The Splash is Back

The backsplash is installed! Very nice. The tile we chose is actaully made of bricks recycled from old buildings. This brings a little color into the mix.

The company in charge of the backsplash told us that our brick was such a new product, that supply was limited. Our shipment might not be ready until December. But, luckily, we got the call last week. Installation city.

We are now inches away from the completion of the remodel. We only have to add some decorative items on the countertop and some window treatments. And when I say "we," I mean April. I am asked for only a token opinion, which is what the good lord intended.

Up close and Personal

The brick and the granite

Bon Appetit

The whole picture

Just waiting for Spaghetti-o Surprise Dinners

Too bad it will never be this clean again

Ghosts of Halloween Past

Cade is becoming a pro at the whole Halloween thing. To witness his domination of the night of the living dead, you can scroll down to the Halloween post. But it was not always this way. He has had years to perfect his trick-or-treating techniques. It is crazy to think that this was his 3rd spooky adventure. So let us revisit where we have been:

2005: Year of the Dragon

No, it is not Bruce Lee Roy, but it is a spooky dragon.

The whole Halloween experience was a little overwhelming for a 5 month old. He was a bit of a dragon in the headlights.......................get it?........dra..........c'mon people.

Luckily, Cade had his family to help pull him through that trying first Halloween. Which brings us to Halloween Numero Dos:

2006: Swashbuckle City

Johnny Depp has got nothin' on this pirate

This kid will break down your door, loot, and pillage

After dragons and pirates we find ourselves in 2007. See the below post for the King of the Jungle.

Halloween 2007

We did not have a cowardly lion on Halloween night. Caden Paul had no troubles during his trick-or-treating adventure. He really had a great time. We stuck to our neighborhood, which is so kid-friendly. Although we only went through half of the neighborhood, Cade's Spiderman candy bucket was FILLED. It seems our boy had zero problems going for seconds at each door. Being the little charmer that he is, the neighbors indulged his sweet tooth with a smile.

Uncle [b] tagged along and took some great photos. His are marked with the beckersblog.com [b] logo.

Our little horeshoe cul-de-sac was the perfect place for the Little Man to roam. The people were so nice, and there were more than a few lawn decorations. This kind of thing makes me wonder what Christmas will be like.

Casper.....Caden. Caden......Casper.

The smoke effects were inspired.

Taking a break on the Pumpkin Wall of Fame

As I mentioned, Cade showed no shame during his candy grab. As he would reach into candy bowls, he would say, "There you go!"

schmoozing for the double dip

The kids in our neighborhood are just tremendous with Cade. They are so sweet. We really feel we moved onto the right street.

Cade's very first stop of the night: right next door

This is Noah filling up Cade's bucket. Cade always wants to go and see Noah.

And speaking of kids, Cade did not go solo last night. He had a hot date: A Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader. Our friends, the Runyans, brought their daughter, Gracen, along for the fun.

I think I heard Cade say, "How you doin?"

Cade had a wonderful time. He was even in such a good mood, he did not complain after we limited his candy intake to one lollipop.

The Spoils of Victory

I thought this was kind of fun. I took the one on top. The end result is on Uncle [b]'s blog. Check out the full and unfiltered blog at http://www.beckersblog.com/index.cfm

Thanks Arnold

We were a little worried that the cancellation of two school days due to the wildfires would lead to extra days in June. But, our worries were alleviated, thanks to this man:

Since Gov. Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency due to the fires, the two days missed were not counted against our attendance figures. This means our school district would not miss out on monies tied into student attendance rates.

Thank you, Governator. Thank you.

The Remodel: Part Deux

Now April has the proper area to make my turkey pot pies.

It has been suggested that the kitchen is the most important room in a home. It is where families and friends congregate. Holiday dinners are created, ham and cheeses are grilled, and Skittles are stored. If there was ever a room to make sure you love, it is the kitchen. That is why the kitchen overhaul was so important to us.

The kitchen remodel was painstaking, expensive, but in the end, worth it. Although we are still not quite finished (we are waiting for the backsplash), we have a functional and above average kitchen. It is light years better than the space that existed when we moved in.

Here is the kitchen during the era of the previous owners:

We wanted the company doing the remodel to come in during the escrow process, but they wouldn't come out for measurements until we actually took possession of the house. So the actual tear down didn't occur until late August.

Time for takeout

During the process, there was no working kitchen. We moved everything into the living room. We cooked with the microwave and toaster oven, and used paper plates. The biggest drawback of being without a sink was trying to wash Cade's sippy cups. Also, we used the toaster oven and microwave at the same time, resulting in a blown fuse. That was below average.

The kitchen cabinets were made in Canada, and then shipped to our garage. They sat for a day before installation.

These guys really worked hard. It was two solid days of construction.

AND NOW......................THE REVEAL

We became the best customers of Best Buy. New stainless steel appliances are nice, but we discovered how difficult they are to keep clean. I don't know who keeps leaving the miracle whip smudges on the 'fridge handle. It's a mystery.

The granite was done by Corbin Custom Tile Inc. out of Corona. They also did the granite in our condo. Good people. The plates in the platerack were an anniversary gift. We haven't actually eaten off them yet, but I am sure the quesadillas will taste even more bueno on them.

The double decker dishwasher is great for washing small loads - like sippy cups. Spiderman, Elmo, and "Cars" cups can all be washed when needed. Our boy does like his beverages.

The glass corner cabinets have a little lights inside them. Since it is late October, we have the nice fall motif going on. But come mid-march, are we talking little green people?

April found this table at THE LOFT in Ladera Ranch. I thought it was too big, but it is perfect. Why do I question her judgement? I just end up looking wicked retaaahhded.

The chandelier is from Pottery Barn. I do miss the function of the ceiling fan, but the new light fixture looks great. The Dude says it really ties the room together.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.............candy corn

With the kitchen nearly done - the backsplash will be brick and hopefully completed in approximately a month (give or take) - it is time to focus on the family room. A house can only be a home with 50" of HD gloriousness. Tuesday is the magic day. Best Buy had better come through. Check back to see if Best Buy will be loved, or dead to me.

"Snow Day"

My good buddy, J-Dog Nuzman, and I were talking yesterday about snow days. We were thinking back how, after a good snow, we would be glued to the tv. Prayers would be sent up in the hopes our school would be closed. Instead of school, there would be sledding, snowballs, and hot cocoa. Aaaahhh, good times. Good times.

This conversation took place due to the cancellation of school for the past two days. The Capistrano School District decided to shut down as a result of the wildfires. The air quality was just too poor. So the snow day was reincarnated.

Since we wanted to be indoors, the family ventured a bit north to the South Coast Plaza. The lure of Z Tejas and the carousel was too strong to ignore.

Cade and Bammie at the Z Tejas

If you haven't tried the shrimp tostada bites at the Z Tejas, you are missing out

Cade sticks with his usual french fries and chicken strips. Double-fisted on the fries. Nice. April reported that Cade burped about five hours after eating. He then proceeded to announce, "Mmmmmmmmmmmm. French fries. " That's my boy!

Carousel smiles

Hi, everyone!

Cade does love going up and down on the escalator.

While April was shopping for his future sister, Cade was content with a lolly and crayons at Baby Gap.

As you can see, the Snow Day was really Cade's Day. He even mixed in some quality time with Ashlan (who lives next door to Bammie). You can't blame Ashlan for being all over The Big Man. She's only human. It's the Cadester we're talking about.