App happy Wednesday

Today I am joining keeping Up With The Times for App Happy Wednesday.

 

This black and white picture was done with the Waterlouge app and then blended back with image Blender.

 

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Cold enough for ya?

 

 

It was seven below when I left for coffee this morning. I thought for sure my coffee friends and I would be the only ones foolish enough to go out. To my surprise the place was full! We hearty people in Bradford just don't let the elements dictate what we do.

I don't seem to be getting anything done these days. For one thing every room in my house with the exception of my bedroom and the sunroom look a mess with all the kitchen stuff all over. There really is no sense in trying to clean. And I feel like hibernating and sleeping away the day. Plus I'm down about losing my friend. I want to pick up the phone and call her. In fact I've called her every day just to listen to her voice on the answering machine. Is that weird?

On a brighter note today is plumbing day in my kitchen. The dishwasher will be moved to the right of the sink. Things are really progressing nicely tomorrow the painter will begin and they hope to start adding in the cabinets tomorrow. The appliances will arrive tomorrow too. I should be super excited. My emotions run happy and sad.

 

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It’s starting to get exciting around here

My contractors are really moving along. Today we had a challenge.  Yesterday I talked to my contractor about how much the new French door refrigerator was going to stick out into the room.  They are so large…35” deep. My old one stuck out four inches. This one would stick out ten!!! Too much for such a narrow kitchen. I know it’s only 6 more inches but I’m the Princess and the Pea and little things like that really bother me. So Daryl talked to his guys….did I mention that my contractor had a head on collision before all this started..not his fault…and broke his ankle? He has been supervising from a distance. So today they came in , pulled the studs from the wall and gained inches for me to push the fridge back four inches.  I am extremely happy.    They also started putting on the mouldings and chair rail. It dresses it up so much and looks great. Now I am starting to see the vision I had. They are planning on putting in the cabinets on Friday. The painter will work this week. I can’t wait to see it painted. It looks so fresh now in its raw state that I can’t imagine how it will look when it is painted.    This is a process and I think they are working quickly. We still need to pick out granite so are traveling to Rochester, NY to see slabs tomorrow. It’s coming, the kitchen’s coming!

 

 

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Time

 

We think we have all the time in the world. We feel we are living our life to the fullest. But what if we weren't here tomorrow? Have we said all we wanted to? Have we shown those we love just how very much they mean to us? Have we been unkind? Do we regret? Are there dreams left undone?

I lost my friend. I ponder my life.

 

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Phil Vassar

Isn't he a cutie? If you don't know Phil Vassar neither did I. But we get free concert tickets from our local casino, Seneca Allegany, sowe like to take advantage of a nice date night once in a while. Here's a little about him from the internet.

Phillip George "Phil" Vassar (born May 28, 1964 in Lynchburg, Virginia) is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw ("For a Little While", "My Next Thirty Years"), Jo Dee Messina ("Bye, Bye", "I'm Alright"), Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo"), and Alan Jackson("Right on the Money"). In 1999, he was named by American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) as Country Songwriter of the Year.

It was an amazing show. He came on stage like a bundle of energy and sustained that throughout the hour and a half of his show. His piano playing skills were amazing and had the audience jumping around, clapping,and singing along. Because of the freezing weather the concert wasn't sold out but those of us who were there were treated to an super concert.

We also went to Jamestown, a town about an hour away in the afternoon. Since we couldn't possibly leave Sadie all day and then all night she had a sleepover at my friend Linda's house. She loves to go there and pulls on the leash as soon as we get out of the car. In the summertime she sits in front of their sliding glass door and stares at the parade of chipmunks.

We had very good luck and picked out appliances for our kitchen..stove, microwave for above it, and french door refrigerator. They will be delivered on Wednesday. We also got a Moen faucet and a replacement doorknob. Plus we ate at the Olive Garden for lunch and I tried their Chicken Sorrento which had a citrus sauce and a vegetable mix of caramelized red onion, broccoli, artichokes,and zucchini..yum, yum!

What a fantastic day!!

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Dry wall day

Every guy has a job. Today two dry wall guys came and proceeded to create more dust. They evened out the wall where the stove was and filled in at the top. It’s nice to see progress. I just can’t get used to them showing up and only working four hours at a time. But I guess they figure how much time they need and each thing has to be done in steps.  On Monday am at 7 the plasterer comes to smooth things off. Then by the end of next week it seems I might have new cabinets in. I think things are going fast. We need to take a trip to the Sear’s store in Jamestown to pick out our stove, microwave and fridge. There are handles to buy and granite yet. Yikes!
 

 

So very Cold

This morning was so cold and the wind blowing the snow caused such a white out I could hardly find my exit off the highway to get home. it was only fourteen degrees but felt even colder. But that didn’t stop me from going out to meet my friends.Right now I feel the need to be among friend even more than ever. I miss my best friend and try to fill the void. As I type the workers are in the kitchen working on the drywall. I decided to just have a plain painted backsplash. Maybe later I’ll find tile for it but for right now this is what I want. One thing at a time.

I think I”ll just curl up with a book this afternoon and watch the snow from inside where it’s warm. The driveway had been plowed but I have no where to go.

 

 

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How do I manage

It's only been four days and adjustment to life without a kitchen is proving a challenge. All the food is in Chris' old bedroom. Also a temporary kitchen. Everything is all over the place and hard to find. Getting it organized is just a joke.

The plastic ware, pots, all all of the other paraphenalia is in Ryan's room. I can just close the door to that room and leave it all alone.

