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Hebrews 3:4

"For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything."

Friday, September 17, 2010

Tile, Tile Everywhere



Just sharing a couple photos of the progress being made on our tile work. Grouting was done today in the kids' bath, while the carrera subway tile install was started on our hand-built master shower. The slate in our mudroom is near completion also and will soon be ready to grout.


Thursday, September 16, 2010

Delivery Day




Always an exciting day when we get a delivery from Connor Homes. Today we received our millwork, including our white pine wide-plank flooring; interior doors; screen porch panels; various built-ins; mantel; and, our long-awaited staircase. Noone will be happier to see that go in than me...

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Save the Frogs - Part II




Our GC and his youngest son stopped by tonight while we were working. Shimmer and Shine were trying to overcome their fears and save the last few frogs. They got a lesson and a helping hand from our GC and were able to catch a few. I walked them down to the pond before it got too dark so they could set them free.

Moonlighting



On our to-do-list tonight, Daddy and I rolled the paint in our master bathroom (fernwood green -- the same shade as Shine's bedroom). Earlier this week, we painted the kids' bathroom, too. It's a pretty pistachio color by Benjamin Moore called Pale Vista. We're working fast and furious to try and keep one step ahead of floor installations, for as long as we can anyway. A white ceramic hex tile was laid today in the kids' bath and we've chosen a carrera marble hex tile for our master which is scheduled to begin tomorrow. I love the simple honeycomb pattern.

All in a Day's Work




Day to day things are changing fast now... I feel like I can't keep up in a lot of respects. We spend every evening over here, and with school in session the late nights make me feel guilty that a normal bedtime seems to have gone by the wayside. When I stopped over this morning, our permanent driveway was being roughed-in and our slate tile installation had begun in the mudroom addition. Brickwork on our chimney had been finished and covered to protect from the elements, also.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Up on the Rooftop



Shine and I drove over to the house this afternoon and found the guys way up on the lift laying the bricks for our chimney. Every addition adds one more layer of character. Much to Shine's delight, we also discovered that despite some recent excavation, the frogs have still managed to find a few puddles :)


Sunday, September 12, 2010

Color Their World



You might remember we decided not to drywall Shimmer's and Shine's bedrooms, instead we had them paneled with primed, tongue-and-groove poplar (a little more vintage and a lot more durable). This weekend we broke open our interior paint choices and started with Shimmer's room, brushing it with Beach Plum by Benjamin Moore. Mommy's choice would have been a nice muted shade of green, but Shimmer had her heart set on "pinkish-purple". And, my original thought for Shine's room was a warm earthy tan, but his favorite color is green, so how could I give his sister green and not him??? In the end, I decided that they should be able to choose the color of their rooms, but Mommy did ultimately choose the exact shades. By Sunday afternoon, we had both rooms painted. Shine's was done in Fernwood Green also by Benjamin Moore. I think we made the perfect choices...

By the way, I'm all about sharing our color choices and other sources. I know when I see something I love on the web or in a magazine, I'm so appreciative when it's not a mystery or secret where I can find it. If you ever have a question, just ask... I'm flattered.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Knowing Your Limits



So... we decided that if we want to keep this house moving ahead, priming the interior is a job that is just beyond us. At this point we still have exterior priming and painting to finish on the garage (our crew just completed the siding on it earlier this week); not to mention, all the interior painting. It really is a daunting task and subbing out the priming is one of the smartest things we could have done. Stress has been pretty high lately and seeing the primer and ceilings sprayed professionally has lifted a weight and even brought a smile.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Road Trip


After dropping Shimmer and Shine at school today, I made the 75 minute drive to one of our key suppliers to pick up our kitchen sink and some of our slate tile for the mudroom. The heavy cargo meant I had to take Love's truck. This was my second attempt to pick up our sink. It arrived in white (the wrong color) the first time and I was so thankful to have discovered it before getting it back to our house. Today it's right though, and my precious farmhouse sink is perched on top of a pallet of our tile awaiting a long and winding road to make it back home. Praying and trying to trust that the guys have it safe and secure, and talking to Jesus the whole way home... white knuckles and all! I had to snap a picture once I made it into our development, so you could appreciate my journey.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Memories


Nine years ago today, my husband and I moved into the first home we built. We were newly married and full of hopes to build a life and family together there. Leaving that home was emotionally very hard for me. Tears well even now as I look back at this favorite photo taken just a few days before Shine's birth. You pour your heart into building a home, improve it over the years, and most of all envision your children growing up there and marking their own milestones in it.

