Giving Thanks with a grateful heart...

It has been over a month since our last post.  There is good reason for this but I won't delve into it.  The last 60 days have been challenging at best.  For those closest to us they know a portion of what our last two months has included.  For those (if any) who are reading for the first time and don't really know us, I am not at liberty to fully disclose at this time.  Just trust me when I say it has been eventful.

As this holiday draws near I have been pondering what new meaning it will hold for us this year.  I have seen many on Facebook post something each day they are thankful for.  While I considered it, I have chosen to make my Thanksgiving thoughts to myself until now.  That is certainly not to say that I am not thankful for anything.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I guess the challenging last two months have been teaching me that I should always be grateful and thankful not just when our society chooses to focus on it.  Though, I must admit, thankfulness cannot truly be understood apart from the Gospel.  I will get into that in a moment.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the goal of my blog is first and foremost to provide a Godly legacy of wisdom we have gained on our faith walk for our children.  It has been my hope that they would glean knowledge from our experiences.  In doing so, I want our lives to glorify our Creator and serve as a testimony to his unfailing love, mercy and grace.  The world around us is busy at work eliminating God from their lives in many facets.  It is my hope that we can do just the opposite with our children.

The last two months have sent us on quite an emotional and spiritual roller coaster.  It has caused me at many points to question my own faith.  Don't misunderstand me, I am not questioning God, merely questioning the strength of my belief in Him.  These events have taken me to some of the darkest places I have ever been.  I, like many, have the head knowledge of scripture and have full belief in the sufficiency of the Word of God.  Putting that into practice, well, therein lies my challenge.  Like many, applying the principles of God's word can be difficult; putting faith to my feet.  Before anyone begins to recommend a laundry list of books I "need" to read, let me save you the effort.  The only book that can help me with this is the Holy Bible.  It needs no companion and needs no dumbing down.  It is complete all by itself (not to say a commentary can't be useful).

In my time over the last month or so of spending time reading and praying, I have done some pretty dumb things.  I have been bold (or rather foolish) enough to ask God, "Why?"  I have questioned his perfect and sovereign will.  I have argued that I don't deserve what is happening...sound familiar?  I have often bemoaned our current circumstance and tried to rationalize how we are the "victim" in this. Truthfully, nothing could be further from the truth.  We signed up for this; we invited our current circumstance in a way by choosing to become Foster Parents.  No one held a gun to our head to do this.  It was not a requirement by anyone other than us.  We freely chose this path.  Did we choose the twist it has taken, absolutely not!  It has brought me to the question..."Is God still in control?"  The answer, "YES!"  He is in control and while I don't believe he caused this to happen, he knew it would.  He also had a plan already put together to handle it.  While we still await the results of His plan, we have to trust scripture when it tells us that he will work all things together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.  He is most concerned with bringing glory to himself, as he should be.  All of this will be for our ultimate good (though admittedly I can't see how just yet).

In college I, like many, worked through the Biblestudy Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby.  I don't remember everything from it but I do remember the part where he addresses the Crisis of Belief.  I don't recall all of the context of this study point but I can't see how it would be any more appropriate than right now.  This experience has brought me specifically to a Crisis of Belief.  Do I believe God or not?  Do I believe that He is who He says He is or not?  Will I walk by faith and not by sight or backslide?  Will I allow the darts of despair to penetrate my knowledge of God's word or will I arm myself with the helmet of Salvation to protect my mind and the belt of truth to hold together the breastplate of righteousness, the feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and the sword of the Spirit.  We do not battle CPS, though it may seem that way.  We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers, principalities and the rulers of darkness of this world.  What is at work here is clearly deeper than the physical world.  It is this reason that I will tie in the title of the post.

How does this have anything to do with giving thanks with a grateful heart?  Let's start with the obvious.  I am so thankful that we have our girls back in our home and that we have all 5 of our children under one roof.  That was a gift.  God moved the judges heart in our favor with compassion.  I am thankful I have a loving wife who can walk through this with me.  I couldn't handle this alone.  I am thankful for all of our children and that God has shown me a glimpse of their worth.  I am thankful most of all for God and his Word.  His word is filled with words of truth and the promise of his Glory and Sovereignty for those that believe in Him.  I am not talking about health, wealth and happiness...to my knowledge those scriptures don't exist.  I am talking about that though we may go through persecution on this earth for His sake, it is nothing in comparison to the fact that he gave His Son for us.  Here I have been worried about losing two of our children and having our name tarnished for the rest of our lives.  That pales in comparison to a God who chose to give up His only begotten Son for those who believe.  He had no sin, he didn't break any rules.  He was here about the Father's business and for that reason he was despised and rejected by men.  He was hung on a cross to die and serve as the ultimate sacrifice for sin.  Without that, there would truly be no hope for any of us as none of us is righteous enough to stand before God as judge without Christ having paid the penalty for our sin.  He is the way, the truth & the life; No one comes to the Father but through the Son.  While our current circumstance seems hopeless at times, when compared to eternity, it really is of small significance.  Understand, it is still extremely serious, but it has no bearing on our eternity.  It is so easy to forget to view this with eternal perspective.

