New quartz countertops!

I am doing a happy dance because my countertops are now installed. After four long months of waiting, they finally are here from Italy and in place. The new sink is so nice and deep; I'll now be able to wash all of my large pots and pans without cocking them sideways. I have wanted a sink like this for 26 years! Please rejoice with me!!! Here are a couple of shots so you can see how much nicer they are than the lovely plywood counters we had.

I am working fast and furiously on finishing up my Christmas stitching. Here is a picture of some flour sack towels I embroidered for my small group members, a SIL, and one even for myself for my new kitchen. I forgot to take pictures of some golf towels I did for my BIL and a scarf for an "adopted" niece. Oh, well... I'm trying to stay out of the way while my countertops are finally being installed. Dingo is having a nervous fit with all the noise and commotion, but I am delighted! I'll post a picture when everything is cleaned up.

I finished up the aprons for my SILs today. PTL!!! Here are pictures of the finished aprons. Carrie is quite the pie baker and Lie likes to make breads and rolls. I hope they enjoy using these aprons. (Gobbi said he would take them back if they don't, but I don't know what HE would do with them!)

Some new projects

With Thanksgiving behind us, I have been getting serious about my Christmas stitching. Here are some of my latest projects--Thanksgiving turkey tealight covers, an apron for my SIL, a fleece blanket for another SIL, and some free-standing lace ornament for some of my nieces.

All of the cabinets are in!

At last, all of the cabinets are installed! On Tuesday Mr. T came over to help install the rest of them. Since then we have been working on getting the drawers in place and all of the handles on the drawers and doors. There is still a lot of work to do-countertops, backsplash, flooring, lighting, etc. The templating for the countertops is scheduled for next Thursday. After that it will take, I'm told, another ten days to two weeks. In the meantime, the plywood is working. Maybe we can start a new trend?! Good-bye old cabinets!

I finished up the "Rouse House Turkey Bowl" hats while on vacation in Cincinnati. The Rouses were blown away by them! I am so glad they loved them and also very happy that they are completed. We will look forward to going seeing them in use at Thanksgiving. I just adore that four-letter word "DONE"! Now it is back to work on the kitchen renovation. I still haven't recovered enough from our vacation to check out the aftermath of the flooding in the basement from the combined effects of hurricanes Katia and Lee. I don't think there will be too much permanent damage, PTL!

Some kitchen cabinets are finally installed!

We have been working diligently on the kitchen for the past few days. My cousin-in-law arrived late Monday night and painted the kitchen yesterday. This morning Gobbi & Dennis started installing cabinets and worked on that project until Dennis discovered water was flowing into the basement. All kitchen work came to a quick halt and we all got busy downstairs trying to stay ahead of all the water coming in through the walls. The ground is so saturated that the basement was the only place left to go.

Late this afternoon Pam and Dennis went to visit a friend and Gobbi and I got busy on the cabinets again. Here are a few pictures of our progress. My contributions to the install were removing a glide from the bottom of one of the cabinets, holding the over-the-refrigerator cabinet up while Gobbi installed it, and holding the doors while they were being put in place. I am such a good

helper! On the one picture Dennis is checking the level. It was about then that the guys discovered that the house wall was not straight! The corner cabinet was fudged a bit to get things to line up, but I think it worked out well after all. The final picture was what the west end of the kitchen looks like with the pantry and uppper cabinets installed.