Boykins Old Hotel

Isabelle's & Mommy's bday

2009-02-23T09:37:00.006-05:00

Here are pictures of Isabelle's 8Th birthday. For some reason i didn't get a picture of my cake. Oh well, I didn't really cake for it after i made it. It was a Kahlua and coffee cake. Isabelle's was a to die for carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I finally got the holes in our bedroom wall patched with dry wall , mudded & painted. Now if it would warm up so i can get the hallway finished.

long over due update

2009-02-23T09:04:00.006-05:00

I know this is a long over due update. We have had a lot going on as you can see from the pictures. We also had 2 birthdays but that will be the next post. Mike decided to replace the grandma room floor/kitchen ceiling about 2.5 weeks ago. It hasn't been to bad except the kitchen is tore up again. The light fixtures had to be taken down so we have been using a floor lamp. And the large middle counter had to be removed that there is almost no counter space to prepare food.I'm hoping that will be back in place this week.

The first few pictures are the old flooring/ joists. The middle 5 pictures are Mike with help from Patrick & Brandon replacing joists and weight down sub flooring while Mike nails it in place. The last 3 pictures are the new joists and what you will see in the kitchen when you look up. We are leaving it open again and didn't want just sub flooring.

ok...back to work.....

Progress

2009-02-12T12:02:00.005-05:00

Mike decided to replace the floor and joists in the gradma room. It all needed to be done and instead of waitig he's doig it now. We got the materials last weekend and i stained the joists on saturday and sunday. Mike got 3 of them i last night. This weekend i will get to the sub flooring when the wind dies down a bit. I have been painting in our bedroom still and am alsmost finished. The first 4 pictures are the floor in the grandma room and the hole in the kitchen. With the ceiling out there are not lights so we are using a floor lamp. The last picture is the wall i patched up this week and finished painting this morning. I will have more pictures when i can get Mike to upload them from the camera.

It's been cold

2009-01-26T15:22:00.003-05:00

Some days are to cold to work. Over the weekend Mike was working on the electrical in the attic and I was painting in our bed room.

I finished half the room

2009-01-05T20:55:00.003-05:00

Mike didn't get home til 7 so i worked and finished painting half of the grandma suite. Now he just needs to finish the other half so i can paint. I finished touching up the trim this morning. It's looking so pretty.

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!!

2009-01-02T11:39:00.005-05:00

Christmas was wonderful. The kids always say they love the things they get. This year the 3 older kids got new Mp3 players with 2inch screens. Isabelle, Mike & I got mp3 players that we got on Black Friday so they were a really good deal. Everyone got lots of clothes. It seems growth spurts hit everyone this year. We have invited my sister (and her kids), our niece and her new baby and my mom for Christmas dinner. The only one that showed up was Nana and we were so happy. She hasn't been to our house since just after we moved in. I showed her everything that we have done since then sat her down in the kitchen so i could finish getting dinner ready. It was a great meal and great company. Nana didn't stay long after dinner because it's a long ride if your not use to it.

The Saturday after Christmas we drove to visit Mike's mom and sister. (they bought a beautiful home in western Va) We were going to spend a few days but no one to watch the animals so we drove up and back in one day. We left Marissa there so we had to go back and get her. Mike, Isabelle & I drove back New Years day. (the boys stayed at my mom's)

We spent the weekend not doing a whole lot of anything. Mike did have to change the element on the hot water heater but that was about it.

Today the kids went back to school and Mike to work so i went back to working on the house. Today I finally got the grandma suite primed...window trim...ceiling trim and base boards painted. I'm hoping to get the room done by the end of the week...so Mike has to replace the door & dry wall 2 walls...

Still working

2008-12-16T09:00:00.003-05:00

It's the week before Christmas and i know i should be shopping and wrapping and baking but there is a boy that is turning 11 tomorrow. He is so excited. We are having a few of his friends over on Saturday for red velvet cake and ice cream. Plus i though we would decorate some sugar cookies.
I did manage to get the juliette rails painted yesterday while it was 70 and sunny. Today is 60's and raining.
TTYL Kathie

Happy 40th Birthday Mike!!

2008-12-12T08:31:00.002-05:00

All i can say is it was one of the most yummiest cake I have ever made and I'm not a chocolate lover. It was a chocolate cake with chocolate chunks with chocolate butter cream frosting and kisses around the top. Mike got a new Santa hat and a new wallet for his birthday.
Next weekend we will have red velvet cake for Brandon's birthday. i made 1 back in October and it was incredible. The kids know to put their request for their cakes a few weeks early so I can get what is all needed. I asked Mike what he wanted and he said to surprise him. I think i did a good job.
I have also been working on xmas goodies but still have plenty more to make. This weekend is a busy weekend. Saturday we are going to hampton rds to dismantle someones deck to use on our back porch. And sunday is the town Christmas parade. So far 3 of our 4 kids will be on the town initiative float. I'll get pictures and post them next week. TTYL Kat

The wonderful thing we recieved

2008-12-10T09:16:00.002-05:00

As most of you know since we bought this house we try to find thing people offer for free on the Internet to help with restoration costs. I found something we have been looking for since we moved ,in an antique mantel. We officially don't have fire places but 2 of them have small mantels. (living room & Marissa's room) I just want to say thank you again for the beautiful to the wonderful people in Suffolk that gave it to us.

I don't know when i will get to restoring it. I did receive a new heat gun in the mail this week. Mike sent the old one back to the company because it was under warranty. I know this time of year is busy for everyone but we are really busy. This week is Mike's bday and next week is Brandon's bday (he will be 11yrs). We will be having a small party for his friends next weekend if anyone wants to come just let me know.
i need to get back to work..i have lots to do between now and new years.
TTYL
Kat

It's that time of year again

2008-12-08T12:35:00.002-05:00

Everyone knows it's Christmas time but I'm talking about the freezing my butt off time of year. Some days aren't so bad but then others are really bad. My kids have to go to school,thank goodness none have been real sick. A cough or a running nose is it so far.
The thermometer reads 42 degrees here in the kitchen. And that is with the top oven on. I'm working on my Christmas goodies already. Last week i made a batch of peanut brittle. Today I'm baking coconut macaroons.
Last night Mike got the outside decorations up and working. This year i decided to make a large wreath to go on the front of the house. It looks beautiful. We also got 1 of the 2 trees up. I think we will just stick to that this year.
The construction work always slows down this time of year. We are still working, Mike has been working on the complete rewire and last week i painted 2 walls in the grandma suite but decided it needs primed first. Tomorrow and Wednesday of this week are supposed to be 65 and 70 so i may kick out the grandma room so i can move in furniture and check it off the list.

I will get pictures of the outside of the house later when they are lite. I'm back to baking and laundry.
TTYL
Kat

Last week was crazy

2008-12-01T09:30:00.002-05:00

I cooked all week preparing for the big day on Thursday. I made 5 desserts. (pecan pie, coconut custard pie, mini sweet potato pies, cherry delight and double layer pumpkin pie) I made everything from scratch including the crusts. I was so happy they all turned out good. For the big day we also had candied sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, fresh cranberry sauce,stuffing,potato salad, green beans, rolls and the big tado was a full turkey and ham. It was a wonderful meal. My sister, her kids and her boyfriend joined us. We ate early and the weather was so nice that after dinner Mike & I and a few of the kids took the dogs for a long walk around town. Then came home and had dessert.

Then the next morning Mike and I left the house about 3am for black Friday shopping. Got some good deals then decides since we were in hampton rds we would hit some thrift stores. We stopped off at my mom's house for a bit and got to see our new great niece.

Sunday we decided to put 1 of our Christmas trees up in the living room. We will get the rest of the decoration up in the next week and I will sure to have pictures.

