American's Most Desperate Kitchen: Part Two

(Written in early February)

Two weeks ago, Ben and I went to bed wondering if the next morning a camera crew was going to knock on our doors. Honestly, we were wrecks. We had spent the day trying to make our home look as presentable as possible, packing our family for a three night vacation, and questioning whether or not we were planning everything for naught. Logically it all added up to American's Most Desperate Kitchen showing up at our door: they called our neighbors, they hadn't canceled yet...surely we won, right? Right? We had all those doubts going through our minds combined with all the questions of what it would really be like if they came. What time would they come? (They didn't even give us a time frame!) How should we react if they show up to our door? What would they do to our kitchen?

I woke up Monday morning at 6:00, wanting to get all ready very early (no one wants to open to door to a camera crew in their glasses and pajamas, right?) Ben had moved into the guest bed sometime during the night because he couldn't sleep: he got maybe 3 hours of sleep that night because he was so stressed. By 8:00 we were dressed, kids were up eating, and we were planted in the living room waiting. We figured that they would show up fairly early in the morning because they would need a full day of renovations if they were going to finish the whole thing in four days. Ben couldn't eat anything; I was making trips to the bathroom because I was so nervous. We were stressed. I tried to do school with the boys to pass time. The minutes ticked by. Ben wanted to be surprised so wouldn't watch out the window; I hate being surprised so was glued to the window. Of, course it was in the minute that I went to grab something in the kitchen that they parked at our neighbors' house and started walking our way. I saw a group of people at the side of our yard and started screaming at Ben, "They're here!! They're actually here!!" And from there, I basically mentally blacked out. Everything happened so fast.

While the camera crew was coming across our front lawn from the neighbors, the Kitchen Cousins (John and Anthony) parked in the driveway, and walked to the front of the house. Ben saw them waving at the front window and didn't even wait for them to knock. He threw open the front door and started hugging. I scooped up Josh and made my way to the front door. The twins came with me. And then Josh started screaming. As Ben would later put it, "It couldn't have gone any worse." We didn't even let them knock, no one could talk because Josh was overwhelmed and crying so loud. It was a very crazy moment. We had about 5 minutes of actual filming the surprise, and then we went into the house and started having real conversations with the production crew and the Kitchen Cousins. At one point in time John said, "Should we take two on the surprise?" Somehow they decided that they got enough of usable video that we didn't need to feign surprise a second time (thank goodness...I have a feeling I'd be a very bad actress!)

My favorite moments were talking to the Cousins and the crew without the camera on us. We found out that everyone had been in town a couple days and that the Cousins hadn't been posting any pictures of their adventures on social media in case we would see it.  Good thinking on their part, because I had totally been stalking them on facebook and instagram! Anthony said that they had spent the previous day at Multnomah Falls, and I told them that we got engaged there (which is why they included a picture taken by Anthony at Multnomah Falls in our kitchen). John noticed Ben's Nike shoes, and Ben told them about being a Nike shoe tester and shopping at the Nike employee store (which we were able to get some of the crew into the store later that week! It felt nice to "give back" to the people that gave us a free kitchen). The Cousins were very nice and personable. It was amazing how at ease and smooth they were while the camera was on: they are very good at their job!

While we were talking, the camera, sound and lighting crews were setting up shop in our kitchen. Hidden microphones were given to Ben and I (so crazy!), the kids went to our neighbor's house (thanks Leslie!), and we got ready for our next filming session. Ben and I were to lead the Cousins into our kitchen to show them why it was so desperate. It was fun to see John and Anthony's reaction to our kitchen. We talked a lot about how the kitchen didn't function well, how the two big features (the island and the fireplace) overpowered the space, and how it really needed new space planning. As I stated before, the Cousins were so at ease on camera and amazing at leading the conversation where it needed to go. It was also a comfort to know that everything would be edited, so if we said something stupid (hopefully) it wouldn't be included.

Next, Ben and I went outside with the crew to be filmed for our "interview." We were so pleased that they set up the camera to show a background of our favorite old house across the field. The Lord also blessed us with a beautiful sunny day. Our sweet Dutch Canyon will be showcased well! During the interview we were asked questions like, "What were you feeling when the cousins showed up," "What do you hope will be done with the kitchen," and lots of other things I can't remember. It took a long time and Ben and I hope that we don't sound too dorky!

