My Wonderful Birthday!

It's hard to believe that I'm 34! When exactly did I grow up? Somewhere in between high school DECA competitions and meeting this amazing man... it happened. Or has it? I'm still not convinced. I mean.. sure... I have bank accounts, bills, responsibilites, a career, a husband and a car...but I still love laughing my head off until tears fall, sticking my feet in mud and wiggling my toes, talking in a squeeky voice to the dog and playing harmless jokes on people.

Whether I'm "grown up" or still enjoying the process... one thing is for sure. Having a birthday is a gift. I feel so lucky to have been blessed with another year to experience that sweetness of life and I have this wonderful feeling of the years to come. There are so many things on my "wish list of life experiences", that I can't wait to see what the future holds for me. The unexpected experiences are often the best. As I wrote this, a small hummingbird came to check out the bedroom window. He hoovered there, at first further back, then cautiously came forward. He buzzed there in one spot for a few moments- almost as if to say "Good Morning! What's for breakfast?". See? Sweetness of life.

The "Buck" stops here... and so does the doe

This couple has been hanging out at and near our house for weeks. Yesterday they were enjoying some quiet time in the yard- until I snapped a couple of pictures and scared them. They are quite comfy in our yard and the little girl spends a lot of time sleeping in the dirt. They know they are safe in our neighborhood- I'm guessing they came down from the protected Cedar River Watershed near our house. Aren't they just deer?

Vil has MORE fun!

Whoever said this house building thing was stressful, didn't consult Vilnis. The gutter guys came out with this boom to try to put the gutters on the back side of the house (safety first). In the process, they ended up getting it stuck in the yard, and they spent all day trying to dig out out. Finally Vil came home and saved the day and fired up the excavator.

The rental company said they'd be out soon to pick it up. Of course.... Vil and heavy machinery go together like peas and carrots.. so he couldn't resist a ride. Cleaning the windows was a great idea! Play disguised as work.

Vil's New Toy

Instead of paying someone to do all this work, we picked up a mini excavator. Vil has been having the time of his life.

Our basement is our new temporary living quarters. Here is the downstairs bathroom. The shower doors are expected in the next couple weeks, so we are showering as carefully as possible without splashing. The countertops are being fabricated... so our sink is in the laundry room for the time being. The washer and dryer have become our "kitchen counter", and hey... it works! The laundry room will have white utility cabinets, but we can't install them yet until we officially move in- right now we have furniture and other things stored in there.

The last picture here is the foyer and our freshly stained front doors. The light color is a temporary panel which will be replaced with a cool piece of art glass.

Slowly but... someday....

Someday... we'll live in this house! It's hard to believe that day is just around the corner. The kitchen cabinets came in and were quickly installed. We are just missing a countertop, backsplash, floor, appliances and lighting- and we will be done in there! A month or two and it's functional! Whew!
A view from the pantry. The cabinets here in the center will be the island with an area for stools and seating (that's why it's cut out). This island will also have a small cabinet/fridge & freezer. It will look just like the drawers. We will also have a small sink in it.

This is the floor we chose for the main floor. They are 24x24" slate tiles. Easy to clean, durable for a 90 lb. German Sheppard, and warm with the radiant heating underneath. This set goes in the kitchen- the rest of it is on backorder...10 weeks- YIKES!