our little corner of the world

Tonight we said goodbye to my Olds Alero. It was surprisingly easy to trade that thing in after all the costly problems it had given me in the last year or so. Before the farewell, we snapped some pictures, and then took some of our new Chevy Impala. Thanks to the trade, incentives, GM discounts and credit card earnings (all of which were much appreciated gifts), we are now the proud owners of yet another silver car. So easy to keep clean! And it's got some nice trunk space for hauling our belongings across the state.

While having a new vehicle to drive is quite exciting, I have to be honest and say that it doesn't do much for me. Sure it's a brand-new, big-ticket item, but... so what? It's a practicality of life that gets me where I'm going and costs money to own, maintain and keep the gauge on full.

I've always known this, but have felt it most recently, that it's not the material things in life that bring me happiness. Case in point... the month of February has been one giant overload of gift-giving and each time, I've been the recipient. While I'm completely appreciative of everyone's generosity (be it for my birthday, Valentine's Day, baby gifts, etc.), it's very hard to be wowed. I usually find myself underwhelmed, and the giver usually feels slighted. And believe me, it's quite hard to feel something that you don't, just for the sake of the giver, when you're as transparent as I am.

The thing is, though... and I'm not certain that most people in the world understand this... no matter what new item I receive, it doesn't hold a candle to the joy and comfort I feel knowing that I get awesome hugs every day from my husband who squeezes tight even with my belly in the way, or that I have family who loves me unconditionally and finds my personality endearing even when I am honest and share MY true feelings, or best of all, that I have a God who will never leave me or give me more than I can handle.

There's so much more to life than the temporary highs that any object can bring. I guess when you believe that this world we live in is just that... temporary... and you are confident knowing that your life eternal is so much greater than it already is now, your priorities change. So while our new vehicle is very nice and very appreciated, it's just out on the road with all the others. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty sweet (it came with a remote starter) and I am so grateful this has worked out for us, but at the same time, I'm glad I can keep it all in perspective.


One last picture with my Alero...


With the new Impala...


Driving home...

Scott and I have been working hard (off and on) over the past few months trying to get our kitchen painted. One would think that this task might be simple. After all, it's just paint. Well, we like to do things right the first time in this household, and decided that we were going to scrape off some painted-over-wallpaper before even selecting a paint color. This made the process that much longer. That, and the fact that there were SO MANY nooks and crannies to tape, including the entire hallway and down the basement steps. I bet we went through at least two rolls of painters tape.

Another very important part of the facelift was replacing the horrible vertical blinds. Not only were they vertical, but they were painted silver by the previous homeowners. Ugh. Along the way, we also opted to switch out the light fixture near the sink.

While we haven't quite finished this project, I still wanted to share these pictures because it seems that time is quickly getting away from us. And the finishing touches don't seem like they will be a part of this process for several more weeks (i.e. artwork, new blinds, maybe even new flooring?).

Here's the first set of shots. We tried hard to get the wallpaper off without damaging the drywall, but it didn't quite work that way. Scott spent lots of time with spackle and sandpaper. We also haven't found a replacement for the vertical blinds and are currently living with a tacky sheet and a tension rod... so classy. And may I just say for the record... I know pregnant women are looked down upon for painting, but I did it anyways, and was glad to be a part of Team Scott & Rach for yet another household project.

This has been a pretty long process, obviously. I wish it was green outside today! Don't you love the loafers with the fleece and sweatpants? I think I'm making quite a fashion statement.

A shot from inspection day 2004 starts this sequence. The previous owners were still in the house... it's all their stuff, but you can see the khaki, purple and green walls. Yikes! We added the French doors in December 2006 which lead to the addition. And the light fixture came with the painting.

Here's some other random shots to share...