No News is Good News

Oh no.  I haven't posted in almost a week.  I swore to myself I wouldn't let a week go by without saying SOMETHING.  Let me fill you in on the gory details of the last 6 days...

- George suddenly has 8 teeth instead of 6 - he only gets them 2 (or 4) at a time, poor guy...
- Holiday pictures of the boys complete
- Packers are 12-0
- The Gardner baby store is officially closed for business, poor Steve...

But while 2 of my 4 boys were in pain and suffering, I was officially able to break ground on my big, super exciting first DIY project.  I'm calling it "Project Winter"...cause I'm giving myself a whole season to git 'r done.

It's...the kitchen.

What a color combo

Lots of space

OK, these colors have to go

Love the storage

I don't love anything else

That was a little tour in one doorway to the kitchen and out the other.

Did you feel like you were in a rainbow?  Maybe thought - hey, blue and gold...go Vikes go!  (lame shout out to my high school)  Or did you say to yourself, "How has she lived with that for the last 8 years?"  That's my question exactly.

My plan is to paint the walls white and the cabinets dark grey.  Change out the hardware for a little sparkle.  And see what I can come up with to replace that awful tile countertop.  It's gotta be cheap.  Like, close to free.  Oh, and I want an undermount sink and gooseneck faucet to come with it....at least I have months to figure that part out.

As for officially breaking ground, here's the before and after.

adios goldie

hello primer!

I'm lovin' it!

Snow

Oh yes.  I said it.  Snow.

After the fight to get the kids to school with heads covered and hands protected, it started coming down mid-morning.  I'm a summer, beach, sunshine, bring-on-the-hot kind of girl.  Perfect for Canada.  So my gut reaction was...umm...less than excited.

Of course, until I remembered, it's George's first snowfall.

Here's how it went:

What is...

...that!?

(Not my favorite)

He loved it.  So I got over it.  And then it all melted.  :)

Here are some other shots of George today...because I can't resist.

ma ma ma ma ma ma

Ah-Choo!

G

Love me some George.  And a good sale on a beach getaway in February...

Signs the Renovation is Over

For years, I've been wanting to replace our storm doors.  We have one on our front door and one on our back door.  They came with the house when we bought it - both old, loud and impossible to clean.  They had seen better days.  But since we planned to undergo a major dirty, dusty renovation with lots of big guys wearing big boots coming and going through our doors, we decided to wait until the project was done.

When I came home from our Thanksgiving trip, I saw this.

OMG!

I don't have a before picture of the storm door closed.  So you can't get the full "yuck" effect.  But trust me.  It was yuck.

Instead, I have other before and after pictures you've seen in my previous post on the mudroom.  Here are some comparisons:

Before: From the inside

Yuck: bar in the middle of the glass, always visible screen, big bottom panel...

After: let there be light

...now there's so much light streaming in, the flash on my camera wouldn't go off.  The slide away screen is magic and the lower panel is gone.

Before: from the outside

Yuck: hate that handle and oh, where's the closer?  It fell off at the peak of subcontractor traffic.  Nice.

After: I can use my foot?

Heavy duty handle (that has it's own lock) and a handsfree closer.

Can I be a little bit in love with a door?

Yes, that is unpainted trim at the top...which will probably stay that way until Spring when the temps go back up.  But that's ok.  I'm still in love.

Credit: This post wouldn't have happened without my amazing step-father-in-law's hard work and DIY skills.  Thank you soooo much.  Your case of beer is waiting for you in our front hall.

Home Sweet Home

Phew!  Two weeks on the road with three little boys sure makes for lots of work.  But it was all worth it.  Spending Thanksgiving with family is the best.  Here's a little snapshot of the weeks in review...

The highlight of the holiday was definitely Ithaca.  But before we left Naperville, there was one other little highlight.  Nothing like some free babysitting while the moms get away to play...

Thanks Mimi & Bubba

...at Soldier Field!

Not real Bears fans

As hard as it was to fake cheering for my most hated NFL team, it was fun.  The freezing cold, the crazy drunks and the NFL atmosphere is hard to dislike when you're from the midwest.

Once we thawed out from the game and packed everything we own in our cars, we woke up at 5am the next morning and headed out on our 10 hour drive to Ithaca, NY.

 

Happy Henry

Sick Jake

But the trip got even longer when Jake announced he felt sick about 1/2 hour into the drive.  Poor guy had motion sickness and couldn't shake it.  Thank God for Ziplocs and a 5 1/2 year old that has good aim.

Fast forward through the fun and finally it was Thanksgiving!

My placecard from Jake

Henry, Dad, Jake & George

Stop taking pictures

Even George got into the meal...with cheerios on the side.

Do I like green beans?

I'll eat you, too

After we ate as much turkey, wine, mashed potatoes, yams, wine, cranberries, corn, beans, wine, stuffing, gravy and wine as we could, we heard a knock at the door.

What the?

My latest behavior tool.

Santa's Spy

Jake: "You better tell him I'm good."

Meet Jolly.  He's our man.

Wow, these kids are crazy

If he can't help me, no one can.

Please help me.

A few last pictures before we left....

Silly Henry

Silly Uncle Joe

Cutest nephew ever

This year's Thanksgiving was so much fun, only 360 sleeps until next year's.  Can't wait.

Fireplace Perfection

Since we're on the road, in the middle of a two-week Thanksgiving tour of the family, I haven't been home working on or dreaming of any new projects.  But I did find something to love at my brother's house...his brand new fireplace.

Before

AFTER!!!

I love it.  It's gorgeous.  And warm.  And remote controlled. 

When we decided to remove our mantle (and fake wrought iron panel insert) last summer, I was happy to see it go.  Since it wasn't part of the original construction, it didn't go with the rest of the house.  And because it didn't work, it lacked function.

But now I miss the focal point.  And the pictures, candles and Christmas decorations that went with it. 

Steve likes the new fireplace, too.  Enough to think about putting a fireplace and mantle back in the living room.  Well, enough to say "maybe" when I asked if we might put one back in.  That's enough for me!

On the Road

The dual citizens hopped a ride south of the border a week early to celebrate an extended Thanksgiving holiday.

I love roadtrips!

Wait, all smiles at 6am?  We must be heading to....Uncle Joe's house!

My brother and his wife are the bestest hosts ever.  Not to mention, their son is the cutest.  Ever.  He even goes along with our crazy photo op ideas.

3x Gardner + Wysocki = Super Fun

What else would you use a laundry basket for?

With any luck, I'll post a shot of a gorgeous new fireplace soon.  Not mine.  But one I'll be drooling over, I'm sure!!!

Kid fix

Thanksgiving is coming up.  I'm so bad at sending pictures of my kids to my family, I'm posting these shots so they know who we are when we show up at their door.

mini-me, jokester and get-me-outta-here

I have a picture of Jake and Henry with this same pose.  Can't let George down.

teeth!

Remember us?  Let's party!!