HOUSE UPDATE {linen closet and kitchen beam}

For the last five months, my linen closet has been open and messy and not very pretty. 

 

So I was very excited when Andrew set out to fix that. He started with a frame. 

Then he attached the cabinet doors built and stained in his nearly nonexistent spare time. 

Add some knobs and my hallway looks a million times better!

This week, Andrew is finishing the rustic beam across the kitchen ceiling. This project is free except for the cost of stain...thanks again, to our lovely collection of old pallet wood. More to come on this later. 

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES {2012}

I didn't get super creative with the costumes this year. I was just too tired to care. We also bought pumpkins that never got carved and planned decorations that never got put up. I use the excuse that I'm conserving energy for Christmas. 

We went to a Halloween party mid-October and I just pulled out last year's bumblebee costume. Our new neighborhood friends never saw the costume last year anyway. Then I tried to think of something for Andrew that would correlate with a bee. 

A beekeeper? Winnie the Pooh? A honeypot? In the end I found it was easiest to turn him into a bird. 

I had a T-shirt made that said: "Tweet. Tweet." I had Andrew tape craft feathers all over himself. And I planned to make him a baseball cap with a beak, but bought him an Angry Birds hat instead. (Feeling lazy, remember?)

In the end, it was this hat that confused people as to what we really were. They kept saying that I was a bee and Andrew was an Angry Bird...missing the entire "Birds and the Bees" concept entirely. Oh well. 

For school, I couldn't be the bee again.  Last year's kids would remember. So I went further back in time and pulled together my student costume for a second time...again spending the entire day clarifying that I was not a gangster, but a backpack wearing, teacher's pet pest.

I'll try again next year. 

CONSTRUCTION BIRTHDAY CAKE

I was home sick from work on Thursday and Friday. Thursday consisted of about ten hours of Netflix on the couch. Figuring I would go coo-coo with boredom with another day like that, I forced myself to be somewhat productive despite my miserable state. 

This was the result. I have not decorated many cakes, so it was a fun experiment. I saw a similar cake here and wanted to build one for Andrew ever since. 

I baked a 9x13 chocolate cake, cut it in half, and layered the pieces on top of each other. After spreading chocolate peanut butter frosting, I went to work decorating it to look like a construction site. 

I dug an actual hole in the top of the cake and scooped the innards (eww...that word makes it sound gross) around the top to look like dirt piles. Oreo's, Nestle Buncha Crunch, and chocolate rocks from a local candy shop finished the layered dirt look. 

I personalized it with Andrew's construction company's logo printed on a "sign" from the computer and stuck to the top with a toothpick.

Graham crackers were cut into pieces for lumber, and I sprinkled a few areas with green sugar sprinkles to look like grass or weeds.

The construction vehicles are sold in a 5-pack at Wal-Mart.

Andrew loved the cake, but when I asked him to stand by it for a picture, this is what I got. 

Great, Babe. Now smile.

Very funny. Try again.

Not quite what I had in mind either, hon. 

"Andrew Ashmore!!! Behave your age!"

Eventually, I got what I wanted. Though part of me hates that he looks so innocent in this picture. 

It's all a lie.

But anyway...hooray for Andrew's birthday #28. And hooray for my awesome cake decoratin' skillz. It was a fun way to survive a sick day.

FYI: I got the wooden guy from my dad who has a hobby of making and selling sets of families and historical figures as  kids' toys. This is one I used to play with when I was little that I thought matched the theme. 

We celebrated that evening by stuffing our pockets with Kleenex (we are both sick), and heading over the theater to watch the BYU game (we don't pay for cable channels). 

After coming home and eating a piece of cake, we both sat back from our plates in kind of sugar-induced catatonic stupor. This cake's sugar level is though the roof. Any neighbors are welcome to come by (please come!) and take a few pieces off our hands. Holy heck this cake is rich.

THE PUP

Meet Moose. The newest member of our family.

When Andrew asked what we should name him, I asked how his family had come upon the name Buster for their dog. Apparently, they were all fans of Peanut Buster Parfaits from Dairy Queen. We then thought carefully about what he and I are both fans of...something that might inspire a name for our new pet. 

"Moose Tracks ice cream!" I exclaimed. 

We both knew instantly that it was perfect.

Imagine our shock and surprise when we were informed that the previous owners had already named him Moose...after his large, chocolate lab of a father. What are the chances??

I think it was meant to be.

I am, however, still often wondering what I got myself into. What did I agree to? Don't get me wrong. I love his cuteness right now...please note the soft, green eyes and gargantuan paws. But this is going to be one big dog!

