Hangin' On

All of Dresden's friends have lost one, two, three or more teeth but Dresden's just haven't wanted to budge. Finally, thanks to an apple, one of his bottom teeth became ever so slightly loose. It hasn't been left alone since. His tongue is pushing on it or his finger is wiggling it back and forth constantly. Yesterday he showed me how loose his tooth had become and it was literally just hanging there. Larry has suggested many ways to Dresden about how we can pull it but Dresden didn't like the idea of someone or something pulling his tooth out. We promised him WE would not pull his tooth and that HE can take his own sweet time nudging the tooth loose.

This morning he came in my room with tooth in hand and said it fell out while he was asleep last night. It's a wonder he didn't swallow the tooth. I guess the Tooth Fairy will make her first appearance tonight.

Champions, once again.

I think the first time I met Larry he was playing softball with a group of people from his singles ward. When we got married he didn't stop playing softball. It wasn't with a singles ward any longer but with his work. I was invited to play along side Larry and his coworkers and for the past 9 years, with the exception of a couple years the news didn't put a team together, we have played softball. When I first started playing I hadn't played on a team before so Larry would try to be helpful and give me advice on how to swing better or how to field a ball better. I wasn't very receptive to Larry (I hate getting advice when I didn't ask for it) but did try to apply his advice to my game. Anyway, over time I have gotten better and playing softball with Larry has become even more enjoyable. I look forward to our games because it is one time during the week that Larry and I are able to do something fun together. So, last night the Dnews won yet another championship. I'll leave the game highlights to a real sports writer and you can read about the upset win HERE.

Just a spoonful of....

Saturday night Dresden and I, along with Lady the cat, were laying on my bed watching a movie. As I was laying there I noticed that Dresden had become congested. While we were out of town he wasn't the least bit congested but the moment we are back in the house with the cat, again he's congested. Here's a conversation we had...

M: Dresden, are you stuffy from petting Lady?

D: Yeah, but please don't get rid of her.

M: Maybe we can talk to the doctor this week about getting you some allergy medicine.

D: Mom, if I have to take medicine will you please get a good flavor?

M: A good kind like strawberry?
D: No, good like ketchup.Mmmm, doesn't that sound tasty.

When it Rains it Pours

I've obviously been pretty busy and haven't had much time to blog much less do anything else. I think the dirty laundry has taken over most of the bedrooms. I'm eagerly waiting for the invention of a magic wand and then I would "poof" all my laundry and dishes clean! Remodeling our kitchen certainly hasn't gone as planned. I should know better than to expect things to run smoothly. My brother-in-law is often heard saying "ain't nothing easy". We've heard it a few times around the house and I think if I hear that phrase again I just may scream. Really, it isn't too much to ask for things to go your way but I guess I have come to terms that "ain't nothing easy".

We had the plumber come and install the new plumbing lines in the kitchen and run a gas line for the stove. When he turned off the gas he noticed that the water heater started leaking. He let us know that when older water heaters are turned off and cool, cracks may form and leak. So, of course, that's what happened with ours. He told us it was as matter of time before we would need to replace it. Well, Saturday night I noticed that our "little" leak had evolved into a much "larger" leak so we turned the water and gas off to the heater and planned to purchase a new one. We made the purchase, hauled the old heater out and put the new heater in place and called the plumber to see if he would install it for us. When he arrived he let us know that our heater was too large for the venting we currently have. Of course! He could install it but it wouldn't be to code. So rather than installing a water heater that was too large we decided to be safe than sorry and a new water heater was ordered. Anyway, he installed it last night and this morning I was able to take a shower in my own house.

We have made progress, at a snails pace, but progress non the less. The biggest improvement to date is the wall that is no longer there. We called in some back up to help put the new beam in place and it was nice to get advice from 3 friends that know what they are doing. The beam was put in place opening up the entire living room/dining room. It is amazing what a transformation it is. We have also put in the pony wall separating the living room with the new kitchen. The sink will overlook the living room and front window. I'm excited to keep better watch on my boys out the front window when I am working in the kitchen.

