Kitchen Blessings

It has officially been one week since kitchen destruction 2012 started. I will show before pictures when we have reached the after :) Right now, I am feeling especially grateful for all of the help and offers of help that we have received.

Last week, I came home from a run with Leslie and discovered Bill had two helpers in the demolition.

After seeing Rori knocking tile off the wall and Brendan cleaning it up, I thought that perhaps shards of porcelain flying in the air at small children might not be the best idea, so I suggested another way of helping.

 Wallpaper removal!

The next day, Jenna's husband, Ryan, Bill, and my father-in-law all took Friday off and spent the entire weekend taking apart my kitchen.

Isn't it a thing of beauty?

The kids and I went to Jenna and Ryan's house on Saturday and spent the night. Jenna was kind enough to put up with the loud, crazy, crying, whining, feeding, destructive invasion that we were. The bubba's worked together for evil, not good and wreaked havoc through her house. I think she and I were more exhausted than we have ever been in our lives--it doesn't help that it was the weekend of the time change and our children do not believe in sleeping in the extra hour. However, she graciously told me we are welcome to come back this weekend.

Here they are congratulating each other on emptying Uncle Ryan's desk...

We have been without a kitchen sink and stove since destruction began. So, in order to help us avoid living on take out and sandwiches, my mother in law, who doesn't enjoy cooking, invited us over for three delicious dinners. She cooked our favorites--pot roast, meatloaf, and a whole chicken (she was so sweet that she made me a salmon fillet since I can't eat chicken). It really meant a lot to me that she made us comfort foods.

My most awesome friend Leslie invited us over for dinner twice and let my kids stay until bedtime so I could avoid the dust bowl that I currently live in. She is an amazing friend that I am so thankful for! The first night, Rori went to Grandma Casey's for dinner instead of going to Leslie's and Liam came home and told her, next time you have to go there--James and Andrew's mom makes the BEST tacos!! He went on and on about them :)  I had been trying to have a really good attitude about the inconveniences of not having a kitchen because I realize that it was my choice. The inconveniences are clearly first-world problems. I just have to walk up a few stairs to get clean water to drink, while BILLIONS of people in the world have to walk miles to get clean water. However, yesterday, the whole dust bowl, inconvenience, cluttered, messiness was starting to get the better of me. When Bill came home from AWANA he had a bag from Leslie. She had baked me 3 different loaves of quick breads, all packaged adorably, with a sweet note. It went a long way to cheering me up.

Today, I painted the kitchen and Brendan was begging me all day to help. So, being the super cool (or completely crazy--probably from dehydration) mom that I am, I let him.

I just wanted one photo of him painting and a smile--he's so photogenic when he knows the camera is on him--much like Chandler in the episode of friends where he and Monica are trying to take an engagement photo ;)

We have also had other offers from friends to help with the electricity, painting, or anything else we need. I feel so blessed and loved to have people help me when I can't do anything in return. But, as soon as I have a working kitchen, I will repay you all with my love language--baked goods!