Things that Santa Brought.....

Hello All.  I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas.  I definitely enjoyed my time off!  Still not a lot of progress on the house...not sure I can blame it on the weather anymore.  I guess they took some time off for the holiday as well!  They did get the basement walls waterproofed and inspected, the plumbing lines are done and they have started to backfill with gravel.  Here are a couple of pictures:

This is me standing on the "front porch"

Black stuff=waterproofing:)

Since those are boring...let me share of picture of one of the things I got for Christmas.  This is the thing I was MOST excited about getting....although all the other gifts were great too!  This is a handmade door knocker for my new house.  It was made by a dear friend and I think it is absolutely FABULOUS! 

Door knocker in the shape of a dragon....
it has beady eyes and was all hand forged!! 
(I think that's proper iron terminology??)

I can't wait to hang this on the door....I think it's AMAZING!  I also got some super cool rain boots (for stomping around on the lot in the MUD), a Panini machine, and some cutie Le Creuset ramekins!

I thought I would share a couple of other pictures as well....these are just pictures that inspire me and I hope they inspire you too!

A gorgeous covered porch created by The Porch Company

HGTV's Color Splash Miami.  I love the wall treatment...hard to see, but it's different
shades of cream...vertical stripes.  I plan to do this in the downstairs guest bedroom!

I bought this rug on clearance at Pottery Barn.  I'm thinking
I will be using it in the dining room.

I hope you all have a Happy New Years...be safe and be sure to eat peas for good luck!

Update on the house....& some Holiday Pictures!

I don't have a lot to update you on about the house...the weather has slowed us down quite a bit.  Here's a quick look at the past couple of weeks....building the basement forms and pouring the basement walls and then starting to put up the blocks along the back wall of the basement.  The house is beginning to take shape.  IF the weather holds out for me, they should be pouring the slab this week and starting the framing the week after Christmas.  Here are a couple of pictures...

Basement Forms

Basement walls poured and forms removed

That's pretty much all that has happened on the house over the last three weeks!  Kinda sad, but it IS finally taking a little shape.  I hope I can go over on Christmas day and see a little more progress.  I can't wait to WALK IN it!   

Enough about the house...here are some pictures from this weekend and one from Clay's violin program a few weeks ago:

Kelley and Carter

Casey, Marija (his girlifriend) and Carter

Clay at his program...so handsome and grown up!

Mammaw and Grace

Me with Carter and Grace

Mom and Jimmy (her boyfriend)

And finally...Santa's little helper...isn't he a cutie?!?!?

Hopefully I will be back with more holiday and house updates soon.

Enjoy this last crazy week of shopping!!

Giving Thanks....

I feel the need to make a list of things I have to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving...(mostly to remind myself).  It isn't fun to spend the holidays "alone," but I have SO much to be grateful for so here's a small list:

• My health and the health of my family and friends.  Here's a link to a blog I follow for a little girl who isn't healthy and who we should all say a prayer for this Thanksgiving.... http://karisalmy.com/
• These beautiful kids that I love SO much....(and cowboys)...

• Really great food....I had lunch (turkey and all the delicious sides) at my Uncle Kenny's house and dinner (Mexican) at my dads.  Both meals were fabulous and I am sufficiently STUFFED!  



Technically, this wasn't OUT turkey, but doesn't it look YUM?



• My best friend....who has been having a rough time lately and who has been the BEST of the best for SO many years (about 18).  I am praying all her wishes come true in 2011!  I am SO thankful for her...and her husband (he is pretty dern fabulous as well). 
• My job
• People who share their lives (and their fabulous design ideas and creativity) through blogs...I'm addicted to blogs:)
• My lot and the house that will eventually sit on it...here's a picture of the inspiration for my upstairs guest/kid room....so pretty...

Source Unknown

• Men who are handy and people who make me laugh.
• Craigslist...SO many fabulous deals all in one place.....I like it!
• God's Grace (as evidenced above).