I don't know how all of this will pan out.  That can be extremely frightening for a control freak like myself.  But I pray it can be cleared up fairly quickly so as to avoid the pain of the next step should it not go well.  I can't guarantee we won't need to walk through fire just to keep our family together.  Compared to the suffering of Christ, it seems pretty insignificant.  I just pray God can give us the eternal, panoramic, bird's eye view instead of of the cropped, high definition, untouched up view.  I pray God will enable us to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise...no matter the outcome.

Grace and [continuing to pray for] peace, Soli deo Gloria.

Food, glorious food; who knows what it taste like?

Forgive the borrowed line from Oliver.  So we are on Day 4 of our quest to eat more on the healthy side.  So far this week we have had...Sausage & Kale Rigatoni (Weight Watchers Recipe).  OK, so admittedly pasta wasn't the healthiest choice.  But Sunday, I think I would have eaten a cow...whole, with the skin and bones.  So I was not being picky.  Last night we had homemade Fettucini Alfredo (again, not exactly low fat) but it was made from scratch.  Delicious!!!   It had Chicken and Broccoli in it.  Tonight we had a fabulous, made-from-scratch pizza.  Instead of pizza sauce I used garlic butter.  On top of that I layered spinach, tomato slices, yellow sweet peppers, onions, a little bit of feta and little bit of mozzarella all on a whole wheat crust homemade crust.  WOW...It hit the spot but without that heavy, artery clogging feeling I get from Papa John's.  And the best part, no acid reflux!!  We also had a spinach salad with all kinds of healthy veggies in it.

I am still not quite at the feeling better moment, but I am hopeful that will come.  We are also still juicing.  I have grown accustomed to the flavors.  It is amazing how different real juice tastes compared to processed juice.  It is definitely different, that is an understatement.  I think I am ready to branch out and start creating my own flavors mixing fruits and veggies.  In all of this, I have come realize that cucumbers are not as bad as I thought and beets are better when they are peeled otherwise they taste like dirt.

I have been doing some reading on juices as well, I am learning all kinds of interesting facts.  My body is toxin filled.  It is amazing that after almost 35 years of not eating well I have gotten my body in the shape it is in.  But I must also say that I am really enjoying experimenting with new foods and flavors.  The pizza tonight was definitely an experiment but it was worth it as it turned out well.

So we plunge ahead, one day and one meal at a time.

Day 2 - Slight change in game plan

I can't do this for 10 days...This morning's juice was good.  It was grapes, blackberries, apples, & ginger.  It actually was not bad at all.  The ginger was a little strong but other than that I would do it again.

Lauren and I both realized, we can't function doing this...she has to teach our children and I have to work and be able to think.  We have been zombies for the last two days.  So we have struck a compromise.  We will continue to juice some but not all meals.  The rest we will focus on eating whole foods (not processed) focusing mostly on fruits and vegetables as well as portion control.  Our snacks will either be fresh juice or raw fruits and vegetables.  We are going to eliminate junk from our grocery trip.  We will do as the French do and shop the perimeter of the store rather than the middle.  :)   For those that haven't quite gotten what that means let me spell it out.  The perimeter of the grocery store, while it does have some processed foods is predominately the whole foods; your produce, some dairy, meats, etc.  Mind you it is not 100% fool proof but it is a way for us to try to eat healthier.

I am not completely swearing off juicing, just modifying it.  So all the produce we purchased will not go to waste.  I will say this...even with only two days juicing, my taste buds have been craving honest to goodness food not junk.  So that is good.

Going to do one more juice today and then a sensible dinner...:)  Praise GOD for food!!!

Day 1 - I think I'm gonna be sick!!!

