OTHER excitement in Loveland

There is more than just the kitchen to be excited about around here. The snow left and it only took a couple of days for our daffodils to make an appearance. Yes, I want the beginning of our garden to get its own moment in the spotlight. Todd, please add something funny to spice up this entry. If you can't, well, this is the BEFORE picture, so maybe it's okay if it's boring. -L

Kitchen Day 11 - Dust

We cut dry wall and put up the soffit extension. We also built the wall back up to the height of the 2x4. We also filled the huge opening in the ceiling. Unfortunately, we didn't put our plastic back up on doorways and there was dust everywhere...and thick! Despite the dirty house, the prep work before mudding...looked GOOD! By the way, I hope no one thinks when I am numbering the days that this is getting a full day's work. These are a few hours in the evenings when people who know what they are doing are available. -T

Oh it is LEVEL, baby!

I think it will look better when it's painted.
Cutting the drywall on the top of this wall created LOTS of dust...but look how smooth!

Two rooms, one ceiling!

Dust maker, but again, smooth at the top!

It got shaved to the brown to prep for mud...muuuud!

No holes!

District Runner-Up

After a nice tournament run, we lost in the District Finals (32 teams left in the state) to Middletown Madison. They started four girls 6 feet and above, one of which will play Division I college next year, and the other will do so in two years at a school to be named later, but whose list includes UConn. We held them to their lowest point total of the season (49), but came up short. Varsity ended the season 15-8 with a Sectional Championship! -T

Kitchen Day 10 - CAN I get some light above the sink?

We got light above the sink! Our can light is in and flowing! We also put dry wall back into holes and Dad came earlier in the day and put 2x4's on the top of our half wall. After the can light was working, all the outlets and switches (which hadn't already been done) were switched to white from cream. The ceiling was also made a little more secure, and when I say "a little more," I mean a lot compared to nothing where the kichen and dining room met. -T

How cool is that!

Filled holes!

Filled soffit hole

2x4 top

2x4 top

Securing the ceiling

New outlets, new switches, new can light!

Kitchen Day 9 - More Light, Less Holes

Although the can light wasn't actually installed yet, we did run the wires to it and make a hole for it. The huge rectangular hole above the sink was filled in with only a hole left that is supposed to be there. We also started filling holes where we cut out. -T

Preventative measures for less zappage

Fillin' holes!

Fillin' more holes (at least the wood inside to screw against)!

Future can light!

Kitchen Day 8 - Let's Make More Holes!

This day was dedicated to making more holes in the wall and soffit. Luckily, no holes were made into the ceiling. The best news of the day though, was that those holes actually led to figuring out the freaky electric! -T

The hole above the sink got much much bigger.

We had to cut this hole in the soffit to be able to have access to the electric that was running through it. We pulled this wire (which used to come down on the opposite end of the kitchen) to the kitchen light itself and used it to go from the light to the switch below on this wall. Follow that?

Ah yes...here's our "hero shot." Dale and Dad feeling good when the kitchen light turned on!

We've got light people!

Touch the switch only! If you touch the sides, you'll get zapped! Even though I knew this, I truly found this out the hard way...not on purpose or anything though.

Kitchen Day 6/7 - Life Without Lights

Dale came briefly to prep for the following day, which was a Saturday of electricity. I helped Dale fish wires through little holes. That is not the easiest of things, especially when you're trying to see the line up a little hole, but the line is knocking saw dust into your eye. Lindsey and I only stayed a few hours as Mom and Dad picked us up to scout our district opponent. So, Brian came over to help Dale. On our way home we got word that something went wrong with the 3-way switch and that we had no light in the kitchen and our refrigerator had been moved and plugged into an extension cord. It's inconvenient, but really not a big deal at all. -T

Dining Room lights

We're not having an island, but in the meantime, just to see what it would be like, we are using our refrigerator as an island.

It's getting closer!

Kitchen Day 5 - Soffit

Dad came over and extended our soffit, as well as plugged in a piece of wood where the wall used to be on the floor. -T

Kitchen Day 4 - Out-let me go somewhere else!

Dale was back to move some outlets. Unfortunately, the outlet in our torn out wall going into the dining room was on a 2x4 that was twisted, and of course it was loose. So, we moved that outlet over to the next stud over. On the kitchen side, we took the outlet out since there will be cabinets over that and we will also move the outlet on the wall where the basement door sits because there will be cabinets there as well. We will be moving them both right above (and below) the cabinets on the basement door wall. -T

Kitchen Day 3 - Spend Money, Theme Confirmed

Day 3 was continued efforts to figure out the electric. While we left that to others, Lindsey and I went out to spend all of our money! We officially bought our cabinets and countertops. We felt poor but good when we left! When we got back, Dad and Dale were ripping out our light above our sink. That was not in the plans, guys! Come to find out though, the electrical box in the soffit that went to that light was just loose in there and "definitely not in code." What does that mean exactly? It means that the theme of "poor workmanship" on the building of our house was very much confirmed further. -T

If only people could see what was in the inside of your house. For us, besides the cob webs is of course, "poor workmanship" as you can see the loose box.

Lots of confusion and thinking goes on...not by Lindsey and me though...we just shake our heads and leave it up to the masterminds to figure it out. This is our light being removed, despite not being in the original plan, but hey, now we get a cool can light for that spot!
Now we have a box to put electric in, however, we decided it needs to be bigger as we want a track light above the bar.
The telephone line runs through the 2x4's, a.k.a. progess!
Lindsey's old t-shirts from all her ex-boyfriends* came in handy to plug up the vent to the outside as cold air was quickly coming in once the range fan and cabinets were taken down. Oh and i think there's a person outside the window here looking in...creepy. -T

Where do you come up with this stuff?!?! -L

Kitchen Day 2 - Who built this thing?

Day 2 consisted of one common theme: "Poor Workmanship." Luckily, no one was referring to themselves in the present day. So, in 1968, when the house was poorly built, the builders at least left their mark, as you can see in this picture below with the 1960's Coke cup that was found in the wall. Uncle Dale spent hours trying to figure out how the electric was run and was extremely amazed at the poor workmanship. In fact, on Day 2 night, he laid awake in bed thinking about our electric. We thought about leaving a "dangling decoration" of light switches for the dining room and kitchen (see Picture 3), but Lindsey vetoed it. Dad was really excited about the designing of a plan to extend the soffit. To be able to get to that point, he spent the day cutting out 2x4's. As he cut out the 2x4's, and we yanked them out of what they were nailed into, we almost pulled down the dining room ceiling that wasn't really attached to anything. He was amazed at the...you guessed it...poor workmanship. -T

Thank you for the gift! They did this in Criminal Minds too! Although, lucky for us, it was a cup and not a dead body wrapped in plastic.

Dangler Switch Decoration? No?

"This is EXTREMELY poor workmanship!"

Definitely more open!

If we just kept it like this, we could have an indoor 25 yard hurdles event.

Seriously though...no dangler decoration?