Little kitchen remodel, or if you give a mouse a cookie

Birthday Bear arrived at my door the night before my birthday bearing goodies from Mrs. Fields via Glen Jay who had something very nice printed on the card.

(It's on my bulletin board if you want to check it out on your next visit.)

My birthday came this year right in the middle of a kitchen in disarray for two weeks so that it might shed some of it's old age. My friend told me that any remodel is a bit like the book, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." She was right! Mouse joined Birthday Bear for a cookie so . . .

If you find the perfect sink at Ikea, that means that you will have to reconfigure the cabinet so the sink will fit. It will also need two sheets of underlayment to make it work out.

But that's okay because the counter was a bit low for all the tall people when you put in the wood floor 8 years ago.

If you add two layers of underlayment, then you will have to stain some molding to cover the gap where the bull nose edge on the new counter top will not cover.

It will take a careful mixing of two different stain colors to get just the right match and you will need to borrow a miter saw and your daughter's husband to install the molding.

If you find the perfect Silestone counter top, also at Ikea, price check because it might be $11 less per square foot at Home Depot. They will special order a sample so that you can make sure it is indeed the one that will make you very happy. BUT when you walk down the tile row at Home Depot you just might see the perfect glass tile trim to match your sample which will look fabulous with the amazing sink.

Of course, you can not paint over old wallpaper, so that will require an afternoon of peeling and spraying diluted vinegar water until the old wallpaper is all gone.

You must then go shopping for the perfect paint to go with the wonderful glass tile which you will finally find at Lowe's. Of course, it takes two coats, a base and a glaze to get the wanted effect.

You will also realize that the old switches and switch plates will just not do with new counter tops.

If you are getting new switch plates, they should be brushed nickel so that they look fabulous with the new kitchen faucet which also looks fabulous with the amazing sink that you found at Ikea.

The books are back

Finally! The nativities are repacked (it's only a month since Christmas Eve), shelves are dusted, and the church related library is back where it belongs. These particular shelves hold the church history and D&C related books. I hope that your children are allowing you to attend Sunday school and study a bit on the side. You're welcome to borrow any title.

This is Glen's latest purchase. As the color wheel top demonstrates, it is very colorful. Ray was inspired to bring the top outside for a spin when he saw the new door mat. Please weigh in on my poll. Glen bought it because he says it goes with the red door. Do you think a) it enhances the door b) it cheapens the door? Please be honest and I hope that we don't hurt his feelings.

From our house to yours. . .

Merry Christmas!

Here we are with 6 of our adorable grandchildren. They have just finished participating in our annual nativity play.

We are so blessed!

Ruby and Sadie, we look forward to seeing you tomorrow in San Diego. Two days until Uncle Nate's wedding!

Thank you for letting me "borrow" your photo Emilia!

An odd juxtaposition

Yes, those are Christmas party goodie bags taking precedence over Thanksgiving being put away. We are all about pilgrims and Christmas lights (thank you Nate) over here.

Eric and Susan, this is how your children spent FHE on Monday night in your absence. Child labor helped fill these bags and it may explain the stuff on your kitchen table when you arrived home. Hopefully it will soon look a little more like Christmas at our house.

Sometimes you pay too much to be happy

When I found this chandelier with its elongated form and a perfect fit for our rectangular cove over our rectangular dining table, I was ecstatic - even though I felt it was overpriced. Still do. But it was the perfect thing for the space. I refused to buy the shades offered by the same company, also overpriced. I went to Lowe's and found the gold checked shades marked down to half price. All eight were the same price as just one of the above red shades. A deal. As you can see from the picture, that was not the end of the story. Every time I turned on this light I thought, "I wonder how the red shades would have looked in this room." Sometimes I would voice my thoughts. Glen would say, "Go order the shades right now." After several months of "I can't pay that much for lamp shades!", I put on the patriotic table cloth for the season. It needed red shades. They arrived yesterday, and yes, they are overpriced. I even think that the Lowe's shades are better quality, but I am so happy! They look like they belong.

New bathroom now open

Notice the shower head for tall people.
Remember, just 24 days until Nate.

It's a bit hard to get a whole bathroom in one shot. Here is the new mirror reflecting my elbow. The tile trim was an after thought and creative solution to the marble being standard size when the old tile wasn't. We had four inches to fill above the tub enclosure. It seemed only fitting that the sink receive equal treatment. All in all, a happy mistake.

We hope these pictures will entice guests to come and spend some time with us. We are no longer embarrassed to offer you a collapsing bath tub.

Announcing Max

Ryan and Emilia added a new member to the family over the weekend. Meet Max, a mixed breed from the Arizona Humane Society. Emilia went to look at cats. Ryan took her back on Sunday for Max. Reminds me of their car shopping. Emilia thought they were buying an economy car for work. Ryan took her back for a Jeep. Ah, wedded bliss. Max came for his first visit tonight. He growled at his new grandparents as they attempted to figure out their estimated tax. However, he seems to have adjusted to his new parents fairly well. He peed on my flowers out back. So much for a first impression.

Please note the new light over the kitchen sink. The old fixture nearly burned the house down. Luckily, I was standing right there as flames erupted and promptly flipped the switch. I love this new light with directional bulbs - sort of like tract lighting in a circle. The circle part was important. It covered the blackened ceiling so that I didn't have to repaint. And, yes, your father hired a licensed electrician to install said light and did not attempt to correct things on his own. You can now see to bake cookies, do dishes in the sink, and load the dishwasher. Very nice!

The Red Door

I have always wanted a red door. This will not surprise anyone who knows me well. I drive a red car, pick out red clothes, eat off red dishes, and sprinkle red accents all over the house. Last summer Andrew helped me paint a very tired 20 year-old wooden front door red. Really red, no muted down barn door red, but as Ryan would say, "They can probably spot that red door from outer space" red. With new hardware, this door is quite smashing and might I even say, "Welcoming." Such a door needed a new wreath, one which cried out to be hung on a red door. It cried out to me at Target, only cost $25, for which I paid full price, and now graces the front door. If anyone can remember, with fondness, one of the old wreaths which used to grace the old, tired door, you are welcome to ask for them. They can be yours.

Janae and her family are on their way for a nice, long visit even as I write. I hope that the door shouts out "WELCOME."