Back to Routines

sheep at the gate, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

With Easter Sunday around the corner and the recent emergence of spring weather, I thought all of you would enjoy my photo of a sheep, patiently waiting at a fence gate. I love how the morning sunlight whispers through the wooden slats. And a little humor in a picture goes a long way. Do you see how the enormous tree has absorbed the fence, intertwining their histories and fates?

We have returned from our short jaunt up to Indiana to visit with my Mom, a few of my brothers, and sister-in-law. Physical challenges took a few of us down for the count last year, so it was good to see everyone to be getting along better.

A few personal tasks are at the top of my agenda this week, including a dentist visit this afternoon for a replacement bridge. I can tell that my bite has been off with the temporary bridge because I keep accidentally chewing the inside of my cheek. Yee-ouch!

I will get some pictures pulled together of our homebuilding progress and post them in the next day or two. My last progress report was March 14, and there have been several new transformations since then!

I also plan to catch up with my many blogging friends soon and see how everyone is doing. Did you know that my list of followers is now approaching 100?! As soon as I get to that magical milestone, I’ll be having another bloggy giveaway! The only question is when that will happen!

Wander at Crossroads

cottage flower garden, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

Sweet hubby and I will be preoccupied for the rest of the week. We’re going to wander for a few days to a land that actually invited such meanderings in its state slogan. Yes, yes, we are going to “Wander Indiana.” The tourism department held on to that uninspiring slogan for many years. Want to know what the new one is? Steady yourselves. “Indiana: crossroads for the rest of you guys.” ~Sigh~

This is not a sightseeing trip, but a family one. While you patiently wait for my return, here is a pretty spring picture for your gazing pleasure.

Photo Challenge: Fruit/Macro

It’s time for another Brenda Photo Challenge! The current theme is Fruit/Macro. I am glad that we currently live at a rental home and will soon be moving out. The neighbors are undoubtedly gossiping about the crazy lady who stands out on her house deck and takes close-up pictures of fruit. Ah, the things we do for the photo challenges!

How do you like this picture of an alien-looking blob? It reminds me a little bit of high school biology class and the views through a microscope! It is actually cantaloupe skin. I altered the image with a colorful background layer, and then further modified it with accented edges and sponge filters. The camera settings were f/5.6, 1/200 second, and ISO 800.

It is a challenge to make a photographic masterpiece of a lowly banana, but I made an honest attempt. I composed this to emphasize the fruit’s curve and organic flaws. I then applied a textured background layer to the photo for contrast between the wood surface and the fruit. After a good laugh about this artsy-fartsy composition, I promptly ate the subject matter. It was tasty, LOL. The image was taken at f/9, 1/100 second, and IS 800.

Just Like A Gentle Lamb

ewe and lamb, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia

The March wind roars

Like a lion in the sky,

And makes us shiver

As he passes by.

When winds are soft,

And the days are warm and clear,

Just like a gentle lamb,

Then spring is here.

[Author Unknown]

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Trim, Cabinets, & a Whole Lot More

Where do I even begin? So many things have happened since my last homebuilding progress report on March 5! The structure is now quickly turning into a home with the additions of trim, cabinets, and a whole lot more.

As soon as wood and tile flooring installations were completed, the trim started to arrive, including an army of interior doors. These were quickly installed throughout the house. We chose a new Craftsman cottage style by Jeld-Wen. Aren’t they adorable?

Wood molding supplies were stacked in the garage, ready for the finish carpenters.

It didn't take long for the guys to start digging into the pile and creating some beauty!  The architectural trim work is underway and will continue through this week.

Stairway supplies were delivered.

And an attractive stairway is now taking shape.

Several mountains of cabinet boxes arrived, and about half of them were destined for the kitchen.

Within a workday, the cabinet installer was already giving us a taste of what our gorgeous kitchen will look like!

While a flurry of activities was going on inside, the exterior experienced some changes too. Our home looked like this on March 6th, right after some yard grading was completed.

Within a few days, gutters were installed and garage doors appeared. The first coat of paint was applied to the doors.

Brick bases for the porch columns also got constructed this past week. Whew! And this is what our home looks like now!

Keep on the lookout for more progress reports later!

Spring Forward!

grandfather clock face in the great hall of Centre Family Dwelling,

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky

Signs of spring are here. Finally! The weeping willow trees (one of my favorites) are beginning to tip out with their light green leaves. Warmer weather and showers have settled into the Tennessee hills and valleys this past week. And tonight we set our clocks forward to usher in Daylight Saving Time 2010.

So drink an extra cup of coffee in the morning. Maybe two. We won’t get that extra hour of sleep back until November 7th!

Stuck in the Honey Pot

It seems that we have been terribly busy lately. Or else very disorganized. OK, maybe both. The home building project has gone into super-drive lately, and I have not been very good in keeping up with my blog. Time has been slipping away. Sigh. I have pictures to share and hope to get them posted this weekend. Oh, and I have to finish tax preparation too. “Bear” with me.

