The days just keep flying by...

It's never a dull moment around here.  Sometimes I wonder if it's my inability to slow down or sit still or just how life is, but either way...that's our life.  The kitchen project has seemingly taken over my life in July.  It's been blast to do, but sometimes I look at the calendar and realize that four days have passed and I've not run, not biked, even barely been outside. I guess I forgot that side of home renovations projects.  But this one is coming to an end..finally.  I am repainting the island this weekend, or maybe tonight.  I don't know.  Depends on my energy level, I suppose!  Only thing left to do renovation wise is to get and hang a new dining area light (I've got my eye on a milky white 3 light candelabra and Lowe's) and add the border around the island countertop that we topped with cork.  Yes, cork!  And it is gorgeous!  Oh, and then I have to seal that and the border so it's safe to use in the kitchen.  Cork is like wood and porous so it has to have some barrier.

Here's the ONLY sneak peek I'm giving of the kitchen because I am working on a big post outlining every detail and the total cost incurred.  You will be shocked at how little money this project cost us.

So, here's my kitchen as of today.

And since I've been off the last two days - my last days off until Labor Day - I've been tying up all the loose ends I can!  But, it also means that hubby has had some great breakfasts.  Today he had fresh french bread made into french toast, topped with berries that I picked and froze, and some freshly whipped cream.  Doesn't get a whole lot better than that, does it?

Once the kitchen project is done, I am going to have to fight the urge to find another project.  I was reviewing our calendar for training last night and realized we have two long bike rides coming up - one a metric century, and the other a collection of rides that can total up to 100 miles, a trail half marathon at Liberty University which will be a bit tough because there are some hills on those trails!, hubby has a Superhike which is 28 miles or running/hiking (I'm not his kind of crazy for this one, I'm a volunteer), and some other assorted 5k and 10K races.  That is a FULL schedule.  And I still have not pinned down a marathon for me.  I really would like to do one this year but I guess if it doesn't happen, I need to be flexible with that.

So, I'm headed out the door to arrange delivery of our new kitchen table and chairs - a great find at a furniture consignment shop - and pick up some odds and ends for the kitchen.  I have to take my car into the shop later too...such a pain because the dealership I bought it from is about 25 minutes from our house.  Good deal to buy, a pain when you need service.  Anyone else have an issue with a Dodge flexible seating group seat STOP working?  My seat is locked into some awkward facing forward position after I tried to move it to take some  trim home from Lowe's last week.  It's always something, isn't it??   Since my car is only 3 months old, I'm assuming that this is a warranty fix.  Just the pain of getting it there.

At least I am hoping to get to run with my friend, Kathleen, today!  It has been too long since we've run and I'm glad our schedules finally lined up.  Now the weather needs to stay clear so we can keep this run on the calendar.  And I need to get home in time to meet the people buying my old kitchen table and chairs...see, time is just moving faster and faster and there's always a schedule to keep!

Oh, and I have some BIG news that I'm so excited about...I'm on the board of our HOA and we made a change to the bylaws this week that will allow clotheslines.  I am beside myself happy.  We're trying to implement changes that will be more eco-aware.   We also voted to allow solar panels.  Great steps.  I have also volunteered to be the "Environmental Steward" to educate residents about recycling, green initiatives, etc and keep the dialogue open between community organizations and our neighborhood.  I am pretty excited to be able to make even these small differences in the world around me.

Well, I'm off to run some errands...

Enjoy your day!

Sheri