Valentine plans and other happenings

I have a few quiet minutes while the kiddos are sleeping, so I'm finally getting around to blogging. :) The last week has been a busy one! Jim was home all last week, and he got so much done here in the house. It was very exciting! Here's a quick synopsis of what he accomplished:
*Finished mudding the sheetrock in the kitchen and fixed a spot on one of the living room walls
*Primed and painted the kitchen
*Finished painting the last living room wall
*Put up the border on the same wall--so now all of my living room walls look finished (aside from trim)
*Put on all the outlet and light switch covers in the kitchen
*Built and installed the first set of upper kitchen cabinets (no shelves or doors yet, but that's OK!)
*Started building the second set of upper cabinets

It has been awesome to see my kitchen coming together and looking so much more finished. I also have gained a lot of counter space, just from being able to put some things (including our microwave) in the cabinets rather than on the counter. Here's a picture of the new cabinets:

And here's a picture of the finished living room wall with the new border:

It was wonderful having Jim home, but it's also great to have him back to work this week! Carpentry work is slow in the winter, but thankfully a friend of his got a job that he hired Jim to help with.

Last week I went to a baby shower for a good friend of mine who is due very soon with her first. It was so much fun! I made a blanket for the baby, similar to the one I made for my sister's baby back in the fall, only this one was blue, because they know they are having a boy. I liked the way it turned out--I was happy to be able to find a binding that matched the toile pattern. Here's a photo of the blanket just before I put it in the gift bag:

Yesterday my friend Les and her two little ones came over to visit unexpectedly. The furnace at their house had stopped working, so they needed a place to go for the afternoon while it was getting fixed. They only live a few minutes away, but we don't get together as often as we'd like, due to busy lives! Her kiddos are close to the same ages as mine, so they all had fun together. It was a really nice time and I was glad for the chance to visit and catch up.

It has been COLD here. Today I had to run some errands, and hated to take the kids out in the freezing weather, but I didn't want to wait till tomorrow, as we are supposed to get a major snowstorm (1 to 2 feet!). I am extra thankful for our wood stove in this weather!

What do you all have planned for Valentine's Day? Jim and I celebrated early, with a date on Saturday night. My parents watched the kids, and we went out for supper at a local seafood/barbecue place. We don't have fish at home very much, since it is so expensive, so this was a real treat. We both really enjoyed the time to talk and eat a delicious meal without interruptions. :) For tomorrow, I plan to make a special supper, basically using the same menu as last year, with the addition of some filet mignon for Jim. He loves that, but it is not in our price range except for special occasions! I found a package last week with a good coupon on it, so that will be a good treat for him. I will also probably make hot fudge pudding cake for dessert. I also got a new tablecloth which I plan to use--I will have to post a picture of my table after I get it decorated.

Well, I guess I will wrap this up for now--I have chattered on long enough. :) Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!