And...We're Done!

Three months, lots of noise, lots of dust, lots of choices and we are done with our remodel!

Our window coverings and the rest of the furniture went in late last week and Don built my bookcases over the weekend.

Here are some photos:

Here's a view of the living room. We repurposed our old furniture for budget sake. We think it turned out fine. We also reused the artwork over the couch. My family bought it for me for Mother's Day several years ago. I've always said that's the exact spot I want to live.

You can also see the custom benches under the bookcases that will serve as extra seating when we have extra guests.

Here's a close up of one of the benches. I really love the fabric! I'm looking for some small decorative items for the bottom shelves. That way they stay relatively open for anyone who wants to sit there with their laptop or for guests to set plates or drinks.

The dining room with window coverings!

The kitchen barstools. There are 5 and we've already tried them out by eating dinner there one night.

A closeup of one of the stools. The fabric on the backs is the same fabric on the panels in the dining room.

A view of the school area from the kitchen. I'm still considering a desk to put where the preschool table is currently. The Roman shade here matches the Roman shade on the dining room window.

Another view of the school area. Don built the bookcases for me. They are from IKEA. They are from the Liatorp line.

Here's the other one. Especially for my homeschooling friends, I took a photo with the cabinet doors open. :-) The top shelf has the start of my homeschool philosophy books. The second shelf is for Footloose's school books. The bottom shelf is history and reference books.

So far behind the cabinet doors...second shelf holds printer paper, notebook paper, ink and laminating sleeves. The bottom shelf just has empty notebooks.

The Kindergarten bookcase! Top shelf has the laminator. Second shelf has all of our Five in a Row books as well as Horizons K Math, Reading Made Easy and my Ruth Beechick Three R's series. Third shelf is math manipulatives. The bottom shelf has two kids' dictionaries and our science and art collections.

Inside the cabinet: Top shelf-the red box has jigsaw puzzles in ziploc bags and our wooden puzzles are next to the box. The wicker basket has our preschool bags from our exchange with the Five in A Row ladies.

The bottom shelf has craft supplies, more math stuff and file folder games.

Thank you for following us all this time. It was a long process but so worth it and we are very much enjoying our new space! A very special thanks to Matt and Greg from Haus Werks! They are truly the best and I can't wait to work with them again!

The Home Stretch!

Upon returning home weary travelers from a 12 day, 7 state vacation, we were met at the curb by our contractors. They asked if we were ready and ushered us into our beautiful new space that they worked feverishly to finish while we were gone.

To say we were pleased would be an understatement! These guys do fabulous work! There are a few finishing details here and there such as the window treatments which will be delivered in the upcoming week. But the project is virtually done!

Although I admit that it was a challenge to live for three months without a kitchen and living space, I can't believe how quickly they managed to completely transform our home!

So, here we go with some "before and afters!"

This was the view from the front door:



Same spot:



The awful, ugly kitchen:




Same view:



Old laundry room:




Is now a pantry:



I hated this wall:



Now it's all opened up:



Old dining room:





New dining room:



I was nervous to get rid of the windows:



But am so happy with the results:



That's a start! I have more photos but I've been busy with vacation laundry, a graduation party and packing my kids up for a week long camp they are headed to tomorrow. I'll get more up later. :-)

Wildlife

We made the drive from Jackson, WY to Yellowstone today. We went from our large condo to a little cabin. It's been tricky to find a place for all of our stuff!

Just a few miles before we entered Yellowstone, we saw the traffic begin to slow down. As we approached, we discovered why. A grizzly bear was snacking just several feet from the side of the road.



And, of course, there are bison everywhere. They don't even notice the people.




Here are my own "wildlife." Well, at least On the Loose can be considered wildlife. :-)



Hiking around the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" tomorrow!

A Wyoming Sunset

The sunsetting over the Tetons from the patio of our condo in Jackson, Wyoming.

It took my breath away...

Grand Teton National Park

I've been dreaming of visiting the Tetons for years! I'm always drawn to photographs, paintings, TV specials, etc. featuring them. They definitely do not disappoint!

Today we ventured into Grand Teton National Park. The views are incredible. I don't think words could begin to describe them!



Three of my very favorite people! The fourth was off taking some panoramic shots of his own.



After a very tasty lunch at the Jackson Lake Lodge, we took a short half mile walk on the property. Then we decided to try a longer hike and did the five mile round trip trek to Hidden Falls to see this.



The little guy did a great job on a long, up and down hike on a narrow trail covered in rocks and fallen trees!

Tonight we're planning on where we would like hike tomorrow. :-)

Vacation

I'm taking a break from the remodel updates. It might have something to do with the fact that another hole was found in another pipe under the concrete! It was under the hallway which just had brand new hardwood flooring put in two weeks ago...hardwood flooring that was pulled up today and the concrete jacked up to replace the pipe. Don't ask how much it cost or I'll cry. :-)

So, instead of listening to a jackhammer all day long, I enjoyed a scenic drive through Utah, Wyoming, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Wyoming. We drove from Salt Lake City to Jackson, WY which took us right along the borders of the three aforementioned states.

Yesterday we woke up before dawn and drove 637 miles to Provo, UT. What a nice little town! This was the view from our hotel window:




This morning we left Provo and made the short drive up to Salt Lake City. We figured we couldn't be that close to a state capital and not visit. Homeschoolers! We turn everything into a field trip.

I think this was my favorite capital we've been to so far. The building looks majestic sitting on a hill downtown.



Here's where the Utah House of Representatives does its work:



As we read through some of the state history, it was apparent that the right of women to vote was a huge point of contention. Footloose and I were particularly perturbed by this quote on the wall:



We arrived in Jackson this afternoon. We checked in at Spring Creek Ranch. They assigned our room and it was very nice...EXCEPT...Footloose shrieked and said, "There's a chipmunk on the bed."

I said, "A fake one?"

She said, "NO! A real one!"

That freaked me out! I am not a lover of rodents! Turned Loose checked it out and he saw it scurry under one of the beds. I was not happy! My hero (aka Hubby) tore the room apart looking for it and couldn't find it. I just could not sleep in the room knowing said critter was there! If I wanted to sleep with wildlife, I would camp not pay for a fancy condo!

So, Don called the front desk and asked if we could be moved. Without hesitation they not only moved us but upgraded us! We ended up with a bigger room with a bigger view! Here's a photo of sunset from our patio:



Tomorrow, we're planning on going to Grand Teton National Park. Time to crack out our new hiking boots!

Lighting

You know it's getting close when they start installing lighting!

My mom wants pictures every day so here you go, Mom! :-)

Here's a view into the dining room. The floor is almost done, too!



A closer view of the dining room fixture:




The backsplash:




I really like the pendant lights over the island!




It's really coming together isn't it?

Granite and flooring!

Granite. A working kitchen sink. My life is definitely improving!

The guys promised granite last week while we were in San Diego and they delivered. They are also well on their way to getting the flooring done.

Here's the fireplace where you can see the new travertine tile on the hearth, the new TV mounted above and the start of the floor.



The monstrous island with its lovely granite. Can I tell you how great it was to come home from the grocery store today and place all of the bags on the kitchen counter!



Ahhhh...yes...the stovetop was also installed while I was gone.



If I could only find my cookware which is buried somewhere in the mess that is my garage, I would cook something!



We are so close to done and it's exciting! :D