Kitchen Update

the label 2016 flood will take you to all the posts from when we had the house flood an the kitchen remolded. 

there were two parts that we didn't get completed.

one of them was the back splash. it wasn't something that we had initially so we knew that any back splash would all be out of pocket and that it would be something that we could do later, when we wanted to.

the other thing was a decision about putting the Smokey Joe back in. 

 we  had multiple people tell us that we could not put the original one anywhere else in the house but exactly where it was before. sure we could have gotten a smaller pad for it but to relocate it was out of the question. we could relocate a newer model but not the original. after the project was completed and the Smokey Joe was removed we loved how open the space was. so for the last year and a half we have had this pipe hanging out of the ceiling. i hate that this is the only photo that we have of the pipe. it is much bigger that the picture looks.

we made the decision this summer to have someone come and remove the pipe and then we had someone else come and do that sheet rock work and then paint the area, as well as some sheet rock work in the living room.

we had the smoke stack and ring removed. 

the roof had to be repaired.

so there was a piece coming out of the roof (smoke stack)
there was a piece in the house (black ring)
and then when he removed the inside piece there was a piece between the two and it was nailed into the wood studs in the attic
it was nailed with 12 pretty long some rusty nails. it was a long and loud process for the guy who did it and i think he was surprised that he had to get it out but he did it.

we knew that they weren't going to be able to sheet rock it so he just put a piece of plywood over the hole. when i head a spray can i thought, "what is he spray painting?" i looked in and saw that he was spray painting the plywood white. i thought it was funny. it didn't really make it any less noticeable but sweet that he was considering that aesthetics.  

thankfully we didn't live another year and a half with the ceiling looking like that. it was about a week and we had another guy come out and patch and plaster one day. 

he sanded it the next day

and the last day he came back and primed and painted it

along with the kitchen we had some air vents in the living room that needed to be taken out (it was the last three from when the ac/heating unit was running through the attic)

we also had areas that we messed up patching ourselves and places where we covered a hole with white duck tape. 

YES! i know, crazy.

this was the patch work to fix the holes

we covered everything for sanding and painting day

here is is all painted. it looks fantastic. i am so glad that we had it done. we thought about putting 4 canned lights in here because that track lighting on the other side of the room is the only ceiling light. we do have a lamp too. we decided against it for now. we plan on replacing the track lighting because we just don't like it but we think the room gets plenty of light for the day time and usually we don't have the lights on in here at night and if we do the lamp is plenty.

My Summer in Books

so i get summer is not over and i am in denial that it is swiftly coming to a close but i wanted to post about what i have already read this summer and what i am currently in the middle of or hoping to finish my the end of summer (the end being when school starts for the kids)

first up is by one of my all time FAVORITE authors. I have been reading her books since i was 11 or 12 years old. The series that i started reading by her is called the Christy Miller Series and in honor of Christy's birthday this month Robin has been having some sales on her books. 

I read the first Jane book last year. It was delightful.

This one was very good and i laughed a few times. 

Now this book. Oh my.It had me major confused and tempted to reach for the back to check out the ending. (which i seriously NEVER do) But i stuck with it and loved it. It was just so, so good. in the process or reading it i found out that it was also a movie so i am hoping to rent it on Amazon very, very soon.

I just finished Austenland last night. Here are the books that i am currently in the middle of reading:

quite possible the best parenting book that i have ever read.

i have really been thinking and try to implement all that i am reading. i'm going to be honest it hasn't been easy and i am pretty sure that i will end the book and pick it right back up but if you haven't read it then i would suggest reading it.

i don't even remember how i stumbled on this great book. i am a little less than half way through it but am loving it. so many great book suggestions and i love the way she writes.

a few years ago i read a Lisa T. Bergren book series called The River of Time and loved every single one of them. I have read quite a few other of her books over the years so was just doing a search for her books one day and came across this series. It is called River of Time California (so far it looks like there is this one and then another.)

I ordered this one last night for Prime Day on Kindle. I am not a huge fan of e-readers but it was only $3.99 and plan on ordering the other one by the end of the year and they were offering 30% off the next order so i guess you can't beat that. Also i contacted the library about getting a copy of this ordered and they told me that they could not get it. (insert sad face)

I also have one waiting for me at he library so i am pretty sure i won't get all of these done in the next 3 weeks but we shall see. 

Celebrating him

This past weekend we celebrated 11 years of this boy.

both kids love having balloons on their door the morning of their birthday. i mentioned to my hubby as i blew up 11 balloons that maybe next year (12) would be the last year of balloons on the door. 

He said he feels older. i think he just likes the idea that he is 11. 

here are 11 things that i love about this boy. he's a

fighter

brave

friendly

strong

determined

fun

affectionate

joyful

intense 

curious

adventurous

he played Guitar Hero in the lobby of our hotel in Disney any chance he got so my in laws got him the game for his birthday. he was thrilled.

The NOC

1 day

4 travelers

4 icees (3 coke and one orange)

8 hours driving (there and back)

1 friend made (i'll let you guess who made a friend)

1 tour guide (Garette)

1 raft

8 miles of river (the Nantahala, NOC)

4 miles an hour

2 hour tour

54 degree water

449.2 miles driven

First white water rafting trip as a family of 4

Great memories.

look who found the camera

In Action

All Foward

Not that FAR......