Day 1...are we done yet?  The breakfast juice was actually not bad.  6 carrots and 6 apples (though after the fact we realized we were only supposed to do 4).  It was sweet and fairly palatable.  However, this makes a ton of juice and while the directions are not clear, I think we are to finish each meal.  That meant that we had 3 tumblerfuls of this stuff.  I feel like I'm gonna be sick!!!

The next juice "Mean green" was not particularly good.  Lauren didn't mind it.  I stopped with 1 and a half tumblerfuls.  I couldn't gag anymore down.  It consisted of cucumber, kale, apple, celery, lemon and ginger.  Not my favorite, by any means!!

Third, this one takes the cake for today...I took one sip and thought I was going to vomit on the spot.  I skipped that one.  It was a Gazpacho Juice...that did me in.  I couldn't handle that one.  I don't like gazpacho anyway.  The onion is what threw me over the edge.  Who in their right mind would juice an onion?!?  It was revolting.

So now we are on juice # 4 for the day.  Lauren just dry heaved...not feeling good about this.  What have we done???  I feel terrible.  I know this is all part of the deal.  The first three days are the toughest.  I have a headache, I am tired, I want nothing more than a plain grilled chicken breast, no sauce, no butter, nothing...just pure MEAT!!  I hope I can survive 10 days of this.  The detox process is horrible.  But, again, I did this to myself.  Through my poor eating habits, I have loaded my body with toxins.

Honestly, though, I really want to quit, already.  But we have invested a chunk of change in this (the produce).  So I need to do this.

Lauren is experiencing fluish symptoms (which is part of the normal detox process).  This is awful!!  The smell alone of the juicing process is nauseating.

So bottoms up on the last juice of the day, we skipped one because we got a late start.  I hope tomorrow is better.  I don't know that I can survive another day like today.

Oh boy...here we go

It has been a while since our last post.  We have had a lot going on.  I will blog about that later.  I blog tonight to announce a challenge my wife and I are going to embark on.  Amidst the chaos that has become our life these days, we are going to try a juice cleanse.

If you haven't seen the movie "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" you need to.  I won't give the plot away but in a nutshell it is a documentary about a man who, for health reasons, takes a 60 day juice fast challenge.  Right now, I can't see past 10 days on something like this so that is where we are going to start.  First, let me say, I am NOT looking forward to this.  I am a total junk food junkie, however I am tired of being fatigued, having acid reflux, and overall feeling like garbage.  I have 5 little ones that I want to see grow up, marry and have children.  I have tried other diets to lose weight, which were all very effective except that I went back to old eating habits upon attaining the desired weight.  Something tells me I have been barking up the wrong tree as I am back at the weight I began...again.  So I will be honest and say I am right at 230 lbs.  While that may sound like a lot, let me also add that I am 6'5" so 230 lbs doesn't look necessarily heavyon me.  Really my weight is not my biggest concern.  The habits I am forming now at almost 35 years old are setting me up for a lifetime of health problems.  My family has had cancer, diabetes, glaucoma, heart disease, prostate problems, gallbladder issues and strokes in its history (though I have not had any of the aforementioned ailments).  I personally have struggled with depression, chronic fatigue, anxiety, acid reflux, acne, sinus issues & food allergies just to name a few which I believe stem from poor nutrition among other things.  I have never taken my health seriously.

How sad is it to admit that I have held an immortality complex never believing that a) my poor habits would catch up to me & b) that I would ever have to worry about my health.  While we begin this 10 day challenge...I do not go gently into that good night.  I can only think about pizza, Taco Bell, burgers, fries, junk food...anything but fruits and vegetables.  But I have to ask myself, what will it take for me to change my pattern?  Will it take me having a heart attack at 40?  Will it take me being faced with cancer?  Truth be told, I am dreading this with every fiber of my being.  Even tonight, I have to have one last snack of Pringles potato chips just to feel that familiar grease film in my mouth and the all too common heartburn.  My family struggles with obesity and have for several generations.  One of my biggest fears, I am ashamed to admit, has been that I would become obese.  While it is a touch of vanity that drives me, it is also an honest realization that if my body is a temple...why am I taking a wrecking ball to it on a daily basis?!?