 

And then there,s the dust. Even though the room is shut off with a paper the dust seeps through. So I hung a sheet over the doorway too. But every time someone enters and exits the room they carry dust on their feet.

I'm trying to ignore all the mess and focus on the prize. Today they are doing all the elctric work.

Here' same little video..no Sadie in this one.

 

 

 

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End of day two

The workers were here today and finished the demolition by clearing the stove wall and the other cabinets. Here is a short video of the room now.

 

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Miss Sara

 

Sara plays outside this week. I love that she is taking her doll that I got her for Christmas for a ride.

 

 

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End of day one

Live in each season as it passes, breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influences of each.

~ Henry David Thoreau

 

 

Loved this quote. It reminds me to love each season. Even today with the wind swirling the snow around. It is eleven degrees out right now and this week will be a cold one. We are used to this kind of weather here in bradford.

 

Here is the kitchen at the end of day one. They only worked for four and a half hours but got a lot accomplished.

 

 

 

 

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And so it begins

The kitchen remodel started today. We spent the entire weeken unloading cabinets and shelves. How does one person have so much? I didn't take the time to sort things out but when I put them back I will cull. I don't have the need for ten little ice cram dishes or milkshake glasses. And I'm sure there are a lot of things that I can part with now. I used to entertain a lot and had a lot of people at the house. Now it's usually just the two of us most of the time. And I'm simplifying my life. Here are some before pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is a rendering of the after.

 

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Downton Abbey

 

Who doesn't love the Dowager Countess? And wasn't she just evil tonight having a tea party? If you don't watch you are missing one of the best programs on television. She always comes out with such great quips. Here are just a few from the past seasons.

 

 

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Sad beyond belief

I don't even know where to begin this post. Today I lost a lifelong friend. Yrsa and I went to the same elementary school, grew up in the same neighborhood, were friends in high school and adult friends. We talked every day on the phone, shopped together and shared our most intimate secrets. She was my best cheerleader. With no warning she died in her sleep last night.

To say I am devastated is not enough. My life will never be the same. We shared so much over the years and we are tied together with love. I am a firm believer that we live on after death and I know she will be with me in spirit. But how I will miss her. Other than my parents I've never lost anyone close to me. My heart feels cut in half.

 

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Bucket list

 

This is a repeat of my bucket lost post but I needed to see it again.

Do you have a bucket list? I have read that written goals have a better chance of coming true and that is what a bucket list is. It’s a list of all the things you’d like to do you kick the bucket. Quite a while ago when I was taking a graduate course our professor asked us to list five things we’d like to do in the future. As a lark I put down "Go to Paris". It was a far fetched goal..one I thought I’d never in a million years get to do. But within five year I went to Germany with my sister and we took a train to Paris. I still pinch myself to make sure it was true.
So after that I made a bucket list and crossed them off one by one. I didn’t make a deliberate plan to accomplish all the things on the list, but one by one they were crossed off. There are still some things left to do and I need to add more. But here is the list:

Go to Paris again.

Experience Tuscany.
Take a cooking class.
Study painting and become an artist.
Go to a spa and have a facial.
Read along the beach.
Remodel/redecorate the house.
Take a vacation to Alaska with Don.
Drive a Porsche.
Get false nails.
Go to a workshop of all women.
take a watercolor class.
Make a cutting garden.
Make money on a craft.
Stay at a luxurious hotel.
Go to Disneyworld.
Go antiquing in Brimfield Mass.
go to the Poconos in the fall.
Ride a bike around State Park.
Get a Vespa.
Go on a picnic to the Welland Canal.
See a broadway play.
Take a class at Chautauqua Institute.
get a digital camera.
Decoupage photos onto fabric pillows.
Have a women’s support group.
Go to the beach.
Go on a cruise.
Get on a walking program.
Ride horseback.
Go on a surprise weekend with my husband.
Sell something on Ebay.
Get the house organized.
Have a yard sale.
Spend a lazy day on the boat
Go for a picnic to State Park.
Become a runner.
Spend the night on a boat.
Go to New England.
Enjoy a Bemus point Concert.
Put an addition on the house.
Ride in a limo.
Light a paper lantern on the shore of a lake and let it sail into the sky.
Go to the Florida Keys and watch a sunset.
Have a family vacation at a destination.
Go to Carmel, California and stay at a Bed and Breakfast.
Stay up and watch the falling stars.

How about you? What is on your bucket list?

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Curl up and read

Can you see the freezing rain out the window? It will be one of those days when you just don't want to go outside. That's because we will be spending the day putting everything that's in the kitchen into bins and boxes to prepare for the contractors on Monday.  It seems so funny going through all the cabinets. As I do I am deciding what things will actually need to go back into the cupboards. Already I have weeded out all those extra mismatched coffee cups. Some things like the silver cranberry sauce dish I only use at thanksgiving and I think could be in storage in the basement. And my sister gave me a beautiful spice rack full of spices. I need to throw away all those old ones. 

And what should I do with that Eiffel Tower Olive oil container?  I love it but haven't really used it lately.  Oh, therewill be a lot of decisions like that.  I can't wit to have an all new kitchen. We have lived in this house for forty one years and haven't made a lot of changes..until the last eight years when we added the sunroom. This is a new adventure...updating. 

When I get a moment I will sit down with a library book...

Or read on my kindle app on the ipad.  I'm still one of those who likes to hold the pages in my hands though. 

I hope wherever you are that you are safe and warm and make the most of this day.