Monday, February 25, 2008

Kitchen and Update

We got an official update today from Gladney about Baby A. We were told that he is the only baby they have ever known who can come across as polite. He's laid-back and, even when he's having a bad day, it's easy to get a crooked smile out of him.

We also got our memory card in the mail today from the Breedloves with dozens of pictures. I was amazed at his range of facial expressions. It was quite a glimpse into his personality. My favorite photo probably is one where he's screaming. Amy told me that he'd been perfectly happy until she had to put him down, and then the yelling commenced, so like any good friend would do, she snapped his photo.

This baby in particular does nothing but get cuter as these long weeks go by.
*
This is what our kitchen looked like when we bought the house. It was functional, but we weren't crazy about the linoleum floors, the funky countertops, the bright red cabinets (which I wouldn't have minded so much if the kitchen wasn't so small--as is, it made me feel like I was drowning in red), and what we disliked most was this corner:
This odd corner is probably a result of fridges being built shorter than the monster-ones we use today. That's our best guess. It became a rite of passage among our friends to violently curse our kitchen as each one hit their heads on this god-awful corner. The first time I did it was one of the few times in my life I have let out the mother of all cuss-words. I was seeing stars, people. That corner was evil.

So back before Thanksgiving, we decided to do something about that corner. By December, the kitchen looked like this:We had holes in the floor and everything!

After ripping out walls, making thousands of tiny decisions, agonizing over what materials to use, having the granite counter-top break in two pieces last week (that was fun), and numerous screw-ups by hardware stores, we're almost finished. We still need to put in a back-splash and the glass for the cabinet doors and get a refrigerator that fits the hole built for it, and there's the last granite slab to install for the pass-through, but here's what the kitchen looks like today:
Ted installed the floors, did most of the plumbing and all of the electrical work himself. He even installed "hidden" speakers that are connected wirelessly to our office computer, which impresses our friends for sure.
Here's an example of what his mood lighting is like.

The cats liked playing in the upper cabinets above the stove.

It's so nice to having a fully functioning kitchen again. We even kicked the cats out of the cabinets eventually.

Lastly, did I cry during the Oscars last night? Not a ton, though I did get a lump in my throat a couple of times. I yelled at the screen when Marketa Irglova got cut off, but John Stewart made it all better by bringing her out and giving her the moment back. She's a dear. So is he.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for posting the kitchen remodel pics. it really looks beautiful, love the lighting above the cabinets. very impressive job by ted.

and how fun to get the memory card. love that she snapped a pic of him screaming.

march 4 is just round the corner!
: )

Melissa said...

Wow! I mean WOW!!! Seriously!! The kitchen is looking gorgeous. A dream kitchen for sure. Love the pic of the cats playing in the cupboards. Cats just being cats....all Three of them at once!
If my birthday is almost here then that means that March 4th is REALLY almost here! I'm biting my nails in anticipation for you. That will be my job okay!? :)

Jana said...

I'm so glad Jon brought Marketa back out--esp. since it was best acceptance speech of the evening.

that kitchen ROCKS! wow. Ted is talented!!!!

Praying...

The Soucys said...

Your kitchen looks beautiful! I love the granite and the wood cabinets. He did a fabulous job!

Shelly Roberts said...

Great update guys!!! One more week for an update ... PRAYING for you guys!! Much love, ~Shelly

graceling said...

Wow Lori! That looks great! Ted did an amazing job.

I guess baby A takes after his daddy in his range of facial expressions:)

Stacie said...

OOOH FANCY! I love the mood lighting! And, the pot rack - I think I need to steal that. Where did you get it?

Love hearing about Baby A. Sweet boy!

And, I loved that Jon Stewart brought her back out - I was so happy!

And, finally - have you seen the movie Hot Rod? It's kind of dumb, but in one scene there's a guy wearing a wolf tshirt. Of course, I thought of Ted and his amazingly cool wolf shirt. :)

Mollie said...

*Kitchen looks fabulous GO TED!

*Love the cats in the cabinets.. my regularly sleep on TOP of the cabinets, in the little space b/t the ceiling

*Falling Slowly is now my myspace profile song.. LOVED their performance!!

*Hello... we want to seeeeee the new baby Abe pictures!!! =)

Love you guys
Mollie

mama becca said...

I'm jealous of the kitchen... LOVE it. Great job Ted! Isn't it nice to have a husband who can basically rebuild your house? Not bad. Glad you got an update. We did too and it's helping me get through this wait.
take care-
becca

Anonymous said...

Phew, I was worried for a second at first I thought your before picture might be the finished product and I was trying to think of something graceful to say. So glad! Lovely kitchen and cat play yard. Glad for the baby A update too.

Pattie

Farmboy and Buttercup said...

Wow! A polite one? That would be awesome, as NO ONE would say our bio kids are naturally polite. Maybe it would rub off. I am totally a cat lover of 2 cats, even with our yellow lab following me around, well, like a puppy dog, all day. Maybe the cats need there own special cabinet?

Sharon

Tara said...

Ummm, NICE KITCHEN! I didn't think it looked that bad in the before pics, but now it is gorgeous! I would love to do some major demo in our house, but for now I shall just live vicariously through yours. :)

Angie said...

I love your new kitchen! Especially with the lovely moodness you got goin on. We can't wait to hear more good news about polite lil A. :)

Drew Carey Show said...

It's official. There is, in fact, no end to Ted's talents.

The kitchen looks fandango! And I'm so glad you got a lot of new beauty shots of Abenezer. Sounds like he's a nice little Southern boy, just like his mamma.

The Ravenstahls said...

Wow! I love that other people get such enjoyment out of remodeling their home:) It is one of our favorite ways to pass the time!
We just found out tha they changed the law to two years of mariage required before adoption, so we have almost a whole year to go befoer we can apply... guess my kitchen, living and bathrooms are in for a total makeover!!
I love your blog by the way... we have been reading you guys for months.

Amy said...

yo soy jealous of your la cocina.

I love it.