Patience - it's not for the weak

The trouble with getting things almost done is... then you really can go for a long time without finishing. After a while, no one really notices that there are light fixtures missing, or that the bathroom mirror is just propped up instead of hung on the wall, or .....
that the kitchen cabinets are simply empty frames waiting to be filled with something....anything....
Fine with me - as long as I did not have to give in to the builder's suggestion of going with clear glass, or ( Heaven forbid) traditional cabinet doors. 
No, no , no !
I'd rather go almost a year with empty frames - and act as though that is completely normal as friends come and go through the house - rather than succumb to the last minute selections pressure! 

I think these were worth waiting for. It was not my original plan - that was chicken wire - but, I've decided to save that for the Butler's pantry cabinets only. I like the mix of materials - it keeps the house feeling more casual. 

excuse the finger prints - just one more detail that keeps the - comfortable/casual/might possibly live in a barn with some animals that never ever wipe their hands before opening the fridge -  feel :) 

Surprisingly - this did not make the room much darker. I was really worried that it would take away the benefit of the cabinet lights, but it's fine. 

Thank goodness John is such a patient soul!

Add that to the very, very, long list of things that I am so thankful for, this week - and always! 
Happy Thanksgiving to you! 

B

One mans trash

Time to add some character...
My friend Kathie had a client ask if she could get rid of some furniture & some french doors. Knowing that I struggle with just throwing things away - and that I would rather pick them up, and deliver them to the re-store myself than have them go to waste, she called me. 
I was happy to drop off the perfectly good desk to be donated - but asked if she would not mind if I kept the doors.  She didn't care at all - as long as I got them out of the house. 
As I looked at them - an idea started forming...
Ever since the porch roof went on, and the driveway was completed, I have been thinking of ways to separate the two areas. So I thought that we would use the french doors to help with that.

I also thought it would be nice to block my view a bit ...

So, I recruited some helpers.

Now all I need is a rectangular concrete planter to put between the two doors - and a lattice with some vines climbing ....
I think I can really make that into a nice wall without blocking out the light. 
It already feels more comfortable back there - a bit less exposed, and more cozy. 

Driveway Decisions

I've really struggled with this for a while - we have had zero progress while I've mulled it over.

Over the years I have made the mistake too often of getting impatient and rushing to get something done - just to have something done. When it comes to the big decisions, the ones that your going to have to live with...I say, take the extra time. Although it does not really apply - I always think of my husband saying... " measure twice, cut once" - same idea though. If I rush to make a quick decision, ultimately, I will only make more work for myself.

The driveway needed to be addressed. Initially we waited, to make sure that the drainage was all working properly ( which it was not, so good thing we waited) - but now it is time. Between the crush & run gravel and the dirt from the baseball field across the street, I have a layer of silt coating everything in the house each tome someone opens the front door on a windy day.

So...

Idea #1 

Skip Laurels across the front to block the baseball dust and most of the gravel dust. This picture shows them lined up, but...

oops! - didn't buy enough, so I had to go to Charlottesville to get more from the greenhouse to match. ( so much for the entire first paragraph! You knew that sounded a bit too preachy right? Of course I had made a mistake - and made my project harder - that's why I was giving myself that lecture !!) 

The trouble is- as soon as I started putting the laurels in, it exaggerated the fact that the driveway was off center - which is fine...so am I , but it really does look like it should be centered. This led me down a different route - literally!

When we had designed the driveway originally the plan had called for cobblestone, but then we had waited because we did not want to spend the money- and now with the drainage issues and layout problems, I'm so glad that we did. After living with it for the better part of a year, we have a much better idea about how we use the driveway, how our guests park when they visit, etc. 

( I know - I jump from I to we all of the time , but its necessary, and too time consuming t worry about) 

You'd be surprised ( if you've never priced it) how much this adds to the price of a driveway. Once you know- you'll never look at cobble lined streets the same way again!

Rather than risk any further mishaps - and blunders, at this point I solicited the professional help of a landscape designer.
 Although she could not fit us in for a landscape plan until later this Summer, she was free to discuss the driveway- and at least make sure I did not go in the wrong direction. 

This was huge - because I do not have the vision to see where the trees & plants will be- and they do play a part in the design. 

She definitely thought that we should center the driveway, and create more parking options. 

So - the project has begun, and so far the progress is pretty exciting! 

Hopefully the walkway will be in by tomorrow - and I can add another update. It's nice to have some progress after such a long stretch! 

Have a great day. 

Uh Oh....

Those of you that have been following our progress know that we are across the field from the baseball field.

Right across the street from the baseball field.

We were concerned about the number of foul balls that found their way into the front yard during construction - so we built the new house 10 feet back from where the old house had been.

We thought that would be enough.......

That's a little too close for comfort! 

I don't think my pretty metal roof is going to do well with baseball season.

Here are the updated photos from the porch project. 

Sorry for the delay. 

We still have to paint the post, and caulk everything. 

 

This will have the ceiling fan and light - we just do not have one yet 

I was worried that the porch roof would cast a shadow on the living room, and make it very dark. 

Although this picture does look a bit dark, it really has not made it darker. 