Electrical is a mess. Our house is old so I shouldn't be surprised that the electrical is a mess. It doesn't help matters when we have to add new lights and outlets to the new kitchen area. We are nearing the end of the electrical and will soon be able to get the remaining sheet rock pieces in place.

Contempo Tile had their yearly "Psycho Blowout Sale" where we were able to find some great deals on some accessory pieces. Larry bought an awesome mosaic medallion that we will put in the kitchen area. I'm not too excited to tile around the curved design but we bought enough extra tile that we have some room for error. I was able to find some glass tile for the back splash at a "psycho" deal! The 12x12 sheets retail for $40 a piece. They had them marked for $15 a sheet but I must have looked pathetic because she marked it down even more, $6 a sheet. I bought the last partial box they had. I can't wait to see how awesome it looks installed! Anyone know of a good tile guy??? I may be willing to pay someone to get the job done...maybe.

We have a long way to go and there certainly have been plenty of tears along the way, not to mention arguments and frustrations. I'm just hoping our roof holds out a couple more years. Please rain, STOP!!! I just can't afford to replace anything else!

Here are some pictures of the progress we have made...

The Remodel. Appliances

There are dozens of appliance brands out there and when it comes to appliances, lets just say I'm not too informed. Before I could purchase cabinets I had to have an idea of what type of appliances we wanted for our new kitchen. We needed dimensions before we ordered cabinets. It sure would be inconvenient if our new kitchen cabinets wouldn't accommodate our new fridge...that's what got us here in the first place.

Larry and I went to visit stores like Home Depot, Lowe's, Sears, RC Willey, and Granite Furniture. They all had appliances that we would LOVE to have but our budget isn't the sky, unfortunately. So, we checked around and found things that we definitely wanted. A gas stove is high on Larry's list but not so high on mine. He informed me of the greatness that gas stoves offer so we agreed that we would buy a gas stove. Other things we would like are stainless steel, a dishwasher with multiple cleaning heads, a fridge with water and ice. Neither one of us really care if the freezer is on top or bottom but we both agree that the french door style is definitely not a design we like. Everyone that has one dislikes them...or so they say. We would both love a double oven but lets be honest, I hardly ever used the oven we did have, why in the world would we ever need TWO ovens. We had to be practical and rule out the things that we would want because of aesthetics or "what if we ever had Thanksgiving at our house" thoughts and stick with the things that are a necessity but more important, practical.

Sears seemed to have the best prices for what we wanted but for crazy reasons I was hung up on the Kenmore name. Working in an industry where I read about consumer spending or rather, lack of, I worried about the possibility of Sears crumbling in the bad economy like so many other chains have. And if they did crumble who would honor our warranties if something were to ever come up? Silly, I know, but that is what I was thinking. So, we went to Granite Furniture with the price in mind that we were willing to spend. When we pulled into the parking lot of Granite we weren't sure if the store was even open. There were weeds growing in the cracks of the pavement and our car was the only car in the parking lot. Talk about a ghost town. We were the only people in the store so we had all the help we needed. I told the gentleman up front the things we wanted and the price we were willing to pay. He immediately went to the computer to see about accommodating my requests. He made the numbers work and ordered the GE appliances we wanted. I think he was just desperate to get a commission check and I felt good about my purchase helping him out. I actually waited a couple days before I committed myself and signed on the line. I researched on-line consumer reports and revisited stores to price check again. After that I was happy to sign my name on the sales receipt.

So, appliances were ordered and will sit in the Granite Furniture warehouse until the plumbing and gas lines are done, electrical work is done, two new support beams are put in, tile is laid, cabinets are installed, countertops are installed, and then maybe it will be time for the delivery guy to make his way to our house with our new appliances. Um, yea...it's gonna be a while.