time with them!”

Your curiosity,

and the way you love all of God’s creatures … but especially dogs, horses, and cows!

Your Joy

Your love for God and His Church

How fitting it is, that your heart is where your physical miracle took place.  Your heart is so connected to your Creator.  Your pure and precious heart is capable of the deepest, purest love I have known this side of heaven, and you love our Lord completely.

You have touched more hearts than we will ever know.

You are incredible, and we are very proud of you.

I love you, my Matthew, and I am so blessed to be your Mommy. 

 

Counting Our Blessings

Blessing #5, arriving mid-January.

My First Birthday

I had my first birthday three weeks ago, and my mom hasn’t posted any pictures yet.  She says she’s been busy, and I even think she blames me for some of her lack of “free time.”

(I have some new teeth coming in, and I do want to be close to my Mommy every minute of the day, and I’m waking up more at night, too.)

I had a great birthday, and celebrated with my family and all of my grandparents.  Mommy made me a pink butterfly cake.

I especially liked picking off the M&Ms.  mmmmm!

Grandma and Grandpa gave me a baby doll, which I love!  I carry her around, hug her and pat her back, brush her teeth with my toothbrush, and wipe her face with a washcloth.  I’m pretty sure I’m ready to be a Mommy.

It wasn’t a big party, but it wore our my big brother, Matthew.  I adore him, and think he is so funny!  He makes me laugh all the time. 

I’ve been walking for almost two months now, so I think I can do everything my brothers do.  I love to climb things, especially the things that make my mom come running to grab me.  Even if she doesn’t realize it yet, I know that I am ready to take on the world!

I also love being outside.  There is so much to do and explore!  I love splashing in water (especially the toilet … that also makes Mommy come running!).  I also love to eat dirt.  When I’m near dirt, and Mommy starts running toward me, I shove it in my mouth as fast as I can, so she won’t be able to stop me.  mmmmm!  She says I should wait and taste the things that are going to grow in our garden, but I’d much prefer to just eat the garden right now.  I really don’t understand what the problem is!

I spend most of my days being happy and adorable, busy finding trouble, trying to keep up with my brothers, playing with them and laughing at their antics.  We hope you and your family are also doing well.

With Love,

Mikayla

11 month pictures and Easter

If I’m going to get Mikayla’s 11-month pictures posted before she turns ONE, I better hurry!

Kaylie: 11 months old

We had fun getting these pictures.  I held her up by our flowering plum trees, and Micah used my camera to snap the photos.  That was a special privilege for him, and he did a wonderful job!

Somewhere between 11-months and 12-months, my baby became a toddler.  She is walking with confidence now, and very proud of it!  She is such a happy and easy-going little lady, and even though she finds trouble to get into everywhere she goes, she still rewards us with the sweetest smiles and snuggly hugs.

This Easter was the first year we let all 3 boys dye eggs.  It was quite an adventure, but they had a lot of fun.    

Jesse is at a stage now where he refuses to smile for pictures.  If we want a smile, we have to capture a candid.  Our attempts at a family Easter photo were … well … you’ll see:

Matthew’s New Must-Have Accessory

Matthew has always had his own style, from his baby mohawk to the shape-sorter “hat” he wears at Grandpa’s house.  Lately, he can often be seen sporting blue safety goggles.

… because you’d just hate to get some play-doh splashed in your eyes!

 

While I’m posting pictures:

I managed to get a great First-Grade “school” picture of Micah…

right before this happened: 

Works for Me: Gift Tags for Next Year

I know that things have been slow on the blog lately, and there are two reasons for this:

1. My computer time is usually also Mikayla’s feeding time, and it’s hard to type while nursing a baby.
2. There just hasn’t been a lot of big news around here!

I am just fine with a lack of “big news.”  It’s actually quite nice to feel like our days are ordinary.  Chaotic and busy, yes, but that’s to be expected with 4 young children!

With that in mind, I’m starting a new series of posts that will be titled, “Works for Me.”  I’m planning to share some of the simple things I’ve learned that help in our day-to-day life.  It might be a recipe, an idea, or just a little trick.

Because, by the Grace of God, there is a lot of extraordinary in our normal, every-day life.

* * *

Turning This Year’s Christmas Cards into Next Year’s Gift Tags:

I have to give my mother-in-law credit for this one.  You’ve enjoyed receiving Christmas cards from family and friends, you’ve cherished them and displayed them proudly … but what do you do with them once the Christmas season is over?

I cut out any pictures I want to display on the refrigerator, then cut out any pretty parts or decorative pieces to use for next year’s gift tags.

Simply cut,

then use a paper punch to punch a hole for tying them on a package.  (You can also just tape one edge to a package.)  Next year, write your to/from on the back, and you’re set! 

It works for me.

Christmas 2012

We had a wonderful and blessed Christmas season.

Our days were full of lots of family time,

cookie time,

and cousin time!

In fact, we had a new nephew born on Christmas Eve!  Little Benedict Joseph was such a precious Christmas gift.

Of course, there was a lot of “let’s all adore Mikayla” time, too!

Wishing you all a healthy, happy 2013!