kitchen renovations - before, during & after

This past May, we packed up our entire kitchen, and carted off all the non-essentials to my mom's basement. The necessary items (mircowave, hot plate, toaster oven, food, and lots & lots of paper plates) were crammed into our office--the only available living space downstairs. 

We decided to completely gut our old kitchen and start from scratch. Despite the fresh paint and new curtains, the floor was crooked, the cupboard doors didn't close properly, we had no ceiling (previous renovation), and it was always freezing cold in the winter. 

kitchen "BEFORE"

Here's a look at this long and stressful journey, that has finally come to an end:

gutting begins

cutting out the old crooked floor

view of the old cistern

new floor joists

updating the plumbing

fixing the rotten exterior wall

floor insulation

new subfloor and framed walls

new electrical

wall insulation

drywall

paint

vinyl flooring

new cupboards

sink installation

dishwasher installation

light fixture installation

And here are the "AFTER" pictures for a look at the completed kitchen:

east wall

1950's - style cast-iron sink

with vintage-looking faucet

north wall

new stove

south wall

south wall

west wall

office renovations: before, during & after

Renovations to our downstairs began in April 2013, when we decided to turn the bedroom into an office/front entryway. We also decided to add a hallway and re-configure some doorways so the bathroom would no longer be an ensuite. We started gutting the bathroom and our former bedroom.  The whole process was finally completed in the fall of 2014. Here's a look at how it all went down:

gutting the former bedroom and bathroom

former basement entrance

The new temporary trap door to the basement (via the kitchen)....

...allows for the former entrance to be closed up, creating a new hallway

The former basement door became the perfect spot for a cute little window

The addition of a front door provided a private entrance (perfect for our home businesses), as well as some extra light in the office

new sub floor, electrical, and insulation

drywall

fresh paint

Then we took a break from the office renovations, because we had to move our kitchen and living room into the office while we gutted and renovated those two rooms. Our entire downstairs living area consisted of our little office all summer long!

office and living room

 The fourth office wall had not been drywalled previously because we knew it had to be torn out anyway when we renovated the adjoining living room. 

temporary cooking area

newly framed wall with soundproofing

final wall drywalled

Finally, the kitchen and living room renovations were finished and we could move all the kitchen stuff out of the office. Boy, did it seem large! We added some wainscotting to match the bathroom, hung some curtains, and voila--our office was ready for tutoring students.

Here's a look at some "AFTER" pictures of our mostly finished office:

south wall

west wall

east and north walls

happy birthday, girlies!

My adorable nieces, Molly Georgina and Lola Julianna turned 2 yesterday. From the moment they found out they were expecting twin girls, my sister-in-law and family have experienced a crazy couple of years, full of surprises-- including delivering the twins via C-Section at 32 weeks. I'm sure they never have imagined this is where life would take them--but I know they wouldn't trade it for the world. 

And my, how they've grown since then!

One Year Old!

Two years old!

Raising twin girls (and homeschooling a big brother) has been no small feat! I am so proud of my sister-in-law for everything she has accomplished so far, and for how much she has grown as a person over these past couple of years. Although she would be the first to admit that she's far from perfect, she remains an inspiration to me. (You can view part of her testimony HERE under the "Real Life Stories" tab... and maybe one day, I will have the privilege of sharing more of her story here.)

In honour of their birthday, their mom posted a link to a Music/Video Presentation that beautifully captures the girls' first 8 months through photos. It played at their baptism on Mother's Day (and brought most of the congregation to tears.)

So Happy Birthday, Molly and Lola! 
We love you. 
xoxo

farmer dan

"...He just takes the tractor another round
And pulls the plow across the ground
And sends up another prayer.
He says, 'Lord I never complain, I never ask why,
But please don't let my dream run dry
Underneath this
[Prince Edward County] sky.' " 

-Jason Aldean

**************************************

For the first time in nearly five years, a Dykstra has cut, raked, and baled hay on Cherrie Side Farms. Since my dad's illness and eventual passing in 2010, we have rented out our farmland to two local farmers. Now, 58 years to the day that my grandfather first arrived on this farm, my "little" brother decided to continue the family legacy.

With some encouragement, he took it upon himself to ready the machinery, and then proceed to cut, rake, and bale a field of hay this year.  I was am still bursting with pride that this shy, quiet, gentle-giant-of-a-brother chose to take a leap of faith and embark on a new adventure. 

Watching this part of him come fully alive while on the tractor, was enough for this big sister to get a little misty-eyed. In case you can't already tell, I love this kid and I'm so ridiculously proud of how far he's come in the past few years. 

He's a look at the whole process through the lens of my camera:

Checking everything over on the haybine before heading out.

First round.

A beautiful sight.

Nothing quite like a freshly-cut field of hay!

The rake stands ready.

First round.

Raking the windrows to get the bottom grass dry.

His first bale!

A watchful eye.

A born farmer!

Loading up before the rain.

Brothers at work.

We got the hay in before the rain, and true to form, my brother gave away the whole truckload to a neighbour in need. Now that he's shown everyone (including himself) what he can accomplish, we are excited to see what next summer will bring. 

Thank you to those of you who have encouraged him along the way. Your support means so much!