not sew much...

On the state of our home . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:12:00 +0000

If any of you should venture to our house anytime soon and wonder about the dull state of our hardwoods or the dust bunnies in the corners or the unfinished moulding or the raw wood doors, might I refer you to the poem below.

We are otherwise entertained right now. Emmeline grows bigger all the time. We'd rather not miss it (however the picture below shows how out of hand the craft loft has become).

Craft loft, a.k.a. storage, a.k.a. my next project

Anyway, on to that poem.

BABIES DON’T KEEP

Mother, oh Mother,

come shake out your cloth,

empty the dustpan,

poison the moth,

hang out the washing

and butter the bread,

sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house

is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery,

blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little

Boy Blue (lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping’s not done

and there’s nothing for stew

and out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

but I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing

will wait till tomorrow,

for Children grow up,

as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs.

Dust go to sleep.

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep…...

~Author Unknown ~

He was born on the third of July...

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:34:00 +0000

and died the day before Thanksgiving.

Calvin had to be put to sleep this morning. The cancer was back, and it was shutting him down. If you don't remember, Calvin was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma, the most invasive, blood born cancer a dog can have. They removed a ten pound tumor that had taken over his spleen in August of 2006, two weeks before our wedding. Calvin was eleven. The told us he would live four months, on the outside.

He made it three and a half more years.

He met Ginny.

He met Emmeline.

Now he's eating steak in heaven with all of his girlfriends.

We love him and miss him so much. He truly is the greatest dog I've ever known. Hands down. He introduced David and me. He was one evolutionary rung away from speech, I could see it in his eyes. He would hide rawhides from the other dogs, even at 14 years old. He went out smiling.

What a great run, Calvin.

I'm so blessed to have known you.

Seeing double . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:19:00 +0000

I found this old picture in a stack that my mom gave me.

Me at exactly four months on my christening day.

And here's a new one.

Emmeline at five days shy of four months, in the same dress.

Same dress.

Same age.

She is totally cuter.

Emmeline - 4 Months

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Emmeline is four months old today. She is growing up so fast! Her stats are:

Weight: 13 lbs. 8 oz. (up one and a half pounds in two months)
Length: 24.5"
Head: 17"

Developmentally, she is changing every day. Some new milestones include:

putting toys and things into her mouth
reaching for objects, like keys, grocery lists, etc.
taking her paci out and putting it back in
standing (supported by us, of course)
passing toys from hand to hand (she has just started this)
playing with her feet, including taking off her socks
"chatting" with us, and she is adding in some consenants
showing interest in our food (I don't think she is quite ready for solids yet, but she sure likes to sit in our laps and watch us eat.)
slinging her toys around (she enjoys the rattling that they make)

All in all, she is a total joy, and we really love her so much.

"There's a thin line between Saturday night, and Sunday morning . . ."

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:20:00 +0000

Before we get started, does anybody know where that quote is from?

So yesterday (Saturday) was Halloween and today (Sunday) is All Saint's Day. Emmeline celebrated both, so here are the pics.

She was a rock star for Halloween. Her shirt says "The Hissyfits" on the front and "Rock Me!" on the back. She wore zebra print pants and I spiked her hair up with Karo syrup, a trick I learned from the guy who has been cutting my hair forever.

We went to visit David's parents and my parents and she was a HUGE hit, of course. She was quite cute and really seemed to like being dressed up. Of course, that could have been her high-contrast pants!

Today we baptized Emmeline at St. Andrew's, the church where I was baptized, and married. It was such a great service. She was a fabulous child and didn't get fussy until the very end. The choir sang an arrangement of "Be Thou My Vision" that was a wedding gift to me from my friend Michael Smith. It was so great to have it heard at Emmeline's baptism, too! We had a reception afterward and it was so wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better day!

This picture has nothing to do with Halloween or her baptism, but I love it so I included it. David took it in our back yard and she looks so sweet in it. I must say, my husband is a wonderful photographer!!!

Speaking of my husband, he is recovering from the swine flu, so send some good thoughts his way. David has had what he thought was a cold for a couple of weeks. Last Friday, when he was still feeling cruddy and with a long weekend of work and the baptism ahead, he went to a doc in a box to see if he had walking pneumonia. No, but he was at the tail end (we hope) of the swine flu.

