Inching closer part 2

Forms are in for the driveway and sidewalks to be poured

Master bath vanity. I found some great brushed nickel hardware to dress it with.
The cabinets are a dark cherry, they look black in the pictures.

Entryway into house from garage. It's not much space but I wanted to have some beadboard in the entryway. I love the cottage feel of beadboard.

Master bedroom. I ordered the bedding below from West Elm and used it as our inspiration for the wall color.

West Elm clover bedding

Inching closer

Wood floors are installed

You can finally see the front door. Love it!

The boys playroom painted a bluish gray

Jake's room
The boys rooms, kitchen, foyer and great room are all this color.

Den a.k.a. downstairs playroom

Chiropractors are NOT quacks

Awhile back I wrote here about all my problems I've been having with my teeth not aligning and my jaw problems. It has gotten so bad over the past few months that I could barely chew my food and if I did, I was in the worst pain while doing it. Even laying the side of my head on my pillow was causing me discomfort and the headaches were constant. I was at a complete loss. My orthodontist couldn't figure out why things were so screwy, my jaw surgeon was treating me like I was crazy and being completely unhelpful and I was at my witts end.

I was desperate and thinking that maybe my chiropractor could be of some help. I hadn't been to see her in a couple of years, but I'm convinced she helped Jake's tortocollis resolve. She did more for him in a few visits than a year of physical therapy had done for him. So I went back to her and explained the situation. She listened and she listened closely. She was able to pinpoint all the areas on my skull and spine that were problems areas.

She did her black magic and I swear the next day I woke up, took my retainers out, bit down and all my teeth lined up perfectly. They were all touching properly and my open bite was gone. I was still in pain with my jaw opening and closing but finally my teeth aligned. I continued to see her over the next three weeks and as of Monday I am almost pain free. I haven't felt this good in months! I really don't know how chiropractic care works and I know a lot of people out there think it's a bunch of garbage but I'm a believer. I'm so thankful to have some pain relief, it was really getting to the point of making me depressed.

Tee Ball Pics

Anderson up at bat

Kevin guiding Jake

Saftey first

Not sure anyone is really listening to Dad's strategies

My little blue jays

Picture Catch Up

Jake in Mackinac City
Anderson enjoying the beach

The boys spent about half an hour skipping stones into the water.

The Mackinac bridge

Cousins hanging out in the Upper Peninsula

There's nothing better...

than some creamy ice cream with m&m's on top in the middle of summer. I just adore the sweetness of Jake bringing his balloon outside with him while he ate his ice cream. The balloon is from several days ago, but he is still wearing it around the house. It's like he's creating his own personal carnival atmosphere.

The boys went for their second teeth cleaning yesterday and did well. Jake had no problems whatsoever, Anderson did well but teared up a couple of times. I can't say I blame him, poor guy endured a double root canal and has a sharp memory. He tried to be brave and we were proud of them both.

Two weeks ago, Anderson and Jake started tee ball. The games are pretty entertaining. There is a lot of crying, confusion and repeated shouting...run this way, over here, throw the ball to first. Despite the chaos, the boys seem to enjoy the experience. They listen pretty well and are starting to pick up on the rules of the game.

After two plus weeks of a work stoppage, the stonework was finally completed.

Bridge across window will get the crown molding as well....they ran out before finishing the job.

These guys are so excited about their new house! The granite was installed yesterday.


Tumbled marble backsplash was done today. The black mark in the middle is where my pot filler will go with the gas cooktop underneath.



I'm really loving the kitchen. The floors will be oak and will be stained just a tad darker than the island.

Happy to announce...

I overreacted!!! They sanded the staircase and put the sealer on it and it looks gorgeous! Sanding it brought it a couple shades lighter, evened out the stain and the polyurethane made it shiny and nice. I couldn't have asked for it to look any better than it does. I.am.so.relieved.

Tomorrow they will start painting. Counter tops are supposed to be installed by the end of the week and the stone for the fireplace should be delivered. Next week is light installation and wood flooring install as well. The biggest hurdle we are facing right now is the two story patio in the backyard. They haven't even started that yet and I think it is a pretty big project.

