Hello, countertops. Meet kitchen cabinets.

Anyone who's talked to me in the last eleven months knows that I've been threatening to put a countertop on my kitchen cabinets for a long time now, and this weekend I made good on that threat and started to build the substrate on which I'm going to install a laminate (Marmoleum, most likely). Here are a couple photos from the project so far.

The cabinets (just begging for a countertop under which they can hide and hold all manner of kitchen implement).

Cutting the MDF sheets that I'm using as a base for the countertop.

Checking the dryfit of the MDF pieces.

Gluing up the joints that will hold the MDF pieces together.

And here, after the gluing, is the countertop base. Now I just need to get the laminate and glue it down and I'll have a real countertop.

Bored Daniel = Barber Mother

A Very Dashing Haircut?

The Disapproving Mother!

Note: If perhaps you cannot really tell, the haircut pictured above is a "Mo-Hawk".

Dandy Lions (now with an update!!!)

When I was at Cedarville, Dr. Dixon (the school's president) was known for his hatred of dandelions. The grounds crew kept the grass and landscaping in pristine condition, and we were told time and again that we were not to walk on the lawns. Grass was for seeing (and mowing, apparently), but not for walking on. There was only one condition under which we were allowed to walk across the lawn, and that was if we saw a dandelion and walked out to remove it. Every spring Dr. Dixon preached a mock sermon about the evils of dandelions and exhorted us all to go about the good work of dandelion removal.

I've always maintained sort of an open mind to the notion of weeds. Plants are plants, and weeds are simply plants that we'd rather not have growing where they currently are. One man's weed is another man's hosta, in other words. So I never really bought in to the anti-dandelion fervor of Cedarville. After all, how can you dislike the first sunny sign of yellow in spring?

I stand (metaphorically, of course) before you a changed man. And I think Dr. Dixon might be proud. I just spent half of the morning with a weeding tool prying up dandelion clumps from my back yard. It goes without saying that the only reason I can do this is because I have a postage-stamp sized yard, and it's relatively easy to get them all. I think I pulled about a quarter (or maybe a fifth) of the taraxacum plants from my back yard, and I'll keep weeding them out as the spring goes on. One thing I'll say about dandelions is that they're easy to spot as soon as those blossoms open.

So what led to this change of heart, you ask? Well, it started about the time I noticed (last spring) that one half of my entire back yard was nothing but dandelions. These things were running rampant. And they were starting to crowd out the good grass already growing on the other half of my yard. I'm all for the occasional yellow blossom here and there, but they were basically taking over. So I've decided to take decisive action—first by pulling up as many as I can, and then by fertilizing and laying down a weed killer. I don't have any illusions—I know this is a multi-year project in the works. But you've got to start sometime.

It's occurred to me more than once that my attempts to beat back the dandelions sound an awfully lot like Dad's tirades against the wicked oaks. I guess I'm acknowledging here that some things change as you get older, and sometimes the sight of an old man tilting at windmills looks a little different when you're tilting at windmills of your own.

Update:

I suppose this is the season for writing and thinking about plants and growing and dandelions, so I shouldn't be surprised that one of the columnists at the NYTimes is writing about his own futile efforts to maintain the perfect lawn. My favorite line: "my eco-friendly ethos dovetails suspiciously with my laziness." Here's the full article, which is pretty interesting.

From Tiny Seeds, Mighty Mesclun Does Grow

I was going to post these pictures on the Butchers, Barkers, Candlestickmarkers blog, but David beat me to it with his bread post. So I've decided to thrill even the non-foodies with these action-packed photos of lettuce emerging from the soil.



That's Swiss chard on the left half and mesclun (a mix of spring greens) on the right.



And here's Butterhead on the left and a different mix of greens on the right.

I'm going to give these a few more days (maybe a week) inside, and then transplant them to a little patch in my backyard. Then I'll be on 24-hour watch for the rabbits prowling my yard, seeking what lettuce they may devour. Look for outdoor pictures soon.

Has Spring Sprung?

It may not be as green in Hancock as it is where you live, but we are seeing signs of spring. For one thing, the snow is (almost) gone. Also, we have crocuses and the grass is greening up under it's brown winter mat. In fact, we even saw green tips on the lilac today and I heard spring peepers the other night.

