Really, the pictures are worth a thousand words. But first, let me show you the fabled white squirrel of Western North Carolina, whom Brian caught climbing up a neighbor’s tree.

I think this squirrel has been groomed like a poodle, but I could be wrong.

Ok, on to the good stuff. As you may recall, when we bought the house, the kitchen looked like this:

And then like this:

And then we got our Ikea delivery:

And now it looks like this:

We christened the oven Sunday night, roasting a delicious “Chicken with Two Lemons” a la Marcella Hazan, and then today making Marcella’s authentic Italian lasagne. Caitlin made the green noodles, and I made the Bolognese sauce and the Bechamel. It was divine; a good omen.

My poodle girl is growing up! She will be groomed tomorrow and may no longer look like a little black bear afterwards.