Archives for July 2011

greetings from the minnesota north woods!

here’s where we are on the house;
-the stone foundation is finished.
-the concrete was poured at the walkout basement patio area.
-the trim crew has begun.
-the tile man is starting today, i think.
-the porch ceilings are done.
-the power is on and the air has been turned on.
-hardwood will go in as soon the doors are hung.
-i finalized all my cabinetry but haven’t picked colors yet. (i need your fave white–off-white and your fave charcoal/black)
i love this stain.  i think it’s called early americana.   it’s the yummiest caramel color ever.

we got this wood very cheap—so we’ve used it on all our outdoor ceilings and in several spots inside.   i love the pine imperfections coming through the stain. this is the front porch ceiling–which has the same stain color.

and this my friends, is my take on haint blue.

it took me three weeks to finalize this color.    i searched on forums and blog posts to find the perfect haint blue but just couldn’t settle on one perfect color.

finally, we took a vote.   caiti and my sister voted on the same color—which i can’t remember the name of at the moment—-and i voted on hazel blue.

i did what any schizophrenic half-crazed woman would do and i bought a gallon of each one and mixed it together.

it’s THE most perfect shade of haint blue ever!

my furniture for the screen porch is here so i’m DYING for it to be done.   we could live on the porch til this house is done, could we not?

the kitchen ceiling is painted.   i just love it.  we used the beaded board side of the wood in here.

the painters were mad i didn’t stain it.   i know, it would’ve been cool but i really wanted it white.  it’s white dove by benjamin moore.

then there’s the wood wall at the beverage center in the butler’s pantry.   love it too.    i could plank all my walls and be perfectly content.  and broke.

the stacked stone is looking mighty fine too.

they’re probably done with it now.   we’re still on vacation and can’t wait to get home to see the progress.

we stand around and gaze at the house alot.   my kids have said to me more than once,   “why do you just look at it so long?”

i don’t know.   i just do.  and apparently stevie does too:)

and this is the walk out basement area.  the concrete was poured here on tuesday.

maybe if you’re in the area, you’ll text me a pic?!!!

we’re having a blast in mini–sohta.    we’re ‘camping’ in the family cabin this week.   and by ‘camping’ i mean sleeping in bunk beds with air conditioning.

lots of  lakeside fun, bonfires, s’mores and  early morning reading time.   i think i’ve taken 500 pics this week.

there are new babies in the family and we’ve been just giddy with baby-love.

hope you’re summer fun continues!

much love and hugs from MN,
xoxo
edie

p.s.  you can thank my dear friend ms. nester for this post.  it’s been in draft on my computer for a week but i’ve been too lazy to post it.

she sent me a tweet this morning requesting a house update.   i love that girl and apparently will blog on demand for her!!!

Warning:: Not much time or heart for blogging lately, so sorry for the dry litany of house stuff.   I just wanted to update you on the progress!

After looking at forty eleven hardwood samples, we finally found one we both like.

Cue the hallelujah chorus!

It’s nothing like my inspiration picture because Stevie happened to have a strong opinion on this one.

He likes light wood.  Unstained, natural wood.   And he wouldn’t mind if it looked brand new.   That’s where I drew the line.

So back to the drawing board we went and found this beautiful compromise.  It’s random width, somewhat distressed but not hand scraped (which he doesn’t like)

with a very matte finish, giving it an aged look without being too beat up.

We both love it.   And most relieving of all, it’s another decision DONE!

We’ve been in a dust cloud of sheetrock the past week and a half and they’re almost done.   (This pic was taken with my iphone standing on the lake side of kitchen looking back toward the kitchen and workroom.)

I turned in my paint colors Friday and we’ll probably be ready to paint by Tuesday.

I chose Ancient Ivory by Benjamin Moore for most of  the house.   Thanks to all my facebook friends for chiming in on choosing the right white.

I like that this one is creamy with the slightest tinge of green.

We also picked out tile for the bathrooms and backsplash.
Here’s my shower inspiration picture.  I love the use of the trim pieces to make the all white shower more interesting.

We are still looking for trim but the subway tile is easy to find and cheap.

I chose octagon and dot all white with matte finish and charcoal grout for my floor.   Like the pic below, only with dark grout.

And apparently this tile is expensive.   Normally around $14 a square foot.   We got several different quotes ranging from $8-11 per sf but then I lucked up and found it online yesterday

for $4 a square foot from Daltile (via FastFloors.com) and ordered it in a fury.   It’s ordered and in stock!  Woo-hoo!

I’m still looking for the best price on 1 inch hex for the girls’ bathroom but Home Depot seems to be winning at the moment ($5 per sf)

We’re using white subway tile in a herringbone pattern for the backsplash behind the stove and 18 inch marble-looking porcelain tile for the workroom (in a black and white checkerboard).   I found that tile at Stover’s in Knoxville for $4.99 first quality.

The stone for the foundation gets delivered this week and the wood ceilings for the porches and the kitchen will be finished and stained/painted.

The exterior is getting another coat of paint (white dove) and that should be finished by Tuesday.

The power line will be dug and we’ll have electricity and cold air!!!   (in preparation for the hardwood in a week or two)

It looks like cabinets may slow us down but otherwise we seem to be making very good time.

I’m working on my kitchen (chairs, table, window treatments, cab colors etc) and soon to start working hard on the master bedroom.

Whew!!!!!   Busy, busy, busy.

************************

I’ve also been rereading Evangelical Is Not Enough for the 3rd time.    It’s Thomas Howard’s journey from evangelicalism to historic, liturgical Christianity.

He’s very Lewis-esque and quotes C.S. Lewis very often.

AMAZING BOOK!

It won’t make you defensive if you’re not a part of a  historic liturgical church but it will make you think.

If you are already familiar with the traditions of the historic church, it will enrich your understanding of it in ways you can’t imagine.

Okay, off for  a run and then to the lake.

Hope your weekend is filled with your favorite things!

xo,

edie