Unity 2010

Mike and I went to Unity this year for the first time together. It was a great night with some really good bands. We went specifically to see Thousand Foot Krutch (one of our favorites), but we really enjoyed the other bands there as well!

The pictures aren't the greatest, because we sat quite far from the stage, but we had a good view of the screens!

The lead singer from TFK

Lead singer from Fireflight

I have never seen the sun set like this before, it was incredible!!!

Kitchen and more

It took a lot of hard work and muscle, but Mike was finally able to get all the counters and cabinets out of the kitchen. The original plan was to take them out and then put some in our garage, but they needed to be ripped apart to come out, so now we are left with a pile of wood in our garage! You can see how strange the kitchen looks without any structures in it now! We did run into 1 issue: we removed the backsplash from the wall and discovered a nasty mess of hardened glue (the brown stuff on the walls). We tried goof-off, sanding it...nothing worked, so Mike and his Dad came up with a final resort...

...cutting out the section of drywall and replacing it! This was an issue that had to be taken care of since we only have a 4 inch backsplash with our new kitchen, and of course we couldn't leave the walls looking like the did!

This was my project for the day...painting the bathroom vanity and drawers. I decided that we needed some brightness in our bathroom, so I thought I would paint all the brown wood white. I still have 1 more coat to go, but I'm loving how it turned out!

Mike and Dan started this project a while ago and it should be completed soon! The subfloor in our bathroom was black with mold and mildew. They ripped it all out and are in the process of replacing the subfloor. Within a few weeks, we should have tile in!

This room has been painted for a while, but I just wasn't happy with it. The previous owners had done a horrible job with painting, so unless I covered up all their mistakes by making my paint job look bad, we could still see pink, purple, and yellow paint on the trim and ceiling. A friend of ours, Sue, came and painted the ceiling, which made a huge difference. She then suggested painting the trim on the walls the same color as the walls. I told her to go for it, so she and Mike's mom did the first coat. I think it turned out great!!!

We have a month before we want to be able to start moving things in, and I think we're going to make it! We had a few set-backs with our carpet and wood installation, but I think we have that mostly cleared up and we should be making big progress soon!

HOT!

It was so hot at work today, that the needle on the thermostat in the laundry room was past the highest number (90). That is way too hot!

On better note, I have a ton of house update pictures to post...stay tuned!

Making progress!

Our house is coming along quite nicely. My goal is to have it all painted by the last Saturday of August. Then we hope to be able to move things in by October 2, if not before!!!

2 weeks ago, our friends Dan and Jodi volunteered to come help us with painting and doing "man jobs". Mike and Dan installed new a new dead bolt on our front door and new locks on the front house and garage doors.

They actually got work done! (Not that you can tell by their goofy picture!)

Jodi worked in the (previously) pink and purple room, edging in the walls.

And I painted in the bathroom.

We had some overhanging tree branches that were a little worrisome, so Dan jumped at the chance to use his saw zaw and cut down a bunch for us.

On another note...we are exactly 2 months away from our wedding day!!!

Engagment Pictures

Our engagment pictures are up on our Photographer's site...check them out and let me know what you think!!!
http://www.marcphotography.zenfolio.com/p973914236

Caught!

Anyone who knows my brother would not have expected to see him doing this last weekend...

Relaxed Ella

Just look at that TONGUE!!! I always laugh because it is too big for her little mouth and is alwasy falling out!
Play time with Michael!

I'm not sure who is enjoying themself more!!!

The Prize

Some may say he lost the battle, but I say he won the prize. My Grandpa went to be with his Heavenly Father Tuesday night. We take comfort in knowing that his pain is gone, his body is healed, and he is rejoicing in the presence of God. We mourn that Grandpa is no longer here on earth with us, yet rejoice in the time we were able to spend with him and the memories we have of him.

Grandpa was a hard working man of skill. He was talented with wood and every time we would visit, he would have a new creation for us. Somewhere we have a box of all the wooden animals he made. We would always visit him in his workshop and watch him as he showed us to to make things and what tools were used for what.

Every summer us grandkids would get to spend a week with my Grandparents, for my brother and I, it was the time we could spend with just Grandma and Grandpa. We wold stay up late at night playing dice and Rummikub. We went on all kinds of adventures: fishing for sunfish and catching catfish instead, long drives through the mountains, visiting the locks, going to car shows, 5 pin bowling, trips downtown Toronto, visiting the CN tower, spending the day at Ontario place, getting ice-cream at the corner store, going to the beach...

Though we may lay him in the ground today, we have some many memories of Grandpa that we can treasure forever. It's those memories, the ones that we cherish forever, that will keep Grandpa alive in our hearts.

Grandpa, you'll be missed, but I know we will meet again in Heaven. I love you!

Summer Survival Kit

I never really noticed it, but I change up my "beauty regimen" during the summer. I find that I don't need to wear as much make-up (nor do I want to as it usually just sweats off). When I do use it, I opt for a lightweight mineral powder and a touch of mascara.



With the humid weather we get in Michigan, I am absolutely loving this new hair product. It is the best frizz-fighter I have used yet, and it makes my hair so soft and smells amazing! Best of all, I've been using it and it really does meet the expectations I had for it! No frizz. All day!



Like most people, I sweat more in the summer, and the sweat makes me tend to break out a little more on my back and chest. I was thrilled when I found this new product! My skin is clearer than ever!

What are your favorite summer beauty secrets?

All AVON products shown in this post are available here.

Ella's New Toy

When Ella was visiting "her" grandparents last weekend, she inherited a new squeeky ball toy. Can you tell she likes it?