Work on the deck...

So we have started working on the deck.
This is the kind of building that I can get behind and understand. The house construction was so detailed and precise that it was too much for me. This is much more organic and fluid, kinda make it up as you go along. The above is the "plan." It changed a couple of times before we got to that one and then has morphed a little from there.
Here are some in process shots.
Also, here's the colors for the bathroom.
It is hard to get the bathroom into one photo... I'm going to have to work on that. Anyway, the main part of the room is dark brown and the toilet closet and the linen closet are ocean blue. We are going to be using a dark cream colored tiled for the main part of the walls, so the contrast with the brown should be nice.

Y'all have a happy and safe New Year's Eve.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a wonderful Chrismas!

Closet Panelling

We are putting the panelling in the closet and it looks great. We are
making some progress in other areas as well. Some of the granite was
installed on Wednesday and all of the painted surfaces are getting a
second coat. Yea for progress!

VOTE!

Please go vote today. I enforce a strict "if you don't vote, you can't bitch" policy. Seriously, go. NOW. Don't know who to vote for? Give me a call... we'll talk.

I can see clearly now...

So there's been some window progress. David and his parents got the window sills and the trim up on all of the windows.

David's mom cleaned the dining room windows. What a huge difference!

Ginny really appreciates the sill height on these two. Perfect for squirrel watching.

Here's the colors in the bedroom. It is the best angle I could use to get all of them in.

On another note, remember this incident? I sent them off to get repaired and this is what I got back. Can you see the gobbed up epoxy holding them together? For the love, I can't wear these out... I'll look like an idiot. Who do they employ at the repair division, blind monkeys. And on top of the blobby epoxy, they "buffed" some scratches off of the lenses, but made even more with the buffer.

Geez! They didn't even line up the halves before the blobbing.

They are sending a replacement pair as well, which is good since this hack job was certainly not worth the $70 I paid.

Y'all have a good'n.

Some painting...

The bedroom painting had begun. The ceiling is a light blue and the
walls are an adobe/custard color called corriander something or other.
It's bright, but we like it.

Also, the bamboo flooring is in. That is the dark splotch in the corner.

More later.

One room painted...

Lookie! Lookie! We painted the dining room.

Hi...

So I've been a bad blogger again. It frustrates me to have no pictures to show for the work we've been doing. The lover level exterior is mostly painted. The dining room and the hall are primed. We have a couple of people coming to work this weekend, so there should be more painting done soon.

I'll take some photo with my iPhone and post them. I won't pretend that they are good quality, but they are better than you trying to see the images inside of my head.

A few random items:

1.) This is a cool word cloud that wordle.net creates from your blog. There are many options for color, layout, etc. Check it out.

2.) We met with the mortgage guy. It went well, but not great. I need to call and clarify a few things before I make a final opinion.

3.) If you haven't read the Twilight saga, do yourself a favor and run (don't walk) to the nearest library and check it out. (Or try to. Most likely it will not be there, so go to a bookstore and buy it.) Whichever you choose, just get your hands on a copy. DO NOT follow these directions if you are : a) a boy, or b)worried about missing important appointments for the next week or so. There are 4 books, which will suck you in like a Wonder Years marathon on a cloudy Sunday afternoon... only with vampires, and no 70's soundrack or butterfly collars, and... oh just read them.

I'll try to post some pictures this weekend. Y'all have good day!

A test of the broadcast system...

So I'm trying out the mobile blogger function. We'll see how this goes.

This is the painting progress so far.

I'm off to Hotlanta for the Performing Arts Exchange conference. See y'all soon!

I'm camera shopping...

My camera has been slowly dying. It used to take wonderful pictures. It has spiraled down toward okay pictures. It is moving toward "only okay to take pictures outside in full sunlight."

Now it won't import to iPhoto. Grr......

I had a whole post composed (in my head) about my new art grouping by our front door. I guess I'll have to save it. It's all about Jesus and Yoda (both of whom are displayed in the art grouping). They both say very wise things. Thematically, it works for me.

