Apple tree

Another step in the 'cut back on parking and increase the yard' program has been taken!

Fence/support behind to come, but we're very excited about the multiple varieties all on one espalier... , Delicious, Gravennstein, Fuji, Gala, and yellow Transparent (not sure I've ever had that last one, but Gala and Fuji in particular are among our favorites.

Chicken coop

Doors are on, trim is going up....just need a roof ridge! And, oh yes, a run.

The End of Nerf Gun Wars

At least in the living room!

First Snow

Door Pulls

Combined with the pirate ship birdhouse, I believe the kitchen is officially complete!

Victory!

Well, more of a milestone, but we got a certificate of occupancy, so we're legal now!
Woohoo!

Spooky closet

Cool side effect of an awesome color selection by the firstborn.

Railings

Are in!
Well, the interior railings on one side anyway.
Hoping to get a certificate of occupancy by midweek and railings will be one of the biggest hurdles.

Visitor

This guy showed up the other day when I was working from home.  Of course, I was on a conference call with a client when he arrived, so had to restrain my excitement and stop myself from dropping everything and sneaking outside. Luckily the camera was close at hand!

I was particularly excited because we see him (her?) fly by, or at the far end of the pond, but I've never seen him land on our side of the pond. 

According to my handy dandy reference book, he ought to be heading south soon for the winter - although the skim of ice that was on the pond over the weekend has melted away, so it may not be too soon.

And I always thought the advantage of working from home was more kid time -- turns out more creature time is another benefit!

Last Kitchen Piece

Can't wait to line the kids up and get some homework done!

Cabinet Doors

Are in!
Handles somewhere en route.

Drawers and Shelves

Kitchen shelves and drawers are in...doors should appear tomorrow, as well as an upstairs bathroom countertop.
Can't wait to throw something out!

Appliances are in!

And we're just as excited as when we bought them! Actually I'm wondering if I can just run a load of dishes just for kicks.

Hall Light

Plus railing in progress. Honestly, I think we're so used to trekking around with no rail, the rails start to feel a little claustrophobic!

Spider Light

An unexpected bonus: in addition to lighting the closet/bath passage, and having a rather elegant glass shape, this light also gives that comforting protective mother spider feeling.

We call her Charlotte.

Shadows and Fan

The electrician has been busy!
Fan-tastic!

April through August in Four Minutes

An expanded version of May's video and a good reminder of just how far we've come in the last six, oops nine, months.

Sadly, August through November will be omitted due to unforseen technical difficulties.

Bathroom tile

Yep, spent an hour sorting through tiles the other night - we'll be burying some of the super-pinky ones way under the vanity. 

I'll admit to having some anxiety here - after all if we unwittingly put a really garish or ugly tile in the middle of the bathroom, it will be staring us in the face every morning and evening!  But really that's overthinking it.  Plus, I'm still liking the tile that we choose a couple months ago, so that is a good sign!

 Next big question: what color grout?!

Finished Floors

Ok, we're going a little out of order here as this actually was completed while I was travelling about 10 days ago.  But what a thrill it was to be away and get this photo:

View from the other side -- I really like that you can see where the old walls were.  Certainly makes it easier to describe the 'before' condition!

A little bit of patching around the edges of the pantry, but, again, I think it's more character than flaw!



Wow it looks great with all that construction stuff cleared out.  (Good thing, too, since I'm not sure whose furniture exactly we'll be using to actually occupy all this space!)

Further Kitchen Progress

Significant progress over in the kitchen -- counters (well not the stone) are in and the hood is up. 

I am particularly excited that the appliances have arrived - probably could have waited another week or so, but they are all shiny and new and just make you want to cook and buy food! 

Upcoming this week: cabinet doors, the backsplashes, and the stone counter!