Day two...electricians

This morning Lily has all ready climbed our contractor's ladder.  She was trying to figure out a way to get up to the attic through the laundry room ceiling.  She was surveying Dave, the contractor, when he came in today.  She saw his truck pull in the drive way and then was mad that he stayed outside for five minutes.  The pocket door between the kitchen and the rest of the house was not an original feature of the Burrow.  It is functional right now, but is not included in my final plans either.  Lily sits on this side of the pocket door wanting so desperately to get in and see what the guys are doing.  Periodically she bumps her nose on the door trying to make it open.  

Yesterday the guys cut a hole into the floor of the kitchen so they could have access to the crawl space under there.  The current access door is only big enough for a lanky teenager to squeeze through.  Eventually that access will need to be re-worked.  Lily can hear the electricians in that space and she is wishing she could go explore with them.  Poor kitty!  

Jack...ran and hid the minute the electricians walked through the door.  Fine guard cat he makes.  

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Added after 5 pm, Photos from Day Two:  

The florescent lights have been removed and the canned lighting has been wired.  You can see the mark from the old, hanging cabinet too.  

Outlets have to be moved due to cabinets going in and old wires NOT being needed.  There will be three covers on old wires: our reminder of the past.  

Problem:  We go in and out of the carport door enough that we need to have shoes handy.  But, there is not a place to put said shoes.  

Solution:  A shoe shelf is being added into the bottom of the wall!  Our contractor is doing this job himself.  Yes, he's reminding me a little of Ty Pennington!  

The wall of the laundry closet needed to come out a bit too.  Here you can see the new framing and LOTS of wiring.  Tomorrow the shutters need to come down!  

Before and Day One Photos...

The Burrow was built in 1960.  Several updates have happened, but the last one in the kitchen was done about 15 years ago...give or take 5 years.  The stove top had a date on it of 1979.  I couldn't even find a date on the oven...which ran about 50 degrees too hot!  

Patriotic?  French Provencal?  Checkers anyone?  
At noon today.  

Tonight.
View of the pocket door (above).  

I am expecting the work over the next few weeks to go much slower than today's progress.  It's easy to see when things are ripped up and missing versus wiring, duct or plumbing work.  

Remodeling: Kitchen Project...day 1

8:30am

Today starts our kitchen remodeling job.  

Totally starting over.  

Stay tuned for details, photos, comments.  

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11:40am update

NOISY!  But good!  I came home from school and one of the guys said, "You probably don't want to look in there."  Actually I like it!  I am glad to have the room changing.  It looks smaller than I thought it would.  Even though nothing is in it, I am feeling like the past owners are really being let go.  As noisy as it is inside, it's quiet and lightly snowing outside.  No accumulation; too light and the sun is trying to pop out.  

DUSTY, too.  I am thinking I might need to get some sheets to place over some of the furniture.  I can hear the saws or whatever tools are being used for de-construction.  They even sound messy.  

Poor Jack is hiding.  Our guard cat, Lily is a bit freaked out, but very curious. 

More later!  With pictures.  

Playing...

My husband went out to California on business this past week for four days.  On one afternoon he had some free time, so he went to a local motorcycle rental shop and was outfitted.  

He has this grandiose idea that when he retires we are going to travel the country on a Goldwing Honda.  

I was smiling on my end of the phone when he told me his hind end was tired from being on the bike for so long.  My steel trap memory will remember that fact in 20 years!  

Despite being sore, he did have a great afternoon exploring southern California.  What a cool adventure!  

With a lowercase "n"

This was inspired by my sister and my daughter.  

I wonder what they are trying to tell me?  

btw, both of those ladies need to UPDATE their blogs.  

Thanks Speed Bump! :)

I must have my dad's warped sense of humor! I'm sure my siblings will enjoy this funny and get the joke with me. I figured out how to make it smaller!

Fall Tradition

As the leaves start to change their color, it is time for our annual tradition of heading to our friends vineyard & pumpkin patch.  A tradition that started 8 or 9 years ago.  In past years our families have come together, long time friends and neighbor, the older generation mixed with the younger; parents, children and grandchildren.  

As the time has passed, so have members of this gathering.  This year none of the "parents" were there.  Two were on a trip out west, one has gone to rest and the fourth just wasn't up to the adventure.  
So old gives way to new.  As a red wine lover (specifically Shiraz), I have discovered our friend's new wine.  Sky Dog Red is a fruity wine that doesn't over power ones taste buds.  It's a wonderful anytime wine.  I find myself enjoying it most evenings before dinner, no matter what I am serving.   
Each year I try to capture our growing children on film.  This year they were all in a goofy  mood and didn't want to pose.  They were having fun and that makes a better picture anyway.  From our oldest, who can now legally drive, to their youngest, who was afraid of the mosquitoes and would barely leave his mama's side, they enjoyed each others company.  
A booty of variety!   Our friends sell pumpkins and gourds from their crop out at their

winery.  When we visit their patch it is mostly filled with leftovers...perfect jack-o-lantern pumpkins!  

I always bake seeds on the evening we carve our jack-o-lanterns.  This year I tried a healthier recipe.  Toasted Pumpkin Seeds on the Simply Recipes website.  I missed the buttery taste of my old recipe, but not enough to add any of that sinful ingredient.  The different size and variety pumpkins did offer different seed tastes.  

Since our normal partners on this pumpkin adventure were out of town, we shared our colorful booty with them.  Here's my FIL carving one of their jack-o-lanterns.  

Our adventure of the evening didn't stop with dinner and pumpkin picking though.  This year offered another treat!  Our host has been taking flying lessons.  He has his pilot's license, a plane and his own hanger!  My husband and kids were able to sail over Monroe County and see her beauty from up above.  

If you could enlarge this photo you'd see the speck of a plane in the right-hand quadrant.  It was beautiful to watch the plane soaring from the ground.  The vineyards, clouds and colors brought out the romantic spirit in me!  

Landing between the grape vines.  

Two photos of my baby and her pilot, Bill.  It will be so hard to top this night of memories for my kids.