I have more, but those are the things I have focused on today.  What are YOU Thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Now we're gettin' somewhere....

Things are really rolling now....I barely made it to the lot on Monday (11/8) after work before the sun went down....but this is what I saw...more stakes and lots of orange flags.  The stakes marked the outline of the basement and told how deep to dig. 

Here are some pictures from today (11/11)....4 days later....WOW!

This is basically looking from the same angle as the above picture!

Look at all that rock! geez....and the bulldozer dude just scooped them up in two minutes!  So handy!

This is one of the rocks that rolled down the hill!



That's all on the house for now....I am off tomorrow to finalize tile and granite and stuff...and of course, I'll visit the lot and see how it's coming along!

Before I go....I will share another picture of a room I love love love!

West Elm

I am really into daybeds lately....I love this one from West Elm.  Super handy to have one of these in a spare bedroom/office.  It looks so peaceful and comfy!

Happy Veteran's Day to ALL!

Isn't it Pretty???

I simply love this dining room...isn't it SO pretty?  I found the picture on one of the blogs I stalk....ApartmentTherapy, I think.  I think I might need to copy this room!  I could do without that corner piece and I really have to have a china cabinet, but I think the color and the furniture is just so dern pretty!  I've been on a serious hunt for the perfect dining room set on Craigslist....I'm thinking I want antique, but it's so hard to find a table and china cabinet (on a budget) that match.  I love the fact that these DON'T match and yet somehow it all fits together so perfectly!  So, I am open to options (pieces that don't "match" but that love each other anyways)...just haven't found anything that has felt "right" just yet...the search continues. 

On a side note...I went to a baby shower on Sunday...kept thinking the house looked familiar as I walked around admiring the BEAUTIFUL colors and decor....Laura Erwin...this one is for you!  As I got into my car and drove away, it hit me....that was Laura's house!  I recognized it from your blog...how funny is that!?!?  Caroline, the new owner, was hosting the shower for my friend Yolanda.  This was the only picture I took...can you recognize your window!?!


My friend Renee, Yolanda (who is all belly) and me!

   Yolanda promised...if two babies happen to pop out, I can have the extra one:)  Yeah!  Keep your fingers crossed for two babies people!

Happy Tuesday!

Finally....a little progress!

I hope everyone had a great weekend.....I did!  I didn't do all that much, but here's a little of what I accomplished; I went to a art/furniture sale that my work had because one of our offices has closed, I went to the lot to check out any potential progress, and I found and purchased a teak outdoor dining room set from "Larry" on Craigslist. 

The furniture sale at work was pretty fabulous....I bought between 25 and 30 pieces of framed art.  My brother will be using some in his house and office and I will use some in mine.  Mom is going to see if she likes any as well. 

The teak dining room set I found on Craigslist is fabulous....just needs a little love and teak oil and it will be SO pretty...just like new!  It looks almost exactly like this set from Pottery Barn (but for about 15% of the cost):

I plan to put it on the screened/covered porch so I can actually enjoy a meal out there with friends.  The house on Fallswood had a fabulous porch, but not really any room for a large table because of the somewhat odd shape.  The table I bought is about 5 feet long and it has two extensions that probably make it close to 8....and it came with 6 stackable arm chairs.  I'm going to love it!  And the guy I bought it from was super nice....which is always a welcome surprise when you shop on Craigslist!

The trip to the lot was actually rather exciting as well....I had expectations of seeing the same dirt I always see and to my surprise, here is what I found!  

A port-a-potty!  Yeah!  ...where there are port-a-potties, there are people!  They are supposed to start digging Monday....seriously....I'm hoping they do!  Here are a couple other pictures to show what they have done so far:



a path of rocks down to the site the house will sit on




Silt fence...for erosion control


That was my weekend.  I hope you all had a great one as well....hopefully I will have more house updates now that there is actual progress.  I am still working on picking out paint and have found some fabulous new colors that I think I am going to be using....I will share those on the next post.

Katy

Paint.....