In fact, the wood color has given the room a warm glow.

I had originally planned to paint the porch ceiling the same pale blue that I have used for the ceilings on  the rest of the house - but now  I think I'll just use a clear coat, to keep the warm wood grain look. 

Punch List Doldrums...

To say that there has been nothing going on would be a lie. 

There has been a lot going on - just nothing fun, and nothing worth writing about. 

We have been working our way through the punch list. Retouching paint, filling in caulk, adjusting the diverters on the faucets, reworking the HVAC to get the temp above 54* in my bathroom in the morning.....

blah, blah, boo 

Oh and lets not forget unpacking boxes!

So...I am happy to say....

Today we started our first real project in a while! 

Woo Hoo.

It's time to cover the patio.

Here is the plan...

Here is where we are now...

I can't remember if I told you all about this - but the covered patio was always our plan.

 We ran into some difficulty with the design - which ran into difficulty with the timing-which ran into some difficulty with the permit - which made for a very cranky builder, so we finally threw our hands up and said we would handle it after we moved in.

I have to admit...the fact that we are actually doing it within a month of moving in is a shock to me! I was sure this was one of those things that would get pushed off - and possibly never done. It would have been okay, I think we would have used the patio sometimes. Once it's covered - I think the kids are going to live out there. It just seems like it is going to be a great place to hang out & invite friends.

We will see.

My view from the living room this morning! 

 I know - some people hate construction. 

I love it. 

I'll post the progress in a bit - it's moving quickly. 

I might have to slip home at lunch to see how much they have done!

It's been fun, but...

After a month without a refrigerator - I was downright giddy when it arrived today.

It really has been fun - An experiment - to see how dependent we have become on all of our modern conveniences.

The conclusion...

We are completely spoiled! 

Please don't misunderstand, we were not completely without a refrigerator, simply without one in the kitchen. 

(You'd be surprised how few things, my children consider, worth a trip to the garage.)

Fortunately, the timing worked out perfectly for us. The day before our move, I had a client call to ask if I could help find someone to remove an old refrigerator that had been left in her new house.

Bingo!  

I love when the stars align.

So we picked up her old fridge, and put it in the garage here at the new house.

This bought me the time I needed. 

It has not been perfect (it freezes everything, so all produce needed to be kept in a separate cooler) but it worked.

It took me a  long time to find the new refrigerator because we had built the kitchen to fit our old one.

(The one that the new owners really wanted - and we were willing to give up- to get the house sold)

 I thought it would be easy....go online... order the same one.

Sadly for me - that model was nowhere to be found. The 2012 model was available - but larger than my old one.

So...

After reading through countless descriptions and spec sheets & going to every possible store to see what I could find in person. (Not much- I found out that the stores don't  keep the counter depth models in stock)

I found THE ONE! 

And it fits!

I will admit, I was holding my breath as my husband was trying to push it back into the niche.

If it had been a hair bigger - I would have been listening to a whole lot of..."I told you so's."

Instead I was treated to... "Huh - that works"

Not quite the high praise that I had hoped for, but....who needs praise, when I have a refrigerator in the kitchen!

The one interesting feature, on this fridge, is the interior water dispenser.

I love to have cold water out of the fridge - but hate the drips on the stainless steel.

Hopefully this will avoid the drips and keep everybody hydrated.

Aside from unpacking and organizing - we have not made too much other progress.

We did, however, get the drawer pulls installed. (Note : I use the word "we" loosely)

Ahhh - to be able to open the drawers with ease is a dream!

I really wanted pulls for these. They were hard to find - or I should say...hard to find within my budget.

 I found these on Etsy.

I will attempt to add a link here...

Drawer pulls

The builder installed brushed nickel knobs, and these pulls are chrome, but I don't think it  makes a dimes worth of difference - and certainly not $10(more per drawer) worth of difference!

Now - if I could just get everything in it's place - I could get some whole room pictures.

Maybe next time.

Have a great day.

I think I will go get some refrigerated item from the kitchen - because I can!

Finished - bathroom mirrors

Finally got the second mirror  (the broken one) exchanged  and installed.

It is interesting to note....

Of all of the things I have purchased, online and in stores, for this project, I'd say 25% were broken, or damaged in some way.

The only positive side to this is that I have found Lowe's & Home Depot to be excellent about returns/exchanges.

Although we have barely unpacked, I realized around December 23rd if I did not pull out the Christmas "stuff", we were going to miss our chance. 

Although we did not pull out everything, there were enough decorations to make the new house look festive.

It was interesting to see the kids pull out our old things and find them  new spots in our new home. 

Now, post Epiphany, decorations down, I can say....We need very little to decorate this house. I'll have to add Christmas items to the long list of things that I need to purge!

Here are a couple of pictures of the decorations that I took quickly on Sunday  before they came down.

My daughter found this new spot for our Christmas cards.

We almost ran out of room - but it worked.

 We only needed about half of the greenery on the bannister - but...it looks much prettier than it ever did at our old house.

This week - I need to get the other bathroom mirrors and install them, and a few other small projects.

I will post the projects as I complete them. I hope this will encourage me to get them all done! 

Have a great day