Week 47

Happy Tuesday and welcome back.  I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.  We had a great time spending it with friends and escaping our house for a bit.  No, the remodel is not done but close.  Keep your fingers crossed that it finishes this week because life goes on but it sure makes it harder when 1/2 your house is turned upside down.  We do see an end in sight so that's something to look forward too but it won't come soon enough.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 323- Monday, 11/19/18

We're on fall break here and up and out early to pick up a Honey Baked Ham.  We also scored at Starbucks getting an extra drink because they made Justin's hot instead of iced like he asked for so now we have one to take home to Brandon.  At the end of the day we were also starting to see blue sky.  It's been awhile but the smoke in finally clearing out.  That's the bright side and the downside is that my appliance delivery scheduled for today was cancelled last minute and now it won't happen until this weekend.  *sigh* 

Day 324- Tuesday, 11/20/18

I do at least have the new microwave since it came from a different place and today they finished up the back splash which looks even better than I imagined.

Day 325- Wednesday, 11/21/18

Today we have rain and a lot of it.  Brandon and I had to travel in it too during rush hour and on the eve of a holiday for a basketball game over an hour away--not exactly good timing but we made it and the boys won so it was worth it in the end.  This is the first game they got to wear their real uniforms and Brandon is number 10.

Day 326- Thursday, 11/22/18

We picked this guy up from the airport just after midnight.  He had a physiology lab until 8 pm last night so couldn't get an earlier flight but he's here now and we're ready for Thanksgiving.  Happily we spent the holiday at the Wong family house.  We had a wonderful feast and enjoyed our time with these good friends who graciously took us in.

Day 327- Friday, 11/23/18

It's another rainy day and it's just not comfortable at home right now so we spent the afternoon at the movies and then enjoyed dinner out together--time well spent.

Day 328- Saturday, 11/24/18

All that rain made the colorful leaves fall off the trees so all the streets and surrounding ground are covered with the colors of fall which is kind of cool.  Another cool thing to see is appliances.  Yay! They were delivered today kind of late so they didn't get installed but at least they are here.  Oh and the huge double oven sitting on the floor there doesn't quite fit where it should so a few adjustments will be made to the cabinets Monday to accommodate.  It's always something!

Day 329- Sunday, 11/25/18

Time to drop Tyler at the airport so he can head back to school and wrap up fall quarter before enjoying his winter break.  We'll have him back in about 3 weeks and he's looking forward to coming home to a house that will be put back together where he can actually relax.  I totally understand!

Wait!  One more-

November's Family Photo

This was taken out front before having our last meal with Tyler until mid December--sadly in the garage.

Ok all done.  See you next week in December--wow!  How can that be?

Week 46

Welcome back and happy Tuesday.  What a week last week was!  I'm exhausted and am happy to be on break this week. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Thankfully we had already been invited to spend it with friends because banking on our remodel being done on time was risky.  Sure enough our appliances that were confirmed to be delivered yesterday got cancelled at the last minute for no good reason and now we won't see them until maybe Saturday. Huge bummer and quite upsetting actually but everything else will be done and waiting for them to simply be popped into place. By the way, this week starts the 4th week of renovation.  Please let it end soon! Everyone's patience here is wearing thin.

Until then here are last week's pictures-

Day 317- Monday, 11/12/18

Happy Veteran's Day and thank you to those that serve to protect our country.  The kids and I are home today so for the first time in many years I made my way to the laundry mat to get some clothes cleaned.  I think the last time I did that was during college years and I don't miss it one bit.  Afterwards I took the kids to a movie to get them out of the construction zone and we saw Disney's Nutcracker which was a great way to spark that holiday spirit.  Thankfully it was not too girly or too musical and was action packed and visually stimulating enough for the boys. 

Day 318- Tuesday, 11/13/18

During Justin's last cross country run a couple weeks ago they honored the seniors but because it was a far away meet I could not go.  He did bring home the sign leadership made for him today to show me though so I snapped a picture of this senior milestone.  Later Rusty and I were more than happy to relax after a trying day.  Just before I had to head to a basketball meeting with Brandon the pets got into an altercation because of confined space and the amount of stress this whole remodel has put on them.  It all ended well for them, but sadly I was the one who got injured during the ordeal trying to separate the them.  It's a nasty cat bite on my right hand that hurts like crazy but I'll be fine.

