What's a DIY girl supposed to do?

As the major house renovation work is coming to a close what is left is the smaller finish work like filling holes, painting, & installing knobs. I am such a DIYer that it kills me to hire other people to do this kind of work. Unfortunately I have progressively worsening joints - probably arthritis- which is really getting in the way of doing some of the things I have always liked to do in my house. Yes, I know I need to see someone about this condition and am badgered daily by my husband to get this checked out but I never seem to have the time. Nonetheless, I am still so temped to do the painting myself. I just want it done and I want it done NOW. The best way to get things done when I want them has always been to do them myself. However, I insisted on moving all the furniture myself early on in the process and seem to have made my knees and hands worse than usual. I thought they'd be better by the time we were ready to move things back in and do the painting but they are not. I think I just have to let go and hire movers and painters to get all this stuff done. You know things are bad when you volunteer in your child's kindergarten classroom and you panic a little when the teacher hands you small scissors and asks you to cut out 18 snowflakes.

Fun in the snow!

Icing on the cake....make that the counters!

Finally Finally Finally!! We found some Carrera marble for our countertops. We've been looking for about 6 weeks and all we could find was really grey stuff. We wanted the traditional white with grey veining and it was getting very hard to find. Even all the guys at the stone yards were saying that they were getting very grey stuff in that was unlike what they are used to. Each yard wished us luck as we left trying to find whiter marble. Late on Tuesday our stone fabricator called all excited that he had found "gorgeous carrera marble" in Connecticut. That is a few states a way from us and I guess he drove down there and bought every last slab they had. He drove it up to my house on Wednesday to show me and a friend of mine who is about to start her kitchen. We will have counters from the same marble. Our guy bought 14 slabs from the same lot so basically they are all identical. We are very excited to have found something we liked and didn't have to settle for something we didn't love. Counters should be installed on Wednesday. Floors are being done now.

Introductions

I am one of those people who likes to name things. I think all important things should have a name. Don't you? I mean, my children each have a name, my husband had one when I met him and nearly all my friends have names. Names help give us identity. Some things I own already have their own identity and so I think it is fitting that they also have names. For instance I have a wonderful Michael Kors handbag. Her name is Pricilla. If I ask my children to go get Pricilla one of them returns with a beautiful tan leather purse with gold fittings. So one of the things that we have added to our kitchen remodel is so special that it too will have a name. Meet Jules....


She is a 48" double oven range by BlueStar. She's got 6 burners and a grill. While the photo here may look like she is red, she is actually Raspberry. BlueStar started off as Prizer-Painter in 1880 making coal ranges. Over the next 100 years they expanded their business to other heating appliances and eventually started making ranges under other brand names including Garland which was Julia Child's range. This is how Jules got her name. In 2002 they relaunched their business under the BlueStar name making professional ranges for the home.

We are so excited she is home. She'll be hooked up soon and then I have to arrange for a BlueStar person to come and calibrate her.

PS The brick will be painted white.

My Wonder Boy

Per usual, Buddy has decided to show us a new talent already mastered. This child never likes to show us a developing or emerging skill. He is quiet about it until he has mastered it and then he reveals it. We are at a local cafe having hot chocolate and doing homework right now. (yes it has wifi) I was just going through a collection of spelling tests from Sweet Pea and Buddy asked to see one of the pages. He then proceeded to read every word on the page. Yup. The boy can read. Hot damn! Sweet Pea was an early reader so I thought I was going to get a super late reader with Buddy to balance things out. Guess I was wrong about that. I adore my kids - they are so cool!

Pantry Shelving Identification Help!!!

I found this picture of shelving (supposedly inexpensive shelving) on Garden Web and it is exactly what I want for my pantry. Can anyone tell me if they recognize this as a brand of shelving?? I am going to try to contact the person through Garden Web but the post was from a long time ago. FYI, anyone starting any kind of home remodel - check out Gardenweb.com. Oh boy that is a jackpot of information!