Well...I have no real news on the house.  I honestly don't know what's going on...I think we are waiting on the City of Brentwood, but I'm not totally sure.  I'm trying not to spaz about it...even though that is so UNLIKE me....it won't make things go any faster.  Today I went and got some interior paint colors and some sample boards and started painting.  I'm basically going with the same type of colors I always choose....so here's a picture of the sample boards I painted today:

Potential paint colors

Two blues to choose from...that have a hint of green in them...I think I like the first one better.  The third one from the left is the ceiling color I am thinking of using....the brownish/gray is one that I would use in the master bedroom (along with the blue) and maybe in the entry and mudroom and laundry.  The chocolate is what I am thinking of using for the kitchen, media room, maybe one of the guest rooms, etc etc.  I need to find a green...I like greens too....just seems like most everything I own (furniture and accessories) leans towards the blue tones:)  If anyone has a green that they are in love with...let me know....I might want to "steal" it!

And more on paint....here's another exterior that I LOVE....I've passed this house a million times, but I finally decided to pull in the driveway and snap a couple pictures.  I'm sure the people that live there think their house is being scoped out for a robbery, but really...I'm just loving their paint colors!  I also love the pumpkins on their front porch.....I miss having a house this year to put pumpkins in front of!  I bought a tiny white one to fill the pumpkin void in my life!

So pretty...dark stained shutters and front doors,
cream trim and "weathered wood" roof....I LOVE it!

I hope you all have a great week and I hope I have some house news to report soon....geez!

Katy

One more thing....

Those of you that know me well, know that I have a nephew named Clay who I think is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  He turned 14 last week.....WOW...can you believe it?!?!  It seems like just yesterday that I was pushing him around the house in a laundry basket like it was a race car...or taking him outside to see the moon....or just sitting on the floor playing trucks.  We celebrated last weekend....but I wanted to say it one more time - Happy Birthday Clay!  I love you and I am SO proud of you.....- Aunt Katy

Finally....house plans!

I'm a bad blogger....I know this because several people have told me that lately.  I've been really bad about updating this, so I've decided I'm much better at blog-stalking than actual blogging.  I consistently check 10 or more blogs and yet I "can't find the time" to update my own!  Right...

Enough of that...onto the house plans and getting caught up on what's been happening the last couple weeks.  My divorce was final two weeks ago....kind of sad about that...definitely feeling like the "new chapter" is beginning.  I also closed on my construction loan that same week...after a slight bit of drama with the house!  I was planning to finish 2900 ish square feet of the house with an unfinished 2200 ish SF basement.  That is below the square footage minimum for the neighborhood, but I had received approval from the developer.  A couple days before I was supposed to close, he started to freak and decided I needed to finish a little more space.  SO...my builder started pricing and I started freaking.  We ended up deciding to finish an additional 700 ish in the basement...it will be finished as minimally as possible....in order to get me within the neighborhood guidelines.  I can always dress it up later...add molding, etc.  I won't be needing the space now anyway.  All that said...here's the floor plan...basement...second floor...and the first floor!

basement

second floor

first floor

The thing I am most excited about in the house is the island in the kitchen and the fireplace.  I found a picture in a magazine months ago of a fireplace that I LOVED and my builder is going to try and replicate it.  I'm also excited about the shower in the master....it should be pretty big and I've always wanted a nice big shower...not sure why?

Here's a picture of what the outside will look like..sort-of.  I couldn't decide on a brick I liked, and I love painted brick, so I am going with that.  The elevation of the house is different and my shutters will be stained and not painted (to match my front door), but the trim color and house color should be similar to this one....at least this is the inspiration:) 

Inspiration for exterior

I think it's so pretty....I hope it turns out as nice as this one...

Pretty soon (I promise), I will post pictures of some of the rooms and stuff that I have found and will be using for decorating inspiration....I have found some great rooms on http://www.roomzaar.com/ that I plan to kind of copy or that I like certain aspects of...I am addicted to that site.  I've also picked tile and granite and hardwood and carpet and all that fun stuff, so maybe I can post some random pictures of that too. 

