New Flooring for the Kitchen

I finally got around to putting down the new linoleum tiles in the back part of the kitchen! It looks so nice! I hope to get the main part of the kitchen done this winter, but I want to add a cabinet or two before I do and possibly replace the double sink with a single sink, put in a nicer faucet and a new countertop so it will finally cover the dishwasher!

Shortly after I got the flooring down, I moved the sink cabinet over 9" so I can add another cabinet next to it. This will give me room on the left side of the sink, finally! Anyway, as I was moving the cabinet, the drainage pipes were being moved as well. I wasn't planning on replacing any of the drainage pipes, but I found myself duct taping joints together so they would stay together. As you can imagine, I had problems with leaks. So, not only did the drainage pipes leak but the hose to the cold water faucet was too short, so it was leaking! I had to get an extension hose for that and while I was at it, I picked up all new PVC piping for the drainage system. I had the guy at Lowe's put it together for me, so I knew for sure that it was put together properly. I have found that I don't have much luck with plumbing stuff, so I wasn't going to take any chances!! And would you believe, it all fits nice and neatly and doesn't leak at all!!! I would like to redo my bathroom upstairs, but I have problems just doing the little plumbing things...I can't imagine what a fiasco it would be to tackle a whole bathroom! I am hoping that we will be able to afford to have Tim Miner come out again and do the bathroom plumbing stuff. He is the contractor that put in our new doors and did such a beautiful job on replicating the existing molding. That is probably down the road a bit since money is so tight right now.

I am hoping to get a portion of a privacy fence put up between us the the neighbors to the north. They have 4 dogs in a chain link kennel area in their backyard, that happens to be our side yard. Anyway, they are a little more "country" than I am, I suppose because they also store their hunting boat in this area. I don't like looking at this eye sore, so I want to block the view. It would also keep Bronx from barking at them when they go into their backyard (our side yard). He just doesn't think they should be there. I also, wanted to seperate Wyatt's sandbox area from the view of the neighbor's dogs, as one of them always growls at him.

Speaking of Wyatt's sandbox.....I got the hole dug and have put a little bit of sand into it. Wyatt absolutely LOVES it! When the weather is nice he will play in it for at least an hour, all by himself! He gets totally absorbed in driving his tractors and trucks around and digging with his shovel. I knew he would enjoy it.

Family Updates

Here are some updates on what the Johnson Family has been up to!
I am having a great time as Mrs. Iowa! It has given me the motivation and opportunity to follow-thru on implementing my presentation on abusive teen dating relationships. I am trying to expand it further by having some theater friends of mine write a script for a short skit that I can use during my presentation. Caisha thought it was a cool idea and thinks that will help capture, and keep, the attention of teenagers! She has been a great help in developing this with me, as well as Louis. I also have hopes of possibly teaming up with the Ames Police Department on putting something together for the general public. In their last news letter they expressed an interest in some way of preventing or slowing down the domestic abuse epidemic. I think my program is the start of that, since I will be talking to teens and hopefully getting the information to them early enough to prevent those situations later on. Being that Louis is a dispatcher for the Police Department he can direct me to the right people and even open the door a little for me. I just need to stop procrastinating (& being scared) and move forward with all this and tackle my nerves and fears of speaking in front of a crowd! The first time is always the hardest!!
Anyway, things have been pretty busy with both kids in sport activities. Caisha is in soccer again this season and absolutely loving it! She was kind of hesitant about doing it again because of the dynamics within her team, but they did things a little differently this year and she is thriving and thoroughly enjoying herself! So much so, that she has increased the amount of time she practices at home! I am very proud of her!
Zach chose to do football (tackle) this season instead of soccer and everyday after practice he tells me he is so glad he chose to play and thanks me over & over for letting him participate! I am so glad he is having such a great time! It's been a real learning experience for him and his team, as well as their coaches. They have not won a game this season, but are steadily improving. This past Sunday they got their first touch-down and you would have thought they had won the game!! The final score was 6-13 with the other team winning. It was a fun game to watch. Zach had some GREAT tackles!
Wyatt is growing by leaps and bounds, as babies tend to do! He is now 18 months old and really starting to work on his vocabulary. We are starting to hear words clearly, which is exciting! We also know he clearly understands us! One day, as we were getting ready to head out the door, I told him to go get his blankets in the living room and bring them to me. He looked at me and said "Go go?" (that's what he calls his blankets) and I said "Yes. Go get your blankets and bring them here." He took on last look at me and ran into the living room and came back with one of his blankets, handed it to me, and then headed back to the living room and came back with his other blanket! He knew exactly what I had asked him to do! He's also done it with his sippy cup. The jig is up.....He can't fool us into thinking he doesn't understand anymore! It's so much fun watching him learn and grow every day! I am so thankful that I only work 8:30-2:30p. Because Louis doesn't work until 2:45p, Wyatt gets to spend the morning with his daddy and then the rest of the day with me and his older siblings! It's great to be the primary caregivers, instead of a daycare! We do put him in daycare for a half day about once a month so he can have some socialization with kids his age, and he LOVES it! He never cries when we drop him off, but when we come to pick him up he doesn't want to leave! For me, that is a great sign. I always hated dropping Caisha and Zach off when they were little, because they would cry and cling to me.....it was so hard to leave them there! With Wyatt it is the opposite. I am so grateful for the time I get to spend with him!
Louis is still working for the City of Ames as a Public Safety Dispatcher. Basically, he is the one that answers the 911 calls and police department calls and then "dispatches" the fire department, EMT's or Police to the correct locations. He loves what he's doing, but does get a little frustrated with some of the people he works with and the way things are run sometimes. He has taken on additional responsibilities within the police department to challenge himself and to help make more of an impact on what is happening in Ames and the surrounding areas. He's given numerous presentations and has many ideas to share. Sometimes bureaucracy gets in the way, but he is very persistent and patient!
As for me, I am actually hoping to get involved in a small way at the police department, also. They have a Community Police Academy that they offer a couple times a year. I don't have all the details on what they "teach" us, but I do know that learning to handle & fire a gun is part of the training. I have always had a fear of guns, and with good reason, I think, after what happened to me in my past, and I am tired of being scared of them, so I want to face this fear by educating myself on the very thing that frightens me. After all, knowledge is power! In addition to the Community Police Academy, I am starting the wheels rolling on a home based business of Home Staging. With my knowledge and experience in Interior Design and Architecture, I know it is something that I can excel at! I have practiced a little on my own home and have made some suggestions for both my sisters, Tracy & Colette, on redecorating their homes. So far, I think they are pretty happy with my assessments....unless they just don't want to tell me otherwise! :-) I would also love to incorporate my passion for kitchen design into this home based business. When I tell people this they always ask, "I bet you have a fabulous kitchen!" to which I have to say, "Actually, my kitchen is probably one of the biggest disasters!" Oh...., I have plans for my kitchen, but what I want to do, would price our house right out of the market!, so I have scaled my vision down to fit into these new boundaries. Being that money is tight, things are happening pretty slowly! I did get a portion of the kitchen floor redone and will be tackling demolishing a portion of a wall next. In the near future I will also be adding a small lower cabinet, a new countertop for the sink area (& possibly a new single bowl sink & faucet) as well as painting the walls a vivid baby blue with white trim. None of these projects are very costly, but when you are pinching pennies just to cover the monthly necessities, "extra" projects take a back burner.
Well, I think that about covers where we are at. Feel free to contact me anytime! I would love to hear from you.