My New Kitchen

Check out the before and after pictures....we still have a few things to complete but the majority of the work is done..What a difference in only a couple of short months!!

Before:

After:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDI!!

Tomorrow, Dec. 5th is Heidi's birthday!! So my dear sweet friend...have a wonderful day...at work!! I am so greatful to have been blessed with such a wonderful friend!! We are so often mistaken for sisters--I love that!! Thanks for being there for me and dragging my butt to the gym...it is finally beginning to pay off!! I also love that you are now 34 and I am still 33!! I really should be making you a wonderful homemade card right now...but I am not, so do not expect one!!! I hope this next year of your life is filled with joy, happiness, love, friendship and blessings!! Happy Birthday!! I love you!!!

Pictures to follow....renos almost complete!!

Well I have some pictures of our new kitchen, sans backsplash, that I was planning to post tonight, however, being that my computer is so ancient it would not read the CD that they are on. I will try at work tomorrow!! We are almost there....my kitchen back splash tiles that could have been installed today were delayed by the snow in Vancouver and will hopefully be in tomorrow. So, if the tile guy can come later this week, maybe, just maybe I will have a weekend without major house stuff. Last weekend, Brian spent a long time replacing three light switches. Bless his dear little soul, he is learning so much and is so incredibly patient when things don't work out. I'm sure if it was me doing it, the wires would have been ripped out of the wall and then it would have cost us a fortune to be replaced. Then on Saturday night we (ok again, mostly Brian) put in a sub floor in the entrance way...also in preparation for the tile guy!! It is coming...and a guy even phoned me tonight to say that he will take my old couch and chair!! It is older than me (really not that old!!) and has seen me through many years, yet I am not the least bit sad to be rid of it!! Maybe now I can start getting ready for Christmas. I pulled the decorations out from under the stairs last night...so hopefully soon. This is the latest for me...we don't even have any outside lights up yet!!
Brian has been busy flooding the rink!! Yes, my wonderful husband, has built a little rink in the back yard for the kiddies. We had loads of fun playing hockey on Saturday out there. A true canadian winter moment!! We also took the kids sledding for a bit on Sunday after church. They have been such troopers through this whole reno thing...its hard to give them any type of attention when you only really have the weekends to do house stuff!! Soon, two full weeks off with the whole family....aghhh, being teachers really has its perks at times!!
Other, exciting news.....I bought my first digital camera. I got a Panasonic Lumix...I have no idea how to use it, but it is fun to play...If I decide that it is not exactly what I want...I have 15 days to take it back to London Drugs. Again, I am in need of a new computer. Wow, kichen renovations lead to a variety of purchases...no wonder they cost so much. Hey if anyone reading this has an old basic digital camera....my Rachel has decided that she wants one for Christmas!! OR if you know of any decent cheap ones, please let me know!!
Check back for pictures soon...really they are coming!!

Annual Fall Family Photos

Last Saturday, in amidst renos, we headed to Peach Orchard Campsite for our Annual Fall Family Photos with the McKelveys. See Heidi's post for their pics. She is a great photographer with a great camera. Her only fault is that she is way too picky. She thinks the photos suck...well, you be the judge. I think she is very talented and I am blessed to have her as my best friend!!

Renovations

Well, I have been absent from the blogging world for quite a while!! This past month has been crazy!! I have attached a few pictures of what my house looked like three weeks ago...you should see it now!! We spent Thanksgiving weekend tearing out our kitchen, ripping up carpeting, mudding holes in walls and painting. Thanks to Heidi and Steve and Brian's parents we were able to get a lot accomplished. The kitchen was a difficult rip out--lets just say that if a tornado went past our house..the cabinets would have been left in tact!! While the guys did the kitchen, the girls ripped up the carpet, underlay, smooth edge (why they call a strip of wood with nails in it that, I don't understand) and all the staples from the floor. We borrowed the Foley's utility trailer and two loads to the dump later..all was gone!! We salvaged a few cabinets that went into our garage and we still have a couple sitting on the deck. Thanks to Lisa for watching the kids while we worked.
then the painting began....all the living room, dining room, hall ways and kitchen...and all the trim to fresh crisp white from dungy old wood!!! I love the colours I chose...I always find it so difficult to decide from a small chip!!
My parents came on Oct. 11 (their wedding anniversary) to help us out some more!! We are blessed to have such awesome parents!! Of course, parent teacher interviews also fell that week!! While Brian and I worked, mom and dad hung my new doors, and got prepped to lay the floor. We put in beautiful single plank laminate...every board clicked into place...it took a long time, but Dad and Brian did a fabulous job! I was busy running with the kids to hockey, birthday parties etc. Then the kitchen guys came....well that was over a week ago and they have just finished up tonight! Workmen can be very aggravating sometimes! Anyways, it is complete. (well except for the microwave rangehood that has to be installed, the tile backsplash that I still have to pick out, a minor plumbing job, hanging a light above my table, and picking up my new furniture!!) NEw furniture, I have never had that before...our current couch is one that my parents bought before I was born!! So if you know of anyone in need of a couch..let me know!! It is almost surreal to walk into my kitchen now--oh I forgot to mention the new fridge--we got one with a water dispenser! The kids have never drank so much water!! I have to admit, it is very cool!! I will post some pictures after I pick up the new furniture this weekend!! yeah--stop over and check it out soon!!