We got the kids back from Leslie's. They wanted to do a some "lifestyle" filming of our family playing in the backyard. Ben threw the football to the twins and we tried to get Joshy to play. He still clung to me and was shy. We played some soccer and pushed the kids on the swings. With only 22 actual minutes in the show, I'm doubtful if any of those shots will make it into the show. Anthony also wanted a picture of our family in front of the house. Little did we know that he would blow up that picture to use it as a feature in our new kitchen. What a cool idea and great keepsake of our time with America's Most Desperate Kitchen!

Finally, it was time for them to film us leaving the house. I ran around like a mad woman hoping that I remembered to pack everything (I didn't: I forgot all of Ben's toiletries and Josh's baby blanket...fail, although I get extra grace for the crazy circumstances!) We shot a scene with our whole family in the kitchen, luggage bags in tow, and the Cousins "kicking us out." They also shot a scene of us pulling our bags to the car and our car leaving (the funny part was that we drove the opposite way on the road than needed so that they could film the old house in the background). Here's one of my favorite memories from all this: from the time that the crew showed up, our darn dog Rosie was of course a pain. We threw her over the fence to Leslie's, but she managed to climb back over and fuss at the door while we were trying to film. Then, suddenly, she disappeared. So, when it was time to leave for our three day vacation, I naturally was stressing about where Rosey was, picturing us driving around the neighborhood calling her name for hours. I called neighbors, stopped by houses that she often haunts, to no avail. At this point we had two cars so that we could park our other one in the back lot. Finally, Ben pulled his car up to my window and sheepishly said, "I forgot: I put Rosey in her crate in the car about half a hour ago so she would quit bugging us!" That story illustrates how crazy it was with the camera crew here and how our minds were so overloaded with stress and excitement!

By the time we left, our kitchen had already been almost packed up (they did all the packing...I didn't have to do anything!). A u-haul had been parked at neighbor Larry' and unloaded into our garage with supplies. They had a refreshments table set up complete with coffee and treats for the crew. Our carpet had been covered. Everyone had first showed up at our house at 8:20. We left for good around 10:45. What a crazy 2 hours!

We dropped Rosey off at a friends (thank you Rank family!) and then drove out of town towards Great Wolf Lodge. What crazy, exciting, emotional thoughts were running through our minds! It was very odd to leave our house to complete strangers that were going to renovate our kitchen in a way in which we had absolutely no say. It wasn't like we left anyone a key or instructions about what to do with the heat, etc. (like you normally would do with a house sitter), we just left. There were probably at least 15 cars of people parked in our driveway and on the road, none of which we knew...and we left. We left the house to them to do what they wanted. Very crazy! The car ride was so fun! It was fun for Ben and I to debrief the experience and different conversations we had, and the boys were SOOO excited for Great Wolf Lodge. It was a very exciting car ride!

While we were gone, we heard relatively little from the production crew. One day they asked where an iron was. Another day we got a picture of some silly 60's wallpaper on the one of the walls. We touched base with some of our neighbors to get "spy" updates. We learned that the chimney was still there, which gave us a clue to the fact that the fireplace wasn't being torn down. I got a hilarious text from our good friends down the street that went on a "ninja mission" while it was dark, to shine flashlights and see what they could see. By day four, we were SO ready to see what they actually did to the space!!

Here are some before's of the kitchen:

Coming up next: The Reveal!

America's Most Desperate Kitchen: Part One

Are you ready to hear a crazy story? (Written 13 days before the Kitchen Cousins showed up at our house).

Back in September I was discouraged about how expensive a kitchen renovation was going to be. We were talking about not only new cabinets, flooring, etc, but blowing out walls and tearing down a fireplace. It was overwhelming thinking not only about the cost, but also the design. We've done plenty of renovations in both our homes, but this kitchen was in a whole different league. What did I decide was a good solution to this kitchen renovation discouragement? Sweepstakes. Yep, sweepstakes. Good idea, right?

I got online one evening and starting putting our names into every kitchen and home makeover money sweepstakes I could find. Which led me to google "kitchen sweepstakes," which led me to a little show on HGTV called "American's Most Desperate Kitchen." This was not just blindly winning money, but it was an actual audition where you submitted pictures and a video. So, after telling several friends and family members about our idea to audition, and their encouragement to do so, we sent in a video. We didn't spend much time at all on the video. In fact, we waited until the evening of the due date, threw together a little piece and submitted it just in the nick of time. That was September 31st.

