lots

So I've got a lot of the question "where are you?" this week... inquiring both of where we're at in the kitchen project and just the fact that I've been pretty much MIA this week. Emphasis on the A.

I have honestly been going non-stop all week. If I've been home I've had extra kids here (Hannah and Rebekah for all of Monday morning and Norah, Lucy and Daphne for Wednesday morning) or I've been sick (Monday night and Tuesday). Otherwise we've been gone (Tuesday evening, Wednesday evening, the entirety of Thursday morning and all of every single afternoon).
So yeah. That's where I've been. Both of my usual blogging times (or anything times) -bright and early in the morning or early afternoon during naptime- have been otherwise occupied every day. Followed by busy late nights (or sick nights).
I'm ready for a weekend.

Unfortunately (fortunately? depends on how you look at it) the busyness doesn't let up. I'm getting ready today (while the kids have a playdate all morning and then another this afternoon) for a little in-town retreat for a group of women at church this weekend. We're starting our own charter MOPS group in our small church and I'm part of the "Steering Team" getting it off the ground and planning for the year. This retreat is a planning/prepping/girls' night (weekend) out combo for the seven of us. We're staying at a hotel nearby, going out to a nice dinner and spending some non-mommy time together. Very much looking forward to it.

But in the meantime, today, I am dropping the kids off to play at the Swinigans (thank you Heather!), I HAVE TO go grocery shopping, stop at Lowe's, stop and find a gift for a birthday party Savannah's going to tomorrow, go back and pick up the kids, feed them lunch, pack my stuff for the weekend, take the kids to their 5-day Club this afternoon (hopefully Ryan will be home by then), and be back just in time to meet the ladies at 3:30. Whew!

Gee, anyone think I packed way too much into this week??? (raises own hand emphatically)

So where are we on the kitchen stuff?
Well, barely any further than we were this past weekend. The first time we've made any more progress was last night, Thursday night... we finally got the grout work done. And oh how I hate grout. But it's looking good. Now we just need a couple days of a couple of coats of polycrylic on the cabinets, some sealing and caulking, and we should be able to get everything put back together by the end of the weekend. Depending on how much Ryan can get done with the kids on his own the next couple of days, that is. :)

So here's a quick idea of where we're at now...















I have to say I'm getting used to not having doors on all the cabinets... it's so much more convenient to be able to just see what you want and reach directly in to get it! ha! Not so convenient to have contents of drawers and countertops strewn all over the rest of the house though. I can't wait to have this done.
I was so impressed with how much we got done last weekend and really feeling like it wasn't going to be so bad or disruptive... and here we are five days later at essentially the same spot. Ugh.
Anyway, pics. I know I promised lot of pics during, and I did take lots of them, but I just have not had the time to even look at them or get them up here so this'll have to do for now.

Before (here are pics of the complete before kitchen):





































and After (so far):
















And I should be able to sit down on Sunday and show you the in between pictures. And Sawyer helping! And by then hopefully we'll have Completely Finished Pictures to share!!

Happy Friday!