DONE!

The backsplash and countertops are all installed and finished. I LOVE the final look...it is better than I had even imagined. Now all I need to do is decide what to do with the floors and the look will be completed. The protective film is still on the dishwasher and fridge, I just havent taken it off yet :-}

The carpet installers were here today as well to replace the carpet from the paint that I spilled all over it. I must say I did a pretty good job getting a remnant very similar to what what there and in the rest of the main floor ~ although the quality is not as good, it will do for now.

I'm LOVING it!

The backsplash was installed in the kitchen today and I LOVE IT! They will be back tomorrow to finish it up but even unfinished it looks so much different. It is amazing how a backsplash can transform a room.

This is the design over the cooktop{while in progress}. The original design we were given was a bit to simple so Tim and I modified it to something with a bit more wow to it. I am very pleased with how it has turned out. It will make cooking fun in that area ~ ok, not really but it sounds better.

More Progress

My dining room is almost complete! The painting is done, the curtains back up and the carpet that I ruined taken out! I was able to find a nice carpet remnant for the room and it will be installed on Friday. There was no way I could 'live' with the carpet in the state it was in....it was awful all due to my spilling the can of primer on it. The ugly light casts a funny shadow on the wall so the paint looks uneven but it really is not. The light will be removed at a later date...I HATE it.

The counter tops are now installed and look great! Tomorrow the tile backsplash will be put in and it will be even better. The new piece that was cut fit perfectly and they had no issues. When they were getting ready to leave I asked them how much it would be to keep the 'mistake' piece so they called the office and I was given the price of FREE!! Yep, we get to keep the bad piece. I asked the guy if it would be enough for the vanity in the half bath and he measured it and it will work~ so in the future we will have it cut for the vanity.

Countertops

Today was the scheduled date for our new granite countertops. Things did not go exactly to plan as there was one piece that was cut incorrectly. They have to cut a new piece and will come back to install it. Luckily, there is enough left of the slab to do this. Otherwise, they would have had to cut everything all over again. It will be very nice once it is all completed and I can't wait.

Where have I been??

There have not been any updates for a few days as I was getting ready for my trip to the USA. Christopher and I have arrived safely and have been quite busy so far. It is amazing how much you can get done when you have a short time to do it in. My painting has begun again and I hope to get the dining room completed later tonight. The original red that I selected was too pink so I have changed to another color that looks much better. The photo shows the room with only 1 coat so it needs a few more but it will look good when completed {I hope}. I have accessorized the kids bathroom so now we have one room completely finished ~Tim painted the bathroom a few weeks back.

Christopher and I also did some yard work and put new mulch around the house and planted a couple of hydrangea bushes...they are SO pretty so I can't wait for them to bloom and mature a bit. The mulch was a HUGE step for me as I am not normally a mulch person but the yard needed a bit of freshening up so this was a quick, easy and cost effective way to do it.

I have also floated in Diana's pool and got a bit sunburned...oops, I forgot to use sunscreen!

4 Hours

Today I went to have my hair done..mind you, it is done every few months and the reason why is about to become obvious to you. My appointment was this morning at 11:30 and I finally left the salon at....are you ready?? 3:30PM!! Yep, a whole 4 hours to get this done. That is just TOO darn long. I LOVE the girl who does it and I guess I am paying for the 'experience' but 4 hours is a bit excessive and I need to go back tomorrow to have my brows done. The appointment is in phases 1) she talks to me to find out what I want done 2) some cute apprentice boy takes me to wash my hair for the cut 3) have hair cut 4) blow dry hair 5) apply color to hair 6) wash hair again, by said cute boy plus head massage this time 7) blow dry and style. The sad thing is that I didn't have anything fancy done, just color and layers cleaned up. Oh well, the next thing is to find a new place to go when we move.

Oh SO Green...

Diana was over at the house and took a few pictures for me {THANK YOU}. I am amazed at how green everything looks. I like the lot more and more with each photo I see. The leaves will not be any fun in the fall but they look great now!

This Weeks Talent

This week I decided to give you one of the WORST auditions of the week. For those who do not know who Westlife are, they are a guy group that started when they were younger and have matured yet still sting together and are rather good! These guys had me laughing with tears as they genuinely think they can sing.

He's BACK>>>>>>>

Tim has arrived safely back home after being away on business. I am not sure who was more excited to see him Maggie or the dog!! Work has been keeping him busy with lots of travel and it does not look like it will be slowing down until early next year. I wish there were other exciting things going on here at the moment but there aren't. I think we are in the calm before the storm as next month will be very busy with final preparations for the move.

The WRONG Stuff

The New Kids on The Block are BACK!! So, did you miss them? Nope...me either. I didn't like them the first time around they are still just as bad ~ in fact, they sound worse. They must REALLY need the money...


Thank you for your notes and prayers for my grandmother. She is doing much better and things don't look as bad as they did earlier this week.

Please keep my grandmother in your prayers. She will be 93 in a couple of weeks and is currently not well. She is my last surviving grandparent. I am waiting for more information so don't know exactly what is going on.