October 30: Ben is out of town hunting and I'm checking emails after putting the kids to bed. I see an email with the subject, "American's Most Desperate Kitchen Follow-up." This is what it said:

Hello Ben and Jamie, 

The show is currently in our preliminary phases of casting.  We have some follow-up information we would like you to review before we can proceed to the next step.  We will be selecting three candidates in your area, all candidates will be given the below information:

- Must agree to be responsible for paying taxes.

- Must be okay with relinquishing all control on the design of the kitchen.  If you are particular about your style and what you want - we need to know.  The design would keep to the general style of your home and would be tasteful.  

- Must be able to take time off from work some time in mid January.  We will have exact dates shortly.   During that time you will need to be prepared to vacate your home during the project and also find pet care (if applicable).  

- Must be available to meet producers Nov. 21st, both homeowners need to be available.  Exact time is TBD.

Once you have agreed to the preliminary terms listed above, we will send you another follow-up email requesting additional information about your house.  

No way! Ben wasn't home to share it with, but I call my sister freaking out! They actually got back to us!! We replied with a, "Yes to all," and the next couple weeks were filled with completing their "Fact Sheet", answering questions about our home, and submitting about 50 pictures of not only our kitchen, but the front and back exterior of the house, the rooms the kitchen could be opened to, the electrical panel, etc. We even had to sketch a floor plan of our house for them. We were thorough and prompt, but honestly never expected it to go past that.

November 6: my dad is here and we're working out in the flower beds together. I'm so happy he was there to share this email from the producers with:

Here's the plan.  We would like to meet you and Ben at your home on Friday, Nov. 20th.  It would be in the evening (after 4pm) because we fly in around that time.  We MAY need access again on Saturday, Nov. 21st.  You both don't have to be there, but if one person can be there in case we have questions about the house - great!!   We will let you know on Friday what time we would need to access the space on Saturday. 

I had a complete freak out moment. I couldn't stop smiling. Ben didn't believe me when I called him at work to tell him. I couldn't believe it! The directors were actually visiting our house!? From there we had two weeks of intense and steady work on our house. TV people were coming, we wanted our houes to be perfect (well, as perfect as a house with one of American's most desperate kitchens could be). We had a mile-long to do list including things like: clean out garage, paint the ugly green front door, hire someone to make a trap door for our crawl space so that it was accessible, paint the guest room (because clearly that had an impact on whether or not our kitchen would be chosen). We worked our tails off, so when the producers, Rachel and Tiana, arrived on the evening of November 20, we were ready with an immaculate house. 

That was a stressful night, but Tiana and Rachel were very nice. They looked around our kitchen, took pictures, asked us questions about what we would want in the kitchen, and answered questions. We were able to really "play up" the food allergy card, and we could see that it piqued their interest. They also seemed very pleased by the access from the gate in the back lot straight up to the deck. We were able to show them our newly renovated master bathroom to demonstrate to them our style. They stayed for around 45 minutes and then texted later that night that they would be returning the following day with two different teams of contractors and designers. So we prayed over the house that morning and left again as strangers analyzed our home for a kitchen show. Pretty crazy! Later that day Tiana texted me to ask if Scappoose had a town hall they could drive by (maybe for filming purposes?) and then one of our neighbors, Cheryl, texted me to say that the crew was all parked up at the top the road looking down the canyon at the old house in the field. It was a beautiful, clear, sunny day and that view is spectacular. I really felt like God made our house an enticing story that day.

After that, we really starting praying and hoping. Family and friends started praying. On November 29, we were all in the car together when I received this email:

Congratulations,

You have been selected as a finalist for "AMERICA'S MOST DESPERATE KITCHENS!" As previously discussed, you will not know if you have been selected until the hosts of the show John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino show up at your door and we start the makeover. Below is a list of details you will need:

The prospective dates we would remodel your kitchen are: Jan 27-30. 
You will need to be totally available on the day we arrive and be on-call during the final day, as we will call you for the reveal. You will not be allowed at the house on the days in between and will be responsible for having a place to stay over the course of the remodel. 
​This includes pets as well.​
Because we are still deciding on finalists for the show 
we will occasionally need to send contractors and designers to your property to get eyes on the kitchen space as we make our final decision. This will often happen last minute and requires some degree of flexibility. The Producer and Associate Producer assigned to this episode will set these visits up with you.


You have NO SAY in the design of the kitchen. While we make every attempt to please each and every homeowner, we are responsible for the design. 