It's hard to believe that anyone else would ever appreciate all the decisions you make when building a home, and I don't think it would be fair to expect that they possibly could. Do they know that Shimmer stood by the limelight hydrangea with Daddy for a picture on her first day of kindergarten; that Shine's chair at our kitchen island was the one on the end by the refrigerator; that the reading light in the living room was given to me by husband on my birthday while we were building the house; or, that the scratches on the hardwood maple floors are from our faithful black lab who we know will soon be leaving this world? No. No more than I know now all the things they've found meaning in as they make it their own.

Now my husband is giving life to a home more beautiful than I ever could have dreamed of to replace the heartache of leaving our first family home. I pray that it will bring happiness and warm memories to our family for generations to come. More than this though, I pray that we'll remember rooms are also being prepared for us in our heavenly home, and how much more will we realize then, how even this beautiful home will pale in comparison...

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

Monday, September 6, 2010

Save the Frogs




Shimmer and Shine recently learned that the frogs that have entertained them all summer will be buried soon by our excavator. It's inevitable in the name of progress.

After searching for a new home for them on our lot and having no luck (it's been a dry summer); we decided the best spot may be the pond a few lots down. Shine was really hoping to find a closer spot so he could visit them more often, but he's willing to sacrifice his wishes for their safety. He wants to save his endangered little green friends in the worst way; but, both he and Shimmer have been a little leary of touching them. Today they finally caught some... and on our way home they released those four lucky frogs.

The Reveal... so far


Labor Day... more like Labor Week and then some. So much more to face; but, we press on, and find hope in the beautiful view of the front of our new old house and in the word of God.

Matthew 11:28
James 1:12

Friday, September 3, 2010

Keeping a Promise




After school today, Daddy made good on his promise to give Shimmer and Shine the ride they've been wanting on the equipment we rented to help paint the house. They held on tight and made a lap around the house, before we packed it in for the day.

On the inside, our drywall finisher didn't quite get done as planned so he'll be putting in some time tomorrow morning to wrap things up. That means we won't really be able to start priming the interior yet like we thought; but, I have plenty of windows left to finish and the garage needs to be tackled while we still have the lift (at least the hard to reach spots). Actually, the siding on the end still needs to be completed before we can totally finish our exterior work.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Hard to Reach Places




Stayed a little longer tonight and my husband worked hard to finish the second coat on the garage side of the house. That meant tackling the peak which has been one of the hardest places to reach. Check out his feet... not for the faint of heart!

Inside today, our crew was undertaking the drywall to enclose our future stairwell to the third floor. Even with scaffolding there was no easy way to finish that job either.

Heartfelt Thanks


Today my sister's boyfriend came along with my Dad to brave the relentless heat and add his brush to the paint bucket. Looking pretty good by the end of day four and leaving us in good shape to hopefully finish the house by the end of the week. We can't thank them enough for their help.

I'll still be working on the windows for awhile and we'll still have some garage painting to finish too, but they have eased our burden immensely. Have to say the thought of all the interior priming and paint work ahead is overwhelming at this point, but we'll take it one day at a time.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Looking In from the Outside



Our third day of painting ends with the first look at some of our windows being replaced after drying. No separate trim or accent colors, just a primitive monochromatic look. These double hung windows with 12 over 12 panes are typical of the period and Georgian style of our home. Beautiful to look at... time consuming to paint! But, there is a sense of personal satisfaction each time I finish one.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Meanwhile...



While we work on the exterior, our crew has been hard at work on the interior. Shimmer's paneling was installed today. Love the primitive look and the practicality of it.

It Takes Two





Two days in and my Dad has been a huge help painting the house. I don't remember if I told you but he painted houses in the summer for twenty-five years when he taught school. One coat on the back, the side, the screen porch and well on their way on the front.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Last Day of Summer Vacation...





Shimmer and Shine head back to school tomorrow. Daddy is on "vacation" this week to hopefully paint the house with help from my Dad. Forecast is VERY HOT, but thankfully dry. I'll be on window duty. So many panes... nothing to do but take them one at a time.

Shimmer had fun playing photographer while we worked today. They both wanted Grandpa to play with them. He treated them to a short walk in the woods before making the long drive home. One day down...

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Blue Skies and Sunbeams





Sunday afternoon and I just thought I would share a few photos I took today. The house seems alive to me today... or maybe, I'm just more aware of the beauty God surrounds us with.

Psalm 27:4