Day 317- Wednesday, 11/14/18

The air quality all week has been in the hazardous range for our area from the fires so seeing people wear N95 masks is a common thing right now.  UC Davis has cancelled classes for the students today  and work for us starting tomorrow, but I have clinical samples and live parasites to tend to so I'm still working and just being cautious by wearing my mask when I need to move between buildings.  We're keeping our kids inside as much as possible too.  Justin is working on some economics homework this evening and this picture depicts beautifully why one of his nicknames is pretzel.

Day 319- Thursday, 11/15/18

Ok so this cat bite is bad and it looks like I have an infection moving up my arm so I'm at the dr getting antibiotics.  It's super painful too and it's my right hand which makes doing almost everything difficult.  Hopefully the drugs will kick in soon and this thing will start to heal and stop spreading.  Meanwhile the boys are celebrating an early start to their fall break because school is cancelled for tomorrow due to poor air quality--still in the hazardous range.  Pizza seemed fitting for the occasion and here we eat in the garage pretty much all the time now.

Day 320- Friday, 11/16/18

The antibiotics are working so my hand and arm look much better.  I'm still working today even though campus is closed because I had to pick up and process some donor dog blood for a new project that could not be rescheduled.  At least now I'm coming home to beautiful counter tops, and other things with the remodel are progressing nicely.  The pets are also on good terms again although Rusty is still not sure about having Bella upstairs in his safe space.  See him watch her like hawk? The poor girl just wants a place to relax with the family inside.

Day 321- Saturday, 11/17/18

Today was packed with scrimmages for Brandon's basketball team.  They had 4 games and did well but are still getting used to each other as a team.  There was also a big rivalry game against UCLA and USC for college football..  Early in the week USC broke into the protection box around the beloved bear statue and vandalized it which is sad to see but these pranks are normal for the 2 schools.  UCLA retaliated by beating them in the game and bringing home the victory bell which has been lost for the past 3 years.  Pictures courtesy of UCLA Daily Bruin.  Tyler was supposed to attend the game but came down with a stomach bug and sadly had to miss it.  He watched from bed though and was happy to see USC get stomped.  Now he focuses on midterms and counts down the days until he comes home for his fall break.

Day 322- Sunday, 11/18/18

Family time and time away from our confined space in the house.  We can't really go outside to do anything with the bad air so an early movie and dinner afterward did the trick.  The new Fantastic Beasts movie did not disappoint and neither did Yard House where we ate.  It's the first time the boys have been there and it was a hit.

That's it for now.  We're looking forward to Tyler coming home late tomorrow and for our remodel to be complete.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey day to enjoy with family and friends.  

Week 45

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Hopefully if all goes well we'll only have one more week left in the remodel (phase 1 anyway).  If anything holds us up it will be delivery of appliances.  We have a delivery date for Monday the 19th but there is no guarantee so keep your fingers crossed.  Otherwise life goes on as usual and we're staying busy and trying to be as comfortable as we can in our deconstructed home--thank goodness for a second living space upstairs.

Here's a look at last week's pictures:

Day 309- Monday, 11/5/18

It's hard for us to let Bella inside right now so she hangs out in the garage with John as he watches sports and plays music to keep her company.  The new floors are starting to go in and they look great--way better than the orange ones the old owner put in the dining and kitchen area.  We'll have these new floors all throughout the downstairs replacing the carpet as well.

Day 310- Tuesday, 11/6/18

It's election day and both John and I voted by mail.  Tyler also voted but in person on campus and thankfully the lines this time around weren't as bad as they were for the primary.  Rusty is happy to be able to come out at night.  We have to keep him locked in the master bedroom all day while the workers are here.  It's stressful for him with all the noise so he's happy when they are gone and can seek comfort with his people.

Day 311- Wednesday, 11/7/18

As you can imagine dinners can be challenging but we have done pretty well with not eating out too much.  Tonight, however, was a night where we had a lot going on and needed to pick up something to eat.  Little did I know we have 2 Chipotle fundraiser coming up next week or I would have chosen a different place.  Oh well!  We're just trying to make do the best we can.

Day 312- Thursday, 11/8/18

Sadly this pretty sunrise is the result of a tragic fire just north east of us.  The "Camp Fire" near Chico has destroyed so many lives and the entire town of Paradise.  Turns out there is also a fire in Malibu that is just as tragic.  Our poor state just can't catch a break.  On a good note my wine fridge which will go in our new kitchen has arrived and I can't wait to put it good use.  Hopefully it's one of the many things that makes the headache of a remodel worth it in the end.

