January 2022 Part 4: Projects

We just can't help ourselves; we always have some project in the works. At some point in December, or maybe even before, we had the idea to put cupboards on the back side of our kitchen island, which is quite massive. It seemed like there was so much wasted space in there, and we can always use more storage. We found out from a neighbor that the builder used cabinets nearly identical to the ones they sell at Lowes. If we could remove the panels, we could put upper cabinets (because they're not as deep as base cabinets) on some kind of platform and create more storage. It was a good plan, but would it work? 

Before pulling the panels out, Brian opened up one of the outlets on the island to get a peak. It looked like it would work, so we bravely took off a panel. 

It was kind of funny seeing behind the curtain. 

We measured the space and it was perfect for cabinets! We bought a couple of cabinets from Lowes to give our first section a try. Gabe had a little fun playing in one of the boxes. 

Brian built a platform for the cupboards so they were consistent with the ones on the front. 

And then he placed the cupboards in. 

Using the old panel, he trimmed out the new cupboards:

Ta Dah!!!

Next up, we had to figure out what size cabinets to put in the other two sections. 

We picked them up at Lowes, and Brian got to work again. 

We were SO excited about having this extra storage! 

We ordered hardware online. We went with knobs to lower risk of knee injuries. 

It was nice to have a cupboard dedicated to random art supplies since Gabe and Rachel love to sit at the bar and color, despite my constant reminders that they have a perfectly good craft room downstairs. We also moved all of our paper products to one, my vases to one, a cupcake holder and Halloween serving dish to another...and we still have room for more! 

With the cabinets all finished, we turned our focus to our deck. Workers came and fixed the railings that had to be cut to accommodate the new posts. We were relieved at this because it made me so nervous having holes in our railing. 

Brian got to work wiring the cover for lights, a fan, and some electrical boxes. 

Michael caught the sewing bug (because he was bored, according to him), and created several stuffed animals. 

And a pillow. 

 We hold to Lowe's motto: Never Stop Improving. Improving our home, improving our skills, improving ourselves. 

January 2022 Part 3: Covid Part Who Even Knows Anymore

In January, Utah (and I'm sure other places) got hit with a variant of the coronavirus. I think it ended up hitting every household in our neighborhood, including us, and we had another stint of quarantine. Symptoms were non-existent or minor, and we kind of regretted even testing in the first place. 

Rachel and Michael tested positive about the time they were supposed to take their A.L.L. test at school. Thankfully, they were able to still take it, just virtually. 

Thankfully, we could still participate in church, just from our house. 

We must have gotten a little cabin fever because this is what Rachel decided to wear to go play outside, and she laughingly pointed out the snow still on the ground. 

I decided I needed to make another batch of masks that were more appropriate for church and going to the temple. Our favorite ones all had Disney or Marvel characters from the last batch I made for our trip to Florida. They got rid of the mask requirement shortly after we got back, but with this new strain, I wasn't sure how long we'd need these again. 

All the kids did online school, and I played paparazzi so we'd remember. 

Thankfully, the quarantine times weren't as long as before, and the kids were only home for around a week. 

 

January 2022 Part 2: Our 13th Anniversary

Brian and I celebrated out 16th wedding anniversary in January! Since our actual anniversary was on Monday, we celebrated a few days before over the weekend. We went to this restaurant up in Suncrest that was pretty good. 

And then we did sealings at the Draper temple. It was wonderful. 

On Monday, we must have gone up over the ridge to Suncrest again, because that's where these pictures were taken. 

Brian got me roses, and I made our traditional rainbow chip cake. 

Cheers to us!

 

January 2022 Part 1: Skiing

 On January 3, the postponed ski trip came to be. Brian took the kids and met up with our neighbors at Brighton. The kids skipped their first day of school after the break to go. I don't think they were sad about that though. This was Gabe and Rachel's first time skiing--ever! 

Brian was a champ for taking these three by himself. It seems there may have been some struggling during the initial equipment rental portion of the trip, but maybe Gabe saw something interesting on the floor. 

Rachel and Gabe went to ski school, and Michael disappeared with Alva for the rest of the day. 

Brian debated about taking another class, but decided to just practice on the smaller runs so he could keep an eye on Rachel and Gabe. 

Here they are in their lesson. Rachel has the mint colored coat with black snowpants. Gabe has a blue, gray and black coat with navy snow pants. Both have white helmets. 

After their lesson, they did a few runs with Brian. 

And when they got home, there was nothing for it but to serve them hot chocolate. 

Brian said it was so beautiful up there. Maybe next time they go, I'll tag along and just read a book in the ski lodge. I'm slowly making peace with the not being able to ski thing.