Progress, moving (sort of), family news

I took off Friday so I could work on the apartment. The kitchen was the focus of the weekend. On Friday we placed the base cabinets on the long wall of the kitchen so Mama could look things over and get a feel for the layout. We made a couple changes to our basic original plan so we could get the sink set in a way that maximized the room we have available. Friday evening I had Victoria help me get the refrigerator in place and Mama began cleaning it up.

On Saturday we all worked getting the upper cabinets in place followed by getting the lower cabinets set. We got the countertops installed and I made the cut for the cooktop. (Mama really had to work to get that cleaned up.) About noon, Wes Bowman came over and helped me set the double oven in the cabinet I had cut out for it. It went in without any trouble at all. I was relieved. (Before and after pictures shown.)

We helped him load up our old washer and dryer and microwave so he could take them to the Bible Institute. We are going to replace them with a different type of unit that will fit in the area we have in the laundry room. That left us with room to start getting things out of the farm house – starting with the wardrobes. I am not sure how many trips Victoria and I made between the farm house and the shop, but we got a good bit of boxes carried over along with the large furniture items.

Mama was having too much fun opening boxed to discover what was packed in them. Quite a few were items she immediately began placing in the kitchen cabinets. I still have a good bit of work to do but we made a lot of progress in only two days.

Tonight I will work on the bedroom closet so Mama can start hanging up clothing. That is something she has been anxious to do since we moved from Amarillo. I should probably say since we moved from the apartment in New Jersey – she had a huge walk-in closet there. So over the next couple weeks we will sift through the boxes in the farm house as I finish up the little things in the apartment. Hopefully we will move in mid-October. Mama’s recovery from surgery will tell me how quickly we can make the move.

Grandma and Grandpa will be back this week. The last I heard, they are leaving West Virginia on Tuesday with an expected arrival late Wednesday. As usual there are mixed emotions about it, but they think of it as coming home; which is good. They are talking about becoming Snowbirds; splitting their time between West Virginia and Texas but we will have to see if they are really able to accomplish that. I think it makes them feel like they have an option none of Grandma’s family can afford.

Maggie and the baby got to go home from the hospital last week and they enjoyed their first weekend home. They endured the hardship of eating breakfast in bed and being pampered by Aaron’s mom, Beth. I think Maggie is starting to see the blessing of having help while they get the new baby settled in. Speaking of which, Cathryn slept four hours at a stretch for the first few nights at home. Most mothers do not get that kind of cooperation from an infant child.

Maggie should count her blessings.