Great things are happening in my kitchen

Crazy things are going on here.  Things that I have been dreaming about since the moment I walked into this house as a homeowner.  It has taken 5 years.  5 glorious years of dreaming (and doing other projects).  Here's the floor that came with our house.

pretty, huh?  Don't lie. . . you know it screams back flashes to the 70's with it's yellow and brown-can't get it clean no matter how much scrubbing I can get.  It went great with the green floral print wallpaper that I stripped as soon as we moved in.  

Right now, we are hanging out with cement boards and all our kitchen furniture scattered in the dining room and living room.  Saturday the new flooring is going to finally go in.  I am so excited!

Up until Sunday morning we had planned on putting in this beautiful silverish-grey planks of tile.  It was going to be super lovely (and a lot of work).  But we have a problem area that keeps squeaking. . . and moves a bit and well, we are pretty sure that a week after our tile is laid, our tile will crack.  It's not even in a good hiding spot.  So. . . goodbye tile.  Maybe it will end up in our bathroom someday?

So, laminate flooring has been bought and will be put in.  I know this is probably not ideal as most people prefer you not put laminate in the kitchen due to spills, leaks, and pipes bursting.  But, it's cheaper, it goes in much quicker and it gives more than tile (as in it's a bit more flexible than tile).

In the meantime, the kids and I are decorating the cement board with our art work.  It keeps them busy.  

Oh and another thing that's happening around here is that our neighbors decided replace the fence.  Oh, I can't wait til they are done. . . the kids really want to get back there and play.  

What are some of your plans for this summer?  Any DIYing out there in your homes?