new flooring for the kitchen

this post is a bit out of order,
the original didn't want to post the photos with it.
on Friday the floor guys put in the new kitchen floor and pieced the areas in the living room and dining room.
how amazing it looked, how nice it was to no longer have to navigate holes in the sub floor.

day two

of the floor project
the middle picture is the floor in the living room and dining room before they began
the bottom is after sanding...
yes that makes me smile...
as I peeked in windows last night trying to see the floor
it was amazing to see how it looked....
love how it cleaned up, love the color and character that was revealed...

so much

to see
so much to explore
now that you are soon to be two
running is simply the only way to
take it all in...

Send off...

Our local National Guard unit is being deployed.
today was the send off...
when I realized that the time was also the same time Reyna's birthday party
was scheduled to begin I was bummed that we wouldn't be able to attend.
Today as I drove thru town and saw the flags and people attending the send off activities
I decided that being a few minutes late for her birthday party wouldn't be the end of the world
and so we went...these little ones of mine have never watched a send off for troops
(rather wish they would have never had to see one)
The first one I saw was when this same guard unit was deployed in 2003, my brother in law was
a part of this unit as was a daycare dad. I had hoped to never have to see another.
Today never arrived...
as we waited I couldn't help but wonder how do you say good bye?
how do you even get through a day like this
seeing the line of firetrucks from local communities watching the police escort lead the line
the freedom riders and the bus filled with men and women who make the greatest sacrifice
just so we can live in a land that is free.
brought tears to my eyes
moments like this make you proud to live in this community...

Two

Aunt Linette foundyou this pooh and piglet statue
your face pretty much sums up how you felt about that

we celebrated her birthday a bit early this year,
next weekend is filled with activities that take many of our family members to
various parts of the state....
it rained yesterday..all day long
which had me worried at just how we were going to pull of a party when most of our first floor is
unusable. So glad to wake this morning and see the sun shining..
what a beautiful day it turned out to be.
She was quite unimpressed by the guests, or the fact that it was "her" day
instead just so happy to be outside

a birthday party...

for a two year old requires balloons, and cupcakes, and of course gumballs!
The theme I decided to use for her party...the birthday girl was quite thrilled with the availability of gumballs
guess it was a hit to the soon to be 2 year old in our house.

A bit of beauty amongst this endless rain

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone

Farmers Market

Our first visit to the Farmers Market in Mankato this year.
how I have missed this weekly event.
it was cold, and a few of my little ones were wishing they had listend to mom before we left and put on warmer clothes...
despite the cold, drizzly weather it was wonderful to walk along the booths reaquainting ourselves with what is in season right now (actually not too much) munching on cookies and mini donuts (those are always in season)
replenishing my lotion bar a lifesaver for my feet and visiting the granola booth...I have yet to replicate their recipe it is that good.
bought some rhubarb, mine is a bit slow this year.  then realized when we got home I had no oven in which to cook anything in.  sigh, and rhubarb cake had sounded pretty darn good. 
looking forward to our next visit

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the view from here...

as we adjust and adapt to our new living space
some of us rather quicker than others
(ok, I'm the only one having problems with this new set up)
I guess dinner is dinner whether the table is in the house or the garage...to kids it's just an adventure
as they lounged in the "new living room" one said "the only thing missing is the tv.
to which I replied "what would you watch? there is not cable in the garage (thank goodness)"
my father who was here, and lounging with the rest said "well what is wrong with movies?"
sigh,
which set into motion the moving of the tv to the garage and the search for extension cords to hook up the dvd player and the tv
since mom said that no, no you could not unplug the refrigerator in order to wach tv.
seriously they did ask this.
and as I headed out the door (garage door, mind you. you know the one you drive your car thru)
for my meeting last night there they all sat with big grins watching a movie.
in the garage.
this morning when I opened the door to put up the garage door, preparing for the first daycare kids to arrive
I only paused a moment when I glanced at the one who was up, sitting at the table eating breakfast before she headed off to work
"morning mom" was her cheerful reply
guess, perhaps I too am adjusting to this new living arrangement
(kicking and screaming the whole way , mind you)
it's certainly an adventure.

empty

the last times these rooms were this empty, this bare would have been when we moved in over
20 years ago, of course even then they were not this bare
since there was carpet on the floors...
and as I look as these photos, and pause the freak out session
that is my brain these days...I see the beauty just waiting to
be found, glimpses of sunlight on these floors makes me pause
thinking about the fact that these floors are over a hundred years old just begs for me
to wonder about the stories they could tell..
soon we will be adding our stories foot step by foot step...
soon these rooms will be filled again with people and stuff...
soon.....

our new living and dining room

yes this would be the garage
yes that is my couch under that pile of blankets (which will hopefully protect it)
yes my refrigerator and stove are also hanging out here
doesn't that ugly carpet just add something to the whole atmosphere?
three rooms needed to be emptied in the at times never ending preparing for the floor guys
I am hopeful that emptying rooms equates their arrival is sooner than later
sigh
the organzied, orderly, person is going nuts
my kids are loving this.
they would.

sisters...

catching the two of you together is almost impossible

outside?

the first thing you request when you wake in the morning

uttered endlessly through out the day

there is simply too much to see, to discover

to explore in this vast new world youhave discovered
just out the door...

on going floor project...

saturday brought the next step
(no not the step that involves finishing this floor process)
removing the remaining floor from the kitchen
we needed to take it down to the sub floor so when the new floor is installed
the floors will all be the same height.
simple...
not exactly

apparently there are holes in the sub floor
holes that you can view my basement through
or trip on, or lose a small child in

and some holes are filled with junk

dirt, and wall debris and goodness knows what else
all lurking under my floor, frightening to say the least.
no idea why this is here, anthony and I dug out a few bucketfuls and seemed to make very little
dent...no idea what is holding this in place since there is no ceiling in the basement
it just seems to be hovering in space...a black hole of sorts
perhaps this is where all those lost items go never to be seen again,
just replaced with dirt and junk...
and yes, the neat freak in me is having a slight panic attack at the thought of all that dirt
remaining in that space..ewwwww!