I'm off to paint the grandma suite. I'll get pictures of that too.

It's Snowing....

2008-11-18T14:39:00.005-05:00

Ok so it's Va and probably won't stick. I hope it's the only snow we see this winter. I think it maybe time to turn the heat on. LOL

This past weekend we finally got the grandma suite cleaned out. It was the room we were keeping all the wood we are keeping (trim...trim..and more trim). Door trim...window trim....It all needs to be striped and painted and reinstalled. Most of it went to the attic.

Now if it wasn't so cold i would get started in there. To stay warm i have started my holiday baking.

TTYL

Kat

Finally finished the plant room

2008-11-10T13:06:00.003-05:00

I finally decided on a color for the walls I liked. Last week i got all the trim around the windows and door finished and the back of the door.(trim is a caramel and door is molasses) We had painted the walls 2 tone green but I really didn't like it. So today i painted it a light brown and it looks wonderful. Over the weekend we picked up a few more free thing from craig's list. I'm off to do some baking. I figured i would start baking for xmas and freeze them. That way when the time comes i don't have a lot of baking to do. Later taters

Long Week

2008-11-06T08:48:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we cleared out the plant room and started painting it. It's 1 of the rooms that used to be part of the porch til it was made into a room. I'm making it into the plant room because it's the warmest room in the house. 2 side are nothing but windows so when the sun is out it warms up very nicely. This winter i plan on spending my days in there to save on heat.

Mike also got the block and holes in the metal post on the back porch for the railing. That was a pain in the butt. The drill bits kept bending. I think he went thru 5-6 of them.

And i have to say thank you to our brother in law Frank. He came and got the last big fuel tank that we were giving away. I'm sure it was a site Mike,Frank,Patrick, Marissa & I moving the tank onto the trailer.

The reason this week has been long is because Mike left tuesday for a business trip. So it has been me and the kids and the animals. It's not so different than most days he is gone about 14 hours a day.(work time plus commute)

TTYL

Happy Monday!!

2008-10-27T12:46:00.006-04:00

We did a whole lot of nothing over the weekend. Saturday I spent most of the day in bed with a head/sinus cold the younger kids brought home. Then I drove with the girls to chesapeake to go grocery shopping and go to my niece's baby shower. Was a nice time with family. Sunday we went to pick up a piano we got off craigs list. We had a piano but gave it away because we were going to get a family members but didn't. Turns out the piano we got is an old player piano. Very cool. I did finish staining the balcony decking this morning. Another thing to cross off our "To Do List". Yeah!! I have cookies to make now for lunches this week. TTLY

Stupid me...

2008-10-23T09:24:00.003-04:00

Since i always tell ya'll what Mike does I thought i should tell ya what I did. The other day i was staining the balcony floor. There are 4x4s and 2x4 piled on one end, i was trying to make the pile neater when I moved a 4x4 up on top then was trying to go to the opposite end to put it up and tripped on a 2x4 on the floor. My knee popped out (i've had knee problems all my life) and my butt landed on the 2x4 and a huge nail went into the back of my thigh. My knee hurt worse than the nail. I cleaned the hole and put a bandaid on it and went back to staining the deck. I rested yesterday because the whole lower half of my body hurt. Today I am still sore but need to get back to work. The picture is before i fell. I'm hoping to get the rest of the deck stained today before it rains this weekend.
TTYL

Another weekend

2008-10-20T07:44:00.006-04:00

We finally got doors on the master suite! Mike worked sunday (with the help from everyone) getting them put in. It seemed like all i did was paint. (like usual) I spent half the day saturday touching up paint in the upstairs hallway.(the kids painted the walls and trim) Sunday morning we installed the ballaster around the upstairs. I spent part of thursday & friday painting them and Mike and the kids finished them sunday. I also painted the banisters that I sanded last week. Mike routed the side so no more splinters. I finally got the last one out this morning.

The big pile of wood that has been collecting on the side of the house is finally gone. Most of it was lathes and rotted floor boards that we removed. It took about 2-3 weeks but we had a huge sign next to it and also advertised on the internet for free wood. It's not great wood but most just wanted as kindling.

The pictures are all the kids playing catch together out back. Lola & Jake in a box together, then they went to sleep. Mike (with Isabelle) building the frame for the doors and the doors installed. I will stain them sometime. And the railing we all helped with. We know it's not the prettiest thing but it's only temporary. In the last picture is my only vegetable plant that has produced anything this year and it just sprouted a gazillion blossoms and we woke up this morning to the temp being 32. Boy was that a shocker. When I woke the kids up i told them to dress warm it's really cold. My poor lil doggies are soo cold. I think it's time to pull out the sweaters for them. I dress the dogs for warmth more than style. TTYL Kathie

Beautiful day...

2008-10-13T11:27:00.003-04:00

It started off very foggy but the sun is out and it's a beautiful day.

Saturday Patrick (with some help from Brandon) finished painting the balcony ceiling. Marissa & Brandon scrubbed and painted the back porch. Mike got the Juliette rails on the upstairs doors installed. (pictures 1&2)
Sunday I painted the knoll post & rails for around the upstairs. Right now Mike has the day off and is installing the railing and cutting the baluster so i can paint them. Woohoo Me!!

On sunday Mike removed more of the siding on the porch, painted it and installed the 2 porch light on the sides of the door.

Everyone that goes by our house has to tell us it is looking good.

Happy Tuesday

2008-10-07T07:47:00.003-04:00

The internet is back after not working all weekend. We did get lot done. Most of the outside is finished. We finished up cutting the grass and sorting the wood. I painted the back stairs and boards around it. Mike got the rest of demo of the back balcony. Me & Isabelle got the front porch a lil more organized and swept. Mike moved the gas stoves & the apt size stove to the front and they are for sale. The kids were scraping the metal poles on the back porch yesterday. Everyone came home early including daddy, so we all got some things done. Patrick started painting the front balcony ceiling and i was painting the upstairs hallway ceiling. Saturday night Mike & I replaced some of the missing tiles.

Oh I almost forgot George found an other snake in the tall grass by the house. First everyone had to see and Brandon wanted to hold. Then Daddy removed it.

The pictures are of the inside of the laundry room door i painted last week. Mike & Brandon with the snake. And the last 2 are everyone working. I had my phone in my pocket and just slipped off and snapped it. That's why no on is looking at me and are busy.lol

Another weekend

2008-09-29T13:10:00.004-04:00

So we spent the weekend working on the outside of the house. Someone complained to the mayor about our grass and the stuff in our yard. (doors,wood, windows) But with all the rain we had last week (i heard it was almost 5inches) the grass was still to wet to cut. I let Brandon weed eat the big weeds. We spent saturday and sunday sorting wood, cutting some of the grass in between people coming to get wood and the old columns. (we had the keep pile and the give away pile) Sunday me, Brandon, Isabelle and sometimes Patrick worked on the flower beds. We weeded them, sprinkled in some zinnias and put rocks in to minimize the weed growth. The kids also found out the side walk extends out in the yard. It's just covered in grass so they were uncovering it.
Mike made a new door for the crawl space and i painted it this morning. I also painted 4 of the 5 columns on the front porch. One had water in the cap and the only way to get it out was dumping in and it went down the column.

I have more painting to do so it's back to work for me. TTYL

DOORS,Doors & more doors....