Besides, these pictures of our first bike ride of the year (and Peter's first bike ride ever) are sure to convince you that we've made it through the winter and are preparing to bud and blossom into springtime. Also featured here: Peter's first and second times swinging at the park.

The pictures were taken this past Wednesday as we rode bikes to a nearby park and then let the girls ride their bikes at our park across the street.

The whole family, ready for adventure (Fletcher not shown - someone had to take the picture).

Ella and Elisabeth enjoy the space shuttle ride even as they ponder the future of NASA and space exploration.

Peter's just happy for a chance to ride - first the bike, now the space shuttle!

Back at home, Elisabeth tries out her pedalling while Peter hangs out in the swing.

Ella's bike fits better this year after raising the seat several inches. A slight adjustment to the training wheels improved her confidence.

Peter (the jester) in his second swinging experience. He may be dressed a little warmly or the girls may be dressed not quite warm enough. I think I had a t-shirt on and was warm the whole time, but I was pulling a 60 lbs of trailer and kids around.

Christmas, errr, Easter Cactus

This last Christmas, David, Daniel, and I found a sale on Christmas cactuses at Lowe's. I think they were a dollar each, and we picked up a few. I've been giving my cactus a little water and plenty of sunlight and wondering if it would ever blossom (as they're rumored to do). It had been pretty quiet over most of the winter, but then this afternoon I noticed a huge blossom off the end of one arm.



I think it's kind of impressive that a cactus meant to mark the occasion of Jesus' birth is now marking the event of his resurrection. Happy Easter, everyone!

The bathroom gussies up

After living in my house for a year and a half I finally decided to add a little color to my bathroom. It was some kind of dirtified off-white when I moved in, and I've long wanted to clean up the walls and change the color of the room too. Here are a few pictures from the project.


Here's a photo of the bathroom pre-painting. The flaglike patches are some paint samples I was trying out.


And here's the room after I've cut in the new paint.


And here's the room after two coats of Kingston Aqua by Pittsburgh Paints. It's actually darker than I thought it would be, but I really like the color. And it goes well with the browns in the room, which is good because I'm not ready to renovate my bathroom yet (still working on that kitchen).

And the snow doth keepeth fallingeth

We had ourselves a nice little snowstorm yesterday in Kalamazoo. It was a relatively warm snowstorm, and the result was perfectly frosted trees. Here are some pictures I took of the sidewalk in front of the Fetzer Center and the back patio.

A Post-Birthday Post for a Silly Salamander

Once there was a little boy,
Steve would be his name,
Quiet and subtle though he be,
Sneaky was his game!

Before you knew it, he was gone!
"Where did Steve go now?"
Just wandered off to who knows where...
He was often on the prowl.



But in his highchair, there to eat,
Not getting lost, lands sake!
Tough it was to finish all,
Yet keeping him awake!



And then there were the cigarettes,
He tried taking up one day,
Thought they were a thing to eat,
When he saw them on display!

But what can top the experiment,
In Terre Haute he tried,
When juice he poured with both eyes closed,
Oh, the thought of it makes me sigh!

Both eyes closed, he poured the juice,
To see if he would know,
Just when to stop the pouring,
Before it would overflow!

Ah... such an inquisitive little boy,
And willing partner was he,
To big brother Ben's escapades,
Buddies they'll always be!



And now he has three little ones,
Flesh of flesh, bone of bone,
With wonderfully sweet inquisitive minds,
And "sneakies" of their own!

We celebrate your special day,
Though afterward it be,
And thank our God for you to be,
In our Barnhart family!

Snowbird Practice (now with an update!)

While all of you are laboring through partly cloudy and mid-20s (Muskegon), mostly cloudy and 20% chance of snow (Hancock), and mostly cloudy with 2 mph winds coming out of the SE (Chicago), I'm practicing becoming a snowbird with my friends in sunny Phoenix, Arizona.


We climbed Piestewa Peak (formerly known as Squaw Peak), and here's a view from halfway up the hike. This overlooks downtown Phoenix.


Loren, Kevin, Jesse, and me relaxing on the top of Piestewa Peak.


And, a cactus! They're everywhere. Sadly, we haven't yet seen a rattlesnake or a scorpion. Both were promised.

