The Girl's Before and After Pictures

Cassidy's before



Cassidy's after



Karryn's before



Karryn's after

 So here we are today - remodel has slowed down a bit with real-life work, Jim's European trip, kids getting busy with school and gymnastics (already).....  The girls are happy with their rooms  and I still need to finish Brennan's (but that will give me something to talk about on another post!)  By the way, Jim's mom sewed the curtains, Karryn's duvet cover, the bed skirts and a lot of the pillows.  We would not be this far along with the house without help from Linda, Rick, Mary Ann and Dorothy - thanks to you all for all the help!

New Baby!

Zac and Theresa had their baby this morning - she's Zoe Anna Lynne, she is 7 lbs 4 oz and 20" long.  Everybody is doing well and is healthy! 

The Kitty Catastrophe

We had our first cat demise today.  The old owner, Mr Brickey, came over this afternoon to get a switch he had forgotten here (this is about our 4th visit from him).  Meanwhile, somehow the kitties had gotten out of the garage.  When Mr Brickey backed out of the driveway he ran over Cuddles.  After many tears we're finally feeling a little better................and Bella is in the family room watching TV with the kids.  Funny how a hard line (keeping the cats outside) gets a little fuzzy after such a mishap.

Snowy Sunday!!

OK................We thought we were moving south - but now we know that we moved to a "winter wonderland" (as Brennan called it).  3 1/2" this morning but almost gone by 1:00 - Yay!

The Kitties

Last Wednesday I decided to come through on the promise (bribe) of kitties for the kiddies.  Karryn wanted to make sure we rescued the cats...so off we headed to the Humane Society.  After looking at more than a dozen cats I mentioned that these would be outside cats.  Our selection was immediately reduced to 3.  They had come in together and were accustomed to being outside, but were a little wild.  Karry knew she wanted a gray kitty...the white one fell in love with her and snuggled into her chin.  Bren was holding the gray one like a sack of potatoes and it liked it.  The worker said it just proves that you don't choose a cat, they choose you.  So, we came home with a gray cat and went back the next day for the white one.  As soon as Karry took the cat to the basement it went and hid under the stairs for a day....Karry cried.  We went to Petco and bought them the constant running water bowl, their own litter boxes, a heated bed, food and treats (they didn't know they had just won life's lottery).  When Jim got home and went to see the kitties in the basement, Cuddles, the white kitty, hissed, scratched and bit him in one fell swoop..............the kitties were immediately banished to the garage.  Cuddles, the lazy bum, and Bella the explorer have settled down and are getting happier in the garage.  The next step is outside.............. hopefully soon.

The Adventure Begins

On March 4th the moving truck came and loaded up all of our earthly possessions - this was the best money we ever spent.  Just watching these guys load and unload our furniture was exhausting. 

After a fun weekend at the Gertners, Jim and I headed out for St Louis on Mon, Mar 7, closed on the house on Mar 8 and the demo began immediately.  Thanks to Linda (Jim's sister)  and Rick and Mary Ann (Jim's brother and wife) we somehow tore out the carpet, added moldings,and painted everything before the new carpet got there on Mar 14.  Below are the "before" picture....

Karryn's room



Cassidy's room



Brennan's room



The guest room



My office

After 4 gallons of primer, 3 gallons of trim paint, 2 gallons of ceiling paint, 5 gallons of wall paint, a whole day of wallpaper stripping, many feet of miscellaneous moldings, 2 new newel posts, and sooooo many hours (including working through the night before the carpet arrived on Monday morning), we had the bedrooms done. 

office

Karryn's room

Guest room

Cassidy's room

Brennan's room