Wordless Wednesday ~ Camping at the Coast

Saying Goodbye For Now

The morning after my Grandmother died,  we received even more* sad news.  Late Saturday night, August 14th, my Uncle Michael, my mom's youngest brother, also died (the very same day as Grandma) in a motorcycle accident. It was such a shock.   On Wednesday the baby and I traveled to California to attend the double funeral.    *We had also just learned of my husband's Uncle Thomas's death on August 13th.

The funeral was held in the church my parents were married in and Uncle Michael had been the altar boy for their wedding.    It was so very hard to say goodbye to Grandma, but absolutely heartbreaking to see my five cousins mourn the loss of their father.  They will both be missed dearly!

Even though it was such a sad day, it was also wonderful to see so much of my mom's family, introduce them all to our little "Rose", and be able to spend time with my sisters (the twins - JoAnn & Mary) before they leave for college today and tomorrow.

Top Row:  Aunt Patty, Rose & I, my sister Julianna

Bottom Row: My sister Mary, cousin Juliana, my sister JoAnn

Immediately following the funeral we headed (9+ plus hours) straight to the coast for my Dad's Family Reunion/Camping Trip that was scheduled many months ago.

Hubby and the rest of my children arrived earlier in the day, so when we arrived at 12:30am I was able to crawl into my sleeping bag and get some sleep!   We had a wonderful time at the coast, and I am sure I will be back soon with some pictures especially considering I can't do much at the moment since I managed to sprain my ankle on Saturday and am suppose to stay off my feet as much as possible for the next 7-10 days.

As I mentioned to a friend (who will be meeting one of my sisters today!) yesterday, that "light at the end of the tunnel" ended up being a shiny pair of crutches!   I am sure things will start to calm down soon (I have a school year yet to plan, and books to order, and September is approaching fast!), but in the meantime I would sure appreciate any prayers you can send our way...

*Thank you Julianna & Mary for the pictures! 

For Hayley and Baby Brayley

Charlotte is asking for donations and prayers for a young mother who has received a heart-breaking prenatal diagnosis.

You can visit her blog to read the details and perhaps make a donation using the paypal button, which she has set up in her sidebar.

Please remember them in your prayers.  Thank you! 

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.  Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

May Choirs of Angels Welcome You ♥

Saints of God, come to her aid!
Hasten to meet her, angels of the Lord!
Receive her soul and present her to God the Most High.

Mary Amelia Routhe Iasenzaniro Goonan

August 18, 1923 - August 14, 2010

In your charity, could you please say a prayer for the soul of my Grandma, who passed away at 1am this morning.  She was such a kind and loving woman, blessed with 13 children (including my mother) and many, many, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  I will miss her so very much!

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace! Amen.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Painted Walls!

I can't believe that it is already Wednesday? How was I ever able to find the time to blog almost daily??

Anyhow, I've had some of you asking to see pictures of the painted walls, so here you go! :-)

It's not as colorful as I first imagined. . .  In fact I was telling our contractors wife that I probably should have chosen a different color for the walls around the fireplace. . .  "Perhaps a darker shade of brown!"  ;)   Anyhow, even though they are very neutral colors, I think they look nice and can't wait to see how it looks when the rooms are all finished.   

The tile floors and cabinets are currently being installed and I was really looking forward to it all being completed by the end of the month.  However, I just found out that the countertops won't be able to be installed for five weeks.  :-(  I guess I'm just going to have to keep working on being patient!  

Seven Quick Takes: Our Home Remodel

It has been a LONG time since I have participated in Seven Quick Takes, but I thought it would be an easy way to give you all an update on our addition and kitchen remodel.

~  1 ~

That big black sheet of plastic that was blocking off the addition came down the other day so the tape and texture could be completed.  It is so exciting to see it all start coming together!

~ 2 ~

Hubby and I need to have all the painting done by Monday.   We started yesterday and, with some help from my brother and sister-in-law (They picked up more paint, watched the kids, and even took the boys to Hockey!) and a super thoughtful care package from a friend (Which kept our children occupied the rest of the time!), we were able to paint all day long.

We were able to finish all the primer and the ceilings, and today we'll start working on the walls.

~ 3 ~

Oooh!  I can't wait to see how the paint turns out.  I'm a little bit nervous and just praying that the colors I choose look okay. . .   (Yes, Cathy, I've had plenty of headaches and even a couple panic attacks from making all these decisions!)   We decided to keep things fairly simple and are sticking with two neutral colors for the walls .  The New Dining Room and Living Room will be Wilmington Tan (Thank you Aimee and Helen for the suggestion!) and our Entry/Old Living Room, Bathroom, Laundry Room and Kitchen will all be Philadelphia Cream with some more of the Wilmington Tan as an accent on the fireplace wall.

~ 4 ~

We ordered all the flooring on Wednesday!  The Dining and Living Room will all have an Engineered Wood Flooring.  We decided on the 5" Hampton Hickory Plank made by Mannington in the color: English Leather.  We thought we would have it on Monday, but it's actually not going to arrive until the 25th.  Nevertheless, the addition should still be completed by the end of the month!

~ 5 ~

We found a tile for the kitchen, entry, bathroom and laundry room, made by United Tile.  It's their Mediterranea Bellagio Tile in Gold.  It's SO much prettier in person than in the picture below.  We love that it looks like it has texture to it, but is actually smooth which should make cleaning a bit easier.    

~ 6 ~

The sink and faucet need to be here next week so the Granite can be measured for installation, so I finally made a decision and ordered them this past week.   The sink is a little bit different (It has the low "Smart Divide" in the center which will make washing cookie sheets and filling pots a little easier.), but I think I am going to love it.  We ordered it in "Biscuit" which is slightly off white. 

~ 7 ~

Picking light fixtures (or should I say agreeing on light fixtures!) has been so hard.   I finally found some earlier this week that I LOVE, but Hubby isn't so sure. (He did say that if I really would like them, that it would be fine!!)  I'd love to hear what you all think!

Two sconces for above the Fireplace:

Two pendants for above the Counter Bar:

 

This light would go above the Island in the Kitchen:

This one would be for above the Dining Room Table:

And these two sconces would be on a couple walls in the new Living Room:

We still need to choose coach lights for outside and a fixture for the bathroom... 

Okay . . . The baby just fell asleep for her morning nap, so it's time for me to get back to painting!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

P.S.  I know I owe many of you answers to emails and questions from comments.   I will try and answer some of them soon!