While my physical appearance is important to me, admittedly it has been for the wrong reason.  But I have to say, I am tired of clothes being tight and feeling my stomach bulge when I sit or lean over.  I am tired of getting to a point where I can't bend down and tie my shoes without grunting.  Laugh if you must, Lord knows I have.  I don't want to be winded from just walking up the stairs in my own house.  I can't play outside with the children as I get fatigued too easily.  While I don't look it, I feel bloated most of the time and very lethargic.  Enough is enough.  I realize that changing my eating is only part of the battle.  This is very much a spiritual issue as well.  Some may scoff, but it is true.  So along with this food challenge, I am also going to make it a spiritual challenge as well as a physical challenge.  I say 10 days but in reality that is because I can't quite bring myself to say 30 days.  The juice portion will start with 10 days, but the rest will be a 30 day challenge.  So here we go...Day 1 starts tomorrow.  (today was payday and I need to go to the grocery store... :) )  We've borrowed a juicer and are ready to roar.

I will catalog this journey...mainly as a form of accountability, though I realize no one may read this, it still requires me to track this journey.  Being the consummate historian, I want my children to glean some wisdom from my experience.

I will take my measurements tomorrow and include them in day 1's post.  I am sure Lauren doesn't want me to include hers.  We will also take pictures along this journey.  Did I mention I was dreading this...this was really my wife's idea.  Lord, give us strength and change our hearts to truly see our bodies as a temple of the Living God and treat them as such...

It's taking shape...

It has been over a month since my last post on the kitchen project.  But don't for a moment think we haven't been working like mad!!  It has actually been rather enjoyable, believe it or not.  The project that was supposed to only add a pantry and take three months, has grown to a 70% demo of the entire kitchen and remodel.  But we are excited to see it finally taking shape.  There is still quite a bit to do so we are extending the completion date of this project till the end of the year...Lord willing, we will make it.

I must say the project has challenged me much more than I ever imagined.  I have learned how to frame a pantry, hang doors, build cabinets, install wood ceiling, install canned lighting (although I have actually done that before); hang beadboard molding and lay tile with accent pieces.  I have laid tile before but not with an accent piece.

Well the last post showed the pantry done and the flooring done.  Now for some more progress pictures... (cue drum roll)

Just to remind you of what we started with here are a couple of before shots.

The old breakfast room.  

Of course, the refrigerator was pushed back all the way.  We pulled it out to begin the demo.  The four doors (two top and two bottom) closest to the camera on this was the pantry...not adequate for a family of 7.
  

The very first cabinet (Thanks to Robert Simon for teaching me in an evening how to build cabinets)

The first two cabinets hung...woohoo and dishes put away. 

After getting a quote on retexturing the ceiling, we decided that was a little out of the budget, so we wooded it instead.  Well, actually it is beadboard but it looks like wood plank ceiling.  (truthfully this is what Lauren wanted to begin with.)  

Another shot of the ceiling.  Need to patch the seams.  

Fast forward a few weeks and voila...all kitchen cabinets are hung.  It went much better than I thought.  Still need to put the stiles on and make the doors, so these are just the boxes and shelves right now.  

The pantry again...finished and stocked...need to paint the doors and trim.  

The new and improving kitchen.  :)  Still a ways to go, though.  

Cabinet that will be over writing desk (still need to build) but I got the brilliant idea to build mail slots as well.  That will be a lifesaver.  

Breakfast area, you can sort of see the beadboard.  Need to finish up the trim on top of the beadboard and the trim pieces in the corners.  

The cabinet around the refigerator...yeah that one was a challenge and I had to work with that one as it didn't quite fit the first time.  But fortunately I was able to fix it without taking it apart.  FYI...nothing in this house is square!!!  :)

You can sort of see the skinny cabinet to the left of the refrigerator.  That is going to house the pots and pans (hanging) that are over the refrigerator in the picture.  We are going to put crown at the top so the gap at the top of the cabinets will be covered.

So we have some work still to do.  We need to finish the cabinets with the stiles and doors and then finish installing baseboards and patch all nail holes and then finally paint!!  We are looking to pain the cabinets, top and bottom as well as the trim a linen white.  The cabinets will then have a tea stain glaze applied to them to give them a little character.  We then need to paint the walls as well...still deciding on a color.  Then Lauren will get to add splashes of color in the decor.  Though the project has become the mammoth evolution...we are having fun.  

Just because I love my kiddos I will close with some pictures of them.  I realized, I need to take more pictures of the boys...I don't have any of just them recently.  I enjoy taking pictures of my littles!!!

Christyana

Cyniya

Caitlyn

Corban, Colin & Cyniya

7 years ago...

Today is a special day!  Today we celebrate the 7th anniversary of our first born son.  I remember the day as if it were yesterday.  Hard to believe 7 years have come and gone.