2008-09-26T08:02:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I spent from 8am-2:30 painting all but 1 of the doors upstairs. Isabelle's i had stripped and stained the outside. We had a 5gallon bucket of a butter cream so that's what the doors and the outer trim was painted. Marissa's, Patrick's, both the kids closets, Brandon's, the grandma suite, the pink bathroom, the purple bathroom, our closet and the side door for Brandon's room. 10 doors in all.
Today I'm planning on finishing our bedroom. Some paint, a lil dry walling & mudding, and removing some plaster. Plus the lil hallway needs the paneling removed. Depending on how the plaster underneath looks. If it's in good condition alil paint. If there are big cracks i will patch them.
Plus the laundry room needs a second coat to be finished. Then i will move on to the dining room next week. Mike needs to move some of the big machines around in there.
Patrick's appointment with the plastic surgeon went well. He said it was healing well and he would see him back in 2 weeks. It took us longer to drive to the office then the dr was in the room.
Mike is at work and kids are at school so mom should get to work.....

Can'talope and Pumpkins

2008-09-23T11:16:00.005-04:00

OK so I'm running out of titles. Lets start with I mowed the side yard again. (side with porch) Then I mowed half the other side before the people coming for the fuel tanks got here. 1 of the 250 gallon tanks was almost full, the other was mostly water. The people fulled up 3 smaller drums and took some wood from the piles. They should be back later this week for the rest of the fuel and the tank. We decided to keep the tank with water in it and attach a downspout to catch rain water. That way i can water the outside plants. Next summer I hoping to get back to gardening. I am planning on a raised bed out in the corner of the lot.
Mike got all the trim painted but the back of the house. He still needs to remove the rest of the balcony then repair and replace the siding before he can paint. I this week (i know it's only Tuesday) have got 1 coat in the laundry room, 2 on the back door, and the 3rd on the inside front door.(the title is the colors in the laundry room) Not to mention the cookies and rice crispy treat for lunches. I plan on painting the beam in the laundry room the dark brown like the doors. I going to try and get a few inside doors painted and out of the way. If anyone has a heat gun they aren't using could i borrow it..lol I was stripping a french door when ours just stopped working.
Tomorrow we take Patrick back to the plastic surgeon. I'll let ya'll know how that goes. Back to work for me.....

not so crazy week

2008-09-19T12:28:00.003-04:00

On monday i had to pick Patrick up from school to go see the surgeon. He said it looked good and was healing nicely and we didn't have to go back and see him unless something happens. He also told us to follow up with the plastic surgeon. That appointment is next wednesday. I took Marissa to the orthodontist yesterday. (patrick couldn't miss any more school) The replaced the wire on the top and shortened the chain. I think they are slowly starting to move the tooth.

I started painting the trim in the laundry room. I should eat lunch so i can get back to work.TTYL

Some Pictures....

2008-09-14T16:31:00.003-04:00

The dormer and trim that needed painted. The first is before Mike scraped and painted. The 3rd picture is Marissa in her room. The 5th is Patrick's leg bandaged. (we don't want to subject anyone to looking at it) and the last picture is the bestist cat in the world. I am not a cat person but George i like. I think because he is an inside outside cat. (no liter box to clean) We got him fixed back in the spring and he is sooo mellow. Funny thing that he does is follow people when every we are out side. Either taking the dogs for a walk or going to the bus stop and even just to the mail box.

What a week....

2008-09-12T16:00:00.003-04:00

This is just an update from this week.

I took Brandon to the dentist on tuesday to get a filling replaced that he lost and they removed the tooth. The tooth was bothering him and it was a baby tooth so all is well now.

As most of you know Patrick ended up with cellulitis in his right shin. We took him to the ER on Sept 2 after he fell at the skate park the week before. On the 2nd it was swollen and warm. The ER doctor said it was an infection gave him antibiotics. And to keep it elevated when possible. So he stayed home from school sept 3,4 and 5. We put warms compresses and it drain the next few days. He was keeping a dressing on it and wrapped. We ended up taking him back to the ER on sunday (sept 7). They just looked at it and said we should follow up with a plastic surgeon. No cleaning the wound...nothing. So we followed up with the dr in town. He walked in the room, looked at it. Then we told him about the ER visits he walked out called another dr, came back in and said I'm admitting him to the hospital tonight. I was freaking out. We took him to the hospital and they gave him some IV antibiotics and took some blood and did a few cultures. Mike stayed with Patrick at the hospital and i came home so I wasn't there when the surgeon came to see him. They took him to the OR and cleaned it and put on a sterile dressing. Then after appointments were made with the surgeon for Monday and a plastic surgeon today they discharged him. Before we left the hospital Marissa called to tell me one of places where she had her wisdom teeth removed was hurting and swollen. I told her to take some motrin and ice it, and we will be home soon. When we got home she was feeling better. A few hours later it erupted and she rinsed with salt water. WE still wanted her to be seen by her oral surgeon to make sure it was alright because her jaw is still swollen. So Friday is a mad house. We get the younger 2 off to school then leave for Hampton Roads. Me and the older kids in the truck and Mike following in his car. We park and leave the truck as i won't drive in Downtown Norfolk. The plastic surgeon told us to clean it twice a day and keep a dressing on it and come back in 7-10 days. It still may possibly need a skin graf. I am happy that he wants us to clean it. The surgeon didn't want us to take the bandage off til he sees Patrick on monday. Patrick has missed 5 out of the 9 days of school. Thank goodness they will be dr excused. Then after Mike drops us off at the truck he goes to work and we go to Marissa's oral surgeon. He said there was something there but it's gone and healing nicely (again)

I didn't get to work on the house much this week. I did manage to get the foyer painted. The trim is the carmel and the walls are taupe. I also got 1 coat of molasses (dark brown) on the inside of the door. I will get a picture later.
Mike is painting the last doormer. He may possibly get all the outside painting done today..WOOHOO!!

It's Monday!!

2008-09-08T18:58:00.003-04:00

So lets jump in with the updates...The side porch is pretty much done.(pictures 1 & 2) A few touch ups on paint and such. Mike moved the scaffling to the other side of the house so he could paint around the top. (picture 3) The front is so pretty. (picture 4) Just need to remove the construction stuff from the porch. I finally got a picture of the door frame in the foyer that leads into the living room that i scraped last week and painted. (picture 5) The last picture is the front door that i scraped today (will finish tomorrow) and will paint.

Patrick finally went back to school today. We took him back to the ER yesterday because we were afraid the infection was not healing. They said it was healing fine but we should see a surgeon because the wound may need closing. I will take him to the town Dr on wednesday and see what he says. Tomorrow Brandon goes to the dentist to have a filling replaced. TTYL

Few more things getting done....

2008-09-05T18:52:00.002-04:00

The side porch is almost complete..Yeah!!The only thing left is the wood around the top outside and some of the siding around the door. I have been scraping the door frames in the foyer. I finally got the one leading into the livingroom done. It was to dark to get a picture when i got done because it is raining. (thank you tropical storm Hanna) I will get a picture and post it tomorrow. I scraped of about 5-10 layers of paint and stain. Then i painted them a carmel brown. I think the walls with be some sort of light brown. I haven't decided yet.

Busy Week...

2008-09-04T07:53:00.004-04:00

We have been super busy with the week leading up to school. Patrick turned 15 aug 30. (picture 1)I had to drive to chesapeake 2 times that week. On tuesday for orthodontist appointments and on thursday because Marissa was still in a lot of pain from surgery. Her oral surgeon said she was healing nicely. Wednesday was the high school open house and thursday afternoon was the elementary. The first week of school is going great for the most part. Patrick has been complaining that his right leg was hurting. It looked like he had poor circulation but it ended up being an infection. Mike took him to the ER tuesday. Today is his second day out of school. He is on antibiotics and warm compresses and elevating his leg. I hope he can go back to school tomorrow.

