11/29/2015

 

We went out to Frankenmuth today with Bob and Peggy,

our favorite adventure companions.

 

This is the line waiting to enter Bronner's Christmas Wonderland.

 

WOW, we were overwhelmed by the crowds.

 

Big balls.

 

After we left the madhouse at Bronner's,

we tried to get into the Bavarian Inn for chicken,

 and then Zender's,

 and ended up at Bob Evans.

 

It was ridiculous !

 

We all agreed that we would never make this trip again!!!

 

Couldn't forget that today would have been my papa's birthday,

 and so I got a Bluejay ornament for my Christmas tree.

 

 

Love you Papa.

Too Old for This...

 

We started to think that the kitchen needed some renovations.

 

We talked about cabinets, and windows, and sinks, and backsplashes...

and we decided after some debating that we would just get a new countertop, sink, and faucet.

 

Our great idea of a butcher block top (when we first did the kitchen), turned out to be a bad idea because the coffee pot caused water damage to the boards, and it always looked dirty.

 

I hated the sink since we moved in, with it's shallow bowls and partition in  the middle,

 

and the faucet we bought was a low rise, which made it difficult to wash any large pot.

 

So... sink, countertop, and faucet.

 

We went to Menard's and bought these three items, and got a really good deal;

faucet for $100, fake granite look countertop for $40, and a $100 one bowl stainless sink.

 

We bought a sink 2 inches smaller than the last one in order to gain some counter space...

 

Sidenote: While we were at the store,

Terry found a "Black Friday" deal and he got his compressor.

Thanks Mom !

 

Nick stopped by with his "wolfhound" Perry. God he is a handful !

 

The side mirror, on the car, got a crack in it, and that had to be dealt with. 

Only five trips to the dealership, and that is taken care of... finally.

 

Well, when you open the can, worms usually come out.

Sink, countertop, and faucet...

 

we might as well redo the tile that we have not been excited about for a while now.

 

Demo...

 

dirt and dust...

 

A little thinset skimcoat and we are ready for new tile on the backsplash.

 

Can't wait to go pick it out.

 

Still need a plan for this dead wall space...

 

Dry fitting the countertop.

 

Terry cutting out the hole for the sink.

 

Terry cutting out the hole for the sink...

 

That's not a typo...

 

on the first try, the laminate cracked,

so we went back to the store and bought another countertop.

 

The second one cracked too.

So, we are going to go with the first one and try to mend the imperfections.

 

We're to old for this crap!

 

Tomorrow, we are going to Frankenmuth for a day trip.

 

Plenty of time to worry about plumbing,

 and wall tiles, and the drawers don't fit under the counter ledge,

 and neither does the dishwasher, and the cabinets need repainting,

 

and..............

 

we're too old for this.

Fall to Winter

 

We have so much nothing going on these days.

We decided that the bathroom redo, this summer,

 kicked our ass and now we are dead inside (for a little while).

 

So, the new Menard's opened up in our neighborhood,

 and we have spent entirely too much time

 and money there on nothing and everything.

 

We decided that birds are the new interest in our drab lives.

Mom gave us a birdbath in the summer,

 and we enjoyed watching one or two birds come to visit now and then.

 

So, when we went to Menard's,

we loaded up on feeders and seed and suet packets,

 and we hung them around the yard,

 and now we have every kind of bird in the world coming to our buffet every day.

 

Woodpeckers, bluejays, robins, sparrows, cardinals, and finches...

they are all amazing, but they are becoming dependent,

 

and they shit alot,

 

and the dogs roll around in it.

 

Real life is never as they portray it on TV.

 

This is our pretty Cleveland Pear tree turning red.

 

It didn't even reach the fence when we planted it last year.

 

There's those pesky birds.

 Love watching them...

 

Oops... today our mild Fall turned to Winter.

 

My pretty red pear tree covered in snow...

 

My baby Willow drooping from the weight of  it...

 

and my baby Crabapple tree looking like something from outer space.

 

Those weird long limbs are going to be trimmed in the spring.

 

Six months and counting...