Nothing Quilty Going On Here

Nope, no quilting.  But fun nevertheless.  Progress is happening.  Exciting day today, when the first of a couple of deliveries and installations of cabinets.

Simply white painted cabinets. Oil rubbed bronze hardware.  Knotty hickory stained driftwood island.

 Coffee bar with butcher block top.

 Master vanities.

And the vinyl soffit and shake work continued.

House Update and a brotherly visit

Thought I'd post a new house update.  We really couldn't be happier with how things are progressing. Trim is about 65% finished inside, brick is finished, stone column work started today, electrical was buried and got the go ahead to cover up, so that all happened today too.

The master bath is going to be fabulous.

We are just so excited and so thankful we are able to do this.  My quilting studio has the best light in the whole house.  My sewing machine will sit near this great window.

Cabinets will be installed on Tuesday.  That is something I am very excited and nervous about.  You study all the options and make selections but you don't know until they are built and installed what they will really look like.  I found things I liked from various different kitchens so I wasn't trying to copy one particular kitchen, but take things I liked from several.  Fingers crossed that it will all come together.

One last photo....not a house one but a significant one nonetheless.  My brother, who lives in California came for a visit this week. He left home early in his life, at about 18, when I was only 10, and hasn't been back home much over the years. It was a very nice visit.  My other brother came over tonight and we had a good time just catching up.

Construction Update

Well, it is really coming along.  The brick has started, the tile work has started, the primer paint is on, the ceilings are painted.  Interior doors and trim coming on Monday, dirt/gravel guy coming next week, and I think shakes and soffits are also coming either later this week or next.  Cabinets may be next week too.  Oh my!

Screened porch

 Back side of master bedroom

 Laundry room (has an entrance from hallway and also one from master closet -smart!)

 Hall bathroom

 Master bathroom - tub and separate shower

Inside walls primed, ceilings sprayed

I did discover something, but I am glad I saw it before it was too late for a return.  I had ordered two mirrors from Kirklands (great sale price of $34 for these 31"x43.5" mirrors), and had not opened them since picking them up a few weeks ago.  I kept thinking I should open them up....well, one was broken.  However they were great when I called and have ordered me a replacement.

We've also been working really hard doing some things around our current home, getting it ready to put on the market to sell. Power washed and sealed the deck, replaced some light fixtures, and have started packing up some rarely used things.

I've also had a chance to get some sewing done. This is the cutest quilt....it will be a special gift.  You ever make something and just KNOW the recipient is going to love it?  That's how I feel about this one....my machine behaved perfectly on the quilting too. That's always a bonus.

I realized recently that I haven't seen my grand babies since the second week in February.  This is the longest I've gone without seeing them.  :(  I miss them so.  I need a visit!

Thanks for stopping by,
Rachel

Christmas Quilt

I managed to get another quilt published.  If you are interested go on over to my quilting website, www.rachelmhayes.com and check it out. I used the One Block Wonder process that is so fun to make.

Construction News

The house is coming along.  Framing and plumbing inspection was today and passed, yay!  I had bought some laundry tile and went to pick it up today.  Didn't realize each box weighed 60 pounds.  Uh oh.  I managed to move 4 from the car to the garage before I felt just a tiny twinge in my back.  Then, smartly, I stopped.  Our builder fussed at me for it - said it was his job to get that stuff.  Well, he will be hauling the rest from my car, and what I moved from the garage when it is needed.  Lol!  I am too old to be moving that much weight.  I used to pride myself on being really strong (as I always said, "for a girl") but that strength has a way of melting away as the years go by. I do weights 2-3 times a week, but it really isn't enough.

Anyway, here's a look at my tile next to the washer and dryer.  I think I'm going to love it.

This style is very popular right now.  I know it will go out of style, as everything does, in a few years, but I'm going for it, and I'll enjoy it.  Maybe when it goes out of style, I'll be too old to care, ha!

Costco had a great buy on outdoor dusk to dawn LED carriage lights.  Score!

Costco is also selling garage doors through a local company right now.  Very reasonably priced.  The ones we picked out were over budget, by a lot.  We thought we would just have to accept that, but these will actually be in budget.  He's done his research and will do a comparison, to see which ones will suit our needs and be in or close to, budget.

Do you like Costco or Sams?  Years ago, I really liked Sams, but now Costco is my favorite.  I finally decided on pendant lights for over the island.  I have obsessed about these.  I settled with this large lantern style.  I wasn't sure whether I would need two or three, so I bought three.  However, I am hoping two will be plenty and I can use the other one as a foyer light.

(courtesy of blesserhouse.com)

They look huge in this picture.  They are 18" x 12", but the island is very large at 9' x 4'.  I like that they have no glass to get dirty and you can see through them.

More to come in the next few weeks - insulation, picking trim and interior doors, sheetrock, brick, stone, etc. etc. etc.  It's all good.

House Progress

Things are hoppin over at the new home site.  Shingles on, doors and windows in, electrical and plumbing rough in completed and inspected, CH&A rough in done, central vac installed (Yeah baby!).  Meeting with the cabinet man tomorrow to finalize the design and sign a contract. Fireplace soon, then insulation, then sheetrock. I am hoping the brick and stone will be going up soon too.

I took a friend with me to help me pick out tile for the bathrooms and laundry room.  She helped me step out of my comfort zone a bit and I am really excited about what we picked.  Have you seen the stencil tiles?  A lot of people (Pinterest) are putting it in laundry rooms like below....

Here is the one I picked.  If I was going to go bold, the laundry room seemed a good, safe place to do it!

My washer and dryer is black and I'll have some white cabinets in there.  It was so budget friendly at 99 cents a square foot, I figure if I really got tired of it in a few years I could always paint it, or rip it up.