We started working on the entrance way on saturday.(pictures 2,3,4 &5)Mike took out the door framing for the 2 apartments downstairs. That opens up the entrance way and makes it look bigger. We scrapped the peeling painted over wall paper and found writing on the plaster. It's a bunch of adding and a paragraph that is smeared. I have been trying to remove all the paint from the door frames and trim so it will look nice when it's painted. I also have been working on the french doors that lead into the kitchen. I have 1 of 2 done.

We have also been working outside. Mike is working on the trim around the top of the house and replacing rotted wood. So yesterday i stained/painted the side porch (picture 6) It looked more red going on but now it's brown. It's very nice.

Mike also got the new chandelier hung in the living room. (pictures 7 &8) I feel better that i updated but now i need to get my butt to work. TTYL

Tell me what ya think

2008-08-24T22:27:00.002-04:00

So far only 1 wall is done. We ran out of painters tape. (boy that stuff is expensive) We used some cheap tape and it was peeling the paint off with the tape. Mike used the heat gun and that worked much better.
By tomorrow evening we should have a downstairs bathroom. Mike needs another wax ring for the toilet and an elbow for the sink. YEAH!!

Marissa's recovery

2008-08-24T15:50:00.004-04:00

Everyday she is getting better. The first picture is Thursday (1 day), second picture is Friday (2 days) and the third picture is Sunday (4days). She is getting restless and wants to do more. I told her maybe Monday she can get out of bed more than an hour. I only took pictures of the left side because that seemed to be the worst of the 2. From the bruise it looks like the oral surgeon had a time getting the lower left wisdom tooth out. Tuesday we go to the orthodontist to see how she is healing. I know she is tired of eating soft food. She tells me all the time she is hungry and wants "real" food.

1 Busy Saturday...

2008-08-23T23:53:00.002-04:00

This morning i was scraping the other side of the french door out front and Mike was installing the balasters on the side porch. (pictures 1,2 &3) Then we decide to run to Lowe's to get the adhestive and grout for the back splash. (picture 4) We got most of it installed before dinner. Then after dinner Mike decided to install the flooring in the half bath since we didn't have enough painters tape so i could finish paint in there. (picture 5)
It was a very productive day.

side porch is almost done....

2008-08-22T15:23:00.003-04:00

The boys painted most of the side porch yesterday. Mike will just have to touch up a few places plus cut and install the balaster. Then the side porch is done..YEAH!!! The Red door in picture 1 will replace the white door in picture 2.

The downstairs bathroom

2008-08-22T15:05:00.002-04:00

So i let it dry over night and to me it's still dark. Mike says he likes it. I'm afraid it will be very dark once i get everything in there plus curtains. I have another green but it was to grassy green. When i get it figured out i will post pictures.
Today i am also painting the french doors. There are 2 sets. One is for the kitchen and the other is for the bottom of the stairs. I'm painting the kitchen set the antique white that is on the walls in the entire kitchen. I haven't even began to think about the stairs and entrance way.

Today is 2 days post surgery for Marissa and she is very bruised and swollen. If she will let me i will post the pictures i have been taking.

Kids working....YEAH!!!

2008-08-21T15:35:00.003-04:00

Isabelle painted around the fixtures in the downstairs half bathroom so i could paint the walls. It turned out darker than I expected so I'm going to stripe it with a lighter green. The boys worked on the side porch. Mike removed all the siding panels so i had the boys scrape and remove nails & staples. Now they are painting.
I have plenty of other things to do while the paint dries before i can finish painting.
Marissa has been sleeping most of the day. When I went to check on her about 12:30 she was in a very good mood. Maybe she will be able to eat something for dinner. (cross your fingers) i know she is hungry.

Marissa is recovering

2008-08-21T10:54:00.002-04:00

Marissa's surgery went well. It was first planned for 1:30,then the hospital call and rescheduled it for 2:45. But she wasn't taken into the OR it 4:15. We were the last in the pre waiting room, the last in the parents waiting room and the last to leave the day surgery. The Dr took out all 4 of her wisdom teeth plus a partial baby tooth that wouldn't come out. Then he had to attach a hook & chain to the adult tooth that is sideways in her gums. Next week she (& Patrick) goes to the orthodontist so they can pull the adult tooth down into place. They both are also getting their bottom braces. Right now she looks like a swollen chipmunk with bruises but in good spirits.
Kat

finished library

2008-08-18T00:18:00.004-04:00

I think the library turned out beautiful. Isabelle told me that it's her favorite next to her room. lol

Finally finished

2008-08-18T00:06:00.002-04:00

scrapping the paint from both sides of the solid wood door with the huge knocker. It was 1 of the ones we got out of a dumpsterlast year in vabch. I used the heat gun which made it alittle easier but it still took forever. I got some exterior paint in red for the front and dining room doors. I think they will look better in red. When i get them painted i will get pictures.

What we did today...

2008-08-16T23:35:00.003-04:00

We spent most of the morning at Nana's having 2 of the cars we had there removed. When we got home Mike was scrapping and painting the trim on the outside of the house. And i was removing paint from the door we are going to put on the dining room. I'll get pictures tomorrow. This one is our cars leaving....

Confirmation

2008-08-14T16:47:00.002-04:00

Marissa is approved by our insurance so she will have oral surgery next Wednesday. If ya'll could keep her in your prayers that would be great. I know she is a little scared. But she knows she will have straight teeth when all is said and done.Also we got her senior proofs in the mail today. Of course she hated most of them. As soon as i scan some i will get them online.
TTYL

The library

2008-08-13T17:42:00.004-04:00

Here is a few pictures of the library i've been working on. It still needs another coat of paint.

Today was an exciting day....

2008-08-10T23:38:00.005-04:00

Mike with the help from Patrick got the rest of the ceiling up in the living room. It looks very nice. So we moved everything out of the library room with the exception of a couple of box. I asked Mike to move the boxes to the center of the room so i could paint the base board, he decided to go thru them to see what could be taken out so the boxes could be moved to the attic. Most of the boxes we haven't gone thru since we moved in last year. As Mike was looking thru one of the boxes he jumped back and said i think this one has a snake in it. So we all followed him out front. Sure enough hiding in the bottom under everything was this black snake. Patrick took it out and all the kids in the neighborhood had to come see. Patrick and his friend took the snake down the rail road tracks by the creek and let it go.

So we all go back to work, I was painting in the library and 1 of the cats come in the room. She keeps smelling 1 box on the bottom of the pile. I had 1 of the kids tell Mike i need him . (he was in the attic) i tell him what the cat was doing and that i think there is a mice in the box. (we had found plenty of evidence of mice) He goes searching thru the box and sure enough there is a mice in the box. I go get our black male cat George because he is our mouser. As soon as i put George up into the box and he sees that little rodent he pounces. When he had that thing in his mouth Mike picked him up and sat him out the window to play with his catch.

The pictures are Mike & Patrick putting up the ceiling and Patrick and the snake. I'll get pictures of the library as soon as I'm done painting it.

Most Days I work alone...

2008-08-07T15:48:00.003-04:00

but today i have all the kids working. Brandon finished the baseboards & window trim in our bedroom & Isabelle washed dishes. When they got done they helped Marissa & Patrick that have been painting the upstairs hallway. The 3rd picture is the new curtains in the living room and the last is the red closet door in the downstairs hallway.

Woohoo!!

2008-08-06T21:51:00.003-04:00

It's almost 10 pm and i just finished painting the base boards, trim around the windows, doors and the entire fire place. Tomorrow i will be hanging curtains and arranging furniture. I'll be sure to get pictures tomorrow in the daylight. I'm beat but have a few more things to do before bed.....night....

Painting Fool

2008-08-06T10:49:00.003-04:00

The last few weeks or so I've been painting my butt off. So far we have finished the striping in the girls closet, the entire downstairs hallway , the trim in the upstairs hallway, the formal living room, 3 walls in our bed room, & the closet doors under the stairs. I love the red doors. I may do more if i have enough paint.

