The Kitchen Chronicles That Never End

 So, I got nothing. I had to empty out the pod without the kitchen being done.  Don't know where I thought I'd put this stuff since the old microwave stand, desk and entertainment center are gone.  Still waiting on the wall oven, stove top, fan and microwave  to be hooked up, and waiting and waiting. 

Maybe Open House on Sunday, July 10th? We'll see. 

Thank the Lord for that wonderful shower last evening and this cool morning for the last week of camp and for those precious folks who continue to feed and entertain us. 

Kitchen Chronicles Quite a Bend

 I thought three weeks ago that we were about a week and a half out of move-in, but that it hasn't turned out that way.  Cabinets, trim and crown molding were not easy to install with walls that are not square. 

Anyway, Timothy came over to help, with of two his kiddos and brought his new toy, a saw, that he let them help put together.  I've mentioned before that while all the time a part of me is sad that this has required so much of my people's time, another part of me is glad for these kind of teaching opportunities. 

He returned Saturday with Michael for the cabinet/trim corrections.  

Since the big heart event, Handy Man hasn't done a lot of woodworking. He was a bit challenged by these countertops. First of all they are so heavy, and often having only me for help, is like not having any help at all.  He really took his time and managed the stove top and sink holes without incident. They look great. 

It was pretty comical the walks we took across the kitchen with these boards and sawhorses. Lift, move, lift, move. 

He just has one to finish, which needs no holes thankfully. 

I bought a pad of post-its and spent some time this morning mentally going through my old cabinets and figuring out where I will put things in the new ones. I'm curious how many things I've forgotten. 

Adam and Mindy hosted Father's Day yesterday on June's most perfect weather day.  It was lovely. 

I finally got see Uncle Tim's new place- fascinating. 

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there. 

As ever, thankful to my heavenly Father for safety through this very tedious ordeal of saws and nails and twisted metal and on and on. 

Sibling Week

 My favorite part of summer is the time I have to spend with my people.  Aunt Suzi is in town, so all the siblings got to be together on Sunday. Aunt Tish and I got to go to breakfast and peruse a local nursery and bring home some more things to plant- our therapy.  Then Suzi and Tami came on Thursday and spent the whole afternoon.  Adam was here directing kitchen traffic and got to sit a visit for a minute too.  It was the Glenda date, so we got a minute to just talk through that time, remembering her (like we'd ever forget her). 

Next up was most of Ol' Mother Hubbard's Cupboard expressing all their talents in a fabulous rendition of one of my favorites- Fiddler on the Roof. 

We got to meet for dinner. I try to not take these times for granted.  It is not somewhere I have to be, but somewhere I get to be. I soak up their smiles and the laughs and fun.  

Ol' Mother Hubbard exited early with all our jackets to mark our spots in the theatre. Timothy didn't realize that his keys were in his jacket pocket, so we had to reconfigure our travel arrangements. I decided to go with Tami's niece (my sweet and talented hair dresser and neighbor) in her tiny sports car.  Oh wow. Interesting folding my heft into that bit of a car and then trying to get out.  

Here is the Butcher, who obviously already pulled out his beard.  

And Golda, who sang like a nightingale. 

 And the terrifyingly adorable Fruma Sara

Oh yes, the kitchen. I had been holding to hope that perhaps I could start moving things in this week.  No, not quite there yet, but hey, we're as close as we've been.  Thank the Lord, I was able to locate the last known white refrigerator in the entire world. 

It is Handy Man's turn to make these very heavy butcher blocks into countertops, requiring some nerve wracking exactness.  

My hope is that this job will be complete and ready for a reveal on Saturday, July 2nd. 

Camp starts tomorrow, along with the first round of unseasonably hot temperatures. Yee haw!  Say a little prayer for me. 

Kitchen Chronicles, Coming Around the Bend

 Sunday I went to see my oldest gramerling graduate. Wow. I didn't get a picture, so will have to see if I can get one to put here. Hard to believe.  I bought him a very interesting fly fishing pole, created to be very light and easy to pack in out when he takes his big trip out west. 