That day was a Thursday.  Lauren and I went to the doctor for her first of 4 weekly checkups...she was 36 weeks pregnant.  At this point, being first time parents, we had already been to labor and delivery twice with false labor.  But, she pressed on.  At the time, we worked in the same office at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.  She, an admin and me a loan processor.  We had a baby shower scheduled that afternoon at work, which Lauren was very excited about.  We were getting a cake from her favorite place...RJ Goodies in Spring, TX.

So we sat in the doctors office and Lauren was having contractions.  The doctor examined her and as he got ready to leave the room, she had a heavy contraction and winced a bit.  The doctor had a concerned look on his face and sat back down and asked, "What just happened?".  She told him she had a contraction and that her back had been sore for several days to which he responded, "I think we will send you to labor and delivery...you're probably in labor."  So we walked across the hospital to labor and delivery.  When we arrived they instructed us to go back to the doctor.  So, confused, we went back, to which Lauren quipped, "If I wasn't in labor before, all this walking will throw me into it."  We got back to the doctor's office and he sat us down to inform us there was, "no room for us in the inn."  Hurricane Katrina had come through two days earlier and the hospital L & D unit was full.  So he sent us to a hospital just down the street.

We arrived and were taken immediately into triage for monitoring.  About 20 minutes later, the nurse came in to tell us that the doctor would be there in about an hour to perform the delivery.  We had elected a C-section (out of our own ignorance).  So needless to say, this came as a bit of a shock.  I went in the room to start making calls to work and family.  And thus began the whirlwind of a day.

Our precious baby boy was born that afternoon around 2:15pm.  The procedure went smoothly and after only about 15 minutes in the operating room, we heard the most beautiful sound...the first cry of our first child.  We both teared up as they introduced us.  They said he was beautiful...my first thought, "are you blind???"  For those that have had children you will agree, that a newborn before cleaning them up is a bit messy and cute isn't quite the word I would use to describe it.  :o)  They moved us to the room, a very nice and large room.  The rest of the day is a blur, but Colin was with us for all but about 20 minutes of the day after the delivery.

We, of course fell in love instantly!!  Lauren's boss and a couple of colleagues brought the baby shower to us.  It was a wonderful day.

So, to my dear oldest son let me say, I am so blessed to have you as my son.  I am so proud of the young man you are becoming and pray God's blessings over you.  I pray that he will tug at your heart, convict you of your sin and open your eyes to your need of Him.  You are such a wonderful role model for your younger sisters and brother.  I love so many things about you.  I love your giving spirit and your compassionate heart.  I pray God will shape you and mold you into a wonderful husband and father one day.  You are a treasure!!!

~Psalm 127:3~

Wanted to include a few pics of that amazing day...

Maternity shot of Lauren

At the hospital

Beautiful baby boy...

Meeting mommy for the first time. 

The next morning

After first night

The day we took him home from the hospital.

about a week old.

1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

5 years

6 years

7 years

Plugging along...

Well we are three weeks into the remodel and the kitchen definitely doesn't look the same.  But we have made some great progress.  The tile flooring has been installed, the pantry shelving has been installed and more importantly the pantry doors have been installed.  Very grateful for a friend who knew how to hang double doors.  I would have been totally lost.  But I continue to learn a lot.  My sweet wife has as well...like when you try to move an outlet that has just been changed out, it is best to make sure the power is off before you touch it...her arm finally stopped twitching.  :o)  Since this was not my first tile installation experience, I thought I needed a challenge...ha ha.  Well, actually my wife decided what she wanted and I was crazy enough to try and tackle it.  Did I mention, I have a desk job as a career...  Though it began with a little bit of a rough start, the overall install went well, much better than I anticipated.  In 15 hours, over five days after work, it was finished.  It took another 5 hours to grout and clean afterward.  Not to bad for a non-professional.  A few pics of our progress...

Our old flooring...pink and grey swirl...not bad just not what we wanted.  

After night 1 of laying tile.  Though we began on a Saturday at 7am...we actually didn't get the first tile laid until about 6 pm...long story.  We went with a neutral tile and an oil rubbed bronze accent insert piece.

While I laid tile, Lauren worked on taping and floating sheetrock.  

Making progress...night 2

Making more progress...night 3

Night 5 after grouting...floor still wet hence the shine.  

View of breakfast area after grouting.  

New pantry with DOORS!!!  Thanks E.J.!!!

Kitchen from the breakfast area showing pantry.  I installed sheetrock over the doors. 

Breakfast area with new tile, and partially installed beadboard on the walls.  

