Well, we never did make it into town last weekend to enjoy Scarecrow Invasion. Instead, we went to Marietta on Saturday afternoon to watch Riley play an end-of-the-season baseball “game”, which was captured on my phone.  The Almighty must have had His finger on my iPhone camera, because I didn’t even know I was taking a video of his first pitch hit. You can imagine my joy and amazement when I realized that  precious moment in time was captured, and can be replayed at will.

Reese was definitely enthralled with his brother’s performance at bat!

On Sunday, Greg finished the hardwood flooring installation in the kitchen, in anticipation of the remaining cabinets being installed this week. And yes, it looks like the upper cabinets will be put in today. The wooden ceiling beams that were removed and resized to accommodate the taller cabinets will be reinstalled, as well. Finishing touches (installing door handles and shelving) will be completed by mid-week, and then we will say a fond farewell to construction workers.

Besides putting all of the kitchen goods into their new homes, the final task to complete this renovation is the tiling of the backsplash. We are picking up the tile on Monday, and if all goes as planned, Greg and I will have it up and grouted by November 2nd. And then, as Dad put it, it’s time to celebrate (in his vernacular, that means “get drunk”! I’m with you on that one, Dad…).

Greg will then start construction on the new island, and I willl paint it with black chalk paint. We picked out a gorgeous piece of granite (it looks like suede, doesn’t it?) called Giallo Duna for the top:

The goal is to have everything done by Thanksgiving weekend. Greg’s parents will be our first official dinner guests. And then it will be time to haul out the Christmas decor and prepare for our annual Christmas party on December 21st (winter solstice!). Coming full circle, the hosting of that event really was the impetus for this mammoth remodel. There are 11 of us that break bread together every year on the Sunday before Christmas. Last year, 7 people ate at the dining room table, and 3 sat at the now-defunct bar on “those stools”. The odd man out was my Dad, who insisted on eating his meal by standing up at the kitchen island. I made a vow that would never happen again. This year, the farmhouse table that Greg built, my pride and joy, will seat 10; Reese’s high chair will be pulled into place, so everyone will have a seat at the table!

Reminder to Greg: when the island is finished, get cracking on the construction of the dining room benches!

The soapstone countertops were installed on Tuesday. I am so in love with them. They are more beautiful than I could have imagined, and they look gorgeous atop the natural pine cabinets. The black under-mount quartzite sink is a thing of beauty. Cleaning the counters is a breeze now, without a sink rim to contend with. Its single bowl is so deep & wide that Bear could take a bath in it (however, that is NOT going to happen). The “piece de resistance” is the faucet; it took about a nanosecond to get used to the single on/off water control and integrated sprayer!

On a different and more somber note, Monday, October 27th, is the day I return to the doctor for a diagnosis. I am feeling very anxious about learning the test results. For a while now, (based on months of indepth research) I’ve been secure in my knowledge of what is causing my laundry list of symptoms. I am okay with the expected diagnosis, but what if it’s something entirely different? People close to me have warned against “putting all of my eggs in one basket”, and now the day of reckoning is close at hand. I hope I have the strength to accept, and move forward, with whatever information is forthcoming. Que sera, sera….

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Now that our house renovation is winding down, I am undertaking a new project that excites me to no end, and will provide enormous pleasure in its process and delivery. Sadly, LeeAnn’s four grandchildren are currently in foster care in Virginia, because LeeAnn’s daughter & her husband are dealing with personal issues that preclude them from properly caring for them. The two youngest children are scheduled to live with their paternal grandparents in St. Augustine, Florida. LeeAnn has petitioned for custody of the two older children, Justin (14 yrs.) and Faith (10 yrs.). Each child, according to the law (and common sense), must have their own dedicated bedroom. Since her mother also resides with her, an extra bedroom is needed in order to accommodate everyone. She, and husband Mark, are looking at creative solutions to address the space problem, and they only have until the first week in December to solve it, in order to pass a DFACS inspection, which occurs 60 days before the children are set to arrive on February 10, 2015!

With so many logistical problems to solve, LeeAnn has no time or resources with which to create beautiful, functional bedrooms to greet the children when they arrive at Nana’s house. (They cannot be told that they are going to live with her, so they will be overjoyed to be out of foser care, and living with family again). Enter me. I have volunteered to procure the furniture needed to furnish the rooms, including refinishing the pieces as need be. Additionally, I will make window treatments, quilts and shams, and provide wall paint and art for the walls. It’s going to be so much fun to turn these spaces into places that express how welcome and loved these children are.

We are off to a great start, too. On Monday, after performing early voting duty, we stopped at a thrift store close to home, which is the recipient of many of our cast-offs. Waiting there for us were 2 solid wood twin beds, and a solid wood double dresser, all for $125! Dad decided to purchase them as LeeAnn’s Christmas present, in lieu of the monetary gift he normally gives her. Greg picked up the paint to refurbish them, so the project officially begins this weekend. I promise a full report and pictures every step of the way!

Speaking of pictures, we have a date to go downtown on Saturday to visit the scarecrows. It’s hard to believe, but they will be gone in a week, to make way for the Veteran’s Day decor, followed closely by the lighting of the Christmas tree.

Oh yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute…