Things and temporary Buffy costume pics

GBCK

1-Her costume totally isn't done--there's a mask (made from paper, taped to her glasses.  I'm not trying to be 'fuckeffort' but, really, she's 3 and she won't wear a 'normal' mask w/ her glasses, so this is a happy medium)--mostly it needs an eared headband which I'm planning on hot-gluing together tonight.

But Hello Kitty loves her bat wings.

*POOF*

(I have other weekend pics [pumpkin patch, corn maze] that need to go on FB
Buffy says next year, when she's all grown up, she gets to drive the tractor that hauls us to the pumpkin patch

2-New hire hasn't run screaming yet.  One of our microbiologists had to meet w/ him to get expectations up to snuff and I threatened Dr.L w/serious bodily harm if he scares the new hire away.  He was on his own yesterday and, while it didn't go perfectly, he's handling the learning curve OK.

3-We're shopping for a new kitchen.  We're not very far in the process yet, but this is exciting.  Of course, we got an estimate at Menards and started w/ high end--we'll decide what to cut out--nearly choked on my tongue that it's $10k for JUST cabinets for our teeny tiny kitchen (good think we'll do the DIY thing or it'd be killer (because we're going to be redoing some stuff--closing off a doorway, possibly cutting a 'pass through' into the living room, redoing some flooring, etc).  That made the $2k from Ikea's website look a lot lot LOT more reasonable.
We'll see.

4-I was all migraine-y because I was in stress-flux (I get stress migraines, but I also 'weekender' headaches--going from a high stress situation [work] to a low stress environment [new hire showing up] = new migraine), but I took yeterday and spent a lot of it sleeping and I seem better now.  huzzah!)

5-One of our instructors is trying to carpetbomb my major outreach projects.  I'm not sure why (and I doubt he'll be successful) but I actually *think* part of it was because he liked me doing the other-job and wants to force me into that role more.  I'm kinda stabby about that.

dharmabunny

Aww, little kitty batgirl looks so happy!!!

So you're go remodel the kitchen. Commence hell!!! Bwahaha! Srsly, if you want any advice outside of the big box store, feel free to ask. Kitchen remodel was a tremendous learning curve. Depending on who does what and when it happens, you may find yourself painfully over budget with no recourse but to pay or not remodel.

And a healthy come to Jesus about your DIY abilities is obligatory.

GBCK

Yeah, I know we bite off to much with DIY--we always do.
But, we also tend to assume (usually correctly) that if we get truly stuck, the dads will help us (my dad has let his journeyman's card expire, but still does handyman for hire stuff; my FIL is actually more skilled than my dad at a lot of the fine carpentry stuff)

But the idea that we will have a gutted kitchen and be all *ARGGGH* is terrifying.

We're planning on going to the cabinet place my ILs recommend to suss out prices, and the other big boxes, just for comparison...and I'd love to find someplace that isn't lowes/HD --but I don't even know where to start.

On the plus side, we do have a tiny 'backup kitchen' in the basement.  For realsies--sink, range top, toaster oven.  We may be using it a lot once we start

hmonkey

learn from baroque: do not diy what you do not know.

6fsn

Awwww she's cute.

When we priced HVAC we were sure to have enough for a kitchen addition.

dharmabunny

Also be mindful of the following and any contractor that finds the following:

Asbestos in the 80s and earlier linoleum/flooring

Lead in any paint prior to 1976 (probably good to lead test DD post-remodel)

Knocking out walls (may mean a building permit). Building permit = applicable items up to current code.

For e.g. if an electrician is hired to work around or redo wiring due to gaping hole, they may need the permit. And you may find yourself installing current standard smoke alarms tied into house power in every single bedroom. (Varies by municipality of course)

GBCK

the 'plus' (there are many minuses :-P) to it being a family house is that I do actually know about the house history--huzzah!
I'm hoping against hope we don't hve to re-do the floors--since we *JUST* frickin re-did them.
(although that was hand-me-down flooring, so I don't *LOVE* them)

We actually bought a new circiut box yesterday because ours badly BADLY needs to be updated, because my gramps (see above in 'minuses') just rigged shit together with electrical tape and scrap wire--mostly fixed but needs an update.