Thank God Emmeline and I were spared (we think), knock on wood. We thought his cold was something he picked up from me or Emmeline since we have both been a little sick in the past few weeks. Who knew that it was swine flu!!!!

Anyway, that's all from here. I'll try to do another post this week about some of the non-baby things going on around here.

Emmeline - 3 months (and 3 weeks)

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:10:00 +0000

I sure hope you all haven't been waiting on the edge of your seats for this update, because it is LATE! It has taken some adjustment going back to work. Just when we had gotten into the swing of things - mama has to throw a wrench in it! I've had it started for a long time, but I'm just now finishing it. Perhaps I'll post Halloween pictures for Thanksgiving.

Anyway, Emmeline is doing great. She sleeps so well. We are very fortunate. She has adjusted to daycare without a hitch and really seems to enjoy it. Her two teachers, Mary and Amy like her because she is such an easy-going baby. She is such a little rock star (especially the hair), as you can see from the following picture!
We didn't weigh her this month, but she is a total chunk, and I mean that in the nicest way. I mean, look at those cheeks. I'd say her days of not gaining well are way in the past.
She is hitting all of her developmental milestones right on target. Her new accomplishments this month are:

rolling over back to front and front to back (she accomplished both of these the day before she turned three months)
mini-push-ups (see picture below, she loves tummy time)
"stands up" if you hold her, bears weight on legs
smiles and coos at our funny songs and faces (Tragically, "Party in the U.S.A." is a favorite.)
"talks" and laughs
Her favorite game right now is spitting-out-her-spit. It is equal parts gross and sweet. She seems so pleased with herself, even though her front is slimy wet all the time.
"watching" us, following us and the dogs with her eyes
She loves sitting in her bumbo. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of that!

We have Halloween and her baptism this weekend, followed by her four month check up and her four month birthday at the end of the week. Also, I've been trying to make some progress on the craft loft so I'll need to show you that! It look like I'll need to be a better blogger. Somehow it seems like more fun to hug on the baby than to blog about her, but I'll do my best!!!

Emmeline - 2 months

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:40:00 +0000

Emmeline is two months old. I just can't believe it. She weighs 11 pounds 10 ounces and is 24 inches long. She is growing like a weed!
What is ridiculous is her hair. It is so long, or tall, depending on how you look at it. It stands straight up on the top and lays completely flat on the sides and back because of holding her.

Here are a few of her recent highlights:

She is getting so much personality. She has distinct likes (kisses, watching and batting at toys, singing) and dislikes (wet diapers, being hungry, being gassy).
She is a very happy baby. She only cries when she needs something, so not a lot of incessant fussing, which is great. She really doesn't like being hungry or sleepy.
She smiles a lot now - especially at David's funny faces and my singing. (I'm not quite sure how to take that.)
She laughs in her sleep, but I have yet to hear a real laugh out loud. We are really looking forward to baby giggles.
She coos and gurgles at us when she is amused.
She flirts with the ceiling fan. First she will smile at it, and then she will turn her head away coyly. It is quite funny - we think that it is her first boyfriend.
She will stand up, if supported.
She loves all of the toys on her activity mat. She grabs and holds onto the turtle and the octopus. She loves her mobile, too. The both play classical music, which she enjoys, and she hates when it stops.
She really likes chewing on her hands. It isn't really sucking her fingers, though she does that some too.
She sleeps very well (5-7.5 hours) and is getting onto a good schedule. This is what a normal day looks like. (A note: "play" means many things; tummy time, time on her activity mat or swing, walking around the house talking to me and the dogs, or even a running dialog about what we are buying at Sam's.)

Up at 5 or 6 to eat and then back to sleep until 8ish.
Up to eat and then play until about 10 and then nap until 11.
Up to eat and then play until about 1 and then nap until 2 or 3.
Up to eat and then play until 5 or 6 without much of a nap.
Eat again around 7 or 8 and then play while we eat dinner.
Bathtime (every other night) and then to bed, either in the pack and play in the living room or in your crib in our bedroom. Sometimes you like to be where the action is.
Up to nurse (more like a dream feed) one last time around 10 or 11 when we go to bed.
Lather, rinse, repeat.

All in all, we are so blessed to have such a beautiful and smart child. David and I are looking forward to getting to know Emmeline more as we all grow!

