Kitchen Day #8: Wonderful whirlwind

It's probably a sign that I'm still very tired that I accidentally called this post "Wonderful whirlpool" and sat staring at it for a minute until I figured out what word I really wanted.

I should also let you know that I had started writing about being too tired to go take pictures, seeing as I'd have to go outside, walk around to the dark backyard to get to the kitchen (remember, it's taped off from the rest of the house with construction plastic).  Then, I wanted some ice cream, and suddenly the trip around the house in my pajamas suddenly became worthwhile.  Ahh, the power of ice cream.

So, here I am with pictures of the progress to date:

The electrical and plumbing is all done.  The insulation is done.  The drywall is just about finished, except for the wall behind the cabinets.  We're hanging it strategically so as to avoid having a seam across the back splash.  I can finish drywall fairly well, but not well enough to showcase it in a back splash!

Sunday was a great day - although we planned it as a day of rest (and kept to that with no kitchen work), the amount of fun we had tired me out, too!  We started with the early Mass, so that we could make it in time for the Cayuga Lake brunch cruise.  Delicious, fun, and beautiful.

In the afternoon, we took our visitors for a tour of some key spots in Ithaca, including some waterfalls (of course), and Cornell.  We were joined by a surprise visit from Justin's aunt, uncle, and 3 cousins from Syracuse.  It was great to see them, and we had a great time sharing an impromptu picnic in the park!  We capped off the day by calling it a (very) early night - to bed at 8 pm with a movie from RedBox. 

Perhaps the best part of the day, however, was having our house blessed.  Our friend Greg, in addition to being awesome at home renovation, is a deacon in the church.  If you're not familiar with this role, basically deacons are Catholic ordained men who have some, but not all, roles of a priest.  One role is to offer blessings; in the case of our home, Greg lead a short service consisting of prayers, a Bible reading, and the sprinkling of Holy Water, all requesting God's protection and presence for our home.  It was really meaningful to have this blessing bestowed upon the house, and particularly so to have it done by a dear friend whose entire family we admire for their example of a Christian home.

Greg, Ellen, Phillip, and Rachael, there are no words other than THANK YOU!