What a great day that was! It was so fun to all be together when we got the news! Two days later, Rachel the producer called me to answer any questions. We talked for close to half and hour. I asked all the things racing through my mind like, "What would happen to our stuff? Are the kids with us when we answer the door? What do we wear?" It was a good conversation where I felt like I got hints that we were actually the winner. Rachel's comments like, "We really like to pick the design last minute," just didn't seem to add up. She also said things like, "You probably don't want to do any big grocery shopping trips before that date," and "I better get going...before I say too much." It gave us hope.

After that, we heard a few things here and there. We received a pamphlet in the mail from a snazzy cabinet company that we didn't request. We speculated a lot. They have to be ordering all the cabinets, tiling, flooring, etc.:Wouldn't they have called to tell us if they didn't select us? Tiana called to switch the dates to January 25-28. Why would they switch the dates if they hadn't chosen our kitchen? 

Then Tiana called to schedule another walk through with the chosen contractors and designers on December 29. Part of me thought this meant we had won, but then another part was super stressed. The designer whom we met told us that they were bringing in the electricians and contractors to all the homes to see which design was most feasible. What if they couldn't do what they designed? But all along the Lord had placed this prayer in my heart, "Lord, don't let there be anything about our house that disqualifies us!" So we prayed and held on to that prayer!

Another prayer that God placed on my heart was for little morsels of hope along the way. And he totally provided that. The way that the various emails and phone calls were spaced out was just enough to help us hope.

Our next morsel of hope came on January 5, when Rachel emailed me to ask for 8-10 family photos. I sent those and Tiana emailed to ask for 5 more. Then, Tiana asked for all our neighbors' phone numbers. And then we hit the two weeks until "go time," mark. The mark that we said all along, "If they haven't cancelled by this time, we're in." And they haven't--they haven't cancelled! Are we really going to win a kitchen make-over through the Kitchen Cousins on HGTV? I cannot even fathom what it will be like if this happens! It's like winning the lottery. We laugh a lot about it. We nervously giggle a lot. We have watched season one episodes and analyzed. What should we wear? What should our reactions be like? What will we say? Will this really happen? Are you kidding me?

So, here we are, 13 days out. Vacation to Great Wolf Lodge and Mt. Hood planned. Hopes placed. 

Please, please Lord, let this crazy miracle happen! 

Summertime Fun!

Summer comes at us fast and before we know it, it's July and we've had a ton of outings, and therefore tons of pictures to share. Here's a quick picture recap of June:

My birthday outing with the kids was to meet my sister at the Wilsonville Splash Park. We were there on opening day, and because school was still in session, the park was considerably less busy than usual. The kids had a blast and the moms got to catch up. I love this picture of all the cousins!

 Joshy and Edmund are such buddies!

 The boys took swimming lessons again this June. They are doing an excellent job and are very close to being able to swim. They can push up onto their backs and paddle about half the length of the pool. They are learning freestyle strokes. They aren't confident enough to jump into the deep end and then swim to where they can touch, but they are getting there! I was very proud of their listening skills and courage to learn to swim!

 With their teacher Mary Beth

For Ben and I's eleventh anniversary, Ben's parents offered to take the boys camping for two nights, so that we could have some time at home without children. It was a wonderful break and we did very intrepid things like eating dinner in front of the TV and sleeping through the night...ha! We also had a date night out on the town and went to dinner and movie. The kids had a blast and came back with many stories and memories. We hope this is a summertime tradition!

I love my husband. For Father's Day I encouraged him to pick an outing that he would enjoy, and he chose the zoo. What a good daddy! Josh hadn't been since he was too young to remember, so we all had a blast introducing him to all the animals. Here's the boys in front of Bald Eagle.

In an eagle nest.

 Scary bears in a hollowed out log

 Watching the brown bears play in a tub of snow. It was super cool.

 Zoo pictures are lame. It's impossible to get kids and animals because of the glass glare.

 The new elephant exhibit is amazing. They have life size photos of the elephants. It was great to experience how large they are!

 We got to watch the elephants being called to lunch.

 The monkeys were fun to watch too

 Joshy really wanted to see the penguins so we braved the stinky penguin house.

And everyone's favorite: the giraffes

The following week we decided to visit Ben for lunch at his work. His new office building is so gorgeous, it's right on the river, and it always has cool trucks on display. It's a boys paradise.

Isn't this view gorgeous!? 

 This was a super cool truck to explore; it was enormous!

 All the boys

 Sam, Seth

 They climbed up 

Josh and Seth feeling tall

 Another fun outing was a quick afternoon trip to Sauvie Island beach. We got to see this car tanker float by. It was awesome! So huge!

