i'm in lurve

our kitchen has countertops! they were installed today, and they are *gorgeous*.


we really couldn't be happier. i am so glad we decided to stick with the alabaster voile granite. it matches the cabinets, paint, and floor perfectly.


i even have my marble work surface for pastries and pastas.



LOTS more pictures in the projects gallery.

we're still not in working order, however, as we're awaiting plumbing. in order to do any plumbing work in the city we live in, you must have a permit. and in order to have a permit, you must be a master plumber. and the city we live in is big on unions. and, apparently, the mob. so in order to hook up the sink and dishwasher (to existing plumbing lines, mind you), we are getting quotes averaging $1000. which is silly. the debate is do we do it ourselves, and risk having someone pull the permits to find there is none? can the fine really be more than $1000? OR do we pay someone $1000 to do it? we decided last night to go with the latter. bohmann plumbing was scheduled to come out today to give a written estimate, and said that they would be ready to do the work then. their estimate was $1500!! CRAZY AHOLES!! bryan showed them the written estimates from the other places showing $1000, and said he'd pay them that, and the boss man said no. so bryan asked them to get off our property. so we will never be calling them again. needless to say, even at $1000, i'm pretty sure we're getting squeezed by the mob.

additionally we have yet to:
- install the new light fixtures. we were waiting for the cabinets and counters to go in to avoid the dust, so now those can go up.
- replacing all the light switches and outlets. what, you thought i would keep the old ones??
- tiling the backsplash. we know what we want to do. another non critical job.
- ordering the butcher block island. all we have to do is agree on one. easier said than done.
- settle on a window covering solution. i think we'll just end up going with white wooden blinds. i believe drapes and even roman shades would get too gross with all the cooking we do; at least blinds an be cleaned relatively easy.
- paint the back hall. totally an ancillary project. but i'll finally get my blue walls, so i'm excited about it.
ummm, i think that's it. surely i am missing something that will make itself evident to me later. oh, besides loading everything back in the cabinets.

work has been literally insane. trying to wrap up some deliverables for my project and i feel like the proverbial chicken sans head most days. more so today, it being the last day at work before going on vacation for a week and a half. brilliant timing on my part, no? i got most things in a good state, though. i have a lot of work to come back to. AND i was added to an additional project that will be kicking off when i return, including 3 solid days at a client site, so we'll see how that pans out. it's great that they are giving me the responsibility and the opportunity to grow, though, so i'm still loving the job.

hannah and i took oliver to the park one evening. he had a blast swinging and eating the sand. it was so good he had 2 helpings. am i a bad mom for letting him eat sand? probably. but it was bound to happen sooner or later. and i stopped him after the second fistful.

our of sheer desperation last thursday bryan made dinner at home, braving the need to wash dishes in the laundry sink. i'm not sure about bryan, but i cannot stand to eat out anymore. it is just so gross. and expensive!! bryan grilled some chicken thighs, and served that along with braised swiss chard with a local bacon, and risotto (he loves me) with nasturtium flowers, which are, obviously, edible. it was so nice to have a real meal again. can't wait for our kitchen to be finished!

last weekend was great. saturday, oliver didn't want to nap, which is usually the sign of a new tooth. hannah and i ended up leaving him with bryan so we could go to the mall with mom and shannon to find a junior bridesmaid dress for hannah. bryan said ollie fell asleep about 2 minutes after we left the house, this being after i tried to get him to go down for 4 hours. PUNK. we spent about 3 hours at the mall, trying on every size 8 dress we could find i think. we ended up finding a very cute one at macy's, along with some really cute pink shoes at gap kids. oliver of course also got some things at baby gap (including a star wars t shirt, which was more for bryan than oliver!) and boston store, as did hannah. what can i say, i'm a sucker for really cute kids' clothes.

oliver has figured how to stand up on his own. can you believe it?? he tries to walk, crawls like crazy... that kid is getting pretty mobile. he loves standing up. luckily i think he knows how to get back down, so we haven't had to rescue him too much.

sunday after naptime we hit up the zoo. it was a beautiful day for it. we are loving being members of the zoo already. hannah was disappointed we didn't get to hit up all the animals (i think she is used to the TEENY TINY atlanta zoo that takes 45 minutes to get through... if you walk slowly), until we reminded her we can see them next time.

july gallery has of course been updated.

we are working on getting ready for our trip to l.a. bryan made me aware of the flight time (4+ hours), which for some reason i simply hadn't thought about, so now i am dreading the flight. with oliver teething (why? he doesn't need 8 teeth at 9 months) AND his need for constant entertainment (he's so used to the 6 kids at day care doting on him), this could be a total disaster. i'm planning on giving him motrin about 30 minutes before the flight to avoid screaming teething baby, and beyond that, praying that i can distract him by nursing, and promising my next born to whatever god will help him take a nap during the flight.

we are SO excited to go to l.a. hannah is literally freaking out. i think she is thrilled at the prospects of a) seeing the hollywood sign, and b) being in the same city as hannah montana. i am excited to have 8 days of sitting by the pool and relaxing, not to mention eating linda's delicious home cooked meals. and napping. there will be napping.

so that's about it. stay tuned for pictures from l.a. now, i need to go pack since i've been blowing that off to update this. had to brag about the kitchen, though.

as usual, i leave you with a picture of my adorable blue eyed baby.