Update:

I'm back in snowy Minneapolis now. From sunny and 68 to snowy and 25 in one day. It's good to be home.

Here are a few more pictures from a hike we took on Sunday in the McDowell Mountains, just east of Phoenix. Dad, this hike looked out over the Superstition Mountains, which is where the Weaver's Needle is. We were looking for it on our hike, but I didn't know what I was looking for until I saw a picture of it later.

Flowers to brighten your day

I had a particularly rough week/weekend last week because I wasn't feeling well, but I was very surprised when I received these in the mail! Karl sent them to me to cheer me up, and I thought I'd share them with all of you so they could cheer you up too =)

Grandma's Birthday!

Loving thoughts of Grandma, today, as it would

have been her 78th birthday. Young, still, in my book!

Ben gets bored

I was looking through some pictures from this past Christmas, and ran across this one of Elisabeth and Aunt Janell. I thought the rest of you might like to see it too.

Mom gets bored

Daniel and I recently found this picture on Mom's computer. I think the old people are starting to get to her.

Ben's Birthday Has Finally Arrived For You!!!

Our not-so-young but nevertheless illustrious "Man In the Know" Benjamin James Barnhart has turned 33 years of age. He celebrated his birthday by ordering Chinese take-out and watching a good movie with close friends (and next-door neighbors) Matt and Leah. 

In honor of this momentous occasion, we would like to reminisce and recount some fond memories of Ben's fruitful life. Post any and all memories to the comment board. Thank you, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

NOTE: Candles in the picture have been known to switch with other candles when nobody is viewing the blog. This explains any discrepancies that may be noticed when viewing the above photograph.

MISSING!

Twas the night after Christmas,
No mice, no not nary,

And a good night to play
Telephone Pictionary!

We phrased, and drew, and laughed
quite a bit,

Til Sherlock claimed some, leaving the
rest of us to just sit.

Twas a lovely evening on London St.,
With food, and drink, and game,

But then, alas, the hour grew late,
And the rest went home, just the same.

Straight to bed, the Mommy went,
For tired and weary was she,

"I'll tidy the rest of this in the morn,
before off to work I be."

Picking up, here and there,
Putting things away,

The drawings lay there in a pile,
And I thought I heard them say,

"One of us is missing!" So I counted
to see if true,

And sure enough, one was gone,
And it's got me wondering who?

Who confiscated a page of drawings,
And what might your plan be?

Methinks we ought to watch the Blog,
To see what we might again see!

Tile complete

After a long day, the tiling is finished. The finish coat on the ceiling got sanded also. I'm almost done skim coating the walls to get rid of the texture from the sponge painting.

So I was making a coffee cake...

...and as I was cracking an egg, I had a flashback. I remembered when I was pretty young (it seems like we were still living in Terre Haute but I can't remember for certain) and I was sitting at the kitchen table. Mom was cooking something that used eggs, and somehow we started talking about what eggs were. She explained that eggs were actually the way chickens had babies. She said that if a hen hatched an egg by sitting on it and keeping it warm, a little chick would develop from the egg. I think she kept talking about how the yolk was actually the part that fed the chick while it grew, but I didn't really hear that part. All I could think about was how many little yellow chicks I had unknowingly murdered, and how this terribly cruel practice was so widely accepted! These poor little chicks never got a chance to grow up and have wonderful chicken lives. I imagined all the hens, sitting in their nests with their heavy hearts, thinking of all their children they would never get to meet. Needless to say, I may have been overly sensitve to the situation. When mom realized I was upset, she quickly pointed out that she didn't believe the eggs we were eating were actually fertilized, so they wouldn't have turned into a chick whether we ate them or not. I have no idea if this was true (I should look that up) but it certainly went a long way in calming my guilt-ridden heart for all the eggs I'd eaten in my life.

I'm not sure what I thought was so fantastic about being a chicken, or if I realized that most chickens are eaten at some point anyway. Apparently I realize it now though, because I was able to crack all four eggs and whisk them without a bit of guilt.

Bathroom Status Update

Day 2: Tub successfully fitted into the bathroom and Hardiboard up! No major setbacks yet. Also no showers. Andy might be sleeping in the bathtub tonight.

The beginnings of a new bathroom

The tub and tile were removed tonight. Janell did a great job carrying that cast iron tub out on her back.