The Christmas Project

We have been doing a lot of projects at our house lately partly to do some updating and others just to make our space more usable now that we are adding another member to our family but this by far was the biggest project I think we have tackled. Around Thanksgiving Matt and Ez started to scheme about ways to get Matt a flat screen tv and it just evolved from there. With the soon arrival of our little one I told Matt he had to convince someone to be his partner in crime for this big project and luckily for us Kim & Ez were there to volunteer. The project was originally supposed to start this week but Matt was so anxious and excited it worked out that Kim & Ez could come sooner so we jumped at the opportunity to not only finish it sooner but also to have them to spend Christmas with. Kim and I were the official runners for supplies when we went to go get an additional piece of beadboard the only way we could get it into the truck was to rest it on top of our heads..we got some funny looks on our way home.
Before

Wednesday night some guys from our ward came to help Matt move the furniture and all the old cabinets. Here is what it looked like after.

Then the real work began. Matt started working on the base cabinets and finished both sides on Thursday once Ez got here. I felt a lot better knowing that Matt had a "partner" that was just as excited about the project as he was. Thursday night they got both bases installed and then it looked like this.

Friday the top cabinets went in as well as framing out where the tv would go. And then it looked like this...

Saturday was the day that seemed to make the most difference look wise. The remainder of the structure went up as well as everything getting painted. The fireplace even got an update with some new paint and stain. This was a huge group day we really don't know what we would have done without Kim & Ez they were such a big help and never complained about the long hours or endless work. Kim even helped me to keep the house clean, take care of Hallie, do laundry, and make dinner!



We painted into the late hours of Christmas Eve before heading for bed.

Christmas morning we slept in and this is what it looked like once dry on Christmas morning.

When we got home Christmas evening the boys had to hang the tv I thought it might kill them to wait. Monday was spent building cabinet doors, touch up painting, and staining the tops of the bases. No picture for the end of Mondaybut Nic & Ky came to check on us for the evening.



Tuesday morning Kim & Ez had to head for home and we had a doctors appointment so Tuesday afternoon the cabinet doors, hardware, and decor went back up and by Tuesday night here is the finished product.

I have to admit I was a little skeptical but am overly impressed at how well it all turned out as well as completely relieved that it got done before the baby got here. Matt & I can't say enough how much we owe Kim & Ez we really couldn't have done it without them. There were a lot of late nights and long hours but we think the end result was worth it. I think it may be awhile before we take on another project.