Nothing Like Staying Put…

It’s Wednesday night here in Denver and we are finally getting into a bit of a routine. Jones has struggled the most…ok, well, Curt and I have struggled along with him…with the time change. He just can’t stay asleep the whole night and then can’t get back to sleep as his teeth seem to hurt him. He is cutting his 2nd upper tooth and it’s near the breaking point.

We had a scrumptious Mexican meal at my mother in laws tonight. Margaritas, burritos smothered in green chili…yummy! I wish there was more exciting things to say about the trip, but it’s the every day activities that are missed by us. We are enjoying it very much. The highlight, for me, has been a trip to Target. Wow…so much stuff I like and new foods (we have a SuperTarget) and brands I haven’t seen. It’s weird. I sort of feel like I have been stuck in 1985 for 2 yrs…and boom, I am back in 2009 and things have progressed. Sort of creepy as well as awesome.

The kitchen is coming along. I will take more pictures tomorrow, but the last ones I have to post are from Sunday. The cabinet installer was just getting started, so not all the doors are in and some base cabinets weren’t anchored.

 

This is the new bay window. You can see the pantry was installed and the bay window seat bench has been framed. That middle window is huge! I have a clear view of over half the yard (of course that could also be indicative of the size backyard  we have :)).

It’s still not that easy to imagine, but the upper cabinets are in! The half wall you see in the forefront was lowered about 4 inches from the original height. Our purpose in that was to try to incorporate the kitchen into the family room more.

The island in the center looks pretty rough at this point, so it’s tough to try to explain it.  The empty cabinet in the back of the picture is prepped and ready for our new refrigerator. I am still skeptical that it will fit, but I trust the general contractor…I am sure my eyes imagined the refrigerator so much bigger than it is. I did order it online and from Manila, so this is definitely probable.

For those who have been in the kitchen, this cabinet is exactly where the old refrigerator used to be. It’s very weird to see a cabinet there.

In my effort to stay out of the way, I had to take this picture from the dining room. There will be a pass through from the dining room to the kitchen which is where I was standing. I had to get a “pretty” view of the island as the other sides hadn’t been covered with the bead board yet and looked ugly.

At one time this was the way to the backyard. I know I have sent a picture like this before, but I am still amazed that there is no sliding glass door here anymore.

Instead, as seen below…there is a new French door in the family room.

This is a seamless connection to the deck. I LOVE it! So do most when they see it.

Yesterday the rest of the cabinets were installed. Not all the doors are level, or on for that matter, but the cabinets are at least anchored.

Today the electrical was finished, so now we have lights, lots of lights, a disposal switch, outdoor pot lights, new pendant lights….its so fun! We also had the carpets cleaned in the entire house…oh my, I forgot how much this costs…yikes! That was tough to swallow…if I didn’t have a crawling baby right now, I may have decided to pass on this idea.

Tomorrow is the day for the remaining dry wall patching. So many holes to fix. It is also the day the house gets cleaned. Man, the amount of white dust in the house is crazy. Being in that house for any given time is similar to a day in Manila. Instead of black feet, you get white feet here.

Friday morning the granite is installed along with the sink. Then they slide in the appliances and it begins to look like a kitchen. Curt and I are running to Vegas for the weekend for our first time away in over a year. Whew…it’s time! When we return, the tiling should be done. I am so excited!

We plan to move into the house Monday, just in time for Curt to return to Manila on Tuesday. I am a little nervous. I haven’t been alone with 3 kids yet for more than a night or two. This next month should be interesting. I will learn a lot about myself (good and bad I am sure).

It’s so surreal to be back in the neighborhood. I love seeing the neighbors and looking forward to spontaneous gatherings and play dates. Let’s just hope the CO weather returns to us and the 60 degree days move to 80 degree days. It’s been refreshing to feel a chill in the air, but we are ready for the brilliant sunny days of Denver.