Visitors

Amy and Tom (sister and her husband) came to visit last weekend. It was a really nice day, we had brunch and I made pancakes, cooked up some homemade venison breakfast sausage and eggs from my chickens. Amy brought some maple syrup from a farm down the road from her. YUMMY!

We went for a long walk, first across the street where there is 100 acres of what used to big old trees. Well, for about, it seems, like a year, they have been logging it. Kinda depressing. The property is owned by a lawyer that lives in a town about a half an hour from here, I guess it's been in their family for a long time. There is a church camp there on the property somewhere. And there used to be huge old trees everywhere but now only small spindly ones survived the massacre. In this case it pays to be puny. I hope they're not going to sell the property.

Then we walked out back and I took that picture of the rock with the moss growing on it.

We went back to the tree stand that Kevin and Tom refurbished a while ago. Tom got up there and spruced it up a little. Swept it with a broom that I was very surprised that they had in there. Re-hung up the tarp that had had half fallen down and decided that they need to do a little more work to it before hunting season this fall.

Then he started playing air guitar with the broom.

ROCK ON!

He had the camera and took some pictures while Amy and I were walking around the pond hoping to see all kinds of things that we didn't, like water lilys, frogs, fish, flowers, maybe a turtle or I'll even take a snake at this point.

Then I spotted him with the camera so Amy and I posed for some pictures that I will not share here. Posed pictures sometimes are not very pretty.

He decided to take Amy for a ride and try out the paddle boat that Eileen gave us last fall. This is the first time it has been warm enough with no ice on the lake to try it out. Puppy decided to take a ride with them. She loves to get on the water as long as she doesn't get wet.

Who's taking whom for the ride, I don't think he is paddling.

She is of course.

I found these next two pictures when I downloaded them from my camera onto my computer. I knew I should have worried when I saw him with the camera

With Tom and a camera you never know what will show up on the film.... or I guess, show up on the hard drive is more correct.

Can you guess?

Til next time,

Beth

Kitchen Remodel and Goose News

For our special breakfast last Sunday Kevin asked me to cook up some goose eggs for him. I made myself a couple of chicken eggs and I asked him if he wanted two goose eggs or one.

I showed him the pan and he said "Uh....I think one's gonna be enough." You know how you always have toast left and always run out of dippy yolk? Well not with a goose egg, the yolk was huge.


Amy and Tom (my sis and her husband) came to help us with hanging the cupboards and it was so nice out that Tom jumped on the trampoline.

Flipper was not happy and stood under the trampoline squawking until he leaned over to pet him.

Flipper is about as sweet as a goose as I have ever heard of. If strangers come over he stands at their feet and looks longing/demandingly at them all the while squawlering/screeching at an ear piercing level! If they bend down to touch him he, in a kind of submissive posture, will eventually lower his head and sit still and allows them to pet him. From everything I've heard geese don't like to be touched. Flipper will allow it if only for a minute or two. I love petting him, he is so soft and plushy. Now......

On to the Kitchen.

Here is what the old cupboards looked like. These are not the same ones we tore out because I forgot to get a "before" shot but they are exactly the same. See how they don't go to the ceiling? I need that space! Plus, the shelves were only 10 inches apart. Barely enough room for a drinking glass.

And...why oh why did someone think it looked good to place the handles in the center of the door? I really don't get it. They're not even usable, I mean, they are but it's really awkward opening a door from the middle. We are going to cut the Gothic ends off of these handles, paint them to match the new lights and reuse them and best of all, they're free.

Kevin is starting the tear down. All the stuff that was in the cupboards is sitting on a tall plastic shelf in my dining room. Doesn't look very good but it's really easy to find stuff.

Tearing out behind the fridge.

Bead board in place.


Bead board in place on the other wall and painted. Kevin went to school to be an electrician so he swapped out all the old brown switches and plugs for tan ones. Plus he installed five recessed lights too. We removed the old ceiling fan that we never used and added these lights, put in energy efficient bulbs and now I can see.

Bead board painted behind the fridge.


Building the cupboards, making sure they are square. Kind of a waste because there is not a square room in this house.

Complete, bead board back installed.

Both complete, actually there were three.



Painted.

I am using a color similar to the color of milk, whole milk, not skim. I love that color. We were going back and forth on using a bolder color like sage green or a light mocha but I think we are going to use a darker color on the back splash or maybe tile it so we are staying with white for now.

All three painted.

The one next to the fridge installed.

We changed our mind and decided to put the microwave in this cupboard where the cups were in the last picture. All it took was a 1&1/4 wood bit and a hole drilled for the cord. I don't like having a lot of stuff on the counter and this will free up a whole bunch of space.

The microwave used to sit right by the toaster.

Now for a face frame on the cupboards. (See the new light?)

We found this really cool jig for cutting holes to join wood together. It's made by the Kreg company and it works great.

It makes these slanty holes.

Then you can run screws right into the other board, no biscuits or dovetails needed.

Frame on.

Frame painted!

We are eventually going to put doors on...not sure when.


I don't think I've shown a picture of the lights we picked out. After watching a remodeling show we saw them use some pendant lights. We really liked them so we went to the local big hardware store and found these. Love them.

Then we decided that we needed a new, matching one over our dining room table, Voila!

There is an odd corner spot between the shelves that I have been working on it for the last two days. I cut triangles out of some pine, the same pine that we used to make the shelves and it was a bugger to make them fit. Don't look too close, there is putty in there where the joints weren't close enough and actually I am waiting for it to dry as I type this.

I had to go and find something to do. I will keep poking at it as I wait impatiently for it to dry. That is why I am finally getting this post written. I needed something to keep me busy for at least an hour while the filler dries. I may add pictures after I get it painted. Now, it's been long enough, I'm off to sand and then paint- I mean sand, prime and then paint.

UPDATE:

Primed and Painted!

Til next time,

Beth

One Very Hungry Dog

Can I please have that cookie???

Please, please please?

She didn't get it. I would NEVER give up a chocolate chip cookie!

More remodeling to come soon, we've hung the bead board and built the cupboards. Hopefully, we will hang them tomorrow.

Til next time,

Beth