our kitchen remodel...befores and durings!

Looking back, we thought our kitchen and dining area remodeling project would be a lot easier than it turned out to be. Isn't that always the case though? But for the most part, we stayed pretty much on budget and we'll have to save up for the little touches that will personalize the space especially for us! I can live with a functional space for a bit until it gets beautified!

We were planning on hosting Meyer's 2nd birthday party here at our house on March 27th so all the demolition was supposed to occur around the first of April. Until my husband ripped a door off one of the cabinets the week before the party...thus relocating the party elsewhere and starting demolition early on March 19. Here are a couple of before and during pictures and plans:

The laundry room was hidden behind the double doors and red wall. The plan was to demolish both walls and move the laundry room to the basement so we would have a small dining area eliminating our need for the current eat-in kitchen. That was quite a project in itself which required a visit from our plumber and the amazing power skills of my husband's talented brother.



The eat-in area of the kitchen. As you can see, it's totally cramped and inefficient.



The rest of the tiny kitchen. For reference, all appliances are in the same spots as before.



(left) After demolition of the red wall! (right) Drywall is complete.



Bye, bye ugly paper thin cabinets!! And hello to new drywall!!

speed of light.

Well, it looks like the almost-daily explorations of my life and it's little happenings have given way to almost-monthly. It's been over 3 months since we found out our little peanut has some girly parts, and I spent the better part of that time in utter denial of that fact! However, we have been assured and reassured and now we are deep in the process of readying our tiny abode for #3, which has included some major kitchen remodeling (stay tuned for some pictures...we still have some details left to attend to), yard re-landscaping, and now we're just about ready to bunk our boys together so our daughter has a beautiful and peaceful little space of her own.

33 weeks today and sometimes it feels like time is moving in slow motion...others it seems that it's flying by. Baby is moving and shaking away in there- barely giving me a moment of stillness- and I wouldn't have it any other way. The fact that the baby is a girl is finally growing on me...enough to feel confident to start purging all of my baby boy clothing and accessories. It's kind of bittersweet that this baby won't be wearing or using so many of the things that have become so sentimental to me. There is a fun element to this though- nursery decorating!! I get to decorate baby girl's room and I'm SO so excited about it. I've got a few ideas brewing and it's going to be awesome seeing them come to life. For some reason, my ideas are always better in my head, but hopefully, this time will be different.

Logan is 4 1/2 now and turning into quite the little man. He is my lover. Such the sensitive soul, much like his mommy, that's for sure. Meyer turned 2 at the end of March and he's my fighter. It's his way or the highway, no doubt about that! But most of the time, my boys are amazingly sweet together and it's such fun to watch and hear them interact. Logan loves to teach Meyer about every little thing and Meyer pays rapt attention, like his brother's word is gospel. Just this morning, I asked Logan to go open Meyer's bedroom door when I heard that he was awake. I hear sweet little voices talking and giggling, and sure enough, Logan had climbed into Meyer's crib to keep him company. They truly are best friends and I'm so happy they have each other and they can set that example for their little sister.

Summer is super close now- only 2 full weeks left of the school year. Logan's first year of preschool was a super success!! His report card was filled with praise and good marks and his teachers love him, just like I thought they would. We have a family picnic the last day of school and then it's summertime!! The boys will both be taking swimming lessons and will attend classes through our library, participating in the library reading program, and Logan will be trying out his karate chop! Yep...he's enrolled in karate for the summer! And Logan will also be going to vacation bible school for a week this summer. Things are going to be super busy!! And I can't wait till we welcome the baby and our family is complete. :)

surprise!!! it's a...

My biggest fear in the aftermath of the winter storm this past week was that my BIG ultrasound appointment scheduled for Thursday would be cancelled or postponed. We'd already waited almost 19 weeks to find out the gender of our little peanut- I knew I would be unable to stand it if I had had to wait any longer! So when I got confirmation that my appointment was still on, I breathed a sigh of relief. Matt and I knew this baby was going to be another boy anyway based on comparing this pregnancy with my 2 previous ones, so I have no idea why I was so on edge. I guess it was just excitement that we were finally going to know for sure and start the big planning- finalizing name, room decor, etc.

Since I'm considered advanced maternal age, I had to have a Level II ultrasound performed at a perinatalogist's office. That meant one scan with an ultrasound tech, and one scan with the doctor. The ultrasound tech asked if we wanted to find out gender and I said yes! She was so calm as she ran the wand over my belly and we saw our precious little one perfectly formed on the screen and looking strong and healthy. At the same time, I could feel my blood pressure rising and my nerves balling as the moment of truth came closer and closer. Then...

"Hmmm...it looks like a girl to me!"

Um, excuse me? Are you sure? Can you please check again? It's supposed to be a boy!!!

