PET OWNERS

Meet CC.

Her full name is Communal Cat...but that doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

The name stems from the fact that we are sharing her with another couple who happens to be in the process of building near us. We are only caring for her until their home is finished...which is a cool arrangement because we get her during the most adorable stage of her life. Ever since I learned I'm NOT okay with a smelly litter box in my laundry room and moved her into the garage, we've gotten along just swimmingly.

We all hope to eventually benefit from her mousing and snake hunting skills in the fields surrounding our homes. In the meantime, she is is getting very good at catching and eating grasshoppers.

This evening, we are awaiting the arrival of our first puppy. A chocolate lab coming from Boise we have already dubbed: Moose. 

*sigh*

I can't believe I agreed to this. My stomach literally knots up when I think about meeting him, and training him, and cleaning up his poo. The smells, the barking, the fur! Luckily, Moose will be an outdoor dog. Andrew has a fancy shmancy half-kennel, half-tool shed in the works.

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I'm also anxious about putting both pets out there together. My visions of puppy and kitty snuggling together may be a bit idealistic...but at the very least, I hope CC is kind to him.

Pray for us all,

Rachel

HOUSE TOUR {entry and front room}

It's easier to tour the house a couple rooms at a time. Any advice you have on the decor would be much appreciated. We'll start in the the entry way and front sitting room... 

The last time you saw the entry, it probably looked liked this.

Here's Andrew beginning the wood floor...and kindly flexing his forearms. 

And this is the final result as of a couple days ago.

Since then, I have sold the ugly table and have different plans for the wall.

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We could build a prettier table and display something like this.

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But I will probably end up doing something like that white shelf with hooks for coats. More practical.

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Or a shelf like the white one in this picture (but with no bench), and  I'd have Andrew make it real nice and rustic with a lot of burn through. 

Now moving on to the sitting room...you probably last saw it like this. 

Here is what it looked like on moving day.

Second view.

And this is from today. 

You'd think it would be more put together after a month. But out of necessity, this room has become the gathering/storage room for all things decorative that I have no idea where to put yet. But I'm working on it!

And I'm gathering inspiration. I'd like to hang something big over the couch, get a light colored area rug with some pops of fun color, and maybe some sheer, white drapes. 

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This room conveys the calm, comfortable feel I am hoping for. I like the rug, the wood, the big pillows, and the fun pops of color. 

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From this room, I like the neutral feel: browns, grays, whites, and wood. And the size of the canvas above the couch. That area above my couch is screaming for something similar in size. I can use a mirror, a framed vintage map, or slap some paint on a large, blank  canvas I have stored in the closet.

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This would be an easy DIY painting idea

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Or something like this...in whatever colors I chose.

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This quilty looking canvas is fun. It would be easy too.

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What about a map made from paint splotches? Love this.

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Abstract art with paint and tape. Though I wouldn't make it metallic or quite so bold. 

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Instead I can make use of the pile of pallet wood leftover from the dining room ceiling. I like the painted map but I could also paint words or a deer head silhouette??

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I even have my vintage door propped in the garage waiting for inspiration to strike me as how to use it.

So there you have the entry and front room...with my ideas for the future that I'd love your input on. More tour coming later!

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

WAITING

I am sitting on a blanket waiting for fireworks to begin. As the show is not scheduled for another 3 hours, I thought I'd take advantage of this rare bit of free time and post something on this blog!

Lately, any documentation of my life has been through the use of instagram and my little phone camera. Here are some of those pics illustrating the last month of our lives.