Golden boy did take a fall out

last rapid and he took the plundge

This picture above is right before he fell out

He did amazing the whole time

Since we were in water he couldn't wear his hearing aids

we mentioned to the guide that he was hearing impaired

Golden boy never missed a beat though

just about every time he gave a command Golden boy was on it and paddling

He just wanted to cast his pole and use his new tackle.

we have him a little time to do it before loading back in the car for the drive home.

we snapped this family selfie right before we left. 

it was a fun time and i am glad that we were able to do it.

side note: one of my favorite bloggers Ashley Ann just did a post on one of their most recent adventures. At the very end of her post she talked about how different her and her hubby are. It reminded me so much about me and mine. There are places were we have rubbed off on one another and things we have learned about each other on our marriage journey but we often joke that while we are different in so many areas, we are the same where it matters: Jesus, salty ham, Mexican food and adventures.

Get away Weekend

after spending the 4th with family and friends we left Little Girl with my in-laws and took Golden Boy to my parents and headed to the beach.

The drive wasn't all that bad until right outside of Destin. It took us over an hour to go 8 miles. 

Thankfully McGuire's was right when you cross the bridge in Destin and that was on the list of places to eat so we stopped there. 

An Irish Wake was for sure on the list of things that we wanted to try and we wanted to try the beer sampler too so we split an Irish wake.

it's a lot to take in if you have never been there. not your typical Beachy restaurant. a dark bar but neat. after finding our seat i headed to the bathroom. i looked to the right and saw Men on the door and then looked to the left and saw Women and headed into the one that said Women. The two huge urinals should have told me that i was in the mens bathroom but we had been driving and i need to go so i went into the stall. after washing my hands and about to head out a man looked in asking if it was a womens room? i told him i thought so but was beginning to think other wise. when i stepped out and looked at the door i saw my mistake, 

absolutely no 

WOMEN

allowed

oops i missed that.

we were very hungry so we ordered an appetizer: Boxtys, think mashed potatoes deep fried.

AMAZING 

the brown bread with butter was delicious. i could have licked the putter off of the bread alone. when i was a kid we use to go to a restaurant called steak and ale and they would bring out a brown bread like this. i use to call it chocolate bread. 

the .18 cent bean soup was very good

and we split the lamb chops, which came with onion rings, some type of cheese stuffed pepper and two sides. The Hubby wanted Irish Fries and i got asparagus. 

our beer sampler was just ok. if we went back i would just get the red. that one was my favorite.

My hubby kept telling me that the condo was across the street from the beach. it was a street in the sense that cars could drive on it but it was more like a walk way. this path lead us there.

Sunset #1

as we were sitting on the beach and then at this restaurant for lunch (which was right by our condo, we walked) we said why would anyone go to any other beach. it was just beautiful.

this was our first full day there. after we ate lunch we loaded up the chairs and umbrella and headed down for a day at the beach.

we ran out for a pizza dinner in time to get back for sunset.

 Pizza dinner was at Fat Clemenzas

dessert at Culvers, a frozen custard place

and back on the beach for Sunset #2

our last full day there we headed to the beach early and spent some morning time there. i got to read some too. We were discussing again how amazing the water was and the couple that was sitting next to us said that it was their second day at Destin. They were from up north and had gone to Cozumel and said Destin was better (we agreed)

They actually had rented an Air B&B in Ft Walton but said it was too seaweedy so they came into Destin and happened to find the small section of beach that we were on.

Sunset #3

Perception

It is interesting to hear someone's perception of how they think things were or are going. Recently my mom mentioned how when she and my dad were visiting us, in WA state, years ago, we went out for dinner and when dessert came out we had ordered something that we were sharing and we attacked the dessert with a vengeance. I can't remember any of this happening. sure i remember them visiting a few times while we lived there and can even remember places we went but this specific instance is vague to me. I asked my hubby about it and he said that he doesn't really remember that either and that we probably just wanted to eat up the dessert because we love dessert. any how i like hearing her perception of us from that time. she saw how we were frugal. we just appreciated that we got to live is such a beautiful area of the country for 3 years of our lives. we had so many great adventures while we were there to. some adventures local and others to places we only dreamed of going. we connected with people who we still hold dear to our hearts. i am pretty sure it took a few years for us to like tuna fish again. that is the food memory that my hubby has of that time.  

Brave

she is so small and brave

she was asked to read a verse this past Sunday in both contemporary services

she said yes but then when i reminded her of it she wasn't so sure and told us she was nervous

i told her it was ok to be nervous but that i thought she would do great

the Wednesday before we went to practice

she had written out the verse. She had been practicing before that too

i told her that i heard the first kid the week before and how she asked the congregation to please stand for the reading

she looked at me and said i don't want to do that.

i asked her why, she said that she didn't want to tell adults what to do.

i explained to her that she would be asking them to "please" stand up.

here she is on Wednesday night waiting for her turn to go up and practice.

she did a run through of it two times.

when she was done she whispered in my ear that she wanted to do it again.

they let her come up and try again.

later that night she told me that she was nervous the first two times but by the third time it was fun.

on Sunday we were at church early for her to practice again.

she asked if all the seats would be filled.

i told her probably not.

she did great for the first service

when it was time for the 2nd service we were waiting on the front row and she glanced back

her eye got huge and she said there are so many more people here.

she did great for the 2nd service as well.

the picture below was taken before any of the services started.

it was a time of calm and quiet in a busy day

i am so proud of her

it was a short verse and she was only on stage for a few seconds but this is something i never would have done as an 8 year old. So happy she did. I was on the front row but my hubby was back a bit and recorded her.