We are making progress, like a herd of turtles.  Haven't done much with this week except get everything in the pantry as my parents are in town.  Still a lot of organizing to do but we are getting there.  I finally hooked up the fridge to the new water line, praise God, no leaks.  We have also had a very kind and generous neighbor come by to teach Lauren how to do a skim texture on the walls.  She is a designer by trade and we have really enjoyed getting to know her through this project.  She has been a total blessing!!!  Thanks, Roxanne!!!  Still have a ways to go...next task, finishing the beadboard and then getting all trim hung; then time to make some cabinets.  Never done that before, but I look forward to learning!! 

Praise God, the project has gone well thus far...

We've opened a can of worms

It has been a few weeks since the last post, I know.  We have been busy...opening a can of worms!!  My wife confidently announced a few weeks ago that our summer project was going to be the kitchen. While we have bounced around possibilities and ideas for a while now, we hadn't really come up with our master plan.  We knew we wanted to build a pantry larger than what we had but that was the extent of our final plan...and so it began.

First, let me show you a few pics of the kitchen prior to remodel.

To give a little history, our house was built in 1982 so the kitchen design is 30 years old.  A previous owner did replace counters and backsplash which are very nice.  So in all of this, our goal was to keep those in tact if at all possible.  We knew our cabinets were not real cabinets in that they are only 3 sided and are attached to the drop down ceiling.  They are also all connected meaning you tear one down, they all come with it.  We knew this going into this project.  

So my wife began by tearing down the block paneling in the breakfast area.  You can see a small portion of the bear sheetrock in the third picture above.  We were expecting to have to put sheetrock behind it but much to our surprise, we didn't need to do that, it was done.  (woohoo!!).  So while I was at work, my wife decided to begin the demolition.  

I came home from work one evening to find that one whole wall of cabinets was gone.  It was then that I knew that she was serious.  The small square hole in the drop down ceiling was so that I could stick my phone in there and take video to make sure there was no wiring or anything we needed to watch for.  Fortunately, all clear!!  So over the course of the next few evenings, I tore down the drop down ceiling while during the day Lauren continued to demo the cabinets...within 48 hours, this is what our kitchen looked like.  

This is a buddy of mine who came to help

Did I also mention that while we were building a pantry, in the mean time, we lost our pantry so our table became our pantry...temporarily.  

Can we say...CHAOS!!!  I realize now that DIY projects are not for the weak at heart.  We have now been living in this mess for two weeks.  We are working hard to get things done.  But once we tore into one soffit, we knew they all needed to come down.  

Fortunately, I talked a buddy of mine into coming to help me last Saturday.  With his help and the help of two of his family members and a 14 hour work day, we were able to make some real progress.  We put in recessed lighting, took out the fluorescent light in the middle of the kitchen, capped a water line where the fridge used to be, capped a gas line where the double ovens turned bookshelf used to be; hung sheetrock, and framed out the new pantry.  After our work day on Saturday, things were looking better.  Mind you, two nights before I was awake for over two hours thinking, "What have we done?!?"  Needless to say, I felt better after all we had accomplished.  

While she spent most of the day watching the little ones, she did jump in a time or two.  

Even Colin got to help a little.  Nailing beadboard as the back wall of the pantry.  

Measuring a piece of sheetrock.  Measure twice, cut...three times?!?  

Coolest tool ever...it beats trying to drill into 30 year old concrete slab to anchor the frame.  This tool packs a punch.  

Much lighter and brighter.  

The recessed lighting really makes a difference!!

The new pantry...in progress.  It is 5 foot wide and goes all the way to the ceiling.  We will be putting french doors on it. 

THe new location for the fridge and a tall broom cabinet.  

All upper cabinets removed.  

The crew...great guys and hard workers!!!

Hanging Sheetrock

So there you have it...Demolition is almost done.  We are tearing up the tile floor and should have it done tomorrow to lay new tile.  Pantry should be shelved tomorrow, braces are already in place; just need to cut the plywood for the shelves.  We are making progress...will the dust every end?!?  I have gotten my first lesson in taping and floating sheetrock...it is definitely an artform, but it is going well.  We have a big work day scheduled tomorrow...hopefully we will get a good portion of the flooring laid tomorrow.  We have one week to clean up all of the dust.  My parents are coming into town and we don't want this disaster awaiting them.  I also promised my dad...no projects while he is here...ha ha.  He doesn't enjoy them as much as I do.  

So after a long week...night-night!!!