We have the best landlady ever.

Has your landlady brought goodies with the water/sewer/garbage bill?  Has she given you holiday ornaments or cookies?  Has she dropped off primroses for planting in front of the house in Springtime?  It really wasn't that hard to plant them.  Woohoo.  Has she brought presents for your child of car activities to take on your upcoming road trip?  Thank goodness because I didn't have time to do that before we left.  Has she remodeled your kitchen while you were away on vacation?  Has she brought a gift for the new baby and the big sister and introduced your daughter to the joys of Princess dress-up?

Wait a minute........go back to the kitchen.  WHA-HUH-HUH?  

Remodeled the kitchen while you were away???  YES WAY!!!

The old kitchen was a huge upgrade from my previous one, so I was pretty satisfied with it.   

So much stuff, stuffed into the kitchen.

Ta-da.  The transformation was complete in 8 days!  They thought it would take longer, but they got ahead of schedule and our landlady finished painting in the wee hours of the night.  I LOVE IT!  Granite counters, an under-mounted sink, a full-size dishwasher, wider counter/cabinets on the side wall, and faux tile flooring that lets crumbs just blend in.  :)  Our landlady said she truly enjoyed doing this for us and keeping so much of it secret for a big reveal.

A new kitchen for Claire.  We bought this for her 2nd birthday, but she didn't seem ready for it, so it's been in the corner of the basement.  Soon after her birthday she discovered it and would squeeze into the corner to "just wash her hands".  I set it up with borrowed toys from Mama.