The REMODEL

We are living in the depths of Hell.  Our house is mostly torn up and we are still living in it because hotel life isn't convenient or cheap.  Some days it's not that bad.  Other days it's terrible!  If you ask my boys, they'd tell you how horrible it is but don't believe them.  They aren't the ones trying to make dinner on a hotplate in the den or washing dishes in a tiny bathroom sink.  

The den now serves as our kitchen and dining room. I even have a mini fridge so we don't have to go out the front door, through the rain, and into the garage to get milk or ketchup.  

I've been working with an architect for almost a year to get our plans just right, then found a general contractor, and finally got the ball rolling on this huge project.  Unfortunately this all hit right in the peak of busy lacrosse season and right after we gave a huge chunk of our hard-earned money to the government.  So I'm stressed and frazzled in ways I've never known before.  But the craziness is becoming normal so we are building up our tolerance for hard things, I guess.

This is the dining room and new pantry

my kitchen

The laundry room, although currently the dryer is in the garage where we will continue to use it throughout the remainder of the project.

This is Marcus's bedroom.  He crawls through the blue taped off area to get to his bed and dresser.  The bathroom that is completely gutted, is on the right.  He is allowed to complain about this living situation!

The kitchen, dining room, laundry room, and Marcus's bathroom upstairs, have all been gutted and the family room will soon be mostly gutted.  The architect and I worked and worked to find a way to get me a better laundry room/mud room and a walk-in pantry.  We miraculously made this happen by splitting the dining room in half and added a butler pantry and pantry.  We are putting in an island big enough for the whole family to sit at and I will finally be able to walk from the kitchen table directly to the kitchen sink without walking all the way around the big circular counter top.   I'm so excited for my new appliances!  I thought I'd save big money by ordering cheaper brands but after seeing what was available and knowing how much I love to make food and entertain, I couldn't resist.  I bought a Thermador range with double ovens and a big Sub-Zero refrigerator.  It's going to be amazing but for now, it's just the worst.  Lots of noise all day long, and it's always cold because the workers turn off the heat to keep the dust contained.  There is still dust everywhere but whatever.  My head hurts from making too many decisions and I can't even handle that everything is so expensive.  I've started encouraging Randy to work on Saturdays.  He thinks I'm joking.  I am not.

To make matters worse, Barb moved.  The best neighbor to call when you're in a bind moved to Utah.  Le weep!  Don't worry, she hadn't even been gone 24-hours when I found myself racing on the Ebike up to the high school to take Marcus's car so I could pick up Landon from lacrosse practice because Marcus lost the keys to my van.  If Barb had been here I could've borrowed her car instead of looking like a fool as I rode around the high school parking lot looking for the car while all the other lacrosse parents were arriving for the lacrosse game and doing double takes at the crazy lady on the Ebike.  I was embarrassed for myself.