Today i will be painting the entire upstairs hallway taupe. Marissa & Patrick painted the trim last week and I patched most of the walls. So it's ready to be painted. I still need to finish the trim in the living room. I started pulling up the floor in there that needs to be replaced so all Mike has to do is put in the replacement floor.

Goofy kids & painting our bedroom

2008-08-04T15:45:00.002-04:00

Patrick was being goofy this afternoon & I took a picture of him. The next is my continuing efforts at painting our bedroom. (the wall on the right is pinker than the lavender on the left) The trim is the wonderful dark purple. The last is all the cats eating out of the same bowl. (top is Lola, left is Jake, bottom is George & right is Mama Max)

The weekend

2008-08-03T16:14:00.003-04:00

The master bedroom is going to be purple!! I started painting it Saturday evening. Each wall will be a different shade of purple. And when we went to Lowe's last night they had this dark purple paint I'm using for the trim. So far it looks amazing.
Mike is continuing the side porch. Yesterday he got the stairs done. Today he is working the railings.

pictures

2008-08-01T13:16:00.004-04:00

I came down to the kitchen this morning to find it so clean. I told Patrick last night he was cleaning the kitchen and his bedroom. He had a friend stay over last night and they got up early and cleaned Patrick's room and kitchen. The last 2 pictures are the outside. Mike took down most of the scaffling after he finished paiting the balcony and roof areas in the front. The only painting really left outside is the upper windows. I know you can't see but the kids are on the porches. Marissa & Patrick on the lower and Isabelle & Brandon on the balcony.

WE still work since Mike is at work

2008-07-29T11:19:00.002-04:00

Today we went to the high school for Marissa's senior pictures. I think they will turn out great. Tomorrow we are driving to Chesapeake for Marissa's consult with the oral surgeon. She needs to have a baby tooth removed. They will attach something to the adult tooth that is laying sideways up in her jaw so it will come down and be attached to her braces. I know we are looking forward to that. We are hoping to get it done in august so it won't inter fear with school. She is so excited about being a senior.

The pictures are Isabelle with soot on her nose. She didn't know where or how she got it. The last 2 are the living room door frame and window frame that i was scraping yesterday. The walls still look black but great with the crisp white base boards.

Look what Mike & the boys did

2008-07-27T15:39:00.003-04:00

We almost have a new side porch. Last summer we tore off the falling down deck boards and screen. We have gotten wood from 2 different people for free. Mike used some of the wood to rebuild the front balcony and balaster. It's looking very nice.
The first picture is before we bought the house, the second is when we tore it down and the 3rd & 4th is the new construction.

Have you ever done something

2008-07-26T14:55:00.006-04:00

your husband and kids said was really cool but you weren't so sure about. I'm painting the formal living room with some paint that we had in the paint room. On the lids they both looked to be a dark blue. Boy were we wrong. I started painting and to me it looks black. To Mike he says it's a dark blue. The kids just say it's cool. I guess I will have to see when i get the whole thing done. I posted some before and during painting pictures. The trim will be white.

Tree/Bush removal

2008-07-25T10:07:00.003-04:00

We have been removing tree/bushes around the outside of the house so the windows can be painted. The first picture is before we bought the house. That is Isabelle & me. I'm walking Rex. I will take some after pictures when the windows are painted.

The Beautiful Outside

2008-07-24T21:13:00.004-04:00

Isn't her beauty starting to shine thru... I knew when we bought this place it would be pretty but i am falling in love with it all over again. With every wall removed, rebuilt or just painted she is looking wonderful. So far today Marissa and Mike finished the painting in the eat-in side of the kitchen. Patrick got a few more window trim and now he is painting door frames to the bedrooms. Mike is scraping and painting the other half of the balcony. Brandon painted the porch columns for the side porch after Marissa primed them the other day. Isabelle helps where ever she can. I patched a few holes in the upstairs hallway. Now i'm going to prime the living room so I can paint it. We found 2 gallons of a dark blue in the paint room so the living room will be blue with creme curtains.

Back to work.

We have been painting up a storm...

2008-07-24T20:36:00.007-04:00

The reason we have been working so hard on the house is because Mike starts his new job on Monday. YEAH!! Not that i haven't enjoyed him home (most of the time), but with him working a full time job & his commute an hour each way he won't get much done here. So I told him i wanted the bigger jobs on the house (that i can't do) done. I have been painting inside and he has been painting outside (I'll post pictures of the outside in the next post)

The first picture is the hallway that was the top pink, half the bottom yellow and the other half gray. (apt B) I decided to paint the hallways and door frames the same for the entire downstairs. The walls are a light brown/tan and the frames are a dark brown with a hint of green. The second picture is Mike trying to fix a crack in the wall. The third is Brandon holding Lola in the finished hallway. The fourth is the other hallway (apt A) before and the fifth is Isabelle (& Brandon) showing off mommy's paint job. The next 3 are the before and not done of the hallway to the dining room. The last picture is the wall that Mike replaced last week (to the half bath & pantry).

I'm so tired but tomorrow i am starting on the formal living room. All the furniture gets moved out so i can paint walls & trim around windows. Mike get to finally install the ceiling that I stained last summer. After I'm done with the living room I'm moving on to the library.

Yes the kids have finally been helping with not to much complaining...lol Let me get the pictures uploaded of the outside paining....

What we've been doing

2008-07-22T18:10:00.003-04:00

LOT has been going on. The kids have been scraping and painting the trim. Mike & I got out there today and touched up what the kids missed. Mike also did around the front attic window. While i was finishing the trim around the 3 front windows and 1 side. (picture 2 & 3) Isabelle in the 4th picture shows where we removed the large weed/tree that was growing in front of the window. Now if it wasn't going to rain I would be out there painting it.
Mike got all the dry wall up for the downstairs bathroom and pantry. Also put the door frame back for the bathroom. He also taped & mudded the joints today. Plus some uneven spot in the hallway that needed it. I have been painting the hallway and trim. I took some paint that we had that were used gallons, not enough to paint the whole thing and mixed them together. Now we have enough for the entire downstiars hallway.
I want to get 1 more weed/tree removed today before the rain starts. I'll make sure and get before & after shots. TTYL Kathie

Working on the dowstairs hallway

2008-07-19T11:10:00.002-04:00

Mike got the wall framed and the dry wall hung. I have been painting. We have many gallons of paint in similar shades so i decided to mix a couple gallons together to have enough to do the entire hallway and door frames . The first picture is Mike screwing the dry wall up. The second is the girls and Mike scrapping the wall. They found this pretty wall paper that was on the entire hallway of apt B.
This week we have been trying to get electricians out to

give us an estimate on rewiring the house.

TTYL Kathie

Mike got...

2008-07-14T21:23:00.001-04:00

the kids to work.

New sub flooring

2008-07-12T14:33:00.002-04:00

We have new sub flooring but the ceiling is falling off.

