REMODEL- PART 7- BEFORE & AFTER

Not a great 'Before' photo of the cabinets, but the best I can find. It does give an idea of our old layout.

From the same point of view as the first 'before' photo.

The other side of the kitchen.  We are still waiting for the glass cabinet doors for our china hutch.

The same point of view as the second 'before' photo. Our table will not be there for good. Eventually we will have a couch in there for a TV room. The red cabinet is our computer armoire.

The new entertainment center for a TV and books.

We are finally finished!! I can't say how happy I am it is all done, but not near as happy as I am with the finished product. Our house is amazing! It is beyond anything I ever thought we would ever have. It is completely transformed.

REMODEL- PART 5

The countertops are done! It was a HUGE challenge and TONS of work. Would I do it again? I really don't know. It was exhausting and stressful, but it saved us tons of money doing it ourselves. We used the brand Surecrete and I am glad we did. They have made working with this type of concrete so much easier! Here's the process...

Forming the countertop.

We used melamine and styrofoam for our forms and poured them upside down. Big C was so precise with the sink hole that it fits perfectly! I was (and am) super impressed. He traced the shape of the sink onto a piece of styrofoam and then spackled the edges and then taped them with clear packing tape to make them ultra smooth. Then caulked the seams everywhere to create a bit of a rounded edge on the corners. After that, I treated all the surfaces with olive oil.

Big C mixing the special ingredients. Very important!

We chose to do hand pressed countertops because of the textural quality of the end result. It was by far my favorite type of concrete countertops when I researched them. Big C mixed the concrete about the thickness of silly putty and then you press handfuls into place. 

Our island countertop form. The cut out in this form is for our stove.

After the concrete is dry, Big C mixed up a different colored slurry (in our case, a dark gray), and filled in all the holes and gaps left by the putty-like cement. I creates a beautiful texture! He then wet sanded it and slurried/sanded again 2 more times.

He put a piece of plywood on the underneath side so that he could save space on material and weight.

Thank goodness for in-town family! They came over and helped us put in our countertops. They're a little heavy.

My countertop with the undermount sink. I LOVE IT!

Now we need to seal them and they are ready to go!

REMODEL- PART 4

Here's another remodel update. Our lives are consumed with it. This is Big C's job right now. He is literally not working except on our house. I have mixed feelings about that- on one hand, I love his dedication to the project, but on the other hand, he expects the same dedication out of me and that is exhausting! I now know why he sleeps so well. I try to keep up with him in the day and physically cannot. I am so spent at night that I read a paragraph of my book and am zonked. No more insomnia for me.

Little C helping Big C build shelves.

 Big C can do anything. I am not kidding. He has built me an entertainment center for our new little TV/family room and a built in computer desk to hide the pipes in the wall.

Princess P being his go-fer.

Big c and the entertainment center (minus the crown molding). 

I'll post more photos as it gets painted, etc...

We also are getting all our trim and woodwork done. I LOVE IT!

Board and batten wainscot and pediment trim on the windows.

REMODEL- PART 2

The house carnage continues! Our house is torn apart! Big C has cut out parts of the ceiling, floor, and walls to rewire. Our floors are particle board and the kitchen is completely disassembled.

Big C and Awesome A take out the pantry.

Grandpa G and Big C putting drywall back in place.

This WAS my kitchen. Now it's just a workroom with a sink and a stove. 

Our open area is going to be so nice!

The kitchen still functions, at least.

Grandma G came and helped us paint the ceiling. I love our new recessed lighting!

FAUX WAINSCOT IN THE KITCHEN

After about a year, I finally talked Big C into doing some changes in our kitchen. I wanted bead board and a chair rail on the wall behind our table because it kept getting battered. Big C isn't into home improvement projects because that's all he does at work, but I finally came up with a compromise he could agree on.

During construction.

I found this idea on Pinterest and he already had the materials to do the wood slats, so it didn't seem like such a huge production to him.

During- lots of caulking, spackle, and sanding.

I am thrilled with the compromise even if it is the 'poor man's wainscot!'

After- all finished.

I REALLY like the way the finished product looks. It turned out perfectly!

After- 2 1/2 coats of paint later...

I love the new color of blue too. I am painting my whole kitchen this blue and will use red accents. LOVE IT!

FAMILY QUIRKS

A post on my cousin's blog made me realize that my family has some funny quirks. These are things we do that seem perfectly normal to us, but might be viewed as strange by others. I realize every family has these quirks, it's what makes us unique. Some families more than others. I have a few that I am not too embarrassed to share with you (others will remain hidden until we die).

• We drink water right from the tap. We are careful not to put our mouth on it and I have given instructions on how to do it correctly. You might be wondering why I allow this and how it got started. I actually learned it from Big C's family. It saves having to wash a glass. I got into the habit and have done it ever since. How can I punish my children for doing something they see me do all the time? Disgusting or not, it is a regular occurance in our home.

• We hug each other after every family prayer. This is a great quirk in my opinion. Our kids are getting a positive, physical expression of love at least twice a day. I LOVE this quirk. I am not sure how it started, I guess it is just left over from when the kids were little, but they know, even now, that they do not walk away from the circle until the parents are squeezed.

• We do not wear shoes in the house. I know a lot of families have this rule, but it creates an issue that I do not enjoy- a pile of shoes by every door. How do you deal with this at your house? I still haven't figured it out and would love any feedback you are willing to share.

• The last quirk I will share takes place at Christmas time. You may have noticed from previous blog posts that we do not celebrate this holiday in our own home. I know this is strange to many of you (it is to me), but it is a tradition my husband grew up with. We go up to my in-law's barn and Santa comes there. I still struggle with this quirk. I grew up having Christmases in my home, with only my family and really miss the intimacy of those times. My children, however, are horrified by the thought of not going up to the barn with all the cousins, and Christmas is definitely for children, so they always win.

REDO

It has been a LONG week. I have had a horrible head cold, lost my voice and painted almost my whole upstairs. May I just say how much I hate painting walls? NOT my favorite activity. Anyway, we are finally on the road to recovery-- both my house and my throat.

Here is our stripped living room. I just had to take a photo.

I remember getting new carpet in our house growing up. We came home from Hawaii and it was there. Quite a different experience for my children...

Big C had the kids up at the crack of dawn pulling out the carpet and the pad, hauling it out, getting up all the staples, so I could have it ready for the carpet layers.

And here we are with the new carpet and paint. I rearranged the furniture too, so it has a new feel which is fun. I am still not sure about the new shade of red I chose...

I am happy we are almost done. We still have a bit in the bathroom, so I'll show that when it is completely done, and our bedrooms upstairs. The light is at the end of the tunnel...

CONSTRUCTION ZONE

It all began with the decision to get new carpet... now my house is torn apart! We decided to paint since the carpet was going to be out, then Big C realized he'd better get the tile in before the carpet, and now we are living in a disaster area! It will be nice when it is done, but this week has been a trial.

We pulled up the carpet for Family Night on Monday. See the lovely particle wood floor? Pretty classy.

Big C is almost done cutting the tile for the bathroom. He hates having to come home and work more after work, and I don't blame him. It really looks nice though and I am excited for that new floor in there! We've needed it for a LONG time. Well, I'm excited for it all, I am just struggling with the living conditions. I'll post after photos next week (hopefully)...