Now on to the good stuff. The boys and I are having a great summer together. We have a play date every week with Simon, meet Kevin for lunch, babysit for Grant and Claire, play outside and spend lots of time cuddled up on the couch reading. A couple of weeks ago we got a DVD from the library called "Meet the sight words". The boys watched it about 5 times and they now know 15 sight words! They have been finding them in books and pointing them out, and Anderson can actually spell a few. I'm amazed at those little sponges!

The boys are so excited about the new house. When we take them into the house, they give the workers a tour. Even though most of the workers don't pay too much attention, my little guys are busy pointing out where mom is going to do the laundry, where our family will be eating dinner and their playroom. It will be so nice to wrap this project up and finally move in.

Huge Sigh

The stress of the house is really starting to weigh me down. We've had problems with the brick, the stone exterior, the paint, the lack of follow through on their part and now the staircase. Every week brings a new battle to fight and I'm just feeling defeated. Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe I'm looking for a perfection that just doesn't exist. I've been too mentally exhausted to even chronicle the problems here. The latest is the staircase.

The staircase is made from poplar, our wood floors will be oak. Two very different species of wood that stain very differently. I spent an hour today with the painter trying to match the floor color we will have, but no matter what we did, the poplar stained extremely unevenly and VERY dark. I like dark, the floors will be dark, but the stain on the staircase looks burnt to me. Like it caught on fire and tada, the charred remains are now our staircase. The staircase is like the showcase of the house and I feel like it is the biggest disapointment yet.

I do have a tendency to overreact and only time will tell if I am in this instance but right now I'm in a really crappy place over this staircase. On the bright side, I'm loving our kitchen and I think the tile came out really well as well.

Mackinac Island

We took the boys on a mini vacay last week to Mackinac Island. Our laptop has pooped out so all the pictures are temporarily unavailable. We met up with the McBrides, they had left earlier in the week to spend some time in Bay Harbor. Everyone had a great time and the trip actually exceeded my expectations.

When we arrived in Mackinac city, we headed over the Mackinac Bridge to the Upper Peninsula. St. Ignace was pretty low key, not much to do but we did check out a really nice antique shop. We headed back over the bridge for dinner in Mackinac City. After dinner and some shopping we took the boys to the hotel's indoor water park. They had a blast as usual, we topped it off with a trip for ice cream and then headed to bed.

In the morning we took an early ferry over to the island. This was the highlight of the trip for the boys. They loved the boat ride!!! Once we were settled on the island, we rented some bikes and rode the eight miles around the island. I love that there are no cars on the island, it was so charming to see the garbage men collecting garbage by horse and buggy. The views were gorgeous, the homes were unbelievable and the water looked like the Caribbean. We made many stops along the way....the beach, a playground, etc.

After the bike ride we had some lunch at a pub and then wasted no time buying up an insane amount of fudge to take home. Not much fudge actually made it home. Later in the afternoon we spent some time letting the boys play on the beach in the sand. They had a great time burying their toys and digging them back up and they loved the "waves" from the passing ferries.

It was a short trip but a memorable one. Next time I think we'll stay on the island and explore the beauty of the U.P. as well.

Flowers from Great Nanny's Garden

It's been five months since my dear Grandmother has passed. Some days it's a challenge to live in her home of almost 20 years because of the constant reminder of her absence, but days like today are a comfort. Her flowers are in full bloom and purple was her favorite color. She would love that her home was filled with the laughter of two loving and fiesty boys and today as I read them a bedtime story, I saw her smiling in the corner of my mind's eye.

Interior pics

Stonework on front of entry way was mortared today

Master Bedroom


House has been primed but not yet painted

My crush...the other side of the door has some hinges that make it look rustic

Great Room/fireplace

Today we took the boys into the house. They have only been one time when it was partially roughed and at that time it just seemed to dangerous to take them in. So they usually wait in the car with one of us while Kevin or I go into the house. They were so excited about their new house when we took them in today! We gave them a tour and they said things like "oh boy, this is great, Mom!" They got all silly excited over their rooms and their shared bathroom. Kevin talked to the building supervisor today and he is anticipating a late August/early September completion date.

Exterior Pics

Stone work about 2/3's finished

Side of porch

Area that still needs mortar

Close up of what the stone looks like after it is mortared