A new project . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:14:00 +0000

I want to make this quilt.
It (and this photo) are from Anna Marie Horner, a fabric designer. I haven't picked the fabric yet. I'm looking at fabric.com, but I just can't decide. I could use her collections, but that seems like the easy way out. I'll keep you updated.

I'm sure this will take me FOREVER to finish, what with a small infant and going back to work in 3 weeks. Perhaps it will be done by next summer, along with that Winnataska t-shirt quilt I keep threatening to start.

So many projects, so little time. I guess I should go get the craft loft set up.

Emmeline - Week 6

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:35:00 +0000

The highlight of Emmeline's week was a trip to the beach. We spent a week at The Beach Club in Fort Morgan. It was a great trip. She spent a lot of time bonding with her Uncle Seth . . .

and her Grandmother.

We also celebrated my birthday while we were down there. While I was feeding Emmeline, everyone else decorated the condo and totally surprised me when I came out of our bedroom. Emmeline was slightly unsure about the whole thing.

She was the subject of multiple photo shoots, one of which is shown above.
All in all, we had a great time. Emmeline was well behaved and really enjoyed spending time with extended family.

David snapped this picture of her the other day and it is his new favorite. I like it too, so I thought I should included it.

This may be the last weekly update - I think I'll switch to monthly. Her milestones should be spreading out soon. So far, she:

holds her head up really well
recognizes faces (especially David, me and other folks she sees all the time)
shows a preference for positions, people and toys (she loves her pink bear)
smiles when we approach her to pick her up
enjoys tummy time, especially on her daddy's chest
smiles and approximates a laugh, but not that baby giggling yet (I.can't.wait.)
"talks" to us using coos, sighs, gurgles and squeals, but conversational inflections, which is really crazy

I think she is doing really well. Below are her stats:
10 lbs. 7 oz. (up 2 lbs. from birth, and 2 lbs. 3 oz. from her lowest weight)
23.5 inches (up 2.5 inches from birth, but she is hard to measure, so this one is approximate)

Next post - not baby related - I promise!!!

Emmeline - Week 5

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 02:59:00 +0000

Emmeline's fifth week was a busy one. She took her first big trip. We went to the beach but I haven't downloaded all of the pictures yet, so those will have to wait until the next post. For now, here are a few pics of her other activities.

Napping in the pack and play and dreaming about puppies and fairies.

Chilling in the back yard, working on holding my head up.

Posing (a la Glamour Shots) for my one-month portraits.

Emmeline - Week 4

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:00:00 +0000

So I weighed Emmeline again on her 3 wek birthday and she had only gained 2 oz., no where near the .5-1 oz. per day recommended. Connie, my neighbor who is a lactation consultant, worked with me on some techniques to get Emmeline to eat more efficiently. She also left her scales for me to use. This was fantastic! I really got to see how well she was eating. She weighed 9 lb. 3 oz. on Sunday, up 6 oz. in five days. Connie and our pediatrician are no longer concerned. YAHOO!! She has also grown about 1.5 inches, so now she is 22.5 inches tall.Other events for the week include her first real bath. She wasn't quite sure if she liked it or not.
We went to church for the second time one Sunday. She did very well!
We went over to my grandmother's house for a birthday celebration for David and me. My grandmother LOVES Emmeline!
Emmeline is also becoming more aware of her surroundings, including her feet, as shown above. She also smiles when she sees us now. It is the cutest, toothless grin I have ever seen in my life!

Emmeline - Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:00:00 +0000

To celebrate David's birthday on July 23, his parent's bought Emmeline a tree, a brandywine maple, which they planted in our side yard. In the fall it should turn the most lovely deep purple color. I can't wait!
We also spent some time just chilling. It was great. We like taking her out on the back patio after the sun sets below the trees. As you can see in the above picture, Emmeline has some silly hair. And it gets sillier every day. She hasn't lost any yet (knock on wood) and it just keeps sticking up and out. I hope she keeps it.
We also had a setback with her weight gain during this week. She hadn't gained any weight at her two week appointment. The pediatrician didn't seem too worried, but suggested that I bring he back for a weight check at four weeks. I let her know that my neighbor is a lactation consultant who offered to work with me and borrow her scales if I needed to. The pediatrician said just to keep her updated on Emmeline's weight. I'll give you more info on that in the next post.

