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:)