Busy busy!

This past weekend and week has been so hectic... wonder why! :) We spent all weekend at the house, working working, working. Mom and Dad Kirnan helped us out on Saturday; MK helped Ryan with the hardwoods...

check out hot Mama Kirnan rockin' the miter saw!
And DK installed the kitchen chandelier, changed outlets and switches, and helped Ryan too...

Isn't it pretty?! It's really dusty in this pic, as is the WHOLE HOUSE! Oh, and DK refused to be in the picture... surprise surprise :)
And the kitties did a lot too....

A lot of this!
I weeded out the front beds and did a ton of yardwork... screamed at and tried to squish a few spiders in the process!

Sunday... Mom and Dad worked with us all day, Dad installed the toilet (his FAVORITE thing to do, ever!) and the bathroom door, amongst others. Mom was a painting diva and did THIS.....

I actually willingly and independently picked that color! Can you believe it?! I've been trying to be a little more risky instead of being so blah with my paint colors. It's the office... it's so much darker and richer in real life... but I love it, it's going to look so good when it's done! It still needs another coat (or 2... it's so hard to get good coverage with a dark color!) but you get the idea. I guess you all will have to come over and see it for yourselves! :)

MOVING IN 3 DAYS... AHHH! Pray for me! :) I'm a packing fool... been staying up until 1am or later the past few nights, can't wait to get out of here!

Naughty & Nice

I was playing with the kitties tonight and I couldn't resist posting a few more pics...


Calla playing in the bookcase... naughty


Minkis snuggling with me... nice

It's funny b/c Minkis is usually the naughty one... he's always after something or being mischevious. Calla is sweet, constantly wanting to be picked up and rubbing against my legs. They sure are naughty together, though; they knocked 2 whole rows of shoes off of the shoe rack in our closet tonight! Not to mention their nightly 11:30 "go psycho" ritual... it's a sight to be seen!

Never Too Many & Updates (or lack thereof)

So here are a few more contests to spread the word about... AJ you should enter, JK can teach you how to link... he's a linking fool. :)

The Pinks and Blues girls are having a sweet giveaway which includes a Dooney & Bourke bag and Victoria's Secret Perfume! If you know me, you know how I am about those designer purses... naughty addiction. Check out the Pinks & Blues blog, as well as their main website... they are so fun & have something for everyone. Also, Stephanie is having ANOTHER contest, this time to win gorgeous earrings from Cheeky Jewelry along with a $25 gift certificate! I love the Katharine earrings.


Sooo... I've been slacking on these house updates this week. I spend too much time reading blogs and not enough time writing them. Feeling the pressure to get going with the move, especially since the contents of our entire storage room are now in the middle of our living room... I'm dreading going through all of that stuff, I'm tempted to throw it all away without even looking at it! This next week's going to be busy... but I hope to take a lot of pics (especially since I forgot my camera when we went out Wed to work) this weekend!

American Idol is over... so sad... 5 months of commitment, over in one night!

I stole this pic from AJ (you probably can't see the pic here but if you click in the ? box it'll open in a new window)... we are such dorks... but fun ones! Our fiesta was a success! 1/2 the fat! Love you guys!

WubbaNub

Drea is having a contest to win a WubbaNub! They are the cutest pacifiers... more goodies for Addie! Carrie, tell her that she needs to come out in the next day or so if she wants to receive all of these fun things that I win! :)

hallelujah for hardwoods!

Wow. This weekend was great... we got so much done, and got our new kitties! They are so tiny, I know they look big in the pic I posted last night, but they really are small... only 6 weeks!

I know my dad's going to hate that I posted this pic... but it's the only one I have that you can really tell how small they are! The grey one is a male, his name is Minkis (ummm yeah guess who named that one). The black & white one is a female named Calla. :) Love them!


On a completely different note...

4.16.07

5.20.07
can you believe the change?! the hardwoods look simply incredible. I will completely and fully admit that I had absolutely nothing to do with the installation or anything having to do with it... the tools necessary for the installation were scary and loud and mom, dad, and Ryan really needed a supervisor. :) Dad laid plywood, mom picked the boards to lay (it was like a never ending puzzle) and Ryan used the weird looking hammer and nail machine thing to actually install the floor. Plus someone had to kitty-sit.... wonder who had that job. :)

Here are some different views of the progress...


(sorry, mom... it's the only good pic I had of that view of the hall!)

The scary bathroom is also definitely making progress... dad finished the wainscoting and put new trim on the window.

And for the record, I did not do absolutely nothing this weekend... I did plenty of nail hole filling, painting, and cleaning, all in the bathroom. Oh, and someone had to keep running to Wegmans to get food (yes the Pittsford Wegmans... I always get such stares running around there in my paint clothes)!

So we are going to try to get a lot done during the week, too, when we can find time... can't wait for Wednesday! Go Blake! :)

Surprise!

Caulk is our friend.

Here are a few pics from our Wednesday workday... hopefully there are EXTREME changes in store for this weekend!


Mom doing some damage with the caulk gun... it's amazing what caulk can do!