Ben had to take a quick trip to Germany, so the boys and I took the opportunity to do a longer (overnight) trip to Estacada to hang out with family. We had such a fun day at Uncle Glenn and Aunt Tani's house. We got to see a calf that had just been born that morning. We petted it (so soft!) and watched it gallop around trying to figure out how to move its body. 

The twins helped Tani feed and catch chickens. We all got to feed bunnies and watch them run around. Then we picked raspberries to our hearts content. The afternoon was spent around the pool, although Tani, Judah and the twins were the only ones brave enough to swim for very long in a pretty cold pool. I really was proud of Sammy at the pool: he got in over his head, got scared and had to be "rescued." I thought he'd be scared to swim the rest of the time, but much to my surprise, he hopped right back in and had Tani work with his swimming skills the rest of the time. My persistent Sammy!

 Josh never got in, but proudly sported his swim clothes and goggles. He and cousin Selah played cars together.

 Most of the cousins eating bbq food with Glenn and Tani. They are so great to all our kids!

 The boys had a blast with Judah and wrested and played so much!

The day was capped off by homemade raspberry icecream. What a treat!

What a fun June! Now onto a busy July full of a Lakeview trip, Crater Lake, camping, my sister due any day with a baby, lots of time outside, swimming, refinancing, shed and play structure building....it's going to be fun!

Baseball 2016

I have a "Seven Year Old Update" in the works for Seth and Sam, but in the mean time, I wanted to post their baseball pictures before we get too far removed from the season.

This year the boys were able to play "pitching machine" baseball, which is a step between minor leagues and t-ball. It was wonderful. They had a group of really great dads coaching them and the entire team really improved throughout the year. There was also an awesome group of kids that the boys really enjoyed being around. It's so comforting to see our "homeschooled" kids fitting in with the team, having fun, and making friends.

Sam and Seth were some of the youngest on the team, so they really had a lot to learn throughout the season. One of the things we were most proud of them was that one of the coaches told Ben that the boys were "very coach-able...and smart! They catch on to things really quickly because they listen." What a great thing to hear as a parent!

By the end of the year both boys were consistently hitting the ball off of a pretty quick pitching machine. Sam got a couple ground balls and threw them to first to get an out. And Seth's got a great arm on him!

One of my greatest memories of the season came while Ben practicing with the boys' batting at home one evening. Seth was really struggling to hit the ball (he really tends to be "on" or "completely off"). Now the policy for pitching machine is that the kids get about 5-8 pitches off the machine, and then if they don't hit those, the coach tosses a few short underhand pitches to them. If they can't hit the underhand pitches, then the coach says, "He's running no matter what!" throws a pitch, and if the kid misses, the coach throws the ball out to the field and the player runs to first. So, on that particular evening, Seth had missed about 15 pitches in a row from Ben. Finally, Seth cheerfully called out, "On this one: I'm running no matter what!" And sure enough, he missed, but ran around the bases anyways. It was so funny and so indicative of Seth's attitude the whole season: he really wasn't competitive minded and never seemed to get flustered if he couldn't hit the ball. 

Another funny memory I have of the season is that each time it was cold or rainy on a game night, Sam would ask me if I had gotten them their baseball pants yet. Each time, I would gently remind him that I had no intentions of buying him baseball pants. But then a cold day would roll around and Sam would pester, "Mom, it's cold! And you haven't gotten us our baseball pants yet!" By the end of the season my reply was no longer gentle; it was more like, "Sam, you have no pants because I am not going to buy you baseball pants. It is not because I haven't had time, or haven't gone to the right store, it is because I'm not going to!" (Lucky for him--and me--we happened to go to a store closing sale today and they had baseball pants for $7 each, so I couldn't resist a good deal!)

We also have great memories of people coming to watch the boys like Chris and Jackie, Tani and Glenn, and Grandpa Deedo and Grandma Di Di. 

Here's a few pictures of Seth batting. He's got a great swing:

And Sammy: 

 The was one of the outs Sam got during a game:

(Somehow I got way more pictures of Sam than Seth...my bad!)

And here are super fans Daddy and Josh:

 This was Josh's best smile for me 

 Here's Sam with one of their buddies Will Kessi. Will's dad, Pat was the main coach and was so amazing!

 And here's the team! I may or may not have bribed everyone with cupcakes to get this picture taken. I also may or may not have needed to get this picture because I just plain forgot about picture day. In my defense it was at 8:30 on a Saturday morning. Still, my bad!

 Here's our substitute individual pictures. Not bad. Maybe it's a good thing I saved the 30 bucks.