"I'm pretty sure...but I'll have the doctor verify for you."

I couldn't believe it. I was so sure it was another boy! So much for maternal instinct.

Then the doctor came in and explained a few things to us as she looked our baby (girl?) over. She confirmed with 99% certainty that our little bean is indeed a baby girl. My husband and I were both hoping for a girl even though a boy would have been wonderful, not to mention more economical. But I think we both wanted the daughter dynamic to even out our family a bit. :) So even though we are still recovering from the shock, we are over the moon. Logan and Meyer are going to be the best big brothers ever. Hooray for little girls!!

18 inches!

The snow ended around 10:00 this morning and the final accumulation for us was around 18 inches. Man, this was the craziest winter storm I've ever seen. Matt, the boys and I were watching for awhile out of Logan's bedroom window last night and the wind and blowing snow was an amazing sight. Lots of drifts so I can imagine total accumulation was hard to figure out. I have to give kudos to our little town- roads were plowed in record time!! And many kudos to my awesome husband, who spent hours digging us out and then dug our neighbors out too!

Before:

After:

The boys having fun:

whiteout 2011 is in progress.

2 FEET of snow?? Hell, I hate having 2 INCHES of snow. Not the biggest fan of the white stuff. It's coming down pretty heavy right now, so we'll see how many inches we accumulate. Anyone want to place a wager? Closest guess gets to shovel my driveway! Ha! Stay tuned!

another awesome restaurant review.

This time, we stayed a bit closer to home. Actually, a lot closer to home! Tallgrass, in downtown Lockport, is a whopping 5 minute car ride from our house and that in itself is appealing. Fine dining basically in my backyard? A definite plus in my book.

We've been wanting to try Tallgrass ever since we moved to Lockport almost 9 years ago. So when our neighbors invited us to join them for a culinary celebration, we jumped at the chance to join them. And let me tell you...it was totally worth the wait!

First off, if you are the type of person who goes to a restaurant strictly for the ambiance and atmosphere, this is not the place for you. The decor is a bit...strange. Mirrors everywhere (including the bathroom, and if you're pregnant like me, lets just say the mirrors weren't appreciated) and lots of paneling. We were the also the youngest customers in the dining area by oh, a couple decades. But if you're in the mood for fabulous food and awesome, down to earth service with little regard to decor, then you'll feel right at home.

It would have been fun to indulge in a cocktail or 2, but all the drinking was left to the boys since us 2 girls are expecting. Maybe next time we'll splurge on that 2004 bottle of Jordan Cab when we can all enjoy a glass. We did have a mocktail- cranberry, sprite and a splash of lime- and I actually didn't miss the vodka too much- I was too busy anticipating the joy of my meal. :) It took at least 1/2 hour to make final decisions regarding the menu- that's how wonderful everything sounded. I had a difficult time restricting myself to only 4 courses...but between the 4 of us, we got everything I wanted to try so in the end 4 courses worked. The cool thing about Tallgrass is you can customize your preferences and anything on the menu can be a main dish. I didn't ask if you could have dessert as your main. So we placed our order and then a platter of sliced bread appeared. We got to choose from 4 different types- herb, country, english and wheat. So very good.

First course:

Three Cheese Ravioli with Leeks, Pinenuts and Lemon Butter

Foie Gras with Crispy Proscuitto

Seared Ahi Tuna with Pickled Onion and Wasabi

Crisp Poached Egg with Prosciutto, Romaine and Caesar Dressing

The Three Cheese Ravioli was great. The leek cream sauce- even better. I was spooning up the remnants and eating it like soup! I had one bite of the foie gras. I'd never had it before because I'm not the biggest fan of glands period, and duck liver is no different. However, I was impressed by the complexity of the flavor. It started out sweet and salty, and then ended with the gamey, iron-y note I dislike. I'm glad I tried it though! The tuna. To die for. It was prepared just the way I like it and the wasabi sauce was also delish. Matt also loved it and now wants me to try to recreate it at home. Um, sure thing honey. I'll get right on that. Last was a play on a Caesar Salad. The egg was poached to perfection but the flavor of the dressing could have been a little more pungent for my taste.

Second Course:

Bruschetta Salad with Tomato, Avocado, Mozzerella, Basil, Radicchio

Duck Breast Confit

Assortment from left: Lobster Lasagna, Parmesan Egg,
Prawn Tostada, Smoked Salmon Gnocci, Lump Crab Beignet

The Bruschetta salad was incredible. I make a similar salad at home, but this was so much better. I think I need to add some garlic and frisee to my version and it would be pretty much on par! The duck was cooked amazingly well, but I didn't get a distinct flavor from it. But the assortment...mmmm. This was the perfect dish to order for my indecisive tendencies. A little bit of everything. The lobster lasagna was rich and creamy with a touch of lobster flavor. The parmesan egg was unbelievable. Think deviled egg meets parmesan mousse and that was the flavor and texture. I loved it. The prawn tostada was 2 bites of goodness, but it felt a bit out of place with the rest of the assortment theme. My first bite of the gnocchi was one of subtle smokiness. I had almost finished the dish when I discovered a nice chunk of smoked salmon at the bottom, which was wonderful paired with the light, airy texture of the dumplings, yet delectable all on it's own. The lump crab beignet was fried to crispy perfection. Delicious.

