Finally- The New House

So this is it- a work in progress. But nevertheless, OUR work in progress. We've had a busy last two months, but they've been tremendously worth it and we're beginning to feel more and more comfortable in our own home. So, without further ado...


The new kitchen. Completely gutted. New cabinets, countertops, tile, and paint. Only things that remain are the gross fridge, dishwasher, and oven. Maybe in a little while we'll be giving GE a call. FYI, Drew did EVERYTHING himself (minus actually laying the countertops)- who knew I had such a handy husband?
Other side of the kitchen. We added some extra cabinet space on the left that wasn't there previously, so it takes away a bit of space from the eat-in area, but I finally have a handy place to store my cookbooks.
There's a step-down from the now-vacant dining room into the living room. Drew refinished the hardwood floors and it only took them 3 weeks to dry... yes, you read right. Three weeks of tip-toeing around in socks, upside-down carpet runners everywhere and misplaced furniture. I think it was worth it, though. We have yet to burn anything in the fireplace, but I'm excited "get our burn on" this winter.
Other side of the living room.

Upstairs bath. We gutted everything but the bathtub; it wasn't nearly as bad as the master was. This was the first major project when we moved in. As soon as the vanity was set up and there was a new toilet, I felt nothing but relief as I could now get ready in OUR bathroom, and not some gross Peruvian's bathroom.

Makenna's room.

Master bedroom. You can't see the paint color very well, but just compare it to a bright orange piece of fruit and you have your before and after (don't forget the maroon carpet).

Master bath. This Drew did not do, but a very nice Columbian did. I seriously LOVE how it turned out and feel extremely spoiled. I can't wait until we get a door on it so that I can actually use it.

The basement (I'm not sure if you really call it a basement since it's on the same level as the garage). A little drafty, but it houses my favorite bonus of our new home....

MY CRAFT SET-UP, complete with authentic Dominican paraphernalia, my treasured sombrero, a plethora of supply drawers, a work lamp, and a sewing cupboard (not pictured). Is this not awesome?

Alright folks, the long-awaited renovation post has come to an end. Now you can picture us in our new house. If you ever come to Northern VA, you've got a place to stay (depending on who exactly is reading this blog). We love it up here, although are missing Richmond terribly. We like our ward (1 ward for the whole town) and even got our introductory talks out of the way yesterday... sigh. Drew is truly enjoying his job at the FTC and even has his very own office, which I've yet to actually see. Makenna is walking up a storm and makes me laugh because she looks a bit drunk whenever she's on the go. And I am getting us ready for a fun Thanksgiving trip up to New York City to witness the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with our friends from Richmond. Delicious street vendors- here we come.

Words you never want to hear from your dentist:

"How does this one work? Hold on, Kara, while I figure out a couple of these tools."

Mission Accomplished

Our mission: to get our 1 year-old to look like a legit Trick-or-Treater
Status: Accomplished



I was a tad worried that people in our neighborhood would think that by taking our barely-walking daughter out to Trick-or-Treat, we were really just trying to score the goods for ourselves. Partly true, I admit. But more the case that I wanted her to experience her first Halloween Night (3 months old at a ward Trunk-or-Treat doesn't count).
However, we received no such awkward glances or suspicious comments. Lucky for us, she finally learned to walk 2 weeks ago, so her Trick-or-Treating was true to form without us having to carry her. We started her out easy this year, only hitting about 8-10 houses. We'll build up stamina, though, in future years so that she can attain the greatness that was her mother up until college (maybe through college).

We had the most Trick-or-Treaters of all our married years combined and I only made one child cry. Story in brief: This 7-year-old girl was our first customer of the night, happily receiving her candy into her pail. "Happy Halloween," I called as she bounced down our steps. An hour later, the same fairy princess (buck teeth and all) knocked on my door again, this time with a whole slew of other children. I passed out the candy to each one, ending on her. I put the leftover candy in my hand back into the bowl and said, "You've already been to my house and I gave you candy. You should go to houses you haven't been to." She gave me a mock confused look and replied, "But look, I don't have anything in my bucket." After realizing I was not going to budge, she turned around and cried to her mom, "That lady didn't give me anything Mom," and I shut the door. Right now you're either looking at your screen incredulously, saying, "It's only a piece of candy Kara," (like Drew did) or you're breathing a sigh of relief, saying "Yup. Another one caught. Way to go Kara." And in that case, you are probably an elementary teacher at heart who has known kids like this who try to work the system.
And to you I say, "Thank you."