Emmeline - Week 2

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:00:00 +0000

The highlight of Emmeline's second week was a trip to Camp Winnataska for the dedication of the new ropes course.
The climbing tower was dedicated to Roger Soloman for his dedication to camp, especially during the interim between our joint venture with the Boy Scouts and our current independent configuration.

She had a doctor's appointment on her one week birthday. Her stats were 8 lb. 11 oz, up 7 oz. from her hospital release 3 days prior. Other fun events for the week were visits to Samford and the Hoover Public Library. We visited my aunt and uncle, and had many visitors to the house including my mom and grandmother, my dad and his wife, Madelyn, Colin and Annalisa, and a few more. She also went to David's sister, Sharon's birthday lunch and David's cousin, Tandy's birthday party. Thank goodness for the ring sling carrier! She was snug as a bug in a rug at all of her visits.

Emmeline - Week 1

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:56:00 +0000

Friends. I have neglected my blog. I have a good reason, and she is really pretty. Emmeline Violet was born on July 7 and we have spent the last four weeks hanging out and getting to know her. I'll (try to) post weekly for a while with her updates, but I'll spend the next four posts catching up.
I'll spare you the entire birth story, but I'll let you know that I was induced. They started pitocin at 7 am and Emmeline was born on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 2:18 pm. She weighed 8 lb. 7 oz., was 21 inches long and had a 14.5 inch head. Right after birth, she had trouble keeping her oxygen levels up. They took her for observation, but she ended up spending four days in the NICU for a pneumothorax and fluid in her lungs.
It was really sad, but for the best. She was in great hands and we got to spend a lot of time with her during visiting hours.I finally got to hold her for more than a second which was GREAT! She was still hooked up to monitors and still had the IV in her head, but I think it made us both feel better.
We brought her home on Saturday, July 11.
For those of you who were worried about the dogs, there was no need. Winni, as you can see, LOVES her. Ginny thinks she is her baby and comes in if Emmeline makes a peep in the other room to see why we aren't running to the rescue. Chica and Calvin love her too.
We really love her and can't wait to get to know her more. I'll post again soon.

One for me and one for E.V.

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:55:00 +0000

So I did some sewing last Saturday. It was really fun. I used two patterns from a great new book by fabric designer, Heather Ross called Weekend Sewing. I made one thing for myself and one thing for the baby. (I'd love to tell you her name, but I'm afraid to jinx it, so we will go with her initials, E.V., for now.)

For myself, I made the Weekend-Away Travel Bag.

Purple make-up bag, approximate dimensions 9" x 7" x 3"

The outer fabric is by this Japanese designer. I ordered it from superbuzzy.com a while back and just got around to using it. For the lining I used some lavender fabric with purple dots from the Hancock that I had in my stash. I liked the pattern, but I'll probably make some adjustments next time I make this bag. I wasn't pleased with how it all went together in the last step, so I'll rethink that before I try it again. Overall, it is PERFECT for it's intended use: a make-up bag to take to the hospital.

For little E.V., I made Lucy's Kimono.

Kimono styled shirt with side ties in a super fun fabric with red Maltese crosses!!

The main fabric is by Amy Butler from her Belle line. The binding is by Sandi Henderson from her Farmers Market line. This was a super easy project. I'm going to make more of these. I'll probably have to adjust the pattern (currently newborn to three months) so that E.V. will have some longer-wearing jackets for the fall. The only problem with this pattern is that it calls for 1/2 yard of contrast bias tape for the binding and I used 1 and 1/2 yards. Most likely it was just a typo, and it wasn't that big of an issue since I made my own bias binding with one of these.

All in all, these were two fun projects that led to some nice "instant-gratification" sewing!

WILL and WON'T

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000

I'm due in four weeks - June 29 - so most likely I'll have a baby by the end of the month. (Wow!) I was pondering the change from holding my baby on the inside to holding my baby on the outside and I thought I should write some of those thoughts down. It turned into a list of pairs of things I WILL and WON'T miss about pregnancy.

I WILL miss feeling her move around inside of me.
I WON'T miss the use of my organs as trampolines and punching bags.

I WILL miss having a reason to rest and put my feet up.
I WON'T miss my feet being so swollen as a reason that I HAVE to rest and put my feet up.

I WILL miss people's genuine interest in my health and well being.
I WON'T miss being photographed and touched like some roadside attraction. ("Look Ma, its the world's only two headed goat. Can I pet it . . . them . . . it?" If we are friends, it is one thing - if not, lens cap on and paws off, please.)

