Kitchen Renovation Day 1

Our kitchen renovation has begun. Yesterday was the first day of work and a lot was accomplished. Here are before pictures~In this last picture above you can see the wall between the kitchen and the dining room. Here is a view from the other side of the wall in the dining room looking into the kitchen~And a view from the living room looking toward the kitchen~Dining Room with floor, then without.Cabinets & appliances being removed (most of this work was done by the guys I found off CraigsList who got the old cabinets, stove, and fridge for free.Fridge was delivered in the middle of the craziness! These guys put a strap around their chests and under the fridge and carried it in like it was light!Final view of wall between kitchen & dining room.Removal of wall by Eric, Parker, & my BIL. Dori helped sweep.
Wall out and work stopped for the day~We didn't really set a goal on how much would be accomplished, but we feel like more got done than we expected. Today the rest of the kitchen floor will be removed and cleaned up, the edges of the removed wall will be finished, and underlayment put down in dining room.

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I ♥ CraigsList!

CraigsList is like the best thing since sliced bread! We've probably had at least $50,000 in transactions. Right now we have 2 guys from Indiana helping taking apart our kitchen. We offered our kitchen cabinets (which are a little dirty, but otherwise is good shape) + many of our appliances for free if the person comes and removes them all and helps with the kitchen demo. This guy showed up with a buddy who is a plumber and they are taking it all apart. We prefer this over the $$. They are even taking our laminate floor that we are pulling up in the dining room. Yea~ less stuff to go in the trash! About an hour ago a lady purchased our kitchen table for the list price. She emailed me a few minutes after the ad went up. I have 5 items that have been up for over a week, but they are all under $40. All our big ticket items seem to disappear right away. We bought the RV off of (Indy) CraigsList and sold it via the same. The guy who bought it came from Cinci. About 5 years ago a guy drove out from Virginia to purchase our Fiero. I think that most of the racing type cars that DH has gone through have come and gone via CL.

I know that some people are skeptical of it because you give people your phone number or address, but we've only had good luck. I have sold stuff for others who didn't want to have people come to their house. I do try to make sure DH is home when people come by.

I love FreeCycle too. We've gotten rid of LOTS of junk that way! Do you FreeCycle or CL? Gotten anything cool?

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Diet Updates

This low-carb diet is really working out well for me. It's been about 4 weeks since I started (I think...I never really marked down the start on a calendar), but the weight does seem to be melting off. When I was watching the episode of the Dr. Oz show that motivated me to try this diet...he said that the weight will melt off of you. I weighed myself this morning and I was down another 5# from my last weigh in. That weigh in was a loss of 8# lbs. I never weighed myself when I started so I could only go by my last physical...although I do believe I gained weight in Alaska, so it was probably more than 8#. I am sure a bunch of this is water weight, but I am happy to be feeling trimmer and not have tight clothes. I've actually been eating less lately and feeling hungry at bedtime. I don't eat anything and just distract myself. It seems as if my metabolism just keeps slowing down so eating less is what I need. We went to a potluck on Sunday and I made smart choices and didn't blow the diet at all. The desserts looked good, but I resisted! We start our kitchen remodel tonight so I am going to have to really think before eating and not just snack on things cause it's easier. We will be taking EVERYTHING out of the kitchen and setting up a microwave downstairs, so I have to do some smart planning!

What do you think of the new blog design? It was long overdue!!!

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We've worked our or differences!

Coffee & I that is! Months ago I posted about how I liked coffee, but it was hurting my tummy. I think the problem was all the crap I was putting into it. I've figured out how to prepare my coffee so that my tummy does hurt. Tall glass with 1/2 coffee, 1/2 skim milk, + 2 packages to Sweet-n-Low. Simple & yummy! I know that isn't a lot of coffee, but it is fine by me. I'll even put ice cubes in if I want it COLD! Now I just need to find a daytime drink that doesn't give me acid reflux. Crystal Lite kicks my acid reflux into high gear. Since I discovered that was the culprit I haven't been consuming enough liquids. I am thinking it's the artificial sweetener in the Crystal Lite (or knock off brand), but I guess it could be the coloring. I do tend to drink more if my drink has a little sweetness to it.

I don't know if looking at this blog is as painful for you as it is for me, but the look is changing (hopefully) today. I've just been so busy with clients and such that I haven't taken the time to do something for my blog. I am fitting it in! I am going to change the layout of the blog a little bit too! I may make it private while I install, but it should be quick.

Have a good Thursday!

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Wordless Wednesday: Happy 40th Birthday to My Baby Sister

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So much for...

regularly blogging! I have been so busy the past few days that I've barely had time to check my email. The kitchen remodel starts on Friday evening and there is soooooo much to do before then.

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