Ooops... yeah that was my fault! You try pouring paint from a 5 gallon bucket!



Ryan had to turn the power off so this is dark, but you get the idea... bye bye scary bathroom!!!



Workin hard.... or hardly working? :) Nice face, babe!

For Cawwie...

Stephanie is having a great contest to give away a bunch of really cute baby stuff this week! The prizes are from Mason & Matisse. They have the coolest baby gear! Anyway, I saw this contest and immediately thought of Carrie... 9 months pregnant and all! She's obviously not a blogger (but she WILL be soon!) so I wanted to enter for her! Love you Carrie and Addie!!!


PS My internet was not working on Wed night, and last night blogger decided to not let me upload pics, so I'll try to post about the work that we did on the house on Wednesday tonight.... and stay tuned this weekend for a surprise!!! :) Hint... AJ you will not like it, but it will be good for you! :D

Grads

Ok, I know this blog is supposed to be about our house... but I feel the need to expand! Today we did NOT get a chance to work on the house, but for good reason.... Ryan graduated with his master's degree, and my sis graduated with her bachelor's degree! We were a proud family today. :) We had a little party over at OUR HOUSE after the ceremony... yay for a usable, working kitchen!


Me, Mom, and Meghan before the ceremony (she waited til the last minute to put on her cap & gown)


I can't believe how proud I am of this boy! He is the BEST!

We probably won't get anything done tomorrow, either... Ryan has to be around for checkout, plus it's mother's day and I want to spend time with my mom WITHOUT a paintbrush in my hand for one day!!! :)

TAGGED?!

Me?! I'm officially sucked into the blogworld... here goes! Thanks Elizabeth!

7 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT MYSELF
1. I can't sleep in a bed that hasn't been made (yes, I've been known to make the bed right before I get in it at night)
2. I've been married to Ryan for 2 years 7 months and 3 days
3. I was in a car accident while in the womb (my dad always says... "ohh, so THAT'S what's wrong with you")
4. I hate corn, mushrooms, ketchup (but I love red sauce), and seafood
5. I'm love anything mint or chocolate or both
6. I'm obsessed with different colored Sharpies (I have the 26 or whatever color pack- but I hate to use them b/c I don't want to use them up! plus I have the silver... and they have GOLD now!!!!), ballet flats, calla lilies, and anything gold! :)
7. When I first got glasses in the 6th grade I only needed a prescription in one eye... and I only needed one contact for awhile when I first got them before my other eye got bad!


Now I'm supposed to tag a few people... hmmm... how about Amy & Becca and JK... let's see what you can come up with!

Random Renovation Reflections

Didn't know I was so good with the alliteration now, did ya?

I didn't even take a picture of the whole kitchen yesterday, because it probably would look the same as it did in the Sunday picture. It's a little frustrating, because we ARE getting a lot done, it's just that it's things (and the Kellers have agreed, since they are experiencing the same thing now in building their house) that are very behind the scenes. Essential, yet invisible things... plumbing, electric work, accent molding (such as base shoe... say that fast, for the longest time I thought dad, mom, and Ryan were saying "bayshew..." sounded like a chinese side dish to me), second coats of paint, etc. It's frustrating to work a whole, long day and not be able to see huge results & changes. Oh well, at least we can appreciate the little things because we did them. :)

my husband, the plumber

I know I'm whining a lot, but hey it's my blog and I can write whatever I want. :) Another frustration I've been dealing with is my role in the actual renovation process. A wear quite a few hats, but none are very impressive or respectable. Painter girl. Sanding girl. Go-get-food girl. Weeding girl. Wood filler girl. SOMEBODY GIVE ME A POWER TOOL!!!!

Stinks that this is dark. :( But yes, that is a nail gun, and yes, I did really get to use it! Thanks, dada!

Another point worthy of whining about.... I HAVE NO TIME TO LIVE! Between working 42+ hours a week, 1.5 hours commuting per day, eating, sleeping (5 or 6 hours), and working on the house 2-3 days per week, I have sooooooo neglected our current apartment. Between cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping.... well let's just say I do maybe one of these items once every 2? weeks. As those who know me well know, I am NOT one to be anything but a neat freak, so it's really been eating at me that i don't have time to even care for my own place. Then I go to our new place and it's a mess too... ahhhhhh!!!!! I know, I need to shut up and be happy we have a house, blah, blah.... come on, I need an outlet. PS my dinner last night was goldfish, peanut m&ms, and a brownie at the Kellers... I don't even have time to eat real dinner!!! :)

I just have to take the time to brag a little... about my parents. They have come out to the house every Wednesday and one if not both days each weekend since we closed. They have taught us so much and really given us a vision to what how want the house to turn out. My dad has done so much physical labor alongside Ryan, despite his half chopped off finger! :) Mom painted the entire living room, kitchen, and says "Don't worry, I'll take care of it," when I whine about painting. I don't even really know how to thank them... I guess I just gotta keep feeding them! :)

dad with his new drill! "downtown!"


mom painting hard! can you tell she was painting the ceiling? (you can't really tell from this pic but she has paint all over her face) :)

I'd like to end with sharing the fact that I am in great need of a new shower curtain for my soon to be beautifully remodeled bathroom... I can't find one that I absolutely love. I know what I want, I just have not found it anywhere. Maybe I should head over to bed, bath, and bodyworks. :)

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

the kitchen after a full day's work... it doesn't look a ton different, but we did get the walls painted and my dad got A TON of woodwork done, very intricate!