So Mike is up on the ladder getting the plaster off the ceiling so it won't hit anyone in the head. The kids have been outside painting the trim around the windows. And I am working on painting the girls closet. I am stripping it 4 different colors. I have made some curtain that i hope will match.lol Back to painting for me. TTYL

It's started

2008-07-09T18:19:00.002-04:00

Mike started to rebuild the floor. All the joists are in place & he is nailing the bridging in as i type. YEAH!!

the rest of the holes in the floor

2008-07-09T11:42:00.007-04:00

Today we are working on the rest of the water damaged areas. The hallway downstairs were we removed the center wall back by where the bathrooms used to be. The first & second picture is before we bought the house. The first is the bathroom we turned into the pantry. The second will be a half bathroom when done.The 3rd picture is Brandon removing floor boards.The rest are Mike working in the hole. He was hoping to be done with this project in 1-2 days but I'm thinking it maybe more since the wall came apart from the ceiling and dropped into the hole about 6 inches. Now he has to take the wall apart and rebuild it after he gets the new joist in the floor. The last picture is Mike posing as Capt Morgan. lol

The bedroom wall is gone

2008-07-06T18:02:00.003-04:00

We decided to take the wall out in our bedroom since we were going to take it out someday. The paneling was in awful shape, and the paster was half missing. So down it all came. The wall on the inside of the bedroom still had paster but the walls on the outside in the hallway had no plaster. So after removing the paneling, paster, lathes we descovered there was an other door to our room that was covered. We think it was 2 rooms back in the early 1900's when it was built as a hotel. We are also making a pass thru to the closet. Taking the door off and making it wider. But that will be tomorrow. The 1st picture is Isabelle standing in the hall way, the closet is behind her that we removed the wall. The second is the closet before we bought the house. The second door was discovered in the closet. The door was closed off and turn into a closet. The 3rd picture is the wall removed and the door that was covered. The 4th is the same wall with all the studs still in. We got alot done today!! woohoo!!

I didn't expect...

2008-06-30T22:44:00.003-04:00

I went to soak in the bath after baking all day for the 4th of july party on friday. I heard Mike sawing downstairs but didn't expect to find a huge hole cut into the laundry room floor. This afternoon we cleaned out the laundry room of boxes and clean laundry. I knew Mike had to replace the floor and 1 beem but i didn't think he would start on it right after dinner. It's almost 11pm and he is in there hammering the beems in place. He said since he knows what he is doing now it shouldn't take to long. He is planning on having to done sometime tomorrow.

The counter tops & under cabinet lights...

2008-06-26T17:12:00.003-04:00

Are done! Mike and Brandon grouted the counters this morning. Then Mike installed the under counter lights. I will get pictures later after the kids do the dishes and clean them off. The look really nice.

Today the other set of counter tops....

2008-06-25T15:34:00.004-04:00

These are taking a bit longer to get in because Mike had to level and screw the cabinets to the wall and floor. Then install the dishwasher permanently. Yeah! it won't fall over when you take both racks out. He cut the ply wood and screwed it to the cabinets and made sure the sink will fit. Next comes a layer of thinset, then the cement board then the marble tiles...Yeah!!

Finally getting counter tops!!

2008-06-24T11:18:00.003-04:00

I know everything will get done but finally getting counter tops is wonderful. They will be dark almost black marble.

I am painting the girls closet with 4 color stripes. It will be Isabelle's play room when i'm done. That way she can set up all the barbie/bratz houses and not have to put them away everytime. I will get pictures when i'm done.

Off to do more painting. Kathie

Check out the new balcony

2008-06-20T20:35:00.004-04:00

After Mike got all the structural sound the younger kids wanted to help with the balcony. Mike tongue and grooved the flooring himself. Then Brandon helped prime the undersides of the boards. Brandon also helped drill the holes and nail the boards in place after Mike hammer then together. Then they put the rails across the front and attached the balusters. Brandon drilled the holes, Isabelle handed daddy the balusters and the nails. I didn't get any pictures of them priming the railing today. Mike decided to take off the siding in the front. It covers the wood siding underneath. I was pulling staples and nails out of the window frame while Mike was removing the siding. A little cleaning and a fresh coat of paint and the wood siding will be beautiful. I'm exhausted, think I'm going to bed. Kathie

Ask a man to do something

2008-06-16T10:42:00.002-04:00

And this is what i get. I asked Mike to check a 5 gallon bucket of pink paint and he flips it upside down to shake it without checking the lip. This is the mess. We scooped up most of it and when it dries i will be scraping it . Woohoo! go me!

The work continues...

2008-06-12T12:37:00.002-04:00

The work must go on even though it has been in the upper 90's and the heat index over 110. Mike is still working on the porch and balcony. He is wiring the new lights and fans for outside. We decided to get the kids a small pool that they could play in. I didn't get pictures but Marissa & Patrick were in it too. Brandon & Isabelle spent most of the afternoon in it. I forgot to put sun screen on them and they both got burned. Put some apple cidar vinegar on it and they were fine. I have been sewing curtains for some of the other rooms. Today i am working on the ones that will go in our closet. Plus i have been scrapping the layers of paint from the stairs. That's a fun job. TTYL Kat

It's coming.....

2008-06-11T12:02:00.002-04:00

That's what we say when people ask how's it coming. The pictures are the front porch in progress. Mike is done with the beems and is ready to replace the deck boards on top. He is also wiring the porch for new lights and ceiling fans.
The last picture is all the dogs in the wagon this morning when Mike was walking them. He had used the wagon for moving things and i need it out back to carry the clean ,wet laundry out to the line.
Tomorrow is the last day of school already. Tonight we have a honors banquet for Brandon. He has been on the Principal's list 2 times and honor roll the other 4. After Thursday we will have a senior, sophomore, 5 th and 2 nd grader. Wow can you believe Marissa graduates next year.

Cont. the front porch

2008-06-05T11:14:00.002-04:00

Mike started removing the flooring on the balcony since he removed all the ceiling from the porch. (in the area that needs replaced) The first picture is upstairs looking down. And the second is downstairs looking up. It's nice and sunny but it's too darn hot already. It started yesterday in the upper 90's and humid. Supposed to last til middle of next week. Yuck! I am sewing curtains for the 2 rooms i just finished. Almost done with the first set then on to the next. I will try and get pictures when i'm done. TTYL Kathie

It's always something....

2008-06-04T10:45:00.003-04:00

I was cooking dinner last night and Mike comes in and says I broke the last column. I was like what!? He explains while he was sitting on the stair out front getting ready to prepare the column it slipped off his lap and snapped off the end. It fell less then a foot. This column was the only fiber glass column that was on the house that we were going to reuse. (on the balcony on a corner) Mike jumps online to see which store has them for what price. Last Friday we ordered 4 from an online site and picked them up at a store in Suffolk. If you ordered them online they were cheaper then just going to the store and buying them. Plus they were loaded on a cart and all we had to do was wheel them outside and load them. Well they weren't cheaper anymore so we went after dinner and paid full price.
The pictures are the broken column and the room i just finished. It will be the workout room. The teenage boys can't wait til i get it done and set up.
TTYL Kat

Still working...

2008-06-03T14:52:00.003-04:00

So the first picture is before we bought the house. From the very first time we came to see the place in Aug. '06. The second picture is last week when Mike had all the columns on the balcony out. The third picture is Mike working on the last column. The last 2 pictures are all the new columns Mike has already replaced. I have been working inside scrapping and painting. (and cooking and laundry) As usual i should get back to work. TTYL Kathie

Front of the house...

2008-05-27T17:50:00.002-04:00

Mike has been working on the entire front of the house. He has replaced 2 side columns with new ones. Then torn out all the ones in the front (top & bottom) to replace the box beams , flooring and ceilings. The first picture is Mike & Marissa outside talking. The second picture is Mike trying to figure out how to use the new camera. The third picture is what Mike usually looks like when he is done working. The fourth picture is Mike trimming the top of one of the new columns. The fifth is a birds nest that was in the corner of the porch. (love the new crappy camera. didn't ever get the full picture) The last 2 are just of pictures of the porch. While Mike is outside working i've been painting another room. I'll get pictures when it is done.
Time to make dinner.
TTYL
Kat

I finished a room.

2008-05-25T21:20:00.003-04:00

I finished painting the tv room. Yeah me!! The pictures are really bad of course. The last one is Marissa and her cake. Devils food and pecan coconut.

