Brick is in!

Kyle and I have been working all week on putting the brick back around our new door...and we finished tonight!  We weren't quite sure if it was going to quit raining long enough for us to get it all in, and it feels good to be done!

I got about five bricks in last night, and then it started POURING rain!  Kyle got a kick out of standing in the garage telling me what needed to be brought inside...needless to say I got soaked!

We are headed to Austin early in the morning and will be spending all next week at Canyon Lake with some friends.  Looking forward to the vacation!

Transformations

Kyle's parents came in this weekend to help Kyle and I finish a few projects.  The transformations in the house are amazing!  We are so thankful for their help.  Thank you Chuck and Betty!

The first thing on our list was to put texture on the walls in the living room, kitchen, and bathroom.   Getting the walls ready for texture has been a HUGE headache, so we are relieved that that project is finished!  I had no concept of how much time the prep work would take...absolutely everything that wasn't drywall had to be covered in plastic.  All that hard work was worth it because the walls look great and now they're ready for paint : )

The bathroom covered in paper and plastic.

Finishing the drywall took ALL day Saturday, so Kyle and Chuck got to work this morning on the new back door.  Kyle and I took out all the brick this past week....it's kinda scary knocking a hole in the side of your house!  The installation of the door seemed to go very smoothly.  It is amazing how much more light comes into the kitchen.  It looks awesome! 

I didn't know they knew how to use a broom...uh oh, the secret's out : )

Betty and I kept Turbo entertained while the boys installed the door.

Love the new door!

View of the living room...rearranged the furniture and it looks so open now.

We are loving the way things are coming along with the house.  In the next few weeks we will be trying to finish cabinet doors and drawers and paint the walls. 

Thank you again Chuck and Betty, we couldn't have done it without you!

Hello Summer!

This past weekend, Kyle and I started a project that we were actually able to finish in the same weekend.  I think that's a first for us since our kitchen demolition began back in February and it feels good!  Besides the completed back splash, there's now a coat of paint on most of the cabinets and new crown molding.

 

Wine corks lining the wine bottle "cubbies" in the new bar : )  

This is how we live...tools EVERYWHERE!  The bar will basically be done once we get the doors made.

 

View from the living room

We are proud of how the kitchen has come together so far...so ready for it to be finished so we can unpack all of our kitchen stuff!

I endured my last day of sub'ing today (what a better way to end the year than by getting flipped off by two third-grade girls...seriously...)  and will be heading to East Texas tomorrow to see my parents and get my wisdom teeth out.  I'm nervous about having my teeth pulled but very curious about the laughing gas, which I've never before experienced : )  

Medical school begins in 2 months!  Am I really going to be a doctor?!?

Getting Closer...

Kyle and I have had a very busy last couple of days trying to get our cabinets and bar ready for new counter tops.  We haven't gotten much sleep, but the guys came today and installed the granite, and we are SO EXCITED about how they turned out!  We are especially excited about the new bar...it's so cool, and Kyle made it : )  We have also started priming our cabinets.  It's so nice to see some white paint on them and it really makes it seem like everything is coming together...finally. 

I am having a hard time loading pictures onto the blog, so I put them here: http://picasaweb.google.com/117938755013188011476/HouseApril# .  There are also some pictures of stuff we have growing in the backyard : ) 

Easter Weekend

Kyle and I just returned to Lubbock from a wonderfully relaxing weekend in Dallas.  I was very lucky to get to visit with some old friends that I had not seen in quite a while...Cooper, Kristen, and Ashley, it was so great to see you guys!

Cooper provided the entertainment Friday night at the karaoke bar.  Then, on Saturday, Kyle and I visited the Dallas Arboretum with Ashley and Kristen (and her adorable little girl).  I loved the tulips!

Here are a few pictures from the Arboretum...

My family all flocked to Dallas this morning to have lunch together.  Our visit was way to brief, but Kyle and I enjoyed it nonetheless.  These are supposed to be our "goofy" faces.  I know that mom and Mimi can make funnier faces than that!  :o)

Well, it's back to work this week and back to work on the house.  We are happy with the way things are going and I think we are finally (maybe) starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Here are a few updated pics:

Kyle working on the new bar

This is our new "pantry" and wine fridge (below the pantry) that Kyle and his dad added the last time his parents were in town.  To the right of that will be a new back door to the backyard. 

Fun new faucet in the bathroom

 

The backyard is looking so much better!  The rose beds have been cleaned out and revamped,  the fire pit has been moved in from our old house, and I've planted a few new plants (and, hopefully, I won't kill them!).  We are a little worried about the roses....apparently Turbo thinks the stems are kinda tasty : /  I really thought the thorns would discourage him, but I was wrong!

 

I had been using the BBQ grill as a sort of work bench outside, so Kyle decided I needed a table.  He built this in no time out of an old wooden pallet and wooden beams from the backyard.  He's so handy!

 

 

 

Our kitchen cabinets were measured last Friday morning for new granite counter tops, so we are hoping to get the cabinets sanded down and painted before those are installed in a few weeks.  We have to finish building the bar, putting down and grouting the kitchen tile, and then maybe Kyle can start working on the cabinet doors (he and his dad built the frames the last time Chuckles and Betty were here).  Hmm, maybe the light's a little further away then I thought...

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Mud Lady

Kyle and I have been making good, but SSLLLOOOWWW, progress on the new house.  Since the last time I updated, we have finished stripping the paint off the kitchen cabinets, framed out the beam b/w the kitchen and living room, pulled up the old laminate flooring in the kitchen, started taping and floating the drywall (I thought this was the mud man's job, but somehow, it became mine) and laying down new tile in the kitchen! And, we are completely moved in.  Things are such a mess!
 

We had a fun surprise last night.  We were watching a movie and doing laundry, when all of the sudden we heard a bubbling sound coming from the bathroom (I should have been suspicious earlier in the day when the toilet started bubbling as I was taking a shower...).  Our main line was backed up and all the water draining from the washing machine was backing up into the bathtub.  EEK!  Thankfully, by noon today we were able to have it fixed thru our home warranty.  It turned out to not be such a big deal, but it sure was gross.

Hopefully the next time I post, the house will be starting to look a little more put together!

new floors and walls

It's looking better!  New walls, refinished floors, and pretty wood covering the support beam (will be framed out and some kind of finish added, but we still want to be able to see the variations in color in the wood).