Shiny New Toys

Our kitchen facelift is slowly moving along amongst all the rest of life. When the heating element went out in the oven about 8 weeks ago, we decided to go ahead with appliances before finishing the cabinets/countertops/backsplash. Yay. So now I need to decide if I'm going to tell you my embarrassing story about appliance shopping. Hmmm...well, of course I am...then it makes it less embarrassing and more just funny.

So I'm really excited to change from a nasty old coil stove to a gas range! I've never cooked on gas before, but that's okay, it's going to be great. From all the pulling out and cleaning behind over the years, I remembered that although our current stove is electric, we have a gas line there ready to be hooked up. Enter hours on Garden Web parusing their appliance forum. Then enter reality and realize I'm not willing to spend $4000 on the stoves they recommend. So the weekend before soccer gets going I dedicate to shopping the boxes: Lowes, Home Depot, and Sears. Sears has the best deals and after much hemming and hawing (and calling all my close friends for their opinions) I make the purchase, have them load it up in the mini and off we go!

Eric slides out the old range and then I hear the holler: "RESA!!! So where's this gas line, Miss "I clean behind the stove so often"?" Uummm...I stare at the single electric cord and massive amount of crumbs...oohhhhh, yeahhhh....shoot!!! That gas line? It was behind the electric DRYER that I had to constantly fish things out from behind in the old laundry room! Sorry hun. Then I got to call Sears: "Um, I'm the lady that's been in three times today and just bought the gas range, um, uh, I need to bring it back because I don't really have a gas line, and, um, uh, will you all please laugh at me now BEFORE I show up?" Sigh. So no gas range for Resa. There could be worse things in this world.



Fast forward another month and wah-lah! I have gone to the mega-box store, Nebraska Furniture Mart, spent 1.5 hours (by myself) and picked out three deliciously new, completely average, midrange appliances. All by GE, all stainless or stainless look. They delivered, my honey has installed all but the microwave, and we're back in business! (See cupcakes baking?) --by the way, PAY someone to install your dishwasher...it was a pain!



The countertop guy has been here to measure, the cabinet dude is working on designing a couple new storage areas, I've picked out the backsplash/sink/faucet/cabinet hardware and we're to call the window guy next week. So here's to some nice fall weather while we rip out the sliding glass door and rebuild the wall...and I get to work painting the cabinets! Whew.

Wordless Wednesday

Postcards from Italy

Even snapshot takers like myself could become postcard photographers in coastal Italy. Here's the synopsis of our vacation in pictures...I whittled down 350 photos to just 19 (plus the few I already posted and the FOOD pictures I'll put up later!) to save you from beauty overload! Enjoy!

Hilltop view of Sestri Levante

Market in Pisa

Dan & Eric helping out the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Sunset over the Baia delle Favole (Bay of Fairy Tales)

Ahhhhh.....

Night view from our hotel, the Vis a Vis (View of a View, or something like that)

On a hike above Sestri

Sunset dinner at the Vis a Vis

Cemetery in Monterosso

My fav spot in Monterosso

One of our daily excursions to Angel's Ice Cream for Gelato w/the KC gang

Restaurants along Corso Colombo

Waves crashing in Sestri Levante -or- "Happy Toes"

High above Monterosso with terraced fields & vineyards behind

Picturesque Manarola

The Via dell'Amore between Riomaggiore & Manarola
Lovers clasp locks on the railings as a symbol of their attachment.

The restaurant that sheltered us from a downpour along the Cinque Terre.

Hi! I'm Dan! I'm from America!

Plaza in Sestri Levante

Living on a Postcard

Yes, I seem to have landed on a postcard. Not a bad view in sight. As my first taste of intercontinental travel, I believe Italy may have me hooked.

Yesterday we hiked & train-traveled the Cinque Terra, visiting 5 lovely towns between rainstorms and amid lucious views of the Mediterranean along the Ligurian coastline.

Today, I've indulged in a full body massage (Aaack! That was an adventure for this Modest Molly), time by the crashing waves, lunch with two fun gals & gelato for lunch's dessert. Now I'm on this--our patio feeling the cool breezes and enjoying the church bells tolling in the distance.

Oh, yes, and this is the view I am taking in:

Nice, eh?

Here is another look at some of yesterday's travels.

And the rocky beach where we all gathered a few gems to bring home.

Well, I've already taken more than 100 photos so this is just a taste...but I have much more to do than blog :) so enjoy your holiday while we enjoy ours!! (Hi to our kiddos having fun over at Aunt Jo's! They are having their own adventures...and Jodi is keeping me up on them on her blog, Hart of the Matter if you want to see those cuties!)