Another animal added to the list...

2008-05-21T09:05:00.003-04:00

The ones we have found living in our house. The millions of birds, kittens, frogs, mama & baby squirrels. And now we can add snake. Mike & I were working in our separate rooms about 12:30-1 am when he came down to me and said we have a snake. He was working on insulating the outside wall in the closet where he replaced the window and a larger door. It was funny the 2 of us that really don't like snakes trying to get this one out of the chimney. Thank goodness we could tell it had just eaten so it was not aggressive. We got it into a pillow case and tied the top. Mike then put it in a bucket and placed something on top and sat it in the back yard for the night. I of course had to get some pictures of it in the chimney.
Back to work. TTYL Kathie

Another Busy Weekend

2008-05-18T23:24:00.004-04:00

Mike got all the beems up to support the front porch and balcony last week. Then it decided to rain so he couldn't work outside, so he decided to help me with our closet I've been working on. All he was supposed to do was prime the paneling so i could paint. The paneling was in such bad condition we decided to tear it down. (on 1 wall). So he had to run electrical for outlets and replace a few studs, then have the building inspector approve it, then hang the dry wall & tape & mud & sand. After all that he still need to replace the door that went out to the balcony in the back. We couldn't find exterior door that were 30" that weren't an arm & a leg so we got 32". So he had to tear the paneling off the back wall to open the door frame 2". Now there is no dry wall on the back wall and there are a few holes all the way thru that birds were living in. He also removed some of the really bad ceiling tiles and replaced them with new. It looks great with the new door but i am waiting for Mike to hang the dry wall so i can get the room done. What seemed like an easy room to bust out turned into the worst room. I decided to work on another room while Mike is working on the closet. So i decided to work on the "clothes" room. It was where all the clothes,blanket, quilts, towels and many other things were being stored. The kids helped me clear it out.(they carried the things upstairs to be put in the attic) The only thing that couldn't be moved out was the old washer, so i am working around it. I started painting the back of the door and the trim while Mike was priming around the corners and windows. We didn't finish as Sunday we have dinner early so the kids can get baths and off to bed for school in the morning. I will be happy when school is out for the summer but hate to hear they are bored.

Also Mike built a new pair of stairs for the back porch. We were going to use the stairs that went up to the balcony but they were in really bad condition. Sorry for the really bad pictures. The only camera we have is a really crappy one.

It's late and i should be in bed. TTYL Kathie

Front Porch

2008-05-14T10:56:00.003-04:00

While I have been running the older kids to the orthodontist & dentist Mike has been working on securing the front porch to replace the columns and floor/ceiling. He is using all the studs we've taken out of walls. So we had to finish taking down walls that still had studs in them. The center wall in the downstairs hallway, & up around the stair well. TTYL Kathie

The small stairs

2008-05-12T11:38:00.006-04:00

are gone too. I had decided to take the small stairs completely apart and replace them with part of the other stairs. Mike & I got most of the cinder blocks and brick removed and the 3 younger kids removed more while i made dinner.

These are the new stairs Mike built. All it needs is a hand rail and the are complete.

Braces

2008-05-09T15:34:00.002-04:00

I took Marissa & Patrick to the orthodontist yesterday to get their top braces on. Last week i took them to get spacers for their back teeth. I will post pictures as soon as Marissa approves 1 she will let me post.
TTYL
Kathie

The back stairs gone....

2008-05-08T22:35:00.002-04:00

Mike took down the stairs that went up to the second floor. We are going to cut them down and reuse them for the smaller stairs that go to the first floor.

First porch column

2008-05-05T15:25:00.005-04:00

The first porch column has been removed. Mike is in the process of putting the new one in now. Heres a few picture. Sorry about the quality of the pictures. Both our cameras died and all we have is a crappy one.
Kathie

Porch

2008-05-02T18:33:00.003-04:00

Mike has been working on the porch (when it's not raining). It's coming along nicely.

Master Suite Bathroom

2008-04-28T12:54:00.003-04:00

I was asked by my other half to post the bathrooms before and after. So here are the pictures.

We have 2 bathrooms

2008-04-22T16:36:00.003-04:00

We finally finished all the tiling and Mike got the jetted tub installed last week. Today he finished installing the sink and toilet. WooHoo!! we have 2 bathroom.

Another Bathroom

2008-04-14T11:48:00.005-04:00

We have been working on bathrooms a lot lately. The Grandma suite bathroom is done with just a few minor things left to do. I hand sewed the curtains from material my mom gave me. (she used it in her dining room and i had used it at the old house as living room curtains) I think they match the light fixture shades really well.
The master suite bathroom is coming along well. Mike got all the walls up and mudded and sanded and painted last week. Brandon was helping Mike get the tiles in order before we put them on the wall. Isabelle & I helped Mike tile. I wiped off the tile and Isabelle dried it so Mike could put them on the wall. Isabelle for some reason loved the green spacers that we used. She wanted to put them up and take them down. Mike is finishing the tile right now so he can get it grouted. And for anyone that knows us yes the wall is purple & white.
The last picture is my pantry is finally coming together. The walls aren't finished and there are only shelves but that works for me. It gets the food off the shelves in the hallway and some what organized.
Ok Back to work. TTYL Kathie

Bathroom......Yeah!!

2008-03-22T22:53:00.005-04:00

We finally got the claw foot tub moved into the 1 of the new bathrooms. Yeah!! We have been using a temporary bathroom for about 6 months. The dogs were the last ones to get a bath where the tub used to be and i had to be the first to get a bath once it was moved. Tomorrow is Easter so we won't be working. Yeah!! We will be going to Nana's for an Easter eggs hunt after we have one at our house. Happy Easter Everyone!! TTYL Kat

Our weekend was busy

2008-03-19T12:26:00.002-04:00

Our weekends are always busy. Our kids always complain that they hate weekends because we make them work. I tell them that mommy & daddy work everyday so they shouldn't complain. The first picture is an outfit that Isabelle picked out. (she is allowedto dress herself but we get final approval) The second picture is some roses that we planted. The 3rd picture is the boys weeding 1 side of the flower beds. I didn't get to bring the 10+ year old rose bush from the old house. It was so big and always had lots of beautiful roses. When i get done with the flower beds there will be 4 roses on each side. The 4th picture is the kittens. They are 5 1/2 weeks old. They are still nursing but have started eating solid food. We finally went and brought the scaffling to our house from Nana's. That's where we have been keeping it when we aren't using it. The kids wanted to help daddy so bad but finally had to be told not to play on it. We bought 2 of the 8 porch columns that need to be replaced. Mike is starting to take down the porch in small areas to see how bad it is. TTYL Kat

Just alil bit

2008-03-06T13:57:00.002-05:00

The first picture Marissa took of the kittens when they were 2weeks old. They change so much every day. We will find them new homes around the end of april .(if anyone wants 1 let me know)
The next picture is the bathroom Mike has been working on. He got the vent cover installed and the ceiling lights along with the wall lights. He is working on the old trim that was around the door and window removing the nails and layers of old paint.

The bathrooms

2008-03-04T12:00:00.005-05:00

Mike and I have been working on different rooms. I am working on the room that we now use as the bathroom that will be our closet. Mike is working on the Granda suite bathroom. The first 2 pictures are him mudding and sanding the dry wall. I don't know where the pictures are of him dry walling the room. I'll have to check Patrick's camera when he gets home. The 3rd picture is Mike priming the walls. The grandma's suite will be a mauve pink so we went with a light pink for the bathroom. The tile is called Fawn beige but look tan. Mike is in the process of grouting right now. It's a cream color. The step up in the back is where the clawfoot tub is going. The next picture is what i've been working on. I've had to scrub the trim with clorox before i could paint. The door that I painted dark green leads into our bedroom. I am painting the trim a light brown color and the walls will be a not so dark green. The hallway door i got the transom to open. I removed the hardware and scrapped some paint. I'm thinking of painting the hardware black to make it stand out. I thinks i should go hang the laundry out and get back to work.
Later taters
Kat

Long over due update...