My job for a good part of this weekend was to paint. Sounds like fun; it's good, mindless, and tedious work... good for a tired perfectionist like myself. Well, after about the 6th or 7th hour, the job gets rather agonizing. I mean, walls are ok, maybe even trim, but painting a sea of cabinet doors for hours can make you loopy. So here you go.... my thoughts after a long weekend of work... I decided to go over my top ten pros and cons of renovating and owning our house! I'll start with the bad because I always prefer bad news before good news...

THE BAD
10. It's been so tiring... I am so sleep deprived that I dream about getting more sleep
9. We have been ordering out a lot, so it gets expensive AND extra fattening
8. It's obviously expensive to do renovations, especially when unexpected things are needed... a quick trip to Home Depot ends up costing $200
7. Tearing apart this house has been so frustrating. The years of poor workmanship displayed as each layer of linoleum is uncovered makes me want to scream
6. I'm ruining all of my semi-old clothes because I'm confident I won't get paint on them...
5. Decisions, decisions. It's fun to pick out moldings, paint colors, and appliances, but seriously, my head is starting to spin
4. I hate our garage, period. I know we're lucky to even have one, but could the previous owners have left more crap behind?
3. The fear of bodily injury strikes fear deep within my heart each time I hear the roar of a table saw, drill, or even sander... do any of you know my father?
2. It's scary! I hate loud noises (I scream every time the compressor refills itself with air), bugs (hairy centipedes seems to like our house, plus Ryan said that he saw a HUGE spider in the basement the other day but it ran away too fast and he couldn't kill it! AAAHHH!!!), and dark places (I'm scared of pretty much the whole basement and can't go down there alone)... and I seem to be surrounded by ALL of my fears lately
1. It's overwhelming, plain and simple. There's just so much to do, and always more to do no matter how much gets done...

the scary bathroom

THE GOOD
10. It's fun!!!! I love interior design and making things clean and pretty, and we've been doing a lot of that obviously
9. We always have a stash of candy handy... m&ms and blow pops... can be a bad thing but I justify it by telling myself I'm working hard and to just enjoy it for now
8. The feelings of accomplishment make me feel like I could do anything!
7. We are a mile from Panera, Starbucks, Abbots, Great Northern, and a few more miles from Cold Stone, superbig Wegmans, and coming soon... the Cheesecake factory! Plus a million more but those are just a few of my favorites
6. We get new stuff! I hate to even use my new appliances, I don't want to get them dirty
5. I have been loving being able to get my hands dirty! Yeah I'm a girly girl who's afraid of everything, but I have been LOVING demo-ing things! Talk about releasing stress... just smash some tile or rip out some nails if you're feeling anxious!
4. We are getting a freaking house!!!! NO MORE DORM! NO MORE BOYS! NO MORE BANGING HEATER! NO MORE CARS HITTING MY CAR! NO MORE PEOPLE RINGING OUR DOORBELL AND RUNNING AWAY! NO MORE BACK DOOR ALARM GOING OFF AT 2AM! NO MORE FIRE DRILLS! ok I'll stop
3. We have been getting so many visits from fun friends!!! We are also making new friends with all of the employees that work at the Henrietta Lowes and Home Depot! haha

Alyssa helping me sand... yay for fun friends :)
2. We have had the privilege of receiving generous amounts of precious time and labor from our families. I think I'm more grateful for the time spent together than the work itself. I will forever treasure listening to my dad repeat weird phrases and sing really loud as he works

1. I get to spend so much time with my amazing husband. oh yay. <3

THE UGLY (I couldn't resist)

Our scary basement!!! Don't worry people, we're working on it!

THE CUTE (wanted to leave you on a not so gross note)

Look who got to come out with mom and dad all day saturday! He was such a good boy!

LOTUS

That's the name of the paint color you see in the picture of the living room above. Pretty, huh? It's so hard to describe... not yellow, not green, not brown... changes in different light.... I love it!!!! I originally described it as a color similar to baby poop... not a pretty thought, but it's true!!!



I thought I'd share a side by side comparison of what was accomplished in the kitchen today... check out the molding and wainscoting (not sure if I spelled that right)!!! It seriously looks like a different kitchen than the one we started with 2 1/2 weeks ago. Oh and my dad was hard at work in the 2nd photo & refused to move out of the shot, but you still get the idea. :) Look closely and you'll see the beautiful granite tile countertops (that we got for a steal) that my husband installed! wahoo!


Those cabinets will look sweet once they're finished! Ryan looks less than slightly amused. :)