Floor Real...

Yesterday Jen and I installed our first click together, cork floor. Thanks to our friend Shawn who showed us the ropes and ruined his back in the process.





Today we moved about half of our stuff into the garage of the new house. Everything else gets moved on Tuesday. I'll give you a full update after that

On A Roll

So tonight we're eating dinner at Danny's- our favorite BBQ spot in Raleigh so far. And by favorite I mean the one that reminds us most of Sonny's.

The meal is drawing to an end and we've stopped paying attention to the food that is left on our plates. Addy taps Jen on the arm and announces "last fry"- which means she has helped herself to the 20 or so french fries that Jen hadn't gotten around to eating yet.

Jen says, "Hey girl! You ate all my fries."

Addy responds, "Sorry mom, I didn't see where my hands were going."

If I didn't before, now I know not to sit next to my daughter at the dinner table.

Addy-Verbs

For the last couple of months I've been rocking Sufjan Stevens' song "Chicago" as the ringtone on my iphone. Not only do I like the song, but the ringtone has a nice balance between being loud enough to hear in a crowded place- but no so loud/aggressive enough to be startling in a quiet one.

Last night we were eating dinner at Sweet Tomatoes when "Chicago" came on over the sound system. Jen and I both looked at each other for a second, realized it wasn't my phone, and then continued on with our dinner.

A couple of minutes later- with the song still playing- Addy looked at me and said, "Daddy, I wish that you would answer your phone!"




Something tells me I have more posts like this in my future.

She Speaks Truth

Tonight Jen and I spent a couple of hours painting our future homestead.

Grandma Judy (aka "Gaya") stayed at our place and put the kids to bed. As Addy was putting on her pj's she said,

"Don't worry about putting my clothes in the hamper Gaya.
Just leave 'em on the floor.
That's what we do around here."

Looks like we're due for a talk about "family business".

In Transit...

This was the view from the backseat of the van yesterday afternoon....

Do you think God has as much fun watching us as we do watching our kids?

Never Thought I'd Be So Glad...

...to see someone cut a huge hole in one of my walls.

Here's the openness Jen has been longing for.

From the kitchen side.

From the family room.

Can't wait to roll up my sleeves and get to painting this weekend!

Progress Report...

So, we've finally gotten all of the popcorn ceilings down (or so we thought- see more below) and they've been given fresh coats of primer and paint. The results aren't 100% perfect, but definitely passable. Who stares at the ceilings anyway? As Judy says, the small imperfections give it character and play on the age of the home. Here's a shot of the hall ceiling with new fixtures- and walls that have been de-wallpapered and are waiting for a skim coat before painting.


So, we're moving on to other renovations- like creating some visibility between the kitchen and the family room. Aside from all of the cosmetic stuff, opening up the kitchen was Jen's #1 remodeling priority.

Our contractor, who seems like a gift from God so far, started some demo and peeking behind the drywall today. This is from the kitchen side. If you look hard enough you can see the bottom of the family room fireplace through the mini-opening.


It seems like surprises are inevitable during home remodels. Some will be in your favor. Others won't. Today we got one of the latter. As our contractor removed a section of cabinets that were occupying Jen's future view of the kids in the family room, we discovered.....


...more popcorn! At least it is a small patch and shouldn't be a huge deal to get rid of. Note the difference in color between the new, smooth painted ceiling at the top of the picture and the old crap underneath with the vent hood tubing in it.

So, all we have left is painting every room in the house, installing flooring everywhere but the bathrooms and moving in. Deadline is 13 days and counting.

Tick.
Tick.
Tick.

Almost Caught Another One...

Who knew it would be so easy to convince our kids to hop into our new "time out" spot?

Guess childhood curiosity can pay off for parents after all.



(Kidding!)

I...Hate...Popcorn

As a snack, I have great love for popped corn.

But as a ceiling cover. Eeechh.


Jen and I had already determined to rid our new abode of it's 32 year old textured mess.

Then we found out that our popcorn was composed of 5% asbestos (as were most ceilings put up prior to 1978). Needless to say, that only sealed the deal.

So after 3 days of taping plastic over every wall, floor, nook and cranny...


...we finally geared up and got to scraping.


Two days, many sore muscles we didn't even know we had and a few serious profanities later- all the corn is gone. (As for the profanities, they were ok because they were the appropriate and correct words to describe the emotions at the moment. Kind of like when you give an elementary kid the green light to say "ass" to describe a donkey.)

Yes, it was a hassle and a mess to do it ourselves. But wanting to build sweat equity and a willingness to try new things- along with a $9000 estimate to have a pro do it- swayed us to tackle it.

Now the painting begins. Will post pics of the finished product later.

One Year Later...

04-03-07
Colston Matthew Turner popped out of the womb and into our lives and hearts. Today we celebrated his first birthday. Here are a few shots.






We love you so much Boo!

The Bible Comes True In My LIfe....

It probably happens more often than I realize, but on occasion I actually notice the words from the Bible playing themselves out in my ordinary little life.

Not sure what I'm talking about? Read these verses from Philippians 4:11-12.

Now check this out. Last week I posted about sitting in the last row at a hockey game- and having a blast. Last night Jen and I ended up in the same arena, watching the same team play- in much different seats. Yes, that's $140 per ticket in the picture- which included cushy chairs, a sweet view and a couple of nice buffets with drinks to boot.

We had a great time, and not just because of the tickets. Our friends who graciously shared them with us were incredible hosts.

Now it isn't quite the poverty or plenty mentioned in the scripture, but the idea is much the same. Last row or luxury club level- life is good either way.

Got Our Fix...

Do you have any friends in your life that you want to see- no matter how little time you get with them?

Bryan, Erika & Brady Carter are some of those folks in our lives. They were some of our dearest friends in KY- and we count them as family- meaning we'll be in their lives regardless of geography. (Sorry, but you are stuck with us.)

The Carter clan was in D.C. last week and went out of their way to see us as they headed home. We're so glad they did.

Even though we only got to spend a day together, it was enough to tide us over until next time. Which will hopefully be soon.

Love you guys!