Day 313- Friday, 11/9/18

We have the start of new cabinets going in the kitchen and I love the color.  The countertops should go in next week and then they can finish the floors.  This evening we decided to try letting the dog upstairs where the rest of us have been hanging out in the loft area.  We have a couch there and the TV.  It's kind of a tight space but cozy and at least it's a place different from the garage where we can all hang together.  Bella was super happy but Rusty wasn't so sure. Normally the dog is not allowed upstairs so this is his safe space away from her,  but she was good and left him alone so it all worked out well.

Day 314- Saturday, 11/10/18

The freshman basketball team had their first scrimmage and they did well.  It will be a good season but busy.  Their schedule over the next few months is insane and something I will have to get used to.  Later we all went out to dinner at a local Chinese place and took home a lot of leftovers which will come in handy over the next couple days.

Day 315- Sunday, 11/11/18

Our air quality is super bad due to the fires that are still burning.  They are a couple hours away but the smoke funnels right into our valley.  It's eerie out because it looks like fog but it's really smoke and the sun can barely shine but hey, if smoke is all we are dealing with, we are the lucky ones.  Our hearts go out to those who lost so much in these terrible fires.



Ok all done!  Hope to see you next week.

Week 44

Hello there and happy Tuesday!  We survived the first week of the remodel and only have two more weeks to go.  It was not easy, but we are adjusting and finding a temporary new normal that's not too bad.  Demo is complete and now the fun stuff happens. We are starting to see progress and can start to imagine how it will all come together.  My head is spinning with all the little details and decisions we had to make, but I think we're pretty much past that phase too.  Hopefully the rest is a piece of cake.

Until then here are last week's pictures:

Day 302- Monday, 10/29/18

Justin and his friend Walter spent a lot of time the past week working on this AP Stats project for Casino Day that happened in class today.  It was fun, they learned a lot, worked well as a team, and got an excellent grade on it.

Day 303- Tuesday, 10/30/18

Yikes!  It's super windy out and there is a brush fire right behind our building.  Thankfully the university fire fighters put it out quickly before it spread too fast, but one employee in the building behind us did loose her car as it was engulfed by flames.  Not something we all want to see given our recent history of fires in this state.  Back home, as I was avoiding the chaos inside my house, I found this pretty fall leaf in our pool which helped me find some peace.  We're packing up the downstairs like crazy and it's stressful but nature is very therapeutic so when I need a break I just head outside.

Day 304- Wednesday, 10/31/18

Speaking of that chaos--it's demo day, and my kitchen is being ripped apart, and I've made a million and one trips to Lowe's and Home Depot.  Oh and it's also Halloween and we live in a very active treating area so no relaxing tonight.  The boys did decide last minute to dress up and head out for some fun--not too bad for last minute costumes.

Day 305- Thursday, 11/1/18

Happy November!  As you can see my boys are thrilled to be eating dinner in the garage where we set up a makeshift kitchen.  Rusty is also less than thrilled with all the commotion and has decided to hold up in my closet.  On a happier note my task for the day was to order appliances and Home Depot has an excellent Black Friday sale going on just for this so I saved a couple thousand dollars which will come in handy for the overage on your countertops.  We're trying really hard not to bust the budget here.

Day 306- Friday, 11/2/18

TGIF!  What a week.  Brandon just got home from a short day at school but will be heading back in about an hour for the last day of basketball tryouts (second cuts happening tonight).  Then the Wongs came over to take us out for a much needed fun night.  While we were having dinner Brandon texted and told us he made the freshman high school basketball team!  Yay--so excited for him, and now I officially start my journey as a basketball mom :0)  Cheers!

Day 307- Saturday, 11/3/18

My cherry tomato plant is still producing like crazy and the color on the fruit is so pretty.  The larger plant gave us a couple more tomatoes but is officially done now.  While Brandon is at basketball practice and I run more house errands Justin is out at his last ever cross country meet.  These are the varsity boys just after their run.  That wraps up high school sports for him.  He's decided not to do track in the spring but may help Coach Dave with running the tennis program.

Day 308- Sunday, 11/4/18

It's such a nice weekend with no wind and mild temps.  I took the dog on a long walk this afternoon to soak in the sunshine and all the fall color plus enjoy the fresh pleasant air outside of the dusty mess in my house.  Then we gathered for a nice BBQ dinner outside instead of eating in the dreary garage.  This was a good end to our very full and chaotic week.

That's it!  See you all next week hopefully with some pictures of progress and no more destruction.