Long Awaited Progress

Several weeks passed with little or no progress on the remodel. Work on the remodel has picked up this week and progress is evident. The electrical work, plumbing, and framing is nearly completed. According to the contractor, drywall will be installed tomorrow and we will see significant progress in the next couple days. Pete's Pub will be finished within a week, as well as the 19 foot built-in wall unit. Floor tile and granite was ordered today and wallpaper has begun to show up on our doorstep. At last!

The Promise

For a short time, Ayden's behavior was untypical of the sweet boy I know and love. He was getting into trouble at school and went through some struggles in making good choices. Thankfully, it was short lived and he is once again my sweet little Ayden.

As an incentive for continuing his good behavior, Ayden was promised a sleepover with us if he achieved ten consecutive days of green stickers at school. A promise is a promise, and this weekend Ayden was rewarded with a sleepover. Sleepovers with us means lots of fun and special one-on-one attention. The fun began with an outing to the movie theater to see the animated feature "How To Train A Dragon". It was much better than I expected and is a movie that even adults would enjoy. I recommend that you see it, especially if you have children or grandchildren. It was Ayden's first 3-D movie adventure. He was riveted to the movie the entire time. After the movie, Ayden was allowed to pick a restaurant for dinner. He chose Chili's, would coincidentally is one of our favorite places. The night ended all too quickly and Ayden fell asleep watching "Horton Hears A Who".

After a breakfast of pancakes and warm maple syrup, Ayden took a bath. He LOVES the garden tub in our bedroom, and especially likes to play in the mounds of bubbles generated by the jacuzzi's jets. I left him alone to play for a few minutes and was quickly summoned to the bathroom by Ayden yelling, "Mimi! Come here!"

It was hard to find Ayden in all the bubbles :) Note to self...add less bath bubbles next time.



Our two grandsons enjoy sleepovers, but Ayden is getting too big to be content playing with toys. He is really into the Nintendo DS we gave him for Christmas so I thought it would be fun to buy a Wii. After Ayden's bath, he and Bumpa setup the new Wii I bought last week. Even as I type I can hear them having fun yelling and screaming upstairs. That ought to keep them occupied long enough for me to get my kitchen cleaned. It's the perfect form of entertainment for a rainy Sunday.




Keep getting green stickers, Ayden. We love your sleepovers with us!

Fit For A Princess

Almost eight months ago we began laying plans for decorating Ava's bedroom. The three people that read my blog know quite well that Ava is our one-year-old grand-daughter. Decorating the upstairs bedrooms has been such fun - making plans, selecting fabrics and paint colors, and putting final touches - all of which reflect the unique personalities of the kids.

Ava's room is an explosion of pink, lime green, and all things girlie. After two boys I was ready to decorate for a little girl. It couldn't have been accomplished without an incredible team of talented professionals: Denise Timmins (designer/decorator), Susie Spencer (seamstress), Mike Shepard (faux painter), Carl Dann (painter), Wayne Nored (built-in bookcase), AAA Upholstery (chair), and many more.

With the decorating nearly complete, here are a few sneak peeks...

Looking into the bathroom

Inside the bathroom

View from the bathroom

Cozy chair for curling up with a good book

Every princess needs a vanity for primping

I hope as Ava grows she comes to realize how very loved she is. Although her heart and home is with Mom, Dad and her brothers, Ava always has a special place to call her own when she comes to visit her Mimi and Bumpa :)

Construction Begins

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Doughboy and I have made plans to remodel the terrace level (a/k/a basement) of our home. I think it is called a terrace level because the entire back of the house is open to the yard and, well, terrace.

Contractors have been coordinated and designs are well under way (our minds are constantly changing on a few points). Already the support wall between the pub room and lower garage had been removed and soffits opened. This was necessary for the HVAC contractor to see what was in store and to determine if the soffit could be raised. Saturday February 27 was a day when the pub contractor, electrician, plumber, carpenter, and general contractor all met. Coordination is crucial and timing is paramount.

Doughboy rests elbows on his imaginary pub.

Four days later heat in the main area of the house was turned off so that new duct work could be installed. Opening an odd angle to make room for the built-in cabinet meant moving the furnace. Temps dropped into the teens; temps in the kitchen and main areas of the house were a chilly 56 degrees. The pups and I cozied together in the master bedroom that, thankfully, was warm due to being connected to its own heat system.

Stay tuned as our construction project continues...