Main floor reno

SO, towards the beginning of summer, we decided we wanted to do a bit of work on our main floor.  We have a quad style house, and had an eating space in the kitchen (pictured below) and a dining room next door.  We were finding though, that if we ate in the kitchen with guests, we were constantly banging our elbows on the wall; and if we were in the dining room, we couldn't move the chairs on the carpeting to get in and out.  Since our family is growing, and we like to have people over and sit in the same room as them, we decided the wall had to GO.  

Here's the dining room below.  I should also mention the carpet was really really really really really bad.  The Kappers + light carpet = HORRIBLE disaster.  You can see some of the stains in the picture even.  But it was getting to the point where I was embarrassed to have people over because it was so disgusting. (Hello Kedzie)

So one day the wall got knocked down.  It was CRAZY! 

And we got rid of our kitchen table because I didn't want to have two tables. (although I did love that table with all my heart).  We decided to get new flooring throughout since I wasn't in love with our kitchen laminate (it was the 69 cents a square foot kind and terrible to clean), and I didn't want to put it elsewhere in our house.  

I didn't take a before picture of our living room, but I do have pictures just from us living in it.... So here's a birthday party picture from a while back! 

Then it came time to choose a paint color that would be ALL over.  This was highly stressful.  I ended up choosing Revere Pewter, which is a Benjamin Moore color I had matched by someone else.

We painted the trim around the windows white, and painted all the walls in the kitchen/living/dining/entry areas.  Our hero Dean Kuper even came to help, and he DOMINATED the ceiling line once again.  Thanks Deano!!! (and his daughter Anna helped too.)

Then it came time to have the floor put in.  When they moved my piano, THIS is how disgusting the vent was. AHHHHH!!!!!!!!! It was INSANE.

There was also a surprise under our laminate flooring in the kitchen.... TILE! 

We had recessed lighting put in our living room too, so I had to empty out the pantry in order to have access to our attic.  The mess was overwhelming. 

We lived in chaos for a week or so and started eating meals in the family room at a little white kid's table.  And it was when Ben was gone.  Lucky Ben. (And hello again Kedzie)

I thought I might lose it, but I didn't.  That's the good news.

Then, it was done, and we could put our stuff back!! I LOVE the wall down!! I love having ONE eating space, and I like how open it feels now.  (Like the lighting?) 

I love our light fixture.  Ben found it.  He rocks.

I'm still working on curtains, but feel pretty good about finding pillows, an area rug, and accent chair I love! (Old Time pottery is the bomb.com) 

I still need to do a bit of cleaning next to my piano... 

Ben picked out those pictures above the couch in the picture below.  I love them because they just seem to tie the whole business together. 

I am absolutely loving the change, and I'm so glad we finished it before the baby came!  I have some curtains ordered online that are coming in the mail, so we'll see if we like those and can get them up in time, but I kind of doubt we'll manage that.  Overall I feel like we have more space, and I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE the new floors!!!!

I think we'll take a break from home projects for a little while, but I'm so glad we went for it this time!

Catch up

Yikes! I just looked at how much has happened since early June.  It's a lot.  Don't worry, I won't bore you with all the details, but I'll point out a few highlights.

First things first.  I know I've said this before, but my dad and Caleb are BFF and ever.  I mean, really.  It makes my heart so happy.  And I'm posting this picture because it's my dad's birthday tomorrow.  Happy Birthday dadsy! Thanks for being a great grandpa!!

Then my second born turned THREE.  This is the cake I made. I have no problem with my birthday parties being low key and not very pinterest worthy. I do however LOVE when other people have pinteresty parties.  I have no issues with that, and I find it more inspiring than intimidating.  So, keep on you amazing mothers out there. (see Kedzie's mouth right there?! He's SO lucky he didn't jump)

Gracie got a doll and some accessories for her birthday, and she LOVED it. 

In fact, she loved it SO much that she didn't want to eat any cake.  

We took a trip to the beach, and it was a blast!  All the kids loved it.  My parents came along and my dad took Anna for a nice walk when she got fussy, so that was SUPER handy! 

