I have been trying to post this one picture blog for DAYS now... And there has literally been no time. I TRIED to somewhat organize these photos, but it would take another month to get them all grouped together,.... If you see some out of place just use your imagination!
Just a quick update and then I'll let the pics and captions do the talking....
Though Josh and crew have been working diligently, things had slowed waaaayyyyy down.... Then, without warning, they sped back up again! A LOT has happened since I last reported. We are sooooo close to moving in and it is unbelievably exciting! and scary! and (you know me) emotional! I'll talk more on that later....Here's the progress and a few snaps of the kids:
My girls and a few sweet cousins
This is the back yard of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis (the stone guy I told you about in the last post).
It's creative and beautiful and just a playground for little kiddos like mine who love rocks and tadpoles! We made a special trip out there because Mr. Lewis worried we wouldn't be happy, after some of the color detail that we loved about the stone washed away during the pressure washing process. I found this incredibly honest and a true testament of his character. He could have just brought it out to us and said "a deal is a deal". Once we were out there, we saw the stone was still beautiful, and we decided to use it else where in the house. For the hearth, he recommended a layered look.
We loved the idea.
I LOVE IT
handles, knobs and pulls....
Simple. From Lowe's.
Oil Rubbed Bronze.
Mr Mike got the stain on the backsplash..
I smiled so big when I saw this.. I think it's beautiful.
(yes a cabinet door is missing... It will be back soon... I hope).
under cabinet lights
Back splash finished by Josh and pot filler in tact thanks to Uncle Floyd.
Timothy and Michael getting the appliances (that we bought at Home Depot on sale months ago) out of storage.
The fridge I have now is the oldschool kind with no ice maker at all. One of my shelves is broken and it likes to cave in at times (usually when I'm cooking supper and open the fridge real quick and it jars a fraction of a millimeter to the right and BOOM! Everything hits the floor). and there is a duck tape rail holding all my condiment bottles in the door. WE. ARE. DUE.
Tad was here to help Michael haul the stove in.
More embarrassing information:
My current stove only has 3 eyes that actually work. Also I have not had an oven in 10 years. That's right.... TEN YEARS. I wasn't married the last time I had easy access to a full size oven. Anything I bake or roast is done either in my toaster or roaster oven. The oven in this trailer never worked. Michael ordered parts for it and tried to get folks out here to work on it and we toyed with the idea of buying a new one a few times, but something always came up. And at some point our theory was to put as little money in the trailer as possible and save for the new house. So, I cannot WAIT to have a double oven!!!!!!
Dish washer!!!!
The guys came out and finished up some brick work....
Back porch steps in!
The brick at the bottom will be covered up when we build the ground up, leaving only the stone showing
I'm hating the stone a little less these days... in certain areas anyway.
STAIRS
We went back and forth, paint or stain?, stain or paint?.. or both? Ultimately we felt stain would give the feel we were going for. We went with Dark Walnut from Sherwin Williams
Barnwood ceiling above the staircase
This is oak hardwood flooring that is on the landing upstairs... It's just a small amount of square footage that is finished up there. The rest will be finished later... Way, way later.
Ah the spindles.... At first we could get them. We ordered them. Then we waited week after week after week. Then we couldn't get them. Then we could get them from somewhere else. Then we couldn't. But we could get a close substitute. So we ordered them.
I was starting to feel like we were "settling" in a lot of areas and the spindles were a final straw.
Camel's
Back
Broke.
I literally had a melt down over these suckers in my car one day. Like a complete melt down equipped with sobbing and snorting and feeling super sorry for myself. Of course, this was right around Mother's day. So I was due a good breakdown. After getting it out, I immediately felt both ridiculous and relieved....
Sometimes you just gotta cry.
When it was all said and done, the spindles came in at BOTH places and we were out an extra thousand bucks. But, we got the mismatched spindles that I wanted! :/
The idea was for it to be a unique yet subtle detail that doesn't jump out at you....you see it when you're looking for it...
I love love love the way it came out.....
The mantle got stained!
Michael wanted to leave it natural... And I REALLY hated to go against him, because he rarely weighs in on these things.... but I didn't like the bare wood. Luckily he said he liked the idea of staining it too. We went with Early American from Sherwin Williams and we both think it was a great decision!
Sweet lil Nori
Neva's Awards Day!
We love Neva's school! And her teachers!
But I'm so glad to have all my amigas in the same place!
Maxx is just growing at an astronomical rate....
Plumbin la vida loca
Uncle Floyd is a hard worker and he knows his stuff when it comes to the fields of uncle-ing and plumbing.
