as i type this… (woo hoo!!!)

As I type this, the last cabinet has been re-installed in my kitchen, and the countertops are going back on next. And there are workmen in my basement installing sheetrock, painting and re-installing the light fixture.  While I'm not sure when the appliances or sink will be re-installed, I am just thrilled we are getting there. This whole thing has not been nearly as bad or as hard as I had feared. And after all of the fretting over it, we have decided not to re-do the countertops and we are instead pushing forward with several other projects that we would like to get done instead. One such project is to refinish the wall in our entry that is covered with thinly cut rectangles of mdf that have been nailed to the wall, textured and then painted, all in a failed effort to look like bricks. I hated it. So this morning I took a hammer and ripped each and every fake brick off of the wall in preparation for Craig's plan to re-do a bunch of sheetrock there and on the north wall facing it.

Here it is after I pulled the first few "bricks" off on the lower right side.

And only 15 minutes later, here is the end result. Anything is better than that hideous fake brick.

 

The plan for this weekend is to take the kids and vacate to my Mom's so my husband can tile the floor in the laundry room. Woo hoo! I can hardly wait!

more kitchen fun

So, it turned out they had to rip out the other half of my kitchen in order to complete the job. So for over a week now I have been without a stove, dishwasher, counters and a sink. At least the fridge is still in there.

Here is where the sink used to be...

And the stove...

All of my cabinets are stacked in the dining room, and all of the food and dishes from the cupboards and such has been shoved onto the dining table.

Everything seems to be stacked on top of something else. It's beyond messy.

My beloved dishwasher. Oh how I miss it.

 

As for meals, our insurance has said they will reimburse us for any meals eaten at restaurants since we are left with no real way to prepare much, but I can only handle so much fast food without getting totally ill. Seriously, how do people live like that?

 We are supposed to have everything done by about Friday, but I am thinking it may be a little longer than that with the way things seem to be moving. Craig and I are toying with possibly re-doing one or two parts of the kitchen since we are already at bare bones right now anyways, but I'm not sure just yet what we will do if anything. New countertops are a possibility since a bar counter would be beyond ideal for us, and we might add one or two more cabinets or reconfigure the current layout, or maybe we will just put it all back the same way it was and call it good. I don't know right now. As nice as the cabinets are they are not my style, but as much as I would love new cabinets it's not in the budget, so if we get new countertops it will be laminate since solid surface is way more than I want to spend to fit cabinets I would really love to change out anyways. I know, I'm not making much sense, but we are just trying to make the kitchen as functional for us as possible without spending insane amounts of money on it right now. We are already ripping all carpeting out of the main living areas and replacing it with hardwood-look-alike flooring so that we can stop worrying about the many spills and such that come with having children. I want to be able to mop up messes and spills with my Swiffer instead of having to lug out the carpet steamer. So this is where we are at. Some days are better than others and I am getting tired of living in a mess I can't do anything about, but overall this has all happened at the best possible time and I am grateful the insurance has covered all of it. It has been more than a month since they first started on this project, but we are in the homestretch and I am excited to get my kitchen back, however it ends up, and I'm looking forward to being able to prepare meals that don't involve only using the microwave or a drive up window.

chocolate zucchini cake recipe

I had several requests for this recipe, and since now is the best time for tasty zucchini recipes to be put to good use, well here you go! I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

*note*-After making this cake again after I had already posted this recipe, I would now advise you to skip the chocolate chips and head straight for the chocolate frosting. You''ll thank me later. Believe me. It's the only way to go with this cake.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake 

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups Sugar
1 tsp.vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded zucchini (unpeeled), drained
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)
1 (12 oz.) bag chocolate chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350* F. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add in eggs one at a time until well blended. Mix in the vanilla, applesauce, and buttermilk. Sift together flour, baking soda, powder, salt, and cocoa. Add to the butter mixture. Stir the dry ingredients gently but thoroughly into wet ingredients. Stir in zucchini until well blended. Spread batter into a 9? x 13? greased pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-35 minutes. Five minutes before the cake is done, evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over top of cake. Return to oven. When done, remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Let cool in pan on wire rack. Store any remaining cake in fridge.

*note*- like I said above, I recommend skipping the chocolate chips and nut as a topping and instead top baked and cooled cake with chocolate frosting. Seriously, it's beyond delicious!

really? really...

Yesterday was the “Battle of the Bands” at the High School with four bands slated to play, and Dylan's (Thames St.) was one of them. The winner would go on to the big event to compete against all of the other bands chosen across the state. Of the four bands, Thames St., B.A.H., 30 Below and ‘no name’, Thames St. and B.A.H. were the two heavy favorites, each with fiercely loyal fans, and some similar music stylings (Thames St. and B.A.H. are all friends).

