to the not-so-bitter end

YES! We're near the end!

Let's see, last post Nov. 14. LOTS has changed since then. Check it out. Things have turned out even better than we expected. We must (not-so-humbly) admit that (we think) we have darn good taste.

The final walk-through is this afternoon and we plan to begin moving in Friday afternoon! Just about everything we own has been in storage since August, so it will be like an early Christmas opening all those boxes.

Interested in helping? Let us know! We'll be accepting all offers to carry boxes, unpack boxes, arrange furniture, organize cabinets, etc. There will be compensation in the form of food and beverage.

Compensation defined as payment in exchange for work. If you're just interested in snooping around, feel free to stop by, but don't expect us to nourish you. ;)

(And, for those who check this blog only to see if there are new Otto pics, scroll down.)

Just a few more interjections to show how excited we are:

YEAH!!!!! Woo hoo!!!! Cowabunga!!!

A few exterior pics --- not totally finished... but darn close!

(there will be two front posts and all the cedar will be stained.)

Outdoor light example.
Exterior paint scheme



Dining room light fixture
Master bathroom --- could be my favorite room in the house!

This is a view to the shower --- remember the "TV-watching window"?
soaker tub
oh, and notice the white octagon/dot tile. white with black grout. Can you say "retro?"

There are "his" and "hers" versions of these vanities.
No sharing in this household.

Master bedroom ceiling.

Now, to the living room...

You can see the transoms, windows, kitchen... AND, the wood floors. They're not stained in this pic, but we chose a very dark stain. They turned out beautifully!

Kitchen.

I think the new things here are the pendant light fixtures and the tile backsplash.

Living room fireplace. The hearth is different than before. Still not very big, but big enough that you can sit in front of the fire and warm your back. :)

One of the small upstairs bedrooms. Some shade of light brown, like most of the first floor.

Another upstairs bedroom --- I'm calling this one the Green Room.



The lighting is terrible on this, but this is the powder room. It's the same green as the Green Room. Very fun faucet.
Something Super cool for our Super Cool Guests.


OOOOOOOHHHH! Laundry room! Exciting!

I just thought I'd also share an example of the cheapest light fixture in the entire world. This would be called "Builder Grade." And we've got a TON of them. As we switch them out for ceiling fans in the bedrooms, we're going to have a helluva garage sale. Let us know if you're interested ahead of time. We'll cut you a break, fo sho.

The bar. Notice the sink. That's so Sandy and Norb have a place to fill the coffee pot when they visit. It's certainly not big enough to wash any dishes.

Basement fireplace.

And last, here's Otto, in all his glory at the farm. Reading a magazine with Grandma. Cuddling after a long day of chasing cats. It's been a while since he made an appearance on the blog. I just thought he deserved some glory.

watching paint dry...it's more exciting than you'd think!

So, as usual, I'm tardy in posting pictures. The painters have actually finished, the tile is almost finished, and the wood floors are in progress... but I haven't been able to take pictures in good light, so I'm hoping to do that tonight. Check back this weekend!

Here, though, you'll see the window, base and crown trim has all been painted white --- beautiful, fresh, clean. We really like how it's highlighted the colors we chose for the walls. It's beautimous.

French doors for the French.

Just kidding... this is the office.We stained the transom frams and the columns... here's the view from the living room windows looking at the front door. Purty, huh?

Kitchen...


Fireplace, transoms, etc.

Staircase, from the basement...

And, from the basement... this is one bedroom...

And, the other bedroom...

Basement windows and fireplace...

close encounters of the stained kind

Translation: we have countertops - granite in the kitchen, marble in the master bath - and the woodwork has been stained. We love it all; the pictures speak for themselves.

Lots of you have been asking when we will be moving in. Our current reply: who knows? We had been hoping to have Thanksgiving turkey on a grill on the new deck, but that's not going to happen. Painters will be working for at least one more week, then we still have flooring (hopefully their schedules get them working as soon as the paint is finished), plumbing, lighting, a deck, concrete... the list goes on and on.

So, maybe by Christmas??? We've learned that it's better not to know for sure than to have a specific date in mind, get our hopes up, then be disappointed ... again.

Patience is a virtue, right?

I thought I should include a more detailed picture of the stone work. They're working on the porch now.

Basement bar - looks straight out of a saloon, right?

Basement fireplace.

Most of the rest of the woodwork will be painted white - hopefully soon!

set in stone

The mason has begun to lay the stone on the front of the house. Getting closer every day!

Our view. And, our wall. Pretty, huh?

The office. (Yes, the house is SOLD. To us.)

Entryway to the dining room. See some of the paint sampling? We've tried about 15 different colors on various walls.
Upstairs hallway.

Kitchen.

Master bedroom, facing the master bath.

Master bedroom.

And, the tub deck! Master bathroom --- the shower, to be specific. It has a window. So that Scott can watch TV on the wall opposite the shower. Everyone needs a TV in the bathroom.
Master bath. Again.

The bar.
Basement fireplace.

A good view of the basement... bar on the left, fireplace on the right.

Norb and Sandy's room. Nice view of the water, HUGE closet. Perfect, right? :)

The other basement bedroom, soon to be "Craft Room."