I don't know why this was the only photo I could find of him...
This is a tub deck where the claw foot WAS going to go originally.
We are getting a whirlpool instead!
Not the pretty look I had in mind, but a whole lot more function!
.....and though that claw foot would have been beautiful, I actually kind of love the unique shaped tub deck josh built.
Mr. Clay comes and helps Floyd sometimes... The kids love both of them!
More Oil Rubbed Bronze... It's EVERYWHERE!
Michael busted the concrete in order to move the drain and water lines for the change in tub
He mixed concrete and filled this back in a couple nights later...
Here's my light fixture from Lowe's that will hang above the tub.
Half bath...
This all came out a bit more modern than I envisioned.. But I think a nice barn wood mirror will balance it out. That's Early American stain from SW on the vanity.
Michael is a great plumber's helper
One of the girls' vanities
master vanity
Call Matt Foster if you need tile work! He's the best!
Tyler Brownlee broke his self away from a house full of beautiful girls to come vent our hood above the stove.
Stringing out the water line
Michael recruited some good (free) (cute) help!
Gettin our mop on
THE. FLOOR. WAS. FILTHY.
As I reported to you before, my poor husband broke his back trying to get these floors cleaned and etched... Then he and I stained them ourselves late at night after he got off work.
The floor eventually became sock friendly
Exterior cypress got stained...
We went with Riverwood from Sherwin Williams.
Michael had to put a little floor stain where my requested wall was,
and touch up in a few more places.
He also hand stained the utility room which we had left bare...
I helped...
Moral support counts, right?
We considered staining the safe room too, but eventually decided it was pointless. I mean that stain is expensive and hopefully we won't be spending a great deal of time in there anyway, right?
Though the staining process went relatively easy and we loved the result, we decided to hire someone to do the sealing.
We were told about this guy, Joel Hill, that did floors. So we gave him a call.
He is an awesome guy and he did a phenomenal job! He brought our espresso colored floors to life!
If you're thinking of staining your floor give him a call! He's great!
Everything just stays so dusty....
The door was stained Early American too. I can't say I love the way the door and surrounding wood took the color. But I think it all blends just fine.
We heard HGTV was in town.
Since Michael possesses mad rustic light building skills, we thought we'd send them a couple subtly staged photos.
But we won't quit our day jobs...
Aunt Shirley and cousin Karen came to check out the progress
A $19 sconce from Lowe's
This light which I initially introduced in a previous blog was long awaited... Michael worked on it late at night when the moments were available. When he finished it, I couldn't stop going to the barn to look at it. And I just dreamed of how it would look all lit up and hanging over a beautiful dining table.
I was on the edge of my seat when Mr. Jeffrey, Floyd and Michael hung it. It's everything I wanted!!!! A unique, special and sentimental light fixture that's one of a kind.... Without a doubt, its one of my favorite things in the whole house.
After over 13 years together, I still find myself in awe of my husband. He can do just about everything, and will do ANYthing for us, his family. People warned us that building a house can take it's toll on a marriage, and I can see why.... It's crazy stressful and there are soooo many things to argue about and take out on each other. However, aside from a few moments here and there, I think this has pulled us closer. We've leaned on each other during the stressful times and we've compromised as needed, like him with the mantle stain, and me giving up my claw foot for the tub he preferred. We've laughed off things as a couple, that would have tore me apart on my own. He's calmed me when I was freaking out, and I've been a shoulder for him when the weight he constantly carries became a bit too heavy with the added stress of the new house.
I am so grateful for him. For "us".
I guess what they say is true, "what don't kill ya, makes ya stronger".
The kid's books moved in before WE did!
On this night, the house got a bit warmer.
Josh jokingly asked if I had trouble reaching the top shelf... And honestly, it is a bit high... But that's not why I left it bare... I thought maybe, just maybe not putting books up there would cut down on the inevitable climbing that's in the immediate future. I doubt my theory proves true. But don't worry I do intend to decorate up there...
Summer activities during the day!
Boring nights at the new house...
Michael and I cleaning/working while the kids make "dust angels"
The clothes they don't wear very often and some winter clothes have officially moved:
MAXX
.
MILI
NORI
NEVA
These babies have shared a closet for so long they will have no idea what to do with all this space that is their very own.
See, aren't we are sooooo close?!?! It's so exciting and overwhelming at the same time. I wish more and more every day that my mom could see the house her grand babies will grow up in. But I remind myself often that she does see.
And I know she's so proud....
