Mimi picks out her clothes now. She doesn't pick them out when I buy them, but she certainly is opinionated about what I do buy. She wears mostly skirts these days, and she always wears some stripey tights with them. She will throw clothes around like a teenager when she is searching for the perfect ensemble. Look at her dresser, and this is a good day!
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Ralphie is all better now. His favorite place to sleep is here:

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I've been making jacket/coat pins.

They are fun! Let me know if you want one!

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These days Moe is all about computer games :
He got a hair cut. I think he looks so grown up now! My baby is no longer a baby! And Mimi will be 5 soon! How did that happen so fast??!

I want life to slow down so I can enjoy each moment more .

Tomorrow will be pure chaos! We are getting a new heater installed. It will take 5-8 hours!!! And Moe has a dentist appt for another filling.

Maybe life can slow down after tomorrow?? I hope it goes quick and pain-free!

~Karen

PPP

Post Project Pain. Seriously, it should be a condition in all medical literature. Although you are happy with the end results of your home improvement project, you hurt. You hurt a lot. But before the painful symptoms of fatigue, muscle soreness, and irritability fully set in, you get kind of euphoric and you take on other projects...like rearranging furniture or starting an entirely new project. The initial project with the added work of additional ones is simply too hard on a body. You need rest, relaxation, and toddlers that have self care skills. :)

I moved furniture around. I like the results, but I am tired.

Have a great week!
~Karen

Before:

This project took a couple weeks total. I did a lot of the door and drawer painting in the garage with makeshift tables made of wood. It allowed me to work in an assembly-line fashion.

Kevin did a lot of the harder parts...Drilling holes for new hardware & hanging.

After: (Ignore clutter on counter!)

I chose a latex primer, latex paint, and then a polyacrylic layer on top. A couple tips I learned:

~apply thin layers
~follow drying times
~make sure if you are working in a garage it is well ventilated and not humid
~don't rush it even though it is a pain to have your kitchen torn up

Other:
I purchased the hardware from Target. I was amazed how quickly you can spend $100 on knobs and drawer pulls! I found Target sells economy packs from $9.99 to $29.99 and they come with 6-10 knobs or pulls. And they sell individual ones if you do not get enough from the economy packs.

Phew! I am tired..SO is Kevin. Thanks for all your help Kevin! :)
~Karen

Is it Friday? I hope!

The bees love my basil. Thankfully they spend the entire day there, and don't mind when I pick around them. Kevin took these pics, and I think they are pretty cool. I like their buggy eyes.

The kittens have opened their eyes. Mother of the year, Mrs. Pacman, abandoned them today. While she ran the streets the 4 babes cried. It kind of got on my nerves. She finally came back this evening and nursed them. She will walk on them to get to us. They scream as she is stepping on them. You can see how she got her nickname.

Ralphie, our new dog, has adjusted to our schedule. He is a fun dog for the kids. He tolerates a great deal of toddler abuse.

The kitchen cabinet doors and drawers have yet to be put back on. I plan on doing that some time this weekend. I am going to put a layer of polyacrylic on it first. If you use latex paint you should go with a polyacrylic. There are many good things about going with latex instead of enamel.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!
~Karen

Our Farm

Mrs. Pacman

Inky

Blinky

Pinky

Clyde

All are thriving. The momma is no mother of the year though. She tries to get in our house every time a door opens. One night it rained and she took refuge on our porch, but left the kittens in the rain! Kevin had to rig an umbrella over them!

Ralphie is doing great, and is already housebroken. He is sleeping in his crate at night and that is great.
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What do people do who already have too much going on????
Take on more work, of course.
I started painting the kitchen cabinets. Here is an early pic:

More to come later..I am simply too tired to upload more pics!
Have a great week!
~Karen

More Home Improvements

I've been inspired by all the bloggers out there who are trying to "keep it real". In honor of this, I have decided to show various stages of a home improvement project in our kitchen thanks to our good friend Derek. Normally, I would just show the finished product. Perhaps you aren't interested in our mess, but I will share anyway!

Bye Bye old kitchen countertop!

As I've noted in the past, things rarely go as planned when working on our home. Derek discovered the above counter top was improperly installed, which is why it never was quite level. In fact, it had a pretty good slope to it.

Don't you love the faux brick?

Mess. Blech.

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Introducing...the new counter top:

Thanks Derek! :)

~Karen