In the meantime, I think I’ll stick my head in the honey pot and get back with you later...

Tutorial - New Window for Web Links

Are you ready to try a daring feat with your blog? This is an easy tip. No acrobatic tricks are involved and you will not expose your petticoats. I promise!

Many of us bloggers insert web links in our posts. I frequently include internet resource information for my readers, particularly when I am writing about our journeys. With the default Bloggers programming, when you click on such a link, your browser window navigates away from the blog page to the linked web site. And if you are like me, you sometimes lose your place and forget to go back and finish reading the original blog post!

To eliminate this aggravation, I made a change to my blog’s html programming a few months ago so that my web links open up into new windows. If you want to make this template change too, here are the steps:

That’s it! Now try it out and then order a young person to do a cartwheel for you!

Latest Homebuilding Progress

A whole flurry of homebuilding work is getting done right now! It’s time to catch everyone up with the latest progress report. First up, we now have concrete for our front porch!

It was finished yesterday and already set today.

The garage entry door got delivered yesterday. Look at the mission-style design that we picked out! And as you can see in the picture, the walls have received primer coats of paint and wood flooring installation is underway. This particular green is called cavern moss. It is in the dining room, laundry, and guest bedroom.

The door was quickly hung this morning. Notice the garage paint? It is called grey frost. This color is also in our master bedroom and hubby’s office. A peek through the doorway also shows the cocoa-colored paint that is going in the rest of the room locations. It is called dormouse and has been a favorite of ours for years.

While the wood floor installers are upstairs today, the tile installer is busy putting down gorgeous tiles in the laundry room and master bath. This picture shows the laundry floor before grout is added.

And what is going on outside right now? Painting! The first coat was done yesterday.

The main color is called Cromwell grey and the trim matches the taupe color of the Anderson windows.

The main color is quite a chameleon. Based on the time of day and quality of sunlight, it can appear to be grey, taupe, brown, or green. It looks a bit greenish-gray in these pictures. It is quite an interesting color! (Note: The “smoke” in the garage is from a worker cutting tile.)

Ah, our new home is finally getting “dressed up” with decorative touches! Stay tuned for more progress reports in the days ahead!

Daffodil Time

It is daffodil time, so the robins all cry,

For the sun’s a big daffodil up in the sky,

And when down the midnight the owl calls “to-whoo”!

Why, then the round moon is a daffodil too;

Now sheer to the bough-tops the sap starts to climb,

So, merry my masters, it’s daffodil time.
~Clinton Scollard~

March - A Look Ahead

Okay, okay. It’s official. I am sick of winter and its total lack of bright colors. I am putting on here new wallpaper that I created and a springtime photo header to cheers things up a bit! And it is on my “to do” list to post some flower pictures this month in order to wake us from the slumber of the winter season.

As my sweet readers discovered last month, progress on the homebuilding project is coming along very nicely and quickly. The project remains our top priority. Most days find us at the site, checking on our new home’s evolution and identifying any possible issues as quickly as possible. Builder Mike has been doing a grand job managing the details and addressing any concerns or questions we have. The most difficult part of the process is writing out the checks, LOL.

The very first coats of paint were applied on Friday last week, and it was exciting to finally get to this milestone. Color! Beautiful, creamy colors are now on the walls and ceilings. Hardwood and tile installations are expected to begin this week. Outside painting will soon begin too. A back porch will materialize in the weeks ahead. As soon as concrete gets poured for the front porch, columns will be added. Wood trim will appear on the walls later on this month. Will cabinets get delivered and installed in March? We hope so! The structure will quickly transform to a home. It will be a spring to remember for us!

We finished our vacation planning last month and have some fabulous and rather unconventional trips lined up. I got some medical checkups accomplished in February as well, and my health remains good. Yeah! More items got marked off the never-ending “to do” list. We have embarked on diets (again) so that we can shed some poundage before our late-2010 journeys. We’re making regular visits to the fitness center too. I continue to exercise my bionic knee. After all, it has to carry me where I intend to go in life!

My big chore this month is to work on our stupid income tax filing. Every year, I dread the tax season and curse our politicians (even more than usual). The tax code is, quite simply, a monstrosity. There are extra regulatory hoops we have to deal with this time. Oh joy. I strongly believe in comprehensive tax reform and use of a Fair Tax. This country desperately needs to eradicate our current tax code and replace it with something simple. Until the taxpayers revolt and force the politicians to change the system, there will continue to be millions of folks like me who dread this time of year. I am crossing my fingers and hoping that TaxACT doesn’t let me down and helps me through the painful process once again.

So there you have it. Spring is running a little bit late this year in our neck of the woods. But I know it is right around the corner! Green foliage will soon be sprouting and daffodil flowers will brighten our days. March is one of my favorite months! And this year, we will be enjoying it without all the usual work of weeding, mulching, and trimming. Ahh, bring it on!