Anyway, I hated to leave you without a picture.

This is what was going on here last year. Wow, when you look at it that way, it's pretty impressive.

We're back...

So we made it back from the beach yesterday. We had a great time. There was lots of sitting on the beach and by the pool. I started the Twilight saga. I love it! I can't believe I waited so long to start reading it.
We only lost one day to the hurricane, and we even went to the beach yesterday morning. Look how much the surf has pick up in the pictures above and below.
Those are from yesterday morning. The rest of the time, the surf looked like this...

So clear and so blue. My family used to go to the beach every summer. My grandparents lived in Florida for a while, but when they moved back we would go to Pensacola, then Gulf Shores, then Fort Morgan, then Dauphin Island. I've also been to the beaches in South Walton county, Florida and our honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta. I don't remember ever seeing water this blue and clear. It was like bath water. You could stand four feet deep in the water and still see the fish nibbling on your toes.

I'm sure that the Caribbean is beautiful; I'd love to go there and check it out. I'm sure that Hawaii is impressive; I'd love to check those beaches out, too. However, Destin has the best beaches I've ever seen. And the crowds didn't get bad until Labor Day weekend. I will definitely be going back. A big THANKS to Lee for lending us the condo for a week.

I'm off to unpack and wash clothes, the unfortunate side effect from any vacation.

So what were you doing two years ago...

This is what I was doing.

Happy 2nd, David! Here's to a million more.

I have the POWER!!!!!

So check it out...

This is our old power meter,

and this is the old gooseneck where the power came into the house.

Here is our new power meter,

and here is the new gooseneck where the power comes into the house.

And here is David throwing the switch for the first time!

YAHOO! Power... in the addition.

Flooring samples...

So we got our flooring samples in. We ordered 8 hardwood samples and 7 bamboo samples.

Here are the winners:

It is the Super Saltillo with rounded edges and the Stained Strand Woven Bamboo Floors.

We knew we would go with the saltillo, but it was nice to see the sample. It was a tough decision on the wood flooring, but it came down to two things. The bamboo flooring is very hard, which is a must with four dogs. It is also a green resource, which appealed to us.


I'll let you know if we make any more decisions.

Long time no post...

So sorry it has taken me so long to post. Please forgive me. I'll try to do better in the future.

We've made some good progress on the outside of the house.

Here are some pictures of the siding. It is so close to finished!!





The soffit is going in, and really finishes off the eaves.

This is what David is working on now: concrete board in the bathroom. It is hard to take photos in the bathroom, so you'll have to imagine the rest of the room.

Yeah!!! Not far now, Papa Smurf!

The great big decor options post... part one

So here's where we are so far on flooring, paint, etc.

Flooring:
Hall, Dining Room, Closet and Bathroom: We're looking at this, sealed saltillo tile. I want to lay it in this pattern, at least in the dining room, because it emphasizes the irregularity of the tiles. I may get out voted, though.
Bedroom and Loft: We're looking at this, wide-plank, hand-scraped Alder in the finish called Merbau. Here's what it looks like in a room.

Paint Colors:So this is our color pallet. Valspar puts out a color trends book, usually every season, and this is the one that we like. I love the way the colors go together.

I'm not sure what color is going where yet. Perhaps that will be for the next post.

What a difference a day makes...

Seriously...

From here

to here

in 13 hours.

Miguel and crew arrived yesterday at 7:00 a.m. and left at 8:30 p.m. Here are some more pictures. They hung all of the sheetrock yesterday, and then started taping and mudding. They were back at 7:00 a.m. today.

Remember this? It is from last November.

I did this one this morning.

One last picture. This is the scrap pile. Yikes!

I'm so glad that we are having this part of the work done by professionals. We would still be working on this at Christmas, and we would never get it as smooth as they will. They should be done in a few days.

Now it is time to think about colors, but that will have to wait for another day...