Ah ha, thanks Ceece. 

So today is the big day when the cabinets arrive. A bit nerve wracking to me as I do not like picking out things from samples. So, I feel a bit unnerved. 

I actually felt a bit emotional when this truck pulled in with the cabinets. 

In an interesting turn of events, Mama Wren decided today was the day to boot these babes out of the nest. 

I had to interrupt cabinet installation, because one got caught between the windows and Adam had to come save her  

I've never seen a bunch of grown men so interested in tiny birds. Apparently the guy who has been here the most says the birdies have a following on social media. 

So for the rest of the day I will watch progress and continue my search for the Holy Grail- a white refrigerator.  

Kitchen Chronicles Again

 If you know  me at all, you are well aware of my fascination with all things nature.

The flash of the camera illuminates the dark inside of this nest, but when you approach it, it just looks dark an empty. 

However, the second the contents of said nest hear movement, all these tiny mouths open for some supper and never have you heard such caterwauling from such tiniest bits.

Yes, to me, that is so sweet and another outstanding picture of God's infinite creativity.  

So, is there a problem?  Well, kind of. 

See that top right hand corner?  Yeah, that's the nest. 

As you know, the whole wall of the kitchen came down. Once that was done, things moved kind of slowly and I wasn't in there that much, with the door into the kitchen being boarded up from the rest of the house. 

During this time, Handy Man cut the big grass on the side and brought me a nest he found.  By the time I noticed this nest, amidst boxes, wood, wires, buckets, tools, etc. I thought Handy Man must have put it there to show the gramerlings. Umm, no.  Since, by the time we realized we had a squatter,  if was full of eggs, no one had the heart to pitch it out. 

In less time than it has taken, let me see if I can figure this out, about twenty people, to fix my kitchen, this littlest bit of a wren has built an entire house in the middle of this chaos, laid eggs, figured a new route in an out as one entrance after another has been finished, and now nearly raised this brood. I'm impressed. 

This weekend the back porch panels were replaced around the new electrical box, and Handy Man finished the two places where the rooms connect. 

I think this week the last solar skylight will be placed and the floor started. 

I desperately need to get my room buttoned up. A job I hate. 

At last, creeping charlie is not winning the garden race. 

I signed up for a yoga class and plan to join a community choir. 

Welcome summer.

Kitchen Chronicles 10

 So now there is drywall and things are starting to feel like maybe this will come to an end and I will have a kitchen one day. 

And everywhere flowers are blooming their heads off. 

And some of my beautiful people are having spring recitals. 

And can that be paint going on the walls?  And my way cool solar light that provides a lot of light.   Wow!

And only one more morning of professional development, an afternoon of cleaning and I can call this very challenging school year done. Thank the Lord!

And the evening spent with the kids happy birthdaying the Handy Man. Four months to retirement. 

Kitchen Chronicles 9

 What is that you say? I didn't know there would be a number nine. 

So the electrician came and worked a week ago Monday, left with the idea of returning Wednesday. As has been the case again and again, ran into trouble with our  unusual current electric situation and said everything was good to use and he'd be back on Wednesday. I used the washer the next morning and heard a very loud pop, which scared me to death, and the washer was off.  Not any washer, The Washer, my Speed Queen. I could smell plastic burning, so I texted him and he came over and said nothing was burning and he'd be back to check it out.  I fretted as long as I could and finally texted. He let me know it was working. I came home, it wasn't. I fretted some more as you can't get that washer anymore and it is by far my favorite appliance. Not to mention the headache of there being something else I can't do.  It is fixed now, thank the Lord!

Adam put in some insulation yesterday and drywall men/boys were here when I got home. 

Getting the butcher block countertops was another big ordeal.

Had to cancel vacation plans due to an event I can't miss. 

I'm getting closer to yanking my garden from the clutches of creeping charlie, the hated weed. I'm loving my peonies, irises, roses and Tasha's Dame's Rocket.  My yard, my therapy.