Easter

Wow, it's been a crazy week. Stephanie and Nicky moved on Friday. Despite some last minute nerve wracking situations, it all panned out by Friday night. We spent Saturday and part of Sunday helping them unpack. Actually, we got just about ALL of it done. There are probably 15 boxes of decorations and then all the garage stuff to do, but the house was looking pretty good---until the AV guys have torn it apart this week. 

We had a break from all the work with our Easter brunch. 

This was my great-grandmother's punch bowl. I don't use it very often, but it does come in handy when I have a crowd. Although, I have to admit---less of a crowd than I expected.

 Sandy saw this idea in Pinterest.

I made a new recipe called Blushing Mimosas. They were so good. If you are looking for something different, give them a try. 5 of us went through 2 batches!

Blushing Mimosas

• 2 cups orange juice (not from concentrate)
• 1 cup pineapple juice, chilled
• 2 tablespoons grenadine
• 1 (750-milliliter) bottle Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled.

One of the girls---who shall remain nameless, brought me a bouquet of spring flowers. We used it as the centerpiece on the table.

And then, there's this. Stephanie asked Butch to put this cat door in. Nicky had bought it. Butch complained, but did it anyway. He continually amazes us with what he can do---pretty much anything when he puts his mind to it! He unveiled it on Easter. Later in the day, he installed it. I'm pretty sure he actually had fun using his old power tools that have been gathering dust! 

The yard was looking pretty good in time for Easter too:

The azaleas are gorgeous this year. 

We're in week 17 of the renovation now. Just as I thought we were nearing the end, we hit a snag. Actually two snags. The frame that had to be built to support the weight of the sink was too large. It's amazing to me that this has taken weeks to build. Then all of a sudden, when it was "wrong"---they were able to whip out another in an hour! Problem one solved. 

Today, the plumbing was to be hooked up, only to find that the fancy drain is too large for the hole in the hand made sink. A new one has to be ordered. No telling how long that's going to take. 

As for our heated floors, I told Butch he has it all wrong. They are on a thermostat. He has them set to be lower at night. Well, I get up at least 3 times at night. Then, we use the bathroom first thing in the morning while getting ready for the day. So, the floors should be warm all night and early morning, then turned down during the day when no one is in there. He set them like you would for heating when you have it lower while you are sleeping. The floors need to be just the opposite. He's going to re-set them. I know, I know---first world problems!

Everything is looking good. I'll share pictures when it is all complete. We have just about completely finished moving everything back in to the closets and getting the sunroom back to normal. The house is finally organized again. It has been utter chaos for much too long. 

Soon this will all be over. We're ready!