I am supposed to be breaking ground in the next two weeks...City of Brentwood doesn't make it easy to get things done, but it's coming along pretty smoothly so far (KNOCK ON WOOD!).  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't hit rock....that could REALLY mess us up, so be keeping your fingers crossed too...please!!!

Hope all is well with everyone...

Katy

P.S. I think I'm gonna get a kitty when I move in.... Rocky will be his name and he will be grey with white paws.  SO...if you see a Rocky, please pick him up for me:)

Soccer Star...

Hello All....I've had a great weekend so far and I hope you have too
...I spent all day yesterday with my mom and my sister and her kids.  We went to Grace's soccer game, had lunch, took Clay to get a new violin, played with Carter and then Kelley cooked a fantastic shrimp boil for dinner while Grace and I painted a Cinderella painting.  I'm in training on Monday and then I am off the rest of the week to make final selections for the house!  I've been having a little cabinet difficulty, but other than that, things with the house have been going well.  Hopefully I can share some photos this week....for now, here's some pics of our little soccer star...she played goalie for the two quarters and she blocked EVERY shot!!!  WAY TO GO GRACE!    

Grace saves the day!

Goal Kick...I think that's what it was called... I NEVER was a soccer star!

Grace and one of her teammates!

Have a great Sunday everyone...

Katy

Labor Day Weekend.....

I had a great weekend...I hope you all did too!  Mom and I went to Memphis on Saturday to do a little shopping....we went to the Pottery Barn outlet, the Williams Sonoma Outlet, and we found this GREAT home store called Stash.  It's my new favorite store...kind of a cross between Pottery Barn and a PDs (in Franklin).  I asked if they delivered to Nashville...they don't, but supposedly they are looking to open a store around here pretty soon.  I sure hope they do...it was a very cool store.  Mom and I had fun...we spent the night in Memphis and we drove back Sunday and went to Casey's (my brother) for lunch....he had been working out in the yard all morning...getting a fall garden going and trying to get his yard in tip top shape! 
Today....I went and got Clay and Grace and we went to the Farmer's Market.  We bought some lady peas, some tomatoes, red potatoes, and some cherry preserves.  Then we went and ate lunch at Pei Wei and headed back to their house to drop off our groceries.  Then we went over to my lot for a bit and went exploring...here are a couple pictures from the woods behind my lot...you can see the creek has dried up for now!

Clay and Grace

Can you see Clay way up there on that tree?!?!

Grace found the small amount of water that was in the creek
and was stomping around and skipping rocks.

After exploring for a while, we headed back to their house to cook some dinner....pork chops, lady peas, new potatoes in white gravy, corn bread, and fried pies for dessert...YUM!  Carter was smacking his lips the whole time, but he just stuck with peaches and green beans for his dinner!  Here's a picture of him getting ready for his feast!

He gets very excited when he sees his baby food!

I hope you all had a great weekend....I definitely did!

I should be able to post the floor plan of the house out here soon (I just have to figure out how to load a pdf!).  We got the appraisal ordered Friday so the plan is to break ground around the 25th of September....YEAH! 

Have a great week!

Katy

Squirrels and Cabinets.....and such

Hello All....Thank goodness for blogging or I would have an awfully boring weekend!  I know it's kinda sad...but actually...I am totally enjoying myself these days:)  I enjoy time with my girlfriends as well....but it's nice to be okay with being alone...

I took a vacation day today...so much shopping to do and so little time.  I'm supposed to have all my house selections made by September 30th and that is NOT very far away....and that is my FAVORITE part of the building process....buying pretty things!!  So today I went hunting for tile, granite, and cabinets.  I priced a few pedestal bathtubs...much like this one above....and I will NOT be having one in my house...WOW...they are pricey! 
$1800 or so....although I may continue the hunt because I found some online for waaaay less than that. 

