WOW!

I haven't been to the house much lately...work has been busy and it will be for the next month or more.  BUT...I didn't have to work today so I headed to the house first thing this morning (in my pajama pants) and WOW...they have accomplished SO much in two weeks!  Here's a few pictures from today.  You will notice one is as me standing on the front porch in the same place I stood on the last post....but this time, there is a house behind me!!

Standing on the front porch!

Walking down the stairs into the basement..

Looking up at the house from the back yard

It really is AMAZING how much they have gotten done.  The inside first floor and basement are completely framed, so I can walk through all the rooms and see how big (or small!) they are and imagine what they will be like in just a couple months from now!  It's finally all coming together and it's even more exciting than I imagined!  

Since the last post, I have met with my builder once to discuss all the remaining details.  Since that meeting...paint has been the biggest thing on my mind.  I think I have just about nailed the colors down and I have also started a little online shopping.  Here are a couple of things I have ordered lately:

2 twin duvet covers with powder blue embroidery...I also got towels,
rugs, shams, bedskirts, etc.  From Pottery Barn for the "twin" bedroom

A natural microfiber headboard with silver nailheads from Ballard Designs

Pillows!  Hopefully for the master bedroom...Ballard Designs

I'll share paint colors a little later this week.  Hopefully I will get some of these fun things in the mail this week and I can decide 100% what colors I want.  AND, hopefully next weekend, the second floor will be framed.  Alrthough, the possibility of 4-7 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow could delay us again! 

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