Caleb started swim lessons a few weeks ago (twice a week), and it has helped TREMENDOUSLY.  In case you forgot, Caleb is terrified of water.  He's ok in like a kiddie pool walking around, but actually going in a pool where his feet can't touch or his head might get wet-- no way.  I decided it was time for us to get over this fear of water (and of getting his head/ears etc. wet), and so I put him in swim lessons.  Day 1 he clung to me screaming while the teacher pried him off my legs.  Then, another teacher carried him around the pool, through the showers (which was also traumatic) and he was hysterical through the entire lesson yelling "MOOOOOOM! I WANT MY MOM!!!!"  His teacher made him do everything everyone else did and dunked him underwater about 1,000 times.  Parents watching their kids kept looking at him and then back at me with sympathetic smiles.  It was awesome.  The good news was that when we got home he made it seem like he had the best time ever. ????? Day 2, he went in screaming and needed back up once again BUT, he stopped crying for the actual lesson, and I even saw him LAUGH!  It was incredible.  From then on, he's been GREAT.  Seriously, he's over it and not crying at all and looks forward to lessons.  I CANNOT BELIEVE IT.  The other day we swam at a friend's house, which I thought would be a real test of how he's doing.  And, although he's still uncomfortable in the water, he was loving it and keeps asking me if we can go back.  He even swam in just his puddle jumper for a few minutes, which I'm telling you, is HUGE.  And he jumped in the pool.  Which, he may have had a puddle jumper AND inner tube on while doing.... but we're talking about progress ;) 

I treated myself to an iced coffee a couple times during lessons (the 99 cent deal at Dunkin Donuts) since I also had to endure trauma.  AND because with Ben gone, I've had to bring the girls with too. Thankfully they've done well overall. Although Grace keeps asking if she can go in.  How do you explain to your 3 year old, "No Grace, you can't go in because mom doesn't want to fork it over for you to have expensive swim lessons. I plan to give you the cheapest lessons out there when it's your turn." HAHAHA ;) 

My favorite brother Alan came out for the 4th weekend, and we had a blast! We miss him terribly having him all the way in Iowa and were very glad for the visit. 

I gave Kedzie a haircut all by myself the other day!  I need to get around his eyes better, but I'm afraid I'm going to poke his eye out. I need back up.  I used the scissors for the whole thing because the loud clippers makes him FLIP out, and I didn't have the energy for that. 

I made chicken broth! Is there a real trick to it? It seemed pretty easy, but I had some floaties in it even after I strained it.  Is that normal?? 

Oh! We have been working on our house the last month or so.  We got a wall knocked down, got new floors, painted, got some new lighting.  Anyway, I'll post pictures of it soon when it's all done.  I REALLY want to get it all figured out before the baby comes. 

Which speaking of the baby, I'm having a baby soon.  When people have babies, they have big bellies.  They have big bellies because they have babies in them.  When mother's have babies in their bellies they can get crabby when people make comments like, "Are you due tomorrow?", "WOW, you're REALLY REALLY pregnant"  "Were you this big with all your babies?" 

I totally get it when guys blow it with the comments because they're fairly clueless and have never had children in their bellies.  However, I have less patience for the women who have carried children and seem to forget that feeling like a whale and then being told you look like one, isn't that great or helpful.  ANNNNND, I'm about to start getting real nasty up in here.  So beware because if you carry on about how huge I am, I might start making fun of how many big macs you must have eaten for breakfast.

I can't figure out how to rotate this picture.  But I just want to say you're welcome to Hershey's.  I ate a bar today, and appreciated the thank you on the back of the wrapper. I DO feel like I made a difference. 

This week I had to take Caleb and Grace for their 5 year and 3 year annual check ups.  I brought Anna too of course, and everyone was doing just fine the whole time.  Truly, I was very proud of them because they were cooperating very nicely.  Well, except when the nurse was asking Grace questions like, "Who are your friends" and she had answers like, "Legos".  Anyway, it came time for shots, and they both needed one.  SO... before the nurse even came back Caleb was freaking out.  And his freaking out made Gracie freak out, so they hid behind the chair in the waiting room.  THEN when it was time for the shot, Caleb went first.  He had to lay on the table, and I had to hold his arms down while they shot him in the leg.  He was completely hysterical before during and after. I mean, screaming at the top of his lungs.  Grace was second.....and, when your bro is screaming like someone set him on fire, you don't really want to go where he was. Amen?  So, Grace was also hysterical when I laid her down and also behaved as if she was on fire or got her legs cut off.  Since Grace and Caleb were screaming like lunatics, Anna decided it would be a good time for her to do the same although she had nothing to cry about.  Anyway, by the end of it all I think Anna was probably crying the loudest, and I started laughing.  I think it was a coping mechanism.  We got Wendy's for lunch and to associate shots with fun.  I'm sure it worked.

Anyway, I'll leave you with this sign I saw at Hobby Lobby the other day.  I had a friend over the other day making fun of the way I "fold" fitted sheets.  This sign really resonated with me.

Have a good weekend!

-Melanie