Next up the bathrooms.  The Floor and Decor designer I worked with (a free service!) was really great.  She helped me pick some simple tile that has a transitional style to it, which means it can go with several kinds of decor.  Simple like the modern farmhouse style so popular now, and which I really like, but also just a bit different.  I went with a bigger 4" x 10" subway tile for the showers. I stepped out of my comfort zone on the shower floor tile.  I picked a penny tile that has a slight metallic look.

 Below is a picture from Pinterest that is similar to what I picked.  We decided on a darker grey grout.

As you can see I love the simplistic look of subway tile and wanted white with a soft gray grout for the kitchen.  The designer suggested I go a little smaller than traditional subway tile. The counter will be a white quartz with some marble veining.

We are just so very, very thankful we are getting to build our dream home.  The home we hope to live in until we pass away.  Most everything is handicap accessible with wide door ways and easy access. No steps to get into the house or out to the porches.  This is very important for my husband.  He has a bad leg from polio he contracted at the age of one. Steps are getting more and more difficult as he ages.

Just wanted to document our progress!  Thanks for stopping by.

Trip, kitty cat, house and grandbabies

An update on what is transpiring around here.  I got home today from my trip.  I am such a homebody and I've gotten to where I really hate to travel (unless it is to see my grand babies). Although I must say these three young folks are fun to travel with.  I am so proud of these three.  I hired two of them and all three worked in my group.  I'd like to think I helped them move on up the ladder in our field. One is the department manager now, and the other two are group supervisors.  The young lady took my place when I retired three years ago.  All of them are so very smart and just really good people.

 It was some beautiful country and we were able to take some time one day after work to visit Bandolier National Monument.  Here's a little from wikipedia about it ----  Bandelier National Monument is a 33,677-acre United States National Monument near Los Alamos in Sandoval and Los Alamos Counties, New Mexico. The monument preserves the homes and territory of the Ancestral Puebloans of a later era in the Southwest. Most of the pueblo structures date to two eras, dating between 1150 and 1600 AD.

 We thought the little hole above this opening in the cliff was pretty neat.

 We each took turns climbing up a few of the ladders to view inside the cliff dwellings.

 We also visited two missions in Santa Fe.....

 There is a very interesting story behind this curved staircase. Notice there is no center support pole. You can read about it here --  https://www.lorettochapel.com/info/history

 And of course Camel Rock, which is on the way from Santa Fe to Los Alamos.

I had good news when I arrived home.  Our cat's eye infection hasn't improved a lot so two days ago the hubby made an appointment to evaluate it and determine if it is feasible to remove it, so he can live, otherwise we may need to put him under.  :(  That was such a sad thought, but Jim has managed to be such a good nurse, when he took him this morning, the vet thinks he has improved and wants to wait another week before deciding whether the eye should be removed. He still looks pretty rough but he is still with us!

I received this today.  My grand daughter was wanting her picture made with a bag piper.  She got it today! She's getting so big, *sniff, sniff

 And today was her "half birthday", so mommy made her a cake.  Can you tell she was excited?

 Love this picture of the two cuties! I especially love how she has her arm around her little brother.

While I was gone all the windows were installed and some of the doors. I am really happy with the front door.  It has 'vapor' glass.

Since the roof isn't finished we have some water and lots and lots of mud (the worker's muddy boots) all over the floors.  Our builder says the rain won't hurt the structure, in fact will help it settle faster, but we would really like to get it in the dry. This coming week we are hoping to get the rest of the doors installed, the shingles on, and get the mess inside cleaned up.  I am meeting our cabinet man early Monday to measure.  Exciting times.

Home progress

The home building is trucking right along.  They got the felt on the roof today.  Windows are scheduled to be delivered next Wednesday and shingles on Friday.  It's an exciting time.

We are just so, so thankful we are able to do this. We want this home to be full of friends, company, life and laughter.  (drone pics thanks to a good friend who lives close and has a drone!)

Speaking of life and laughter....

This girl is growing up so much.  She looks so tall!  Her and her family and getting ready for a big move to Cambridge, UK.  It marks the end of a wonderful time in their lives.  They have made so many good friends in Edinburgh, but as they and their friends graduate and move on to other things, it is sad for them. They have been soaking up all the sights, sounds, and friends lately in preparation for the move.

I'm still not doing any quilting.  I've been spending my time re-furbishing furniture, cleaning out closets, organizing my quilting room, and all the errands associated with building - picking this and that.

Our 10 year old cat, Jesse, has some kind of eye infection.  We took him to the vet about 10 days ago and they gave us some pain medicine for him.  I had already bought terramycin ointment which is what she recommended.  He isn't sneezing, or pawing at it.  It runs and he keeps it closed.  He was getting better, but we neglected the ointment the last few days and now it is bad again.  He has another appointment on Monday but I have an out of town business trip, so the hubby is going to have to figure out how to get him there.  Jim walks with a cane and can't lift the cat.  He plans to get a friend to help him get Jesse in the carrier and to and from the vet.  We are pretty worried about him.  When this first happened he didn't eat or drink for almost 3 days.  He didn't eat anything last night or today.  He is holding his head kind of weird, and just not acting himself. I'm wondering if it is a secondary problem due to something more serious.

HIs good eye, was very dilated earlier today.  He has been the perfect cat.  Never jumps on the tables, never claws the furniture, does his business outside.  I just pray that if this is something serious the good Lord won't let him suffer. I hate the the hubby will have to handle this alone.  He adores this animal.

Although I retired three years ago, I've been working part time as a subcontractor.  I never intended to travel for work any more, but here I go..  :(  Not sure why I agreed to this, but I don't think I will again.  I get enough traveling to see the kids.  Off to Los Alamos tomorrow for six days.