And I don't particularly enjoy 3AM puppy potty breaks, cleaning up after accidents, or disciplining him for crying in his kennel...especially when Andrew has to leave town so often for work and his church calling.

I do take comfort in several things:

1.) For a puppy, he is relatively chill. He learns fast, will be easy to train, and isn't the terror that was Marley the yellow lab.

2.) Andrew is happy. So, so, so happy. You should see the way these two look at each other. This alone makes it worth it.

HOUSE TOUR KICK-OFF {exterior}

Last I showed you (in early May?), the house had only a small amount of  stone completed and the OSB sheeting was still visible on the dormer and gable. 

This is what it looks like as of today: with finished stone, stained vertical cedar siding, and blinds. It's not finished yet. But almost!

For the gable and dormer, we kicked around ideas of shake, stucco, or vertical vinyl siding. 

In the end, Andrew found a guy to sell us cedar between 25-95 cents a linear foot, depending on the width. This price is 1/3 of what most people sell the stuff for. So we pounced. All in all, it cost us around $200. 

First, Andrew nailed the 1x10 cedar pieces across the entire front.

Then, he added the 1x4's along the outside edge and the 1x2's along the seams to create a genuine board and batten.

In this picture, you can see he's taped the gable off in preparation for staining. 

Cedar stains really dark, so it took us awhile to find a stain that dried close to the color of our front door.  Here are Andrew and Josh applying it to the dormer with a spray gun and brush. You can see the contrast between the raw wood and what has already been stained. 

The same, but from the street...

When they finished, we all stood back and looked at it in silence. Holy Hannah, was it DaRk! 

But then, in no time at all, the stain sank into the wood, dried, and lightened to the perfect color. I was so relieved. 

From the front...

All that is left now, is the white trim and shutters. I drew them in to help you visualize. 

I'm so thoughtful.

And in case you care, here is what the vinyl on the sides and back of the house looks like. The stucco guys did a great job of matching the colors to it. 

So there you have it. The outside. Next up, I plan to walk you through the inside...despite all of the unfinished details and unpacked boxes. I decided if I wait until it's perfect, you'll never get to see the interior! And I could really use your advice on decorating in here! 

Ta-ta for now,

Rachel

CHECKERBOARD TILE UPDATE

Master Bath

So...when the tile went in last weekend, I raved about how much I loved it. It looked perfect with the paint colors! It was unique! It was fun and classy at the same time! 

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In response, Andrew only rolled his eyes. 

Master Bath View II

If you remember, after purchasing said tile, I threw a melodramatic fit of remorse over installing it in both bathrooms AND the laundry room. What was I thinking?!!

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And I placed the entirety of the blame on Andrew. 

Guest Bath

Of course, my first post was exaggerated slightly for comic effect. But I was worried and I did breathe a huge sigh of relief when I watched the floors go in and I LOVED THEM. 

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(And Andrew did gloat that he was right and I had been overreacting.) 

Laundry/Mud Room

We will be building black concrete counter tops to go over the vanities in each of these rooms, which I think will help tie everything together nicely. 

Mud Room Bench

Have I mentioned that I love this tile? 

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(Andrew, you better not be rolling your eyes again.)

Laundry/Mud Room

Just ignore the mud. I guess the construction process and clean, shiny tile don't go together. 

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We only need to finish grouting and installing baseboards in these rooms The end seems to be in sight on this never-ending house building project!

MASTER BEDROOM WOOD CEILING {DIY}

I want to share step-by-step how we built the beautiful wood coffered ceiling in the master bedroom. It completely transforms this room.

Here is the master bedroom many moons ago. Our coffered ceiling started with simple drywall. 

1.) Andrew first took 2x4's and created a grid pattern. 

2.) Next, he took four-quarter knotty alder and nailed it over top of the 2x4's in the same grid pattern. 

3.) Then using quarter-inch alder, he filled in all of the grids.

4.) To give it a finished look, Andrew wrapped each grid in crown. 

5.) Then he used a maple-to-alder spray stain and a coat of lacquer. 

6.) Next, he used a water-based rusty old glaze that was wiped on and off. This is what caused the knots and grain patterns to pop.

7.) After letting it dry for 30 minutes, it was lacquered one more time.  

It was gorgeous, but it looked shockingly stark against the white walls. I was anxious to get everything taped and painted. If you notice, we painted the walls AND inside the coffer itself with the SW Pussywillow color. 

Here it is with the tape and plastic removed (and on the floor). It all looks more complete and gradual this way. 

Second perspective. 

And finally, here it is finished with the ceiling fan in the center and the can lights installed along the outside edges of the coffer. This room is just waiting for carpet and vent covers!

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