I WILL miss people telling me how pregnancy must agree with me because I look so nice.
I WON'T miss comments like "Are you sure you are going to make it four more weeks. You're huge!"

I WILL miss being allowed to wear flip-flops to work.
I WON'T miss falling over like a weeble-wobble when I try to put on any shoes but slip-ons.

I WILL miss baby hiccups. (Totally cool and weird at the same time.)
I WON'T miss being out of breath after one flight of steps.

I WILL miss eating ice cream every day.
I WON'T miss being so hot that I feel like I should climb into the ice cream.

I WILL miss shiny hair and nails.
I WON'T miss trying to reach around my baby belly to shave my legs. (Seriously, it's kinda like trying to shave at camp again!)

I WILL miss sleeping (I hear that babies disrupt that).
I WON'T miss arranging five pillows to try to get comfortable in the bed.

I WILL miss knowing that my baby is safe, well and warm inside of me.
I WON'T miss the anticipation of meeting this miracle for the first time.

I really enjoy the duality of life, and this exercise pointed to that for me. We would all like our situations to be perfect all the time. But on the other hand, if they were spotless, how could we appreciate the beauty in the contrast? Would the sunset be so beautiful, if it weren't for the rain clouds? Perhaps that is why pregnancy can be, and birth is so painful - to give you a sense of the wideness and depth of the joy and love you will feel when you finally get to meet your child.

So, for these last few weeks, I'll be getting through all of this fleeting pain of pregnancy to get to the wonder of a little gooey bundle of joy. I can't wait!

100th post . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:00:00 +0000

So this is the 100th post! I thought I'd show y'all a couple of the pictures from the 4d ultrasound. This is especially appropriate because I'm due one month from today. I hope she makes it that long because then she would share a birthday with my grandfather.

She looks so sweet in this one. These were done at 31 weeks. That is her foot up in front of her face and her hand under her chin. At that point she was sitting breach. I'm not sure if she still is. She may be. We will find out at our appointment on Tuesday.

She was totally over the whole process in this picture. This was the last picture they got. After this she turned away. I'm sure she was just warming those lungs up for the real deal.

We are so excited and can't wait to meet her!!!

Dog update . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:00:00 +0000

I thought you might want to get an update on the dogs. They are doing well!Winni really loves the windows in the loft. They are also at the perfect height for her to look out of. She also likes the deck. No pictures yet, but she enjoys sitting out there and looking down at the yard.

Chica is the sentinel. She would sit in this chair all day long and bark at all of the small animals in the yard, the mailman, the neighbors, etc. Ginny likes this spot, too.

Here's Calvin. Still kickin'. He has his annual vet appointment in a few weeks. Last year they said he wasn't doing too great and to watch for his appetite to ebb. He's still first in line (well tied for first with Winni) when it's time for food in the morning. We think it is due to having three young girls in the house that keeps him young!!

Here's a rare still pose from Ginny. Normally she is moving so fast that all the camera sees is a black blur. She is still the sweetest dog of the bunch. A mess, and a digger, and a little attention hungry, but totally the sweetest dog of the bunch.

This is what she normally looks like. - tongue out from running hot laps around the yard.

We are pretty lucky and blessed to have such great dogs. I can't wait to see how they are with the baby. I'm sure they will love her as much as we do!

We're so close . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Sat, 23 May 2009 15:40:00 +0000

So the house is coming along great. We are so close to being done!!! Here are some pictures of our progress.

Bedroom with slate fireplace surround and bamboo flooring in

View from the back door toward the dining room and the existing house

Bedroom from the living area toward the loft

Bathroom showing the vanity and tile

Bathroom showing the whirlpool tub, which is working and is FANTASTIC!!!!

Bathroom showing the shower entrance. It is really hard to photograph the bathroom because of all of the angles.

Deck with metal handrail that David welded. It looks GREAT!!!!

So that's where we stand. It's coming long. We don't have too much left to do. We can move into the bedroom as soon as the baseboards are in. I can't wait!!

Long time no blog . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Friends. First, I'm quite sorry that I've been absent for so long. I have a good reason. I've been busy growing a baby - a little girl. I'm due at the end of June, the 29th to be precise, which is my maternal grandfather's birthday. My mom is positive that she will wait until then to arrive. So many of my family members share birthdays, so I won't be surprised if she does wait.

