Kitchen Reno

I have been meaning to post pictures of our kitchen renovation. Matt did everything himself...with the help of his familial labourers...and we are so happy with the results.  We decided to keep it simple as it really just needed a freshen up.  We kept the same layout to remove the expense associated with having to redo any of the flooring and we went for a simple modern look.

This is how it has looked for the last 10 years.

And this is how it looks today.

The main part of the transformation was the cabinets.  We decided to repaint the existing cabinetry because it was in pretty good and it would save us the expense of replacing it with something that was going to be pretty similar anyway.

Matt got lots of practice at spray painting.

The cabinet doors all came off as did the countertops. 

Not surprisingly Matt and the kids preferred the no-door style of kitchen. Me...not so much.

After the doors were done we had to spray the actual cabinets that were still attached to the walls.

We picked out some granite to replace the existing laminate countertops. That is the only thing we got a professional to install.

And then the wall painting started. That was my job.

Matt did all the tiling.

He also installed LED lighting under the cabinets which I love.

And once we added a new range and microwave...voila ..the kitchen now has a new lease of life.

It's beginning to look.....

Christmas crafting has commenced 

This makes me happy

Matt got Dad's lathe up and running and we have discovered we have a trainee craftsman in the house. Any spare time he gets he is out in the man cave using it. My Dad would be so happy. 

Lessons

There are points in my life when I think I have stuff down.  You know...when you feel you have been there and down that and know what to expect. But life always seems to be able to throw a wrench in the works and sometimes it comes way out of left field when you are least expecting it.  Take this weekend for example.  We went down to the animal shelter to pick up a dog and her 4 newborn puppies.  This is probably around the 60th animal we have fostered and after the last mom and her pups I felt like I knew exactly what to expect.  Everyone got settled in Saturday night and we sat and admired these tiny little puppies and marveled at just how perfect they were.

And sometime after that it all started to go south.  I heard Momma dog crying during the night so I got up to take her outside.  In the pitch blackness I stumbled out of my bedroom and walked straight into the door and split my eyebrow open.  My language must have been quite vivid as Matt rushed to turn on the light and saw me standing there with blood pouring down my face.  So off we went together to get the dog situated. And as Matt took her outside I realized that there were only 3 little puppies wiggling around in her bed.  The 4th one was completely still. I picked her up and knew she was gone.  She was so tiny she easily fit in the palm of my hand. She was cold and still.  She looked just like she was sleeping.  I tried to resuscitate her but to know avail. I do to pretend to understand it but it makes me sad to think that a tiny little light was dimmed so quickly.

After many tears the next morning we buried the little body out in our garden in the pouring rain.  And we thought we were done but no.  A few hours later the second little one died...and then at 2:00am last night the third.  And now there is only one left.

She's tough this last little one.  She's not going to go out without a fight.  So in the midst of all the sadness and despair I see this one tiny little bundle fighting for every minute she gets to be here.

Tired Momma

This is what 24 hour old puppies look like.

Momma's looking pretty good for just having given birth.

Bake Sale

My Central Valley high school craft fair and bake sale contribution.  Ok so it's strictly not baking but in my opinion...so much better. 

What a weekend - Sunday

Ciara made it home from Championships with a great result for the CV Marching Band and Colorguard. Third overall out of all bands in the Pacific Northwest.  What a nice way to cap her time with the band. 

It really has been a great gift to her during her time at high school. It has taken her all over the country including marching for President Obama at the Inaugural parade.  Of course there were lots of tears being that this was her last competition. But a boatload of wonderful memories that will last her a lifetime.

Max had his last game of soccer on Sunday.  Lots of headers....

Slide tackles......

And long balls...

Great season #55.

What a Weekend - Saturday

On Saturday Ciara was performing at Championship Finals in Portland, Jack had a party to go to and Matt had a bit of a surprise in store for Max.  It was something that was planned kind of at the last minute with thanks to Matt's employer.  But oh it was a good one.

The Spokane Chiefs are our local ice hockey team and on Friday Matt's work gave him 2 free tickets to attend.  That was a pretty good deal in itself but once he got the tickets he was told that they we a little more special than just general entry.  Max's ticket gave him all access AND the honor of dropping the opening puck at the game. 

They certainly know how to put on a show.

Can you believe it? That is my little boy out there on the red carpet in front of over 6,000 people.  He looks as cool as a cucumber.  " What? This?...I do it all the time."

He even had his own paparazzi and spotlight.  Daunting for a 14 year old much?

And so the puck was dropped.

And there was some handshaking.

Then Matt and Max spent the rest of the evening enjoying the VIP lounge and watching the game.

Matt certainly came through with a good one. Good work, Dad

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What a Weekend - Friday

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I know it seems crazy that our weekend deserves a multi part blog post but it will be the longest blog post in history of I try to cram it all into one.

Friday morning Ciara headed off to Portland, Oregon on her last ever Central Valley High School Marching Band competition tour.  We got her to the bus at 6:30am, bleary eyed and excited for the trip.  She was feeling very melancholy but that didn't last too long thanks to all the shenanigans that went on during the bus ride.  

Back on the home front Friday was Halloween.  Jack and his best friend Noah did their traditional trick or treating together.  They have been doing this since they were 4.

Max, now too old to trick or treat spent the evening scaring everyone with a chain saw. Don't worry...the chain has been removed so it still sounds scary but can't do any damage. Let me just say that despite that there was a LOT of screaming in my front yard.

Fall Fondness

Plenty of people tell me Fall is their favorite season.  I have never been a big fan but I think after all this time it is growing on me.

It's soccer season for one.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE watching my boys play, However now we are at the back end of the season it will be nice to get my weekends and weekday evenings back, at least for the next month or so before indoor starts. And it is always lovely to have friends drop in to watch a game too.

Friday night football with friends has become a regular thing too.  Well I really only go to see Ciara at the half time show but I have been developing an appreciation for high school football all the same.  Sitting out under a blanket on the bleachers does hold a slightly macabre appeal.

Pumpkin carving in preparation for Halloween has become quite a Fall tradition too.  Although we have upped our game this year with Max introducing the use of the jigsaw. Nothing like a power tool to get it done quicker..  Matt even carved one too. And as tradition dictates we spent the evening roasting and eating some delish pumpkin seeds.

Looks like a fun weekend coming up for the Melvilles starting with Halloween tomorrow night.  More on that in the next blog post.