Our "Hardwood" Week

With the pounding of hardwood floor installation and later the "smell" of the finish, we made some adjustments in our plans for the week.  We did temple sessions on Tuesday and Friday...Gary also went on Wednesday while Jena and I spent the afternoon running errands and getting her to her Institute class.

Thursday morning, we packed up and headed to Ogden because that was the day that they stained the floors and the smell made the house not fit for humans or anyone.  (Gary and I can attest as we had to go over that afternoon to open some windows to air it out.  The installers needed it to dry to a certain level before windows were open.  Our eyes, lungs, and stomachs almost immediately reacted to the stuff in the air.  It was crazy.)

We met Gary and Vonette for breakfast at IHOP, then we headed to the Layton mall to walk around for a bit before our movie "Paddington Does Peru" started at a nearby theatre.  That finished just in time to pick up Ben and then head to Ogden again to check into our hotel for the night.

Jena and I at the Ogden Temple on Tuesday
We drove separate cars so that Gary could do
another session afterwards.

It has been a long time since we walked the
Layton Hills Mall. We didn't know they
had a rock shop there.

Movie time at the Cinemark in Layton.....caught Jena waving at me.

Just in case you don't know who
Paddington is.  We were the only three people
in the theatre.

We went to the Pita Pit for dinner and all enjoyed our food and fruit smoothies.

Friday morning at the Ogden Temple.......

We were able to get back into our house on Friday afternoon with many windows open and the furnace fan blowing continually for the afternoon and evening.  We have been blessed with excellent weather all of this week which we appreciated with the remodeling done.

Although we do now have a new sink installed in our kitchen....

as you can see, it isn't attached to plumbing yet so not useful.

So this is how we wash dishes currently.  We carry them upstairs and use our utility sink to wash and rinse them, then they dry on top of our dryer.

Glad we have some options.  It is better than using the small bathroom sinks in the house. The "joys" of remolding!  

REMODEL-Hardwood Floors

Tuesday through Friday were spent having more hardwood laid in the TV room and all of the floors being sanded and stained with the first coat of finish.  Again, keeping things the same as before--natural finish on the floors which brings out the wood (in my opinion.)

Weaving in the new hardwood into the old including the place where the half walls once stood and the tile entrance we had in front of the back door.

We also have the same quartz as the hearth for our new fireplace.

The stained floors on Friday.  Love them!!

And tomorrow the painters return to continue their painting throughout the house.

And a sneak peek at the green doors and panels which will cover the island.  Love it as well.

Some of the drawers are installed in the island as well.  Brad, the worker who has been doing a lot of the hands on stuff at our house, came yesterday to get some of these things done in-between the hardwood guys and the painters.

Our new built in garbage cans--just in time for Syracuse City to start their mandatory recycling program next month.  This will make it a bit easier.  Now I just have to train everyone what goes where!

We can't wait to share our house with all of you, our family and friends.

REMODEL-Countertops!

Monday was a big day because the countertops were installed.  As much as I loved having green countertops, I couldn't find anything I liked with greens in it --in granite or quartz.  I finally settled on Travella Quartz which has navy blue veining throughout it along with the whites and creams and touches of greys.  Navy along with greens and yellows are the color scheme for our house.  I like it but it is probably a bit more "classic" than my overall style, but the green island and the yellow touches throughout will move it into a more casual feeling (that is what I hope anyway.)  I am glad that I do like it since we have it in a few spots---

the kitchen--island and surrounding counters 

Our laundry room

the mud bench---  Our contractor after he figured out the cuttings for the countertops suggested this since there would be enough material to cover the bench.  He pointed out that it would stand up to wet gloves and coats and easy to keep clean.

and our little "Butler's" pantry.

Day One of the week complete!