I went and looked at tile...which is my MOST favorite thing of all, I think.  I've actually had several recurring dreams about tile....I know...it's bad....but it's true.  I think I am even planning my house stuff while I sleep...maybe that explains the dark circles under my eyes these days.  So I found a lot of tile I like...just have to get the cabinet selection nailed down first.  Here's a couple of my favorite tile looks...I have many more...so i'll just share a few...I realize tile doesn't excite everyone like it excites me:) 

I'm thinking upstairs jack n jill bath...

Kitchen backsplash....but I'd have to go with more neutral
colors...but isn't is so pretty and fun!?!

I've been to two places so far to price cabinets...Timberland in Brentwood, Advanced Kitchen Concepts in Franklin and today I went to Lyles, TN to visit Jerry and Barry...two brothers that run Custom Trim and Cabinets.  I had seen pictures of their cabinets from a friends house ...so I went all the way to Lyles...in Hickman County...to see the real thing.  I was IMPRESSED....these old country boys know how to build some cabinets...and they had a LOT of finish choices!  Barry was the one that helped me and he was super nice....a little like Santa Claus...jolly and pleasantly plump....I liked him.  I'm pretty sure their computer was from 1989, but the drawings he showed me were serious cabinet drawings!  He also kept giving me his e-mail address...and here's what he said "capital T, capital O, capital Y....lowercase C..."  I won't give away his entire address...but he seemed to feel it was very important that you capitalize certain letters of the address....I actually had to step away for a moment and giggle.  BUT...the best part of the whole trip...was when I stopped for gas and saw THIS.....seriously....I haven't seen anything like it in my entire life...here's a picture and then I'll explain...

I tried REALLY hard to get a good angle on this...I'm pumping gas when this guy pulls up and gets out of his shiny truck.  No shirt....fine....it was kinda hot out today.  But check out the HAIR....Oh My Gosh....seriously...this wasn't a mullet...it was SO much more.  It definitely had mousse on the top third...which was kinda longer and styled like "business" hair.  Then we had the sides that were practically shaved...and the best part....a pet squirrel hanging down his back (i.e. a fancy pony tail).  I had to do a triple take...actually...it was worse...I just let my jaw drop and immediately grabbed my camera.  I simply couldn't resist.  Then...his woman (below) showed up and her hair was JUST as pretty....black on the bottom with a white phony tail on top...and a chiffon princess bow in it.  I'm thinking of going with this style on my next trip to the salon....

If this is your aunt and uncle...I'm sorry...but it was TOO funny.

All three cabinet people are supposed to be working on drawings..and pricing...I'm pretty excited to see what they come up with.  The product is all very similar quality.  Then I can get going on tile and granite and lighting and paint colors and window treatments and all that other FUN stuff!

I'll be posting my floor plan on here at some point along with some outside pictures I have snapped lately...I got another draft back today of the plan and I see a couple more changes I want to make....hopefully I'll get to get those to the builder early next week and get them taken care of....we're trying to break ground by mid to end of September....

Happy Weekend...sorry for the length of the post!

My Lot

The creek at the back of the lot

Standing where the house will be...looking towards the creek

Looking across the back of the lot

I thought I'd share a few pictures of the lot...it's in a new(ish) neighborhood in Brentwood....lots of trees - no houses on my street yet, always nice and quiet!  There were a million doves out there today and there are usually a bunch of deer roaming around.  I honestly had never walked to the very back of the lot....it's a basement lot and it was winter when I bought it and I just never went all the way to the back!  So, I went exploring today and walked down to the back to check out what the creek looked like.  I was pleasantly surprised....it was very pretty and it was filled with little critters and pretty rocks!  I think most of the year, it may just be a dry creek bed, but it was very nice today!  There is also some flat space at the back edge of the lot where I hope to eventually put a garden and maybe a fire pit....and maybe eventually (if I stay there long enough) a playset!!  Can't wait to go exploring a little further with my niece and nephew when it gets a little cooler out.....
AND...speaking of my niece and nephews....here's a picture from today's family get-together...aren't they cuties?!?!

Bye!