This imminent arrival gives us a nice, firm deadline for completing the addition. Our current bedroom will become the nursery. The baby will be in the new bedroom with us for a while, so I'm glad that we built big, but she (and we) need room for all of the stuff that comes along with having a child. We do have to finish the addition before she gets here since our current bedroom is quite small (less than 12' x 12' and one wall is entirely closet doors). If the baby comes before the addition is done, I suppose she can bunk with Winni. (Just kidding. Seriously.)

I've been thinking about how to decorate the baby's room, so I think that I jinxed us. We had a major plumbing fiasco, which I'll post photos of later in the week. Let's just say that Bay-Bay gets new floors in her room. Old carpet + water = stinky. Anyway, I found this cool tool on HGTV.com. It has user posted rooms. I've added an RSS feed of the nurseries to my google reader for inspiration. It is amazing to see all of the creativity on there.

David and I are thrilled about our new family member. We can't wait to meet her. We are looking forward to this new chapter in our life together.

PS-I won't turn this into a baby blog, but I'm sure she will creep in from time to time.

PV!!

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:40:00 +0000

Yahoo! We won. The shows were great.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, see this link.

Here's a video from 1998 for fun-sies. Who doesn't need a song about B-I-N-G-O to start their day off right.

Tile colors, part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:40:00 +0000

Here is one option for the six color 4x4 tile mosaic for the wainscoting in the bathroom. We have the four tiles on the right, but not the purple and the light green. The ones that we have are slightly more subdued in color than these, but you get the picture. It is hard to recreate on the computer.
Keep in mind that the floors are saltillo tile and most of the walls are chocolate brown, almost eggplant.

There is also a neutral granite for the sink and tub surround.

Above the wainscoting will be a neutral tile like this one.

Now, if I can only fine the dark purple tile and the light green tile, we are in business.

edited to add:
Check out this coolness.
Create your own custom blends of tile. This is for 3/4 inch tile, but it gives an idea of what the colors will look like together.

Lest you forget . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:00:00 +0000

We do have dogs. Here's some pictures of two of them.
Winni does love her sticks. Here she is skipping in the front yard. Please do note that all of her feet are off of the ground.

It has been almost a year since her TPLO surgery which is fully documented in that link to all of the posts about her recovery. She is using her leg so well. Knock on wood, we haven't noticed any problems with the other leg either. We have kept her weight down which I'm sure has helped.There she is, happy as she ever was!

And here's Calvin . . .

He's doing well, too, knock on wood! At 13 and a half, he still keeps up with all of his girlfriends. He either has selective hearing of some hearing loss; my bet is a little of both. His appetite is great, which is what the vet told us to look out for as a sign of kidney problems, but he tries to be first in line for the food every day. We are really lucky that he is doing so well!

As for the other two, they wouldn't stay still long enough to be photographed with my sad camera. Perhaps next time.

The tile is lookin' good...

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:53:00 +0000

The tile is going in and it looks great. It really warms the space up.
These pictures were taken a few days ago, so now most of the tile is in as is most of the grout.
They should be done by Wednesday or Thursday. Once all of the grout is in, we will roll a polyurethane sealer over the whole surface to seal the grout and the tiles. We purchased presealed super saltillo tile, but most installation instructions we have found encourage a topcoat after installation which is then reapplied every two years or so.

A few other things . . .
Here's the railing from the loft. David welded it and it turned out really great. I need to get a better picture of it from the bedroom. You can also see how all of the colors meet in this photo.

And one more picture . . .
Here's a panoramic picture of the view from the deck. Click for a bigger view. David said the sunset was great the other day. I've missed them so far, but I can't wait to catch one.

Saltillo tile is muy bueno...

noreply@blogger.com (Elin) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:22:00 +0000

So we have begun the tile installation. One of David's friends is a tile installer and has started working on our saltillo floors. They look so great. I'm really glad that we went with the saltillo. I love the color variation and the natural look it gives the room.

Sorry the picture is blurry. I really need a new camera.

Here's a view of the house that I don't post very often. I put it up so that you could see another angle of the deck.

In this picture, David has just started the decking boards on the deck. They are done now, and the view from up there is really fabulous.
I guess that's all for now.