Week 19
It's beginning to look a lot like a kitchen! This week has shown a lot of progress, despite being down one worker, he can still use a screwdriver to assemble cabinets. Most of the weeknights brought on some form of cabinet assembly. By Saturday all were assembled except for 5 base cabinets.
The kitchen remodel this week was more like Grand Central Station, with an extensive list of guests dropping by to check on the progress. Each visitor was then expected to contribute in some way to the progress of the kitchen. Here is the dossier of the labor force for Week 19.
foreman Dad Socie- Fully expecting to be the next on the list to visit the ER, made it all weekend with no major incidents (unless you count the mild electric shock from receptacle wiring) The driving force behind hanging the cabinets.
Mom "lives in the basement" Socie- Of course made good use of the grill again this weekend and spent most of the time in the basement doing laundry, dishes and cleaning the porno shower.
Andy "Biggest Drill" Socie- Came down to take his fireman test in Westerville, but still managed to cut some temporary countertops, custom cabinet blocking and paint removal.
Alyssia "Preggars" Suman- Cabinet feet and drawer assembler extraordinaire. Also expert landscape artist, unless you want squirrels.
Lexi "Play with Me" Suman- I'm 5 and know the difference between a flat head and phillips screwdriver. Lexi wanted to help, wanted to play and wanted to torment the cats.
Jenny "Surprisingly Handy" Socie- Not only does she use her head, she has proven her worth in many other various kitchen tasks, and even squeezed in a trip to Easton with her college roommate.
Haley "College Roommate" Doe- Drove up from Portsmith to go shopping with Jenny. Spent some quality time distracting Lexi for a while.
Meg "Food Provider" Hogan- Comes to the rescue and brings some Pre-fabricated meals for this week. And makes Mom Socie crazy for baby grandchildren.
Chris "Family Man" Hogan- Along for the ride, gets a glimpse of what homeownership is really going to be like. Sucka.
Moira "Cutest Redhead Baby" Hogan-At 10 1/2 months old, she makes everyone happy just by showing up.
Big Joe "Got my foot thingy off" Berardi- Makes the rounds inspecting the work and troubleshoots with the foreman. Tries to be a stowaway on the truck in hopes to make a trip to Ikea Michigan.
Sachiko "School starts Tomorrow" Berardi- Brings the Amish sweet corn for dinner and gets a meal prepared for her for a change.
Steve "Still has foot thingy on" Grubbs- Brings over the appliance dolly for use in removing appliances from the dining room. Talks cop shop with Detective Berardi.
Kerry "SuperMom" Grubbs- Finally sees the kitchen in all its glory after hearing the stories first hand. Number one morale supporter.
Nathan "Crazy Hair" Grubbs- At 4 1/2 months old, makes all the moms want to be grandmas, even Jenny.
Christine "Skin Cancer" Berardi- Stopped by on the way back from vacation at the beach in Hilton Head. Contributes by taking leftover desserts home.
Tony "Strongman" Doe- Christines boyfriend, doesn't know it, but is going to help move the appliances. Also talks shop with Det. B.
Week 18
This has been the longest week ever with recovering Joe at home, unable to work on the kitchen for at least 2 weeks. He is really pulling out all stops to not work on the remodel. But fortunately, his only excuse left is death. Knock on Wood.
The kitchen remodel moves on without Joe. The sanitary stack finally got framed out and drywalled on Saturday. More importantly, we took the plunge. Picked paint that is. The walls are "Desert Wind" the ceiling is "Innocence" and the trim is "Sand Drift" all in the neutral color palette for now. This picture doesn't do it justice, maybe because it is 10pm and there is no natural light. The colors were influenced by Diesels furry coat. 
Back by popular demand are some pics of the battle wounds induced by the kitchen remodel. This documents almost exactly 7 days from surgery. Joe is anticipated to go back to work Monday. He is quite popular it seems, two bouquets of flowers, balloon and a tropical plant sent over from Schoettensteins. All other well wishes, donations, flowers can be sent to the care of Melissa Socie. 
Next up, Cabinet assembly.
Week 17
Appendicitis-Smetis
Week 17 brings another visit to the emergency room, this time unrelated to the kitchen, unless you use it as an excuse not to work on the kitchen.
Some background....Friday afternoon. Joe's stomach doesn't feel so good, so he takes the afternoon off from work. Friday night, Joe manages to eat a healthy portion of grilled ribs at George's house. Saturday morning, seems fine, we eat lunch together before I leave for Toledo for another 24 hr brief visit. Joe is unattended for approx. 28hrs. Sunday afternoon, Joe is on the couch with a Superman ice pack on his belly, more importantly, no work has been done on the kitchen.
1-800-Dr-Horst, the key phone call, which of course leads us to the ER..............
Sunday
5:00p Arrival at Mt. Carmel East
8:30p Admitted to the ER checkpoint
8:45p Joe hears "These are not the usual symptoms of Appendicitis, it is probably something else"
9:00p Joe drinks radioactive apple juice
10:30p MRI
11:00p bathroom break
11:00:30p Dr. Comes in- "It's Appendicitis!"
11:02p I return, Joe claims "They're going to cut me open"
How is that possible, I have been gone for 2 minutes, you are kidding
11:30p Not kidding, Joe is admitted
Monday
4:30 am Joe is sliced
6:00pm Joe is released
6:02pm Joe barfs in hospital parking lot
7:00pm Vicidon Rx is filled
7:05pm Missy takes 2 to get through the night
Follow up: Joe will most likely be taking this week off work. 2 weeks of no lifting anything more than 15lbs, this includes Cocktail. This also does not cover paint brush, so we are ok to progress with kitchen remodel.
Here is a public service announcement about Appendicitis, in case you cannot reach Dr. Hosrt.
What is appendicitis?
Appendicitis is an
inflammation of the appendix, a small, finger-shaped sac that is attached to the large intestine. Experts do not fully understand the purpose of the appendix.
Most of the time, the appendix does not cause problems. Occasionally, however, it gets blocked by bacteria and becomes swollen and infected.
If the infected appendix is not removed, the infection can cause the appendix to break open or rupture. This spreads infection into the abdominal cavity, causing
peritonitis. Peritonitis is a serious problem that requires emergency care.
About 8 out of 100 people will get appendicitis. It is most common in people ages 10 to 30, although it can occur at any age.
Week 16
Trip to Chicago- No kitchen progress this week. Here are some action pics from the weekend.
Saturday was spent in Shipshewana, IN- Amish town. Sunday was at the Field Museum seeing the King Tut exhibit. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the girls went shopping!