**update: She is doing a bit better and was aware of those around her. This is very good and your prayers are working. Hopefully she will continue to improve.**

She DID it....

Maggie had her hair appointment today and she COMPLETELY changed what she was going to have done. She had intended on having a 'trim' to get the ends healthy and she decided to get it cut MUCH shorter...in fact, she had 5 inches cut off!! I must say it looks adorable cut in a bob and she LOVES it. Of course, when we got home she had to test out the new do with her First Communion veil and she was quite pleased. {thank goodness}

Next Survivor Series...

A big thank you to Cara for sending this to me ....I told her it was blog worthy so enjoy!

• Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.
• Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.There is no fast food.
• Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, and complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of 'pretend' bills with not enough money.In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.
• Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time--no emailing.
• Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment.
• He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care.
• He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.
• Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.
• The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done.
• The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep fingernails polished and eyebrows groomed.
• During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties.
• They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.
• They will need to read a book to the kids each night and in the morning, feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair by 7:00 am.
• A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.
• The kids vote them off the island based on performance.

The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice.

If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years eventually earning the right to be called Mother!

This weeks Talent...

As promised, here is another weekly Britains Got Talent highlight! I must admit it is quite a challenge to pick which one to post...do I go with true talent or just an awful one? This week it is a bit of both...you can't help but laugh while at the same time be amazed at what they can do. I have never mastered the hula hoop!!

On a personal note, Tim was able to finish painting the kids' bathroom so I am pleased with that. I can't wait to accessorize the room and add a bit of pizazz to it.

Tim is currently in the US on business and arrived a few days early to get some things done at the house. On Friday the granite people came over to do the template for the countertops and the backsplash designer was there too!

Then the previous owner of the house came by to meet with Tim and show him how to operate the lawn irrigation system. As we bought the house when it was cold outside the sprinklers were never turned on for obvious reasons.

Anyway, he saw the unfortunate spot of primer in the dining room look ~HERE for a reminder~ and proceeded to tell Tim he had a large remnant of the carpet and said we could have it! How kind is that? Now we can use it to cut out the ruined spot and make a temporary fix for now. He brought it over to Tim today and told him ALL about the various plants and trees in the yard and garden. We have not only an apple tree but a peach tree as well. In the garden there is currently asparagus and rhubarb. I am thinking I am going to have to make some PIES this fall, oh darn!!

Small World....

Since starting this blog I have found myself at various other blogs of varying topics. A few months ago I came upon a blog of a family who were in the process of adopting a little girl from China. How I got to her blog I can't remember ~ obviously, from someone else's. Anyway, I thought the woman looked familiar and I could have SWORN I went to college with her. I have from time to time stopped by her blog to see if she had any updates and one day she had a video on the blog. The video had her voice and I KNEW it was her. I posted a comment and asked a few questions to see if it was her and sure enough it was! What really makes this such a small world is that she currently lives less than an hour from our house in the US. Hopefully we can meet up and catch up on each others lives.

HOT..HOT...HOT...

Ok it really isn't HOT but when the sun is out and the temperature 76 it is HOT here. I am so grateful the weather is finally cooperating. It has been absolutely perfect the past few days. The weather forcast is for much of the same for the remainder of the week. In fact, I am thinking about staying here longer to enjoy the British Summer ~ NOT!!!

Have you had a look at the counter? 61 days left...only 61 days. It used to seem so far away until our moving back and now it is really a short time away.

Weekly Fix...

I now some of you have been waiting patiently all week for the Britains' Got Talent weekly fix. I will not dissapoint...here is your weekly fix.

At least these girls prove they are more than just a pretty face and long legs :-}

Wasn't expecting that...

Andrew is home from the dance and he had a great time. Tim picked him up so I had to wait until they got home to ask questions about the evening. I am not sure I was ready to hear the answers to my questions.

Me: So did you have a nice time?

Andrew: Yeah

Me: Did you meet any girls?

Andrew: Yeah

Me: Did you dance?

Andrew: Yeah

Me: Fast?

Andrew: NO

Me: SLOW?????

Andrew: Yes {insert big grin} 3 times

Me: With the same girl?

Andrew: NO, different ones.

Me: Did you ask them to dance?

Andrew: NO, they asked me!

OK...let me just say, I know he is getting older but I was SO not expecting him to say he slow danced and with not 1, but 3 girls!! There was more to the conversation but I told him I would not put it on the blog. What I have said already is probably too much as it is.

Oh my......high school here he comes.

Nothing New Really

I wish I would have something exciting and fun to write about but I do not. Tim has made it back safely from China and is getting caught up on much needed sleep and adjusting to the time change. He doesn't have much time to recover as he is off on business again next week, this time to the USA! Andrew is off to a dance tonight at the girls' school so he is meeting up with a bunch of friends for an evening of who knows what. He is going to an aerial extreme park {HERE}for a birthday tomorrow and is looking forward to it. He will be doing things like the below photo. Looks pretty scary to me...you won't see me doing this anytime soon.