2008-02-22T11:55:00.003-05:00

Let's just jump on in. Mike is finally able to walk and is finishing the dry wall in the bathrooms. This picture is what he looked liked every day he was laid up. The dogs and cats had to be with him.
Then we had Isabelle's 7th bday. She invited 6 girls from her class but no one could come. So we did family crafts. We all made door hangers and ate cheesecake and cupcakes. Most of Isabelle's gifts were Disney Princesses things. Her room is decorated in it and i'm still working on her curtains. Marissa asked me yesterday how long has it taken me on the curtains. Of course way too long but i am sewing them by hand. The only present I got was a very pretty Baby Phat purse i picked out after xmas.
Everyone knows we have been on kittie watch...well saturday night before marissa went to bed she hear Max and George fighting. So she got George and and noticed a huge gash on his face. She took him downstairs away from Max. Then about 3am brandon wakes me to tell me he hears kittens crying in his closet. (Brandon & Patrick share a room as a closet) So i go to investigate. I find Max sitting in the corner with 2 kittens. Then we hear cries from the small closet. Mike moves a few boxes to get in there and there are 2 more kittens in the closet. We bring them out and put mama and kittens in a basket. We all go back to bed and check on Max in the morning. She had 2 more kittens so now we have 6 kittens. Mama and kittens are doing wonderfully.
Back to work.
TTYL Kat

crappy patch

2008-02-13T10:21:00.002-05:00

Things have been crappy lately. Mike is still on rest from spraining both ankles and not much has been done. I do little thing but i can't dry wall. That is what he was doing when he got hurt. I was waiting for him to get that done so i could tile. I've been working on the kids rooms and the cooking and the laundry. Plus my phone won't keep a charge. I guess that's what i get for dropping it in the toilet. Maybe Mike will get me a new battery for my bday on friday...lol

We are still on kitty watch. Maxie is due anyday now. Marissa comes home from school expecting kitties. Mike thinks 4-6 and i think 6-10 kitties.

Well i think today i will be making the cheesecake Isabelle wants for her party on saturday. Plus i need to make cup cakes for the kids that don't like cheesecake.
TTYL
Kat

Not much has been going on....

2008-02-10T12:40:00.001-05:00

Mike sprained both his ankles while he was hanging dry wall and keep working til he couldn't walk. He has been off his feet for over a week. Hopefully he will feel better this week. I've been working on the kids rooms and preparing for Isabelle's bday next week. She will be 7 and i will be 29 again (lol) on friday.
TTYL
Kat

What we've been doing...

2008-02-01T14:42:00.000-05:00

I know i haven't updated lately. The last couple of weeks we've been driving to Hampton rds for things. We got some free tile 1 weekend then the next weekend went to get free fill dirt. Some of the tile we got was huge outdoor tile. We decided to make a huge patio out back. We needed fill dirt to level everything and somone was giving that way so we went to get a trailer full. That project won't get worked on til it gets warmer here.
The first picture is Mike dry walling 1 of the upstairs bathrooms.(the grandma suite)
I think we finally got the kids rooms all painted. We finished Isabelle's a few months ago. I tried to get the older kids to paint their own rooms but that was nothing but a mess. The first picture is Patrick's room. He just wanted the walls white so he can decorate them himself. The first blue room is Brandon's. The second blue room is Marissa's. We first painted the walls light blue then sponge rolled them with a dark blue. It turned out really cool.
The last picture i added is our cat Maxie. She is due with kittens anyday now so we have been on kitty watch. I'll keep ya'll posted.
TTYL Kat

Kids & Teeth

2008-01-23T10:53:00.000-05:00

I took Isabelle & Brandon to the dentist yesterday for their 6 month check up & cleaning. Brandon is fine. Isabelle lost a filling and the dentist replaced it. They also got x rays. Marissa goes back next month for 1 more filling. Then her & Patrick start their appointment with the orthodontist for braces. So far they have 2 appointments. They aren't worried if it will hurt getting them they want to be able to pick the colors. Kids.......

The cabinets get mounted to the walls

2008-01-14T10:27:00.000-05:00

They are looking absolutely great. Can't wait for them to be all done. It's been awful not having a kitchen to cook in for so long. The first picture is the cabinets over the sink area. The middle cabinet will be a plate rack. We are waiting for the inserts to be ordered. The other picture is the corner over the stove. The corner cabinet is a lay susan but we need to get new hinges because the door won't open with the microwave. I'm off to paint something. Also we are waiting for the building inspector to come so he can inspect the new heat/ac units. TTYL Kat

Isabelle has lost...

2008-01-13T18:56:00.000-05:00

her first tooth.

My last baby has lost her first tooth. I can't believe my kids are growing up so fast.

The Kitchen cabinets

2008-01-11T12:03:00.000-05:00

The cabinets are coming together. Mike has almost all the upper cabinets stained and clear coated and is getting ready to install them. Then he can get to work on the base cabinets.

Staining the cabinets

2008-01-08T11:29:00.000-05:00

This week Mike is staining cabinets with a little help from his friends. The first picture is Mike working on the flooring in the kitchen and the cats climbing all over him.(Maxie,Jakee & Lola) When ever he sits downs and has the cats and dogs all over him. The second picture is Lola helping sand a cabinet. As you can tell the cabinets are turning our beautifully.

I am sewing curtains for Isabelle's room. I for the life of me can't find the foot pedal for my sewing machine so am doing it by hand. I don't mind at all, keeps me off my knee that i somehow twisted

the other day.

I have to tell ya about my best Christmas present. On Black friday

i bought myself a 7qt slow cooker. I have used it so much. Last week i made the best vegetarian chili that everyone (but the youngest) loved. The pot was gone in 2 days. Yesterday i started cooking vegetable soup. Today it is sooo good. Mike & I already had a bowl for lunch. TTYL Kathie

Getting back into work mode

2008-01-04T14:37:00.000-05:00

First i had to show off how our 2 yorkies look. Their hair has grown in so much since we got them. They are both so cute. (but all our animals are cute)

The next picture is Mike putting together a kitchen cart that i found at Lowe's (thanks Grandma Mary). She sent us a gift card and that is one thing i bought with it. I also got a 9 foot Christmas tree for 75% after Christmas. We had a 7 foot tree this year and it looked so small in our huge living room with the 9 foot ceilings. The last picture is Mike working on the floor in the kitchen. Well I'm off to do something.TTYL Kathie

Guess What we have...

2007-12-28T17:43:00.000-05:00

If you guessed heat then you would be right. The guys finished up just before lunch. I told them i don't know what I'm gonna do now that they are done. It's been a balancing act with the dogs and doing laundry around everything going on.
The pictures are of the new kitchen that i got to use for Christmas dinner. It was really nice. The huge counter in the middle is sitting on some of the unfinished cabinets right now but will be a huge table with a shelf under when done. I absolutely LOVE it. Xmas eve i was done wrapping presents so i was baking. It was great having a place for all the cookies to have some where to cool before i moved them. The pictures are Mike & Brandon sanding 1 of the draws. The others are Isabelle & Brandon helping Mike make dinner. Patrick was just standing there when i took the picture. It's nice to have another thing to check off our list.WOOHOO!!

Happy Holidays

2007-12-23T22:32:00.000-05:00

I managed to get all the kids to hold a dog and everyone to wear a Santa hat. Aren't they so precious...lol