Main:

Pork Tenderloin with Prosciutto over polenta

Grilled Salmon with Risotto and citrus segments

Beef Tenderloin and Short Rib with onion confit, potatoes,

green onion oil

The salmon was medium rare, a little undercooked for my liking, but then I'm not really a fan of cooked salmon anyway so this was my least favorite dish. Give me raw or smoked salmon any day over cooked salmon. The pork tenderloin was beautifully cooked. Contrary to popular belief, pork can be a bit pink in the center. It's most flavorful that way, at least to me. It had a real smoky bite to it. But as much as I love pork, I didn't especially love this preparation. My favorite main was- can you believe it?- my own. The short rib could have been a tad better (it didn't fall apart and to me, those kinds of short ribs are the best), or maybe I'm just not a fan of short ribs. I've ordered them several times elsewhere, and have never been impressed. But the beef tenderloin on the other hand...WOW. That was amazing. It was cooked medium rare and perfect and was super flavorful and peppery. It just worked. I tried to eat the beef, onion and potato all together for a perfect bite, but I found I preferred each component on it's own. Amazing. I never thought I'd say that about a piece of meat. :)

Dessert. I was so caught up in the arrival of the desserts that I forgot to take pictures. They were beautiful, and tasted even better, if you can imagine that. Matt is not a dessert person so he didn't order one, but he did have a few bites of mine. A square of brioche french toast topped with bananas, pecans and eggnog sabayon surrounded in a caramel sauce. Absolute heaven on a plate and everyone loved it. We also got the the chocolate quinted which was a chocolate truffle, chocolate souffle, chocolate pot de creme, chocolate and peanut butter crepe and a chocolate tower filled with fresh raspberries and cream. Wow. That was quite an assortment and all was delicious. I do love chocolate, but a few bites was plenty for me.

All in all, our experience was a 3 1/2 hour long success- just divine. There were a few moments of utter culinary joy and a disappointment or 2, but I would return in a heartbeat. Our neighbors, who graciously let us tag along, were an awesome addition to our evening. We had lots of laughs and lots of fun. Enjoy this little gem that our little town has to offer.

finally.

I'm using the word finally to describe many things happening in my life right now.

Finally, I've gotten around to purchasing the duvet cover and shams for our new bedroom. It's still not picture perfect yet, but it's getting there and I'll share the photos of the space here first!

Finally, Meyer is talking. I was worried for a few weeks there that he had delays, but this past weekend he began talking up a storm and repeating lots of words back to me. Walrus. Flamingo. And his first question, "Daddy home?" An amazing relief after a lot of communication frustrations.

Finally, my pregnancy-induced nausea has subsided! So that means I'm slowly but surely returning to the land of playdates and outings...and perhaps a jog here and there. But this also means that I'm also starting to look pregnant...and not where it counts. ;) Sure, the belly is starting to pop, but my chest feels and looks like it's been overtaken by 2 cantaloupes. Not very comfortable, that's for sure. So when my girlfriend called me today to ask me to join her for a run on the treadmill at the gym tomorrow, I was racking my brain trying to remember if I had a sports bra large enough to contain them! I know pregnancy boobs are a blessing to many, but they are a huge (no pun intended) nuisance to me.

Finally, we have reservations at Tallgrass! I have been dying to try this gem of a restaurant for ages. We've heard so many fabulous reviews about this place and I can't wait to see for myself what all the fuss is about. My husband is excited too...especially since he looked at the wine list and found they carry his absolute favorite- Jordan. We are going with friends who are also pregnant, so it looks like the guys will have to do all the drinking for us. Stay tuned for a review!

back into the groove.

I feel like I have been such a stranger these past couple of months...to blogging, to my friends, to my life in general! A lot has happened with our family- in October we found out we were going to become a family of 5, the craziness of the holidays started in November and were capped off by a round of the stomach flu in our house on New Year's weekend. Things have finally settled down and returned somewhat to normal this past week with school and activities back in session. Back to reality! I love the holidays and sharing the magic with my family and friends, but I breathe a huge sigh of relief once they are over. Please tell me I'm not the only one!

happy new year!

Out with 2010 and in with 2011! I wish many happy returns to you and yours and hope that 2011 blesses you in wonderful ways. We are looking forward to the changes this year will bring and hope that you are too!