Each band took the stage, with Thames St. and B.A.H. each whipping the crowd into a frenzy during their set, garnering standing ovations after each song from the entire audience. The other two bands also sounded good, but the crowds reaction was noticelably subdued, and no standing ovations. The judges were given until today to decide, with 12 students on the panel, and one teacher as the tie breaker and given the final word as to the winner. As it turned out, the 12 students vote was split, right down the middle, 50/50, with 6 votes for Thames St., and 6 for B.A.H. So the teacher steps in to give her vote, and decides that since it’s a tie, well, neither of those bands win, the other band ‘30 Below’ with zero votes is the winner. Umm…..WHAT ?!?!?!?!?

When it was announced in school today, most thought it was a mistake, they’re kidding right? No, they weren’t kidding, that was the decision, neither of the two favorite bands that had tied to win were advancing to the final round. So, Dylan's band will just have to keep on playing, and practicing, and maybe they will decide to do this again next year. Although, if this is the way they handle the voting and judging, maybe not. If they were going to just have one single teacher make the ultimate decision, why even have  a panel of 12 student judges vote?

exploring and discovering

These are my favorite pants on Finn, he looks so cute in them. I have another pair I made with a fun skull and crossbones print, lined in a red striped flannel for even more “Arrrrr Matey!” factor. And while I think they’re cute, fun and “piratey” on him, these are still my first pick to dress him in. Either way though, nothing says “snuggle me” like soft, flannel lined pants during the cold weather.

I took this pic a little over a month ago, before Finley was overly mobile. Nowadays, Finn is crawling everywhere, and into whatever he can find. He is picking up anything and everything, and putting it directly into his mouth, giving me more than one moment of panic as I try to fish one choking hazzard after another out of his mouth. Man his teeth are sharp! And I think my vacuum needs replacing since I use it everyday, and still, Finley manages to find something “tasty” to snack on when my back is turned. Finn has also decided the kitchen floor is his new favorite hangout, spending his mornings exploring every corner in there, and quite content with his independence. I think he likes it because he can now get in to where everyone else always seems to be. Crawling has given him a happy freedom he has been longing for. I think as soon as he can walk, I will only ever see the back of his head as he runs from one thing to the next.

Not Much of a Hallmark Moment

I am not a “card” kind of person. I hate trying to pick one out at the store, and feel dumb trying to think of the right thing to inscribe on the inside. I can’t do it. I think I’m missing some crucial “card giving” gene, it just isn’t something I do well at all. I worry and fret far too much about the card, and what it says, and how the recipient might interpret it, and then just end up with a headache over some silly little old card. Now my sister-in-law, she makes  her own cards, all by hand. They are beautifully hand crafted, all individually made with loving care, with hand written sentiments inside, each one a miniature work of art to be saved and treasured long after the special occasion has passed. And not just a handmade card every once in a great while, but one for each of us for every birthday and anniversary, every year. And believe me, these cards are not made to take up the extra time she has, because she is swamped  with her family, and school, and work….I still have no idea how she does it, but believe me, I am in total awe of her talents. (love you Debi!)

   And then there is me. I just spent a good hour the other day, standing in a daze in front of the huge  card section the other day, trying to find a nice card for my dear friend’s birthday. I finally found one that was good enough, but frankly, not amazing, but I bought it anyways. Then I proceeded to attempt the even more difficult task of trying to think of the best message to write on the inside. So I start, get a third of the way into it, and screw it up. So of course now I feel like crying because I had spent all that time picking out the dumb card, and then went and made a total mess out of it. So I cut off the bottom part of the card, and instead wrote a brief, and somewhat halting sentiment on the back of the what would normally have been the front of the card, stuffed it into it’s envelope, and gave it to her with the gift I had for her as well. She’s still speaking to me, so it must have been ok, but I still managed to waste more time than was necessary agonizing over that dopey card all the same. There has to be an easier way. Not that I have any idea what it might be…

Finley

Haven decided Finn made the perfect doll for her stroller, and buckled him in. She pushed him all over the house, much to his absolute and total delight, he loved it! If she stopped for any length of time, he let her know it was time to get moving again, and off they went. He laughed, giggled, smiled and squealed the whole way, Finley thought there was nothing so fun as this!

   The girls think of him as a living doll, and Finn is usually very happy to oblige them, playing along with their little maternal instincts, and subjected to a lot of fawning and extra attention. He loves all of the fun of being the baby, and is happiest when he is in the middle of all of the chaos. Which is a very good thing since there tends to be a lot of chaos on most days.

   Today, Finley is 9 months old, and still the happiest, most easy going baby. Finn always has a smile at the ready for anyone, and lots of giggles not far behind. He is in constant motion, his little body begging to be able to run right along with the other children, and it’s his biggest frustration that he can’t just yet. His especially sweet, happy and animated demeanor is enjoyed by all of us, and he is often fought over as everyone loves to make him laugh. I can hardly get enough of his baby giggles myself, they are so precious, and make me laugh right along with him. We love our Finley.