New fence and laundry room organization

So we are getting back into the swing of things…post-adoption and boy, are we doing it! Steven has been working hard putting up a new fence and I picked out a few organizational items for the house. Namely, laundry room storage. Steven just this morning put up shelves and a clothes rack! If you want to see the before pics, click on the tag Kitchen and scroll through the transformation.

Last weekend Vivian helped me plant some geraniums (my favorite!) in the permanent flower urns on the porch. Spring fever is burning in the Warren house! I have several projects that I am putting into the works for this year.

Back!

We have been back a while now…with all the traveling, holidays and doctor’s appointments, I have not managed to update our blog.  If you are our friends on Facebook, you have been able to keep up with us.  Below is our family Christmas and a few pictures of the kids adjusting to life in America.  Hopefully, soon, I can talk a little about arriving back home and our new family members.  For details on our China trip, you can go tol:  www.beautyofadoption.wordpress.com   and click on the tag “In China”.

Andrea

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China!

Feel free to join us during our adoption journey at: beauty of adoption. We are blogging while in China.

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Kitchen/Laundry Room Almost Finished

Besides some trim paint and a pantry addition (hopefully a nice built in pantry), I am almost finished with our Kitchen/Laundry project we started back in November 2010.  As you noted from previous posts, it all started with me convincing Steven to lay a new floor.  After we pulled the flooring up and found the old floor plan of the kitchen…the ideas started from there…mostly mine as Steven was still content to just lay the floor.

Below, I will post a few realtor walk through pics, and then the progression of the kitchen over the past year.  However, if you would like to see all of the posts and photos of the Kitchen from the realtor walkthrough to recent posts, click here.

Without further ado, here is what we have been working on!

 

Framing up the laundry roomOh by the way, Steven, can you add a refrigerator alcove? Lol...

Sheetrocking laundry This is where the butler pantry was. We moved it back, now we want to make a built in pantry in this area.

 

Framing up the laundry room

Sheetrocking laundry

This is where the butler pantry was. We moved it back, now we want to make a built in pantry in this area.

TA DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall, I am very pleased.  You can tell that I need to paint the baseboards, they are only primed.  I need to paint the broom closet door and attach it (it is to the right of the refrigerator), I need to paint the laundry room sliding door and add the hardware, and we need to put down threshholds.  Last, but not least, we need to build some kind of pantry behind the door.  Whew….I am tired of this remodel!  It took long enough!  If we ever get through this adoption process, I might spring for a new dishwasher….its a good thing Steven works for GE!  But, first things first…..

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Andrea

It’s hot…mama!

Taavi's Summer Resting Spot

With temps climbing into the 100s….it is no wonder I find my dogs sitting on the AC vents!  Lol…Steven was trying to convince Taavi to move yesterday.  Steven was propped up by the counter, checking his Facebook messages, enjoying the AC breeze, when Taavi walked in and flopped down on the vent effectively blocking the cool air for anyone else to enjoy.

Summer in Louisiana!

Florida Governor Signs Welfare Measure

So, I might be a little bit behind in the news, but I sure was glad to read this article!

Reposted from CNN:

Saying it is “unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction,” Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday signed legislation requiring adults applying for welfare assistance to undergo drug screening.

“It’s the right thing for taxpayers,” Scott said after signing the measure. “It’s the right thing for citizens of this state that need public assistance. We don’t want to waste tax dollars. And also, we want to give people an incentive to not use drugs.”

Wow…this is great news!  Any adults applying for welfare will have to undergo drug screening.  Florida Governor, Rick Scott, defends the measure by saying first of all he does not want to waste tax payers’ dollars and secondly “…we want to give people an incentive to not use drugs.”   Well done Florida!  Well done.  Hopefully other states will follow.  If we could pass a law that required persons applying for housing and Section 8 to undergo drug testing too…well then…we might live in a perfect world then.

I particularly liked how he phrased his defense, that it would give drug users an “incentive to not use drugs”.  That is smooth….

Andrea

Cenla Focus – About Town

About Town Andrea and Donna

I am off for the summer, but I came in to work while Vivian is at Grandma’s house, to help out my employer.   I was flipping through the Cenla Focus and saw my picture…hahaha.  This totally cracked me up.  I knew the photographer was buzzing around but I didn’t know who he was or the picture was going to go.  This cracks me up on several different levels.  Firstly, because people are probably wondering “Who is this chick?”….secondly, because I lend a whole new definition to the term “white”; and thirdly because right under me is my beloved friend, R. R. Sr.  The man who called me up, cussed me out and slammed the phone down in my ear.  Shame, shame.  Let’s just say I was new to town, I had no idea who this family was and I was not trying to make their life miserable, I was just concerned about my neighborhood.

Anyway…it was my laugh for the day.

Andrea

A blank slate for Vivian’s new room

Yesterday, I finished cleaning out the spare room.  Viv and I took apart the king size bed and put it out in the hall.  I also attached her fireplace mantel back to the wall.  We also swept it out, cleaned the baseboards and sealed her floor with some kind of special wood wax sealer.  It is a blank slate…ready for Viv to move in!  We have talked about adopting a little girl if all goes well with this adoption.  So, Vivian is always taking about future “sister”.  She wants bunk beds for her and sister to share.  I had a nice surprise yesterday, I posted on FB if anyone was selling a twin bed that I would be interested in it for Alex’s room.  One of my friends, Melendie, posted she had one and brought it to me yesterday.  When I got it home and Steven helped me assemble it, it was a bunk bed!  Hahaha…so…guess what?!  Vivian gets her wish.  We will put the bunk bed in her room and buy a twin bed for Alex’s room.  I have a toddler bed, but we are putting that in our room for him to sleep near us as he will most likely experience separation issues and we want to be close at hand.

I am going to paint Vivian’s bunk bed white, and on each end, there is this neat chain link type material on the bed.  Steven came up with the idea of attaching a chalkboard or memoboard to each end for each of the girls…what a fantastic idea!!!   I had a couple lying around, so immediately grabbed them and measured…they will fit perfect!  Can’t wait to get this baby painted and into Vivian’s room! I also need to paint white a chest of drawers I am going to put in her room. 

I just need to go shopping for Alex…a bed and a chest of drawers to match.  I already have his comforter and pillow set.  I am thinking about doing his room in transportation.  Since I just moved Viv out yesterday, I will have to touch up paint his room and redo his floor to look like Vivian’s.  Then I will be able to move in his furniture and decorate….so exciting!!!!!

Andrea

 

 

Back from the Beach!

We took a week long vacation and traveled to Port St. Joe Peninsula State Park in Florida.  It was beautiful and hardly anyone was there.

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For more pictures or details, visit our adoption blog: www.beautyofadoption.wordpress.com

Andrea