Renovate this!

Has anyone seen a July lying around?  I've misplaced mine and cannot seem to find it.  Hard to imagine we've just turned the corner and it is now August.  Where the heck has has the summer gone?  We haven't been anywhere (aside of my road trip to Chicago) and have been busy around town taking care of family.  

Normally I have several trips over the summer and accomplish a few projects but this year I haven't knocked off any of the projects I had planned to do back in May.  Still haven't replaced the driveway (momma and I are in disagreement over which project needs to be done first), I've got to re patch & repaint the ceiling from an earlier a/c leak, need to fix the shower pan leak, was hoping to clear out my closet, etc.  

At least we have been spending more time across town with the family than we normally do since they are in town this summer.  My dad is doing great!  We went over last weekend to check up on his progress and to bring SIL over to help her celebrate her birthday (we are not allowed to speak of her age).  My dad's recovery is coming along very well, no complications, no major issues.  He is learning to live with the bag but he hopes to lose it in a few weeks.  SIL is doing much better.  Was good to get her out of the house and out to see people.  I think her situation has depressed her somewhat and she has withdrawn from going out so this was a good exercise for her both spiritually and mentally.  She went back to the doc last week for another MRI and they determined that the cancer has not come back (fantastic news!) and she will continue with the Chemo for a while.  That diagnosis has been hanging over her for a while so getting that good news has lifted her mood.  Still a long road to go, but at least she is making progress.

Recovering nicely

Since it was a mini reunion, junior came down for the weekend to check up on my dad and SIL at the same time.  We had a small, informal birthday party last weekend.  Nothing ornate or fancy, just a low key gathering. 

Gathering of the tribe

A chip off the old block?

I went back over yesterday to check out my dad's progress and he continues to make improvements.  I also got to see their new windows.  They had been talking about replacing the back windows for some time and finally pulled the trigger yesterday.  Guy came out yesterday morning at 0800 and by noon he was done.  4 new windows installed and it really made a difference in the breakfast room (see the 2nd picture above).  Of course, with any kind of renovation, there is now talk about getting new counter tops. 

  

What stirred this up is that my older brother is having a full blown kitchen renovation.  This is a major project that will involve taking out a chimney, gutting the entire kitchen, adding a new bathroom/laundry room, and pushing out the kitchen wall by 12 feet.  I've seen road construction projects less complicated.  They spent the last two weeks moving everything out of the kitchen and preparing for the demo work.  The crew just started ripping down cabinets and ceiling yesterday.  The current timeline on the project has it finishing up hopefully by Thanksgiving.  Imagine living without a kitchen for that long.  They plan to use the garage (has a small kitchen) if necessary but they will be living out of the rest of the house during the renovations.  

All this renovation talk has put my bride into the mood for some for new windows or a new kitchen.  Heck, I just want a new driveway without any cracks.