Merry Christmas!

Our family would like to wish you a very, merry Christmas! We are blessed beyond measure by the love we share and the relationships we hold dear.  God is good, all the time. Merry Christmas, indeed!

C's Birthday Weekend

C's birthday was on Friday.  She and G came to town for the weekend so we could celebrate!  JM and J were here because it was their fall break from school.  We enjoyed dinner out and then carrot cake at home that I made for her.  I can't believe I didn't get a picture of that, though!

I  love it when these four are home; it makes me very happy!  They always make me laugh with their constant goings on!

She was just as precious and spunky then as she is now! Happy birthday, C!  We love you!

NYC

Hubs and I took JM and J to NYC for a few days in July.  C and G had to work and couldn't join us.  We had a lot of fun in the big apple! Spiderman was on the agenda, which was chock full of stunts and flying.  We ate way too much good food! One of my favorite spots is Sarabeth's for breakfast.  Dinner one night was at Quality Meats on 58th Street, so delicious!

Traveling with these three is always an adventure!

End of Summer

This is Henry with his best friend at the beach, Raleigh.  They love each other so much!

I have been such a blogger slouch! Wow, I haven't posted since June. Something HAS to be done about that.  We had a great summer with the boys both home from school.  They both worked a lot and were busy.  It was SO good to have them here.  Now they are back in full swing with classes and such.  We enjoyed having them all at the beach this past weekend. C and G were also able to come, along with my mom. I will try not to stay away so long this time.

Happy Day!

Sunday was a big day in our family.  We celebrated Father's Day, of course.  But, it was also hubby's birthday and our 29th anniversary!  Everyone was home, which is always the best.  We asked how he wanted to spend his day, and you can see it was very relaxing and low key- a great day!

This is just after the guys enjoyed a round of golf.

What a blessing hubby is to us!

It was a gorgeous day.

Happy birthday, Dad- we love you!

We enjoyed ice cream cookie sandwiches by the pool-yum! 

Then, we went home to watch UNC play NCSU in the CWS.  

I expect we will be watching tonight as the Heels take on the Pack again(Dad went to NCSU and all four kids went/go to UNC-always an interesting matchup at our house) 

Here's to the next 29 years!

Final Kitchen Reveal

Our kitchen is finally finished after 10 weeks.  It turned out great, and I am loving cooking all over again!  As a matter of fact, our kitchen has turned into the hub of our home with even our boys jumping on the cooking bandwagon.  We are really enjoying the time we share making good food and enjoying each other's company while doing it.  The AGA is so convenient since it is always ready to pop in a dish.  I love having multiple ovens and the warming oven.

Congratulations, C!

After the wedding, C and G moved to a nearby city and started their life together.  C continued her job search there and on April 25 she started her new job as an attorney for our state! Congratulations, C!  We are so excited to see what you do in your new role.

Happy Birthday, J!

This poor blog has been SO ignored over the last month.  I will try to do better.  April 20 was J's 19th birthday.  I cannot believe our "baby" has finished his first year of college.  He had a great year, and now he and his brother are both home for the summer.  J is doing an internship at a small business in town for a few weeks and then will be working at the tennis center. J, you have brought us much joy over the last 19 years, and we love you to the moon and back!

Kitchen Update

 Countertops were set today, and it is looking more like a real kitchen now.  We chose a grey granite that looks great with the white cabinets.   Hopefully, we will be very close to finished (insert crossed fingers here) by the end of this week.  That is, if we can get needed inspections by then!

                                                   
                                                         My new kitchen sink - love it!
                       Stay tuned tomorrow and watch for the tile backsplash to appear- yay!

A Special Day

 Today is our son-in-law, G's, birthday!  Our family has been tremendously blessed by the addition of G, and we couldn't love him more.  Here's hoping this year is his best one yet.

Easter

I hope everyone had a beautiful Easter weekend.  He is risen! Our family has been at the coast for the weekend, enjoying a few days together.  The boys all had to be back at school and work on Monday and Hubs had to get back to check on the kitchen renovations.  But, C and I stayed here; she will be returning today and a few of my girlfriends will join me for the rest of the week.

Happy Birthday, Mom

March 21st was my mom's birthday, and I wanted to do a post for her letting her know how much she means to our family.  She is a gift from God.   We love you, "Granny!"

Oven Installation!

My oven was installed on the 14th and 15th of March. I apologize for being a tad behind on my kitchen updates!

It ended up being quite the process.  My oven is an AGA, and I LOVE the look of it!  It fits right in with our older home.  I am SO excited and cannot wait to use it, but it may be another couple of weeks.

Top right is the roasting oven, bottom right is the baking oven, top left is the simmering oven, and bottom left is the warming oven.

And, here is a peek from the dining room into the kitchen.  This week the cabinets will be set on Wednesday.

More Kitchen

Hardwood floor was installed on Monday this week.

And, wainscoting was started yesterday.  My oven is being installed today - can't wait to see it in!

Kitchen Update

We now have electricity, walls, and paint!  It is starting to look like a room again. 

This first picture was taken early last week.

And, then by the end of the week, the walls were painted!  I will try to be better about updating this week.  Tomorrow the hardwood floor will be put down.  Thursday, we have an appointment for the oven to be installed.  So, lots of progress to be made in the next few days!

Kitchen Makeover

We live in a great house that was built in 1946.  And, the kitchen has not been remodeled since 1984.

                                                             These are before shots-

                                                             

                                They started the demolition on February 14, 2013!

We are pretty sure this oven is from the late 60s, early 70s era and the main reason we started the remodel.  It is the Frigidaire Flair!

This is what my kitchen looks like today!


I hope to update the blog with week to week progression shots for my children since none of them live at home.  Our contractor says we should be done in 6-8 weeks- yikes!  

More Favorites

                                                          It was a beautiful night!

Notice the Obama magnets on the car;  G's groomsmen brought those and thought they were hilarious since G is such a staunch Republican!