Hooray for Amy!!

Finally today, Amy actually pooped on the potty! She has been potty trained for about a month now, but, has not been able to get the whole poop thing together. It has been a frustrating month of cleaning poopy panties...so hopefully we have turned a new leaf and the Dora panties that she loves so much will stay clean!! I may have to buy king size boxes of smarties for awhile, heck I will do anything if she keeps it up!! Way to poop Amy!!!

A Picture of Charlotte and other stuff!!

Well, here it is finally...a picture of our neice Charlotte. Thanks Mom and Dad for emailing it to us. In this picture, she is only two days old. What a cutie!! We desperately want to get down and visit her, but life in the Berekoff house is very hectic right now.
September has hit and that meant waiting to find out job assignments, trying to organize for the kids going back to school and to top it all off, we are planning a major kitchen make over. Cory started Grade 2 this year and is in a wonderful Gr. 2/3 split class. He is loving every minute of it and his teacher informs me that he was very confident in his presentation of himself. She said he was in no hurry to stop talking...can you believe it?? How things have changed. He sure is becoming a very confident young man. We are very proud of him. His other passion besides school, is HOCKEY. It has started!! Watching him out on the ice, calling to teammates to pass, affirms our decision...hockey is a good thing for him!!
Rachel couldn't wait to start kindergarten. She is finally in her full day routine. She goes every Tues. and Thurs. and alternate Fridays. The gradual entry thing made her crazy...why couldn't she go every day?? She is also a very confident little girl and her only problem in school will be not talking too much!! She has also returned to the world of ballet and is extremely graceful and gorgeous in her black body suit and pink tights. She dances every Wednesday and will also start skating again next week.
The school year started out unknown for both Brian and I. I held out for a posting that I wanted, and it worked out. I have my own Grade 4 class this year at Giant's Head School. It is awesome being there with the kids. Tons of work this past week as I found out the end of the first week of school and I had to set up an entire classroom in a weekend. Things are slowly taking shape now, so I hope not to spend all my evenings there this coming week. Brian has been subbing and is hoping to get a contract in the next round of postings! ( yes they still haven't finished staffing!!)
On the home front we are updating our upstairs and putting in all new alder cupboards, a new fridge, laminate floors and hopefully some new furniture too (the stuff we have now is older than me). I hope to borrow Heidi's camera (Please!!) and post a few before and during pictures. Of course we will also post some more when we are all done. It's a big job..exciting though to think that by Christmas it will all be done!!

Welcome Charlotte!!

Today I became an Auntie for the second time!! My sister Laura and her husband Keith were blessed with a second daughter!! Charlotte Patricia Langton was born at 10:49 am, weighing in at 6lbs 5 oz!! Everything went well and we can't wait to meet her!! I am dying to head to the coast, but being that tomorrow is the first day of school, I am not sure when we will get there!! I haven't seen any pictures yet--but hear from Grandma that she is absolutely perfect with a little cherub face and lots of dark hair!! I will post a picture as soon as I get one!! Congratulations Laura, Keith and Sarah---we love you all!!

Getting ready for fall

Well yesterday Brian took Cory to get hockey gear...yep it's true, my little man is going to be playing this year!! We were lucky enough to get some equipment from our friends, the Hutcheson's, but still had to get some on our own. So Cory and Brian returned all smiles with a new helmet, shoulder pads and his very first jock!! I honestly don't know who was more excited, Cory or Brian!!
Today it was the girls' turn. Rachel starts Kindergarten this year, so off to Walmart we went in search of the perfect back pack and lunch kit!! We were sucessful--with a bright blue pack and a Barbie lunch kit!! My trip was definitely cheaper than Brian's!!

Trying to add a picture

Well here it goes...I am trying to add a picture of Amy that Heidi took during our camping trip to Bear Creek in July. We'll see if I am successful!! She is so sweet these days. I have completely enjoyed being home with her this summer. A day doesn't go by that she doesn't bring many smiles to my face..and we have almost mastered the whole potty thing. She is now wearing big girl panties all day (with the exception of naps) and will hopefully soon get the whole pooping thing mastered too!! As excited as I am to be done with the whole baby thing, (no more cribs, diapers etc) I must say I am a bit sad that my babies are growing up... but we will grow with them!!

I've entered the blogging world

Berekoff kids

Well, I really have no clue what I am doing, but I will flub my way through it. I have enjoyed reading so many blogs and decided that I should begin also... I hope to post a few pics of the kids too, however, since I do not own a digital camera, there may not be too many!! Thank goodness my good friend Heidi takes pictures of my kiddies!!
Well, here goes nothing....I am about to hit publish to see if this actually worked!! If it did, I'll post again soon!!