Kitchen Remodel

In an effort to make our kitchen more spacious, we knocked down a few walls & moved some things around. Change #1...knocked down the wall behind the frig & moved it into the dining room, combining the 2 rooms.

View from the kitchen.

Change #2...knocked down 1.5 walls to open the living room up to the kitchen. And made the half wall a bar. Before...

After...

New view of the living room from kitchen.

Change #3...the cabinets over the stove were relocated to the dining room. And a cabinet was build underneath.

View from kitchen

Change #4...All of the dark ceiling tiles were removed from the kitchen & popcorn ceiling from the dining room. And we FINALLY said goodbye to the giant head knocking light. Kitchen eating area before...

After...

During construction...

The project began on Feb 5th and took at least a month to complete.

I was only able to do the painting, caulking, & staining. We hired the rest.

Loving it!!! I especially like making better use of the dining room area & having extra counter space for the kids lunch boxes. They eat breakfast there every morning & we eat in the kitchen as a family for dinner.

Spring Break 2018

Spring break began with a special Easter treat from Grandpa & Grandma Neville. THANKS!!!

These awesome guys had to buy new sunglasses for the beach.

On Thursday we headed just south of Charleston to Seabrook Island, picking up Addy on our way. Our rental was a unique tree house bungalow.

The azaleas were in full bloom, slightly further along than ours. LOVE!

First stop...the beach!

Run around wild! The kids found so many treasures along this sandbar at low tide.

And look what I got...whelk!!!

And of course there must be lots of digging.

On the walk back from the beach, we often saw deer. There was even a white one with brown spots.

Eating their favorite food back at the place.

The next morning, and my favorite part of the trip, was watching about 6 dolphins feeding near the inlet. I got some awesome video of them too. Copy & paste my youtube site to see... https://youtu.be/c6QpmtJRteM

The kids weren't as amused as Josh and I. They preferred more playing in the endless sandbox.

We like to walk while the kids build.

Playing with the cannon ball jellyfish.

Notice the crab inside. A bunch of them had crabs. Symbiotic relationship...cool!

Later in the day, it was warm enough to swim, barely!

I love sand dollars. It's amazing to me that there's a picture of a flower on a sea creature. This is evidence of a creator for sure. Random chance...I don't think so!

This was only after one day, we found even more the next!

Great find by Jackson, the smallest starfish ever.

The last day was very rainy but it didn't stop us from taking a tropical woods hike. We also played lots of board games & Josh watched the Masters.

On our way home we stopped by Charleston to eat lunch and browse the city market.

Easter Weekend

Welcome glorious springtime!!! I love that Easter looks & feels as it should in North Carolina.

Best part about Easter...Ashley came into town!

And soon after, my Mama & Mason came too!

People these days & their screens. It's best when shared. Love all these boys!!!

The day before Easter turned out to be a beautiful.

We grilled & ate outside for one of the first times this year.

And had an Easter egg hunt, of course.

Along with an Easter basket hunt as well.

The boys got chalk balls. A bag with chalk in it that you throw at people. Perfect! Even Addy wanted to play.

Easter Day at church.

Afterwards, we went to Joyce's house for an egg hunt & delicious homemade lunch.

A spring bonfire & marshmallow roast.

Jackson wanted to use some of his Easter money at his favorite place. Be still my heart.

Ms. Addy left the day after Easter to go to the beach with her friend Ava. We missed her.

March Events

The kids were off school March 5th so we spent the long weekend in Raleigh. 1st stop was the Museum of Life & Science in Durham. Almost free with our ASTC passes.

This was our 2nd visit. An awesome network of tree houses & play places were added to the outdoor section.

They had an impressive butterfly enclosure & insect section.

The kids loved the misting park. I have a similar picture of Benny posted 3 years ago.

The indoor section of the museum was a success. Especially when kids ages 7 to 13 are entertained by the same activities.

We stayed overnight at the Embassy Suites, our new favorite hotel. Then off to the NC Museum of Art the next morning after a delicious free breakfast.

The kids were not feeling the art museum.

One of the outdoor exhibits.

After lunch we went to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.

Very neat museum but not as exciting the 2nd time.

Back at the hotel we ordered pizza and the kids enjoyed the pool.

Before heading home, we visited the NC Museum of History. There were neat exhibits and humbling war stories & artifacts.

We celebrated Amanda's birthday with multiple evenings of fun. One with a girls night out to downtown Matthews. My 1st time experiencing our towns nightlife.

Another to an escape room with the big boys but failed to escape. Still very fun though.

And finally a group bowling event with this fun crew.

On a date with Benny to Sweet Frogs. "Mom, take my picture!".

Addy's date was to an Anime convention at UNCC. I saw my neighbor Heather there. Addy wouldn't get in the picture.

The kids celebrated Grandparents Day at school. Benny performed on his bucket drum. Bottom row, 2nd from left. They were outstanding & entertaining as usual.

Jackson & Aaron sang in the elementary school choir. My sweet, handsome boys!