The Adventure of Rebuilding

So...it's been just over four weeks since the "water damage" occurred at our house. And it has been an adventure. We've got all the contents of our kitchen in our dining room and a good chunk of our house has either no real flooring--i.e. just plywood with tacks on the outside edge. Also, until this past week, we didn't have a sink or stove or oven or dishwasher--at least not hooked up and functioning. And as soon as they got those things reinstalled, the painter came to paint the cabinets, so...they were quickly out of use again. Today, I attempted to cook and all in all it went well. It was interesting though. Let me walk you through a little bit of the process:
I get the chicken out of the fridge and start to set it on the counter--wait, that counter is filthy. Grab the clorox wipes, clean off a big section of counter, then place the package on the counter. Okay...now, put the chicken in a pot to boil--where's that pot? I think I saw it in one of the boxes under the kitchen table that is now in the dining room. Yep, it's in there, behind the box that has all the spices and seasonings. Clean out pot, put chicken in w/ water to boil. Now, I need to fry a few slices of bacon...hmm, where's that pan? Under the dining room table, behind all the plastic storage containers...that's a bit tougher to reach...got it. While those things cooked, I proceeded to wiping out all of the cabinets with clorox wipes. Then I realized I needed a cutting board...back to the dining room to hunt some more. And I think you see how this process went. Thankfully, I was able to find some humor in the situation. It was a bit like a scavenger hunt. And I was even a little relieved when Pete called and said he was going to be late, since the meal that usually takes me about 30 minutes to prep and then 25 minutes in the oven, took at least 30 minutes longer than that!
Pete has really helped set the tone around here. He's said several times, "It's just stuff" or "it's only things" and "we still have a roof over our head and beds to sleep in." I've been thankful for the way he's taken it all in stride. Although, I do envy that he gets to leave while all the strange men are in and out of here working and I try to keep the kiddos occupied and out of trouble.
Speaking of the boys, they have handled the whole thing pretty well, also. They crack me up though. Here are a few things that make me laugh:
~ They call any of the men who have been here to help with the repairs "workers." For example, "Where did the worker go?" "Do you think I could show the worker my new toy?" "Can I give the workers some gum?" "Hey, Mom! The truck in front of us is the worker that was just at our house!" "How many workers are coming today, Mom?"
~ We have a large dumpster outside of our house and when we drove past a fast food place the other day and saw a similar one, Sam (3) said, "Hey! They have a dumpster just like us!"
~ We've been eating out a ton. The boys are getting much better at waiting at real restaurants. Thankfully, they understand that this is something we're doing all the time because we don't have a kitchen and not a new norm. Yesterday, Jon asked, "Could we go to Olive Garden again before we get our kitchen back?"
~ Since we've got various supplies stashed in our garage, we're not parking there currently. And now that they've got our cabinets and appliances out, there's room for the boys to ride their bikes there. Jon said, "I like that you and Dad don't park your cars here anymore."
~ Since most of our carpet is being replaced, spills are way less tragic. Just ask my brother, Scott, who spilled a ton of coffee on our living room floor. Pete and I had the exact same response, "Oh well, they're replacing that next week!"
Next week, they put the flooring in and finish up the painting. Hopefully by the following week, things will be pretty "normal" around here. I'll definitely post pictures of the finished product. For now, here are a couple shots of the damage.