Our black kitchen cabinets were delivered last Friday, Aug. 27th! We started this project in June, and it's September, but we're moving forward again.
Lowe's wanted to install the kitchen this Thursday and Friday, but sadly we are teaching classes on Thursdays, so we scheduled for Sept. 14. Miraculously, the installer called back yesterday and said he might come over Thurs. after Conrad's class is over, but definitely would start this Friday at the latest, and finish up the following Wednesday. I am so thrilled and grateful! These boxes take up so much space that I can't wait for them to be where they belong--the kitchen! I look forward to filling the cabinets with dishes, pots, pans, silverware and other kitchen stuff that is spread throughout the rest of the house. I am so excited about my house getting back into order. I'll be able to breathe again. I'll be able to clean again! I'm reminding myself that installing the cabinets is only Step 1 (albeit a huge step in the right direction!). Then we have to be measured for countertops and wait for those. Conrad will be installing lights, backsplash, kitchen hood and vent, and the flooring, which we still have to choose and buy.
Jacob and I homeschooled Jacob's Algebra all last year and the beginning of this year, but I never liked it as much as Saxon, so I switched back. We started the Saxon Algebra 1/2, which has a lot of review of 5th and 6th grade math. I feel relieved to be back to the familiar Saxon. Homeschool is going great. Band started. Jacob's still playing trumpet and Conrad started trombone! My husband's such a cool guy.
We had our first "Homeschool Exchange" park day on Merritt Island last Friday. It was great! Weather was beautiful! So many field trips planned!
Our brand new "co-op" starts this week. These are the classes I referred to earlier. I have 6 new piano students! I'm going to be busy! Conrad will be teaching marine science. Jacob will take his dad's class as well as writing and photography. I hope it's fun. We are off to a busy, fun school year!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Who Needs A Kitchen Anyway?
Conrad ripped up the flooring in the kitchen yesterday, so now it's down to bare concrete. We are again debating...this time over whether to install floors before or after the cabinets are installed. I've googled that question, and apparently it's a personal opinion because I read pros and cons for both. We're concerned about putting our expensive new cabinets directly onto an area of the concrete that he discovered was damp under the laminate. We would really love cork flooring, so I'm reading up on that too. Tile is great, but we spend so much time standing at the sink and stove, and drop dishes all the time, so I'm leaning toward the more forgiving, squishy qualities of cork. Beautiful too. It's not as indestructible as tile, but tile chips and scratches anyway.
The older boys moved out last week and are living over the river with my parents. They have a big light, roomy space and hope that helps them study. They started working on their Bachelor's at a new college this week. It's nice they're around in the evenings to help their grandparents, and I think so far my parents enjoy their company. I wonder if our prolonged kitchen remodel had anything to do with them moving out?
We had a week of homeschool in our house mess, and once I cleared off half the dining room table so we could lay out the books, we were able to tune out our surroundings and concentrate on schoolwork. Piano lessons have continued as normal. We have a path to the piano and a path to the couch in the family room, and there haven't been any injuries or complaints from piano students and families, even those with little ones.
Jacob's friend is staying here a few days, so we're taking vacation already! It's been fun, and I thanked Conrad again for giving me this beautiful life where I could take the boys to the pool at 10 a.m. I thoroughly enjoy my "job" of homeschooling Jacob, but even my "job" of teaching piano is a joy, and many students are Jacob's friends, so they become weekly playdates (wait--he's 12 and says that word should not be used anymore). Okay, I mean they hang out.
The older boys moved out last week and are living over the river with my parents. They have a big light, roomy space and hope that helps them study. They started working on their Bachelor's at a new college this week. It's nice they're around in the evenings to help their grandparents, and I think so far my parents enjoy their company. I wonder if our prolonged kitchen remodel had anything to do with them moving out?
We had a week of homeschool in our house mess, and once I cleared off half the dining room table so we could lay out the books, we were able to tune out our surroundings and concentrate on schoolwork. Piano lessons have continued as normal. We have a path to the piano and a path to the couch in the family room, and there haven't been any injuries or complaints from piano students and families, even those with little ones.
Jacob's friend is staying here a few days, so we're taking vacation already! It's been fun, and I thanked Conrad again for giving me this beautiful life where I could take the boys to the pool at 10 a.m. I thoroughly enjoy my "job" of homeschooling Jacob, but even my "job" of teaching piano is a joy, and many students are Jacob's friends, so they become weekly playdates (wait--he's 12 and says that word should not be used anymore). Okay, I mean they hang out.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Kitchen...School...
We started homeschool Monday. The table was full of kitchen stuff, but I needed some space for school. I was able to clear enough room for Jacob and I to work there. It was hard starting school with the kitchen still torn up and mess all over the house, but we're adjusting and today was a peaceful and productive day.
I am so excited, because Conrad ordered the countertop and bought a stove today! We have gotten a thorough education on countertops. Choosing a material and color was agonizing for me! So many wonderful choices! Besides that, we heard such horror stories about installation that we decided to find someone that uses a CNC machine to install our granite countertops. We were most impressed with a company in Orlando, and they gave us the best prices too. I asked Conrad to check out Appliance Direct, and he found a stainless steel stove and a black stove that he liked. He asked me which I preferred, and I told him I didn't care, so he got the black stove. The counters were $2,000 less than we found at Lowe's (and they had a limited selection), and our stove was $800 less than the stove we picked out at Lowe's. I feel like we spent so much of our budget on cabinets that I don't want to spend much more. It is so easy to spend thousands and thousands more than you plan on spending! We considered beautiful hammered copper stove hoods and a copper apron farmhouse sink, but I decided not to be so extravagant. We still need to choose lighting, backplashes, and flooring, and of course I'm drawn to all the most expensive options! Except for the countertop, it's been a lot of fun.
I am so excited, because Conrad ordered the countertop and bought a stove today! We have gotten a thorough education on countertops. Choosing a material and color was agonizing for me! So many wonderful choices! Besides that, we heard such horror stories about installation that we decided to find someone that uses a CNC machine to install our granite countertops. We were most impressed with a company in Orlando, and they gave us the best prices too. I asked Conrad to check out Appliance Direct, and he found a stainless steel stove and a black stove that he liked. He asked me which I preferred, and I told him I didn't care, so he got the black stove. The counters were $2,000 less than we found at Lowe's (and they had a limited selection), and our stove was $800 less than the stove we picked out at Lowe's. I feel like we spent so much of our budget on cabinets that I don't want to spend much more. It is so easy to spend thousands and thousands more than you plan on spending! We considered beautiful hammered copper stove hoods and a copper apron farmhouse sink, but I decided not to be so extravagant. We still need to choose lighting, backplashes, and flooring, and of course I'm drawn to all the most expensive options! Except for the countertop, it's been a lot of fun.
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