We're In (but no internet to share pictures to prove it!)

We had a smooth move in last Friday--and avoided any rainstorms. We're settled in and loving the house, especially the porches and kitchen. I'll share pictures and a video once we get the internet (hope next week--forgot to have this arranged beforehand, along with having shades for the windows, among other things!). Thanks for following us on this journey!

Moving in this weekend

We're moving in this weekend! I have pictures to upload of the outside and the carpet inside but there's too much to do to make this transition. I'm not sure what the status of our internet will be at the new house but know that I will share a video of the place soon. Hang tight!

Come play on the grass!

We have grass! Lots of grass! Lots of grass to play on, hide Easter eggs in, and if we keep watering it, lots of grass to cut!

Master bedroom side view.

Backyard view

View of back of the house. I think the screens will be put up on the backporch today.

We ate a picnic lunch on the front porch today. Great breeze and nice shade! In a week we'll be almost in! It passed inspection yesterday. Interior painting, finishing up cabinet hardware, etc. today.

A slight unfair advantage

It's sod day at the new house!
Ashley, his dad and a few of their crew members are laying our Zoysia sod. I'm the first to admit that we're at an unfair advantage when it comes to landscaping--but gosh, it makes it nice when we can have a yard right when we move in next weekend!I couldn't be more thankful for my husband's line of work!

Ashley is prepping the soil for the sod with a rake.

Kleck used his tractor to do get ground properly tilled (I apologize if I'm not using the correct terminology!).

The pallets of sod waiting.

Oh pretty house--I already love you! I'm so thankful for this whole process. Walking up the hill this morning from our shop (I dug some old rugs out of storage so our hardwood floors could be somewhat preserved from all the traffic going in and out), I stood in the front amazed by how it's all come together.

And then when I see the grass (soon to be greener) against the crisp white, I'm just even more happy.

Ashley's dad is using the Bobcat to move the pallets of sod in place.

Oh and the railings are painted!

More pictures later of the finished yard!

On a pecan island

No, we're not at a tropical locale surrounded by pecan trees...today we visited Sydney who is creating the top for our kitchen island. What beautiful work! The pecan boards are from our brother-in-law. I can't wait for this piece of the house puzzle to go into place next week. Here's the top, pre-final sanding and staining.

Up-close view of the boards where you can really see the character. Sydney said it was hard finding pieces that were fairly clear and Ashley told him we like character. So this is perfect. Just perfect!

And the stain choice we chose is Dark Walnut by Miniwax. The island top will have some variance as you can tell from these two samples--the one on the left is slightly darker than the right.

Speaking of stain, the hardwood floors will get their final coat of polyurethane tomorrow and then it's back to work for the rest of the crews!

For Our Fiftieth Post: Stained Floors!

Ashley worked on the landscape this past weekend. I'm sure the look of our land will change many times over the coming years because he has a habit of moving plants around. For now, here's what we have out front.

On the inside, our floors are stained. This first picture is taken with my camera's cloudy setting and doesn't represent the actual color.

Here's the real color. It's NOT the Provincial we had in mind but after looking at it several times and getting the opinions of several family members (Martin, Kristin, and Ashley's parents), I think we like it. We thought about having another coat of stain applied to get closer to the look we wanted but we're just going to keep it as it is. When you read about red oak flooring online, you will learn that it's the most common flooring choice in America. It's hard, durable and widely available (and a reasonable price). But with red oak you have to embrace the grain. There's no way around the grain!

Here's a bigger section. Again, it's lighter than we thought we wanted but I think it fits with a farmhouse. And as Ashley's mom pointed out, this color will be less likely to show dust, sand and dirt (and the occasional scratches that are bound to happen!). Three coats of polyurethane will be applied before the other crews can get back into the house to finish up the tile, plumbing, and electrical. 

Our last decision (maybe)

I think we're done with decisions! This morning I met with the hardwood floor finishers and picked Miniwax's Provincial, which is a very basic darker stain but not too dark. I wanted to stay away from the super dark because dust and dirt would show up terribly. Provincial fits the bill.

And speaking of final decisions, I think we've decided on this chandelier for above the island.

I know, it's slightly different from the look of our house overall. But the more I look at pictures of farmhouses, the more I see a very traditional chandelier hanging in the dining room. We'll tie that look in with our kitchen by hopefully painting this fixture in oil-rubbed bronze to match the rest of the house.

What do you think? The best part about this fixture is we found it for sale at our local ReStore (a steal at $20!). We can always change it out down the road. But we're ready to be done with decisions and that's it!

Unless of course, you realize that today is a day that nothing is as it really is. Then you'll just laugh and just have to wait to see what we've really chosen. Happy April Fool's!