Unwanted house guest!!

While we having our new patio installed out from under the house slithered this "little" fella!!!

This snake was HUGE!!

There he goes......

Casey is 6 feet tall!

This is our patio in progress.   Minus one ginormous snake!

Seeing that light.....:)

OK, we are coming down to the end our big renovation.  While overall the project has gone really fast, we are all ready for me to have our kitchen back.  I don't think I ever want to eat take out again!  We cannot wait to cook at home.  Baking with Evan will definitely be a big highlight.

We don't want to give too much away so our pictures will be a little cryptic.

The first wall to be painted!!  

I've learned that every stage comes with a mess!  YAYYYY Cabinets!!

Jim and Evan goofing around by the cabinet truck!

Goofballs.

This picture is going to be on Evan's blog and this one.  Evan got to ride 2 tractors today.  

I don't think he can get much happier!

Evan can say he helped with our patio!

Baxter the Cat enjoying part of the new addition.  

It gets worse before it gets better...right?

It's amazing how fast everything has happened!

It looks really amazing!!  I can just picture me having coffee in there!!

Evan was truly a big help when we removed the hardwood floor.

Jim and Evan working!

Won't be long now!

All coming together.

Well, it's been an amazing few weeks.  There have been days where it seemed as if there were more people working on our house than lived on our street!!  It's been trying not having a kitchen.  But we are getting through it.  I can't say we'll be eating out much in June or July.  Lots of home cooked meals in my new gourmet kitchen.

And it sure shows!!  We don't want to give away too much so our pictures may become a little more mysterious. :)  But this week are inspections.  Seems like just yesterday it was merely a hole in the ground!

The outside is just amazing.  The entire back of the house looks  gorgeous.

Franklin always overseeing every step of construction!

Before we go any further, there are a few things you should know.....

....about our old kitchen.

It wasn't just a kitchen.  It wasn't just a place to prepare and cook meals.  It wasn't just a vessel in which we washed dishes and stored our dishes.

To me it was much more.  The memories I have of our family in the kitchen are very important to me.  I remember seeing Chris and Koren as teenagers bicker at the sink about cleaning up the dishes.  I also remember them laughing and joking while eating at the table.  There was the time we had a cookout and I walked into the sliding screen door!  That was funny.  All of the after Thanksgiving leftover feasts.  Where we all just grabbed a container and started eating various portions of the Thanksgiving meal.  During which we would talk and of course laugh! We do a lot of that.  Usually at someone's expense.  :)

The old Kitchen is where as a baby Evan would tear apart the Tupperware drawer.  We still remember him being short enough to walk under the overhang on the island!  That was about 10 inches ago.  Many bottles were made there in the middle of the night too.

Our whole house is filled with those same great memories. Some memories I wasn't even here for.  Koren and Chris lived most of their lives in this house.  Elementary, Middle and High School and beyond.

Moving may seem simpler to some people but to us it would mean leaving a place behind that holds a special place in our hearts.

This home is also where my husband proposed to me and where we brought Evan home from the Hospital.

It's the place Koren came home to after being away at College.  (Go Herd!)

Chris returned home here after 12 weeks of U.S.M.C.  Boot Camp at Parris Island.

A place where they can ALWAYS come home to.

I am a lucky woman.  I have a wonderful family, home and husband.  It is because of him that this is all possible.  Every choice I make about flooring, countertops, siding etc. exists because of Jim.  Thank you to you for giving me and our family this gift.

So why are we building a bigger kitchen?  So we can create even bigger memories.

My Wall is Gone, My Wall is Gone!!!!!

Well it finally happened!! The back wall is out and tomorrow it's time to measure for new cabinetry.

There is nothing I can say to prepare you....so here goes.

Evan oversees all operations!

Looking into the new section from our Family Room Doorway.

The wall where the Refrigerator and Stove were on.

LOVE IT!! I'm so excited!!  So much room!

Looking back in to the house from the addition.

Talon is coming! Talon is coming!!

It was like an invasion on our street this morning!

Trucks descended on our street 1st thing.  It was such a beautiful sight!!!

Our roof is almost done and will be completed tomorrow.  The new siding is installed on Monday.

They finally cracked the seal on the inside wall of the house!  And Monday it really comes down.  We are scheduled to lose our kitchen on Tuesday.  We are now accepting dinner invitations!

This is just a small example of what was park at our house today!!

Delivering the roofing!!!  Evan LOVED this truck!

Barely awake for 5 minutes and his boots were on to check out the activity!!!  His eyes are even still puffy!

Removing the door to replace it on the other side of the new wall  

Well, it's official....the house has been cracked open!!!