House Tour: The Kitchen (Update 10/4/12)

First, just let me say that Patrick and I so appreciate all of your prayers/wishes/advice about coping with grief.  Knowing that we have a community of family and friends that cares about and is praying for us has already been a huge blessing to us.  Please keep those prayers coming.

So much has changed since our last kitchen tour.  And thank goodness for that; this place was a hot MESS!

To recap, here was my list of goals for the room (in bold), along with their current status:
-Replace flooring-Check!
-Replace countertops/backsplash- Not so much.  I have painted the backsplash (again) to make it blend in more, but the ugly countertops unfortunately haven't changed a bit.
-Repaint the stovetop- Nope.
-Paint (or replace?) vent hood- Not even a little bit.
-Paint refrigerator-Never mind.  The fridge is sadly going to die soon, so we're waiting it out.  Once it dies, we'll just buy a black one.  Because we're conventional cheap like that.
-Install island-Patrick is trying to talk me out of this one.  The realtor is on his side, but I still haven't admitted defeat. 
-Buy/make barstools-Not necessary unless (who are we kidding, UNTIL) I get my island.
-Paint base of table-Done!
-Build window seat- Nope.
-Install recessed light over sink-Nope.
-Find shallow drawer pulls-Nope.
-Finish painting trim (including column)-Close, but no cigar.
-Touch up paint-Pretty much done.
-Upgrade electrical switches and outlets to GFCI-Nope.
-Find/DIY art for wall behind table-I changed my mind.  Now I want open shelving there, a la YHL House 1.
-Stencil or otherwise decorate the soffit.-Eh, changed my mind.  Now I'm okay with the soffit.  I will, however, be stenciling the backsplash.

And now for a current picture, as of Tuesday morning:

But wait, there's more!  After enjoying my first Lo-Carb Monster (it's an energy drink) in TWO LOOONNNG YEARS, I managed to paint our backsplash to match the rest of the kitchen walls in about an hour and a half during Madison's nap.

 After finishing the backsplash, I had ample time in her nap to make and eat lunch, list my mom's car on Craigslist, and write half this post.  You've gotta love artificial energy.  Sure, if I drank one every day I'd probably shorten my lifespan by about half, but just think how much more I could get done in that time!  Just kidding.  Kind of.

Mmm, good.

Sorry about the lack of pictures of the other side of the room.  It's pretty much the same as the first picture, except we got rid of the kennel (yay for fully house trained dogs!), cleaned off the top of the fridge, then let more junk accumulate on top of the fridge.  We (I) really need to clean out some closet space.

I can't believe how long it took me to get around to painting the backsplash.  It offered instant gratification, changed the whole feel of the kitchen, and was FREE (we had leftover paint/supplies).  Now I'm racking my brain for what other projects might have the same work:reward ratio!

Have you indulged in any guilty pleasures (like my Monster) lately?  What about finally getting around to something that's been on your list for a long time?  Am I the only one who only notices things like Madison's toy bowls on the floor once they're on film (er, in digital form)?

Happy Thursday!
-Kelli

A Few Verses About Grief

Please be in prayer for Patrick's family.  Bill, Pat's dad, will be placed in hospice care late this weekend or early next week.  We expect him to pass away quickly.  This decision was very difficult for all of them, but thankfully they found a medical directive from a few years ago that very clearly explained Bill's wishes in this situation.   

Patrick and I have never really mourned the loss of anyone this close to us before; we've lost grandparents and uncles, but never a parent.  Patrick doesn't know how to feel or act, and I don't know how to help.  So per Patrick's request, I looked for some verses about grief.  This is what I found.  The actual verses are copied from ESVBible.org . 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, gthat you may not grieve as others do hwho have no hope. 14 For isince we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him jthose who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you kby a word from the Lord,4 that lwe who are alive, who are left until mthe coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For nthe Lord himself will descend ofrom heaven pwith a cry of command, with the voice of qan archangel, and rwith the sound of the trumpet of God. And sthe dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be tcaught up together with them uin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so vwe will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Romans 8:8
 8 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time nare not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

2 Corinthians 1:3,4
3 fBlessed be the gGod and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and hGod of all comfort, 4 iwho comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 

Psalm 147:3

He heals othe brokenhearted

and pbinds up their wounds.

Matthew 5:4

4 “Blessed are vthose who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Psalm 73:26

26 iMy flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is jthe strength1 of my heart and my kportion lforever.

What verses do you know that help with grief?  Have you helped someone through this before, or been there yourself?  If so, please tell me what I can do to help him, and tell me what not to do/say!

Above all, please be praying for the Philpot family (all of us).  It's going to be a rough weekend.

Thanks,

Kelli

What's On My Mind Monday

Linking up over here, even though I'm posting super late.

I.  We had such a nice weekend!  It felt almost like a vacation after Pat had been gone for so long.  Patrick stayed home for both of Madison's naps while I went to a baby shower Saturday and to my parents' house to watch the Texans win on Sunday.  Just being alone (not really alone, just not in charge of anyone but myself) for those few hours was amazing, but of course I was excited to see Madison when I got back both days.  It really is luxurious to have the chance to miss her every now and again.

II.  Madison is getting more independent every day.  She will play by herself for up to thirty minutes now, usually with either a book or bowl and spoon.  She LOVES to pretend to eat, and makes a cute "smack" noise when she pretends to take bites.

III.  She seems to have had a vocabulary explosion over the last few weeks.  She wasn't really saying much of anything before, but now she says these words pretty frequently:
momma
da-dee
guh(girl)
dah(dog)
book
DA or yeh (yes)
mo-mo (more) 
da-da (for paw-paw.  ?)
nana
NO!
moo
baa
phblblth (elephant sound)
dora
bah-pa (backpack)

And she says these on occasion:
peace (please)
ste-puh-nee(a neighbor friend)
Beh-ah (Bella)
ow-die (outside)
doh (door)
swee (swing)
ball
gooh guh (Good girl, usually said to Bella)
kah (quack)
*and more below

I know I'm forgetting big ones, but I guess these are my faves.  : )

IV.  Please pray for Patrick's dad.  I haven't really written here yet about what's going on with him, and I don't feel comfortable sharing everything, because I don't want to get it all wrong.  Just pray that Pat and his family have the wisdom they need to make some very difficult decisions, and that we all have peace about whatever comes.  Praying for miraculous healing couldn't hurt, either!

Happy Monday,
Kelli

I'm only going to allow myself one update, but I can't believe I left out up, down, baby, and cup!