Replacements

Remember these drawings on the walls?

Look what replaced them!

Drewman's Vanity

Our Vanity

Laundry Room Upper Cabinet

Laundry Room Vanity

These photos are the skeletons of the cabinets.

There is still plenty to be done.

Drawers have to be constructed.

Molding has to be added.

Counter tops have to be poured.

Doors have to be attached.

The cabinet doors will look like the interior doors in the house.

The upper cabinet doors will have the curved panel.

The lower cabinet doors will be the square panel.

They are on order and should be here soon.

Can't you see those sinks setting in and on these vanities?

WE CAN!

We better get to picking a stain color!

Skeletons in the Closets

We all have skeletons in our closets.

We don't let ours define us.

We take them as life changing events.

Honor the fact that those skeletons have brought us to where we are today.

And

Except the fact that we are unquestionably where we are supposed to be, in our lives.

We have other types of skeletons appearing in our closets, too.

Skeletons of shelving in the linen closet.

Skeletons of shelving in the bedroom closets.

Skeletons of box shelves in the office closet.

All placed there by three Christian Craftsman.

Our living room has become their assembly station.

Our garage has become their cutting station.

They are also placing Base and Case around the rooms and doors.

The detail work is of a very accomplished craftsman.

Each corner is mitered.

Each joint is glued.

AND

We know from yesterday's post

All is being prayed over.

We will welcome those skeletons!

Appreciate who put them there!

Respect where they came from!

After all, wasn't Jesus a wood craftsman?



Walk Through

Each evening, Flower Boy does a walk through the house to see what has been completed.

I also think he does it to keep me calm and explain, to me, the next steps in construction.

 

Flower Boy is stressed to the max!

I, however, think life is bliss!
I am precisely where Flower Boy wants me to be.
It is his way of protecting me.

 

Flower Boy takes all the phone calls from contractors and the builder. 

All problems with construction come to him.

Flower Boy is my filter from any problem or issue.

I normally don't know there is a problem or issue.
 

We are in the detail and custom part of the building process.

Flower Boy wants me to have everything exactly the way I want it.

"Whatever you want." and "If that is what she wants, that is what she will have." are common statements.

 

We aren't the type of people to live beyond our means.

We aren't extravagant.

We have a budget.

We did our homework and chose options for the house that fit within that budget.

 

Custom details don't have to be expensive to look high end.

 

This being said, the workers have questions, need answers, layouts and input in order to provide us with the details we want.
 

Call me naive but I had no idea the amount of filter Flower Boy provides me, until now.
I am home because of the weather.
Workers are knocking on the door, asking questions that require answers before they can move forward.
They seem to think, since I am home, I can answer.
I have, but call Flower Boy with a bit of panic, realizing he has taken care of all this prior to 12:30pm yesterday afternoon.

Things are very busy here. 
Cabinets are being built.
Trim work is being done.
Closet shelving is being constructed.
Tile work is being laid out.
It is calving season.
Not to mention, the weather has been pretty nasty over the past week and Flower Boy has an hour drive, one way, to work.
AND
He worries about Drewman and myself, as we drive to school and work in this rain, sleet, snow and slush.

During last evenings walk through, I was doing my happy dance and snapping pictures, while Flower Boy was checking out details and workmanship.
We were standing in the living room and saw this...

Yes, this is a microwave and a Holy Bible.

Blessed to have workers that pray over their work and our home, as much as we do!

 

We don't take our faith and strength for granted.

 

We have talked before about finding the right builder and listening to the little voice inside us.

Seeing the above photo, lets us know, we have done everything according to plan!

 

Sometimes, in life, you need to take a step back and look at the simple things, just laying around and staring you in the face, as you walk through.

 

Praying this find reduces Flower Boys stress level.

Right Hand - Left Hand

Our trim materials arrived last week.

But...

These have been setting in our garage for over a week.

What are they?

Our interior doors!

They are all here. 

Flower Boy made sure to count them.

These notes appeared on the door jams, towards the end of last week.

3 - 0

Rh

<---

Translation:

Three foot door

Right hand

Open in

Today, I came home

AND

The doors are installed!

Our bathroom has double doors.

Some doors are wide.

Some are narrow.

But

ALL doors have that beautiful aged grain!

Things are gettin RANCHY!!



Stacks and Trim

On Valentines Day, we had a date with the builder.

We laid out the closets and cabinets.

There are drawings all over our walls.

 

One wall of our closet

 

 Our bathroom vanity

 

 Drewman's bathroom vanity

 

 Kitchen cabinets

 

 Pantry

 

 Utility

 

A few days later, the trim material arrived.

We have chosen oak as our cabinet material.

We like the traditional, old style, ranchy look of the oak.

All that material will be converted into our cabinets!

The builder is also the cabinet builder.

He says we will have cabinets in five days!

 

The floors have been covered again to protect them from being scratched or damaged.

 

This coming week, our garage will be turned into a cabinet shop!

Tools, machines and workers are due to arrive on Monday!

 

Heads Up!

 

 



Step Up

The porches and driveway have been formed and concrete poured.

Buck, the concrete guy, met with Flower Boy and myself last week to get the layout of what we wanted.

Buck and crew began forming.

Driveway...



Front Porch...

Monday, they poured the concrete.

Driveway...

Back Porch...

This is the exciting part...

The porches are stamped and stained to look like wood!

They still have to be power washed, cleaned up and sealed.

We had some weather come in the past few days.

Rain, sleet, snow, hail...

We aren't complaining, because we need the moisture.

But, it has caused a slight delay in the project.

The best part...

IS THE STEP UP!!

THIS is my family brand!

At the present time, Flower Boy, Our Big Kids, Drewman and Myself are the only ones that carry this brand.

IT IS OUR MARK!

A few years ago, Flower Boy and I were trying to come up with a brand for our cattle.

One day, Flower Boy surprised me with an electric branding iron made of my family brand.

A day I will never forget!

Best Gift EVER!

This mark gives us pride in our work, our cattle and our lives.

It shows our dedication and purpose of who we are as cattle ranchers.

When this brand is seen on cattle, folks know the cattle belong to us. 

It is something to pass along from generation to generation.

It has been passed from my great grandpa, to my grandpa, to my Daddy, to Flower Boy and I, to our children, and one day to our grand children and great grand children.

We RIDE for this brand!

Steppin UP!!

Focal Point

We are doing several custom features in our new home.

Some are a little more distinguished than others.

We want our home to stand out, but fit our lifestyle and harmonize with our everyday life.

Function, Low Maintenance and Ranchy are a must!

In doing so, these customs make it "OUR HOME".

We believe these accents will become focal points in our home.

We have emphasized a few details in past blogs.

The stained concrete floors

The brown paper floor

and

The paver brick floor

Flooring seems to be a trend here...

Today, we will break up the flooring by showing you this Focal Point!

The fireplace went from this

To this

To this

To this

There was a minor misunderstanding with the brick layers.

They originally placed brick on the hearth.

A happy Rancher Girl, this did not make!

Nor the Builder!

Nor Flower Boy!

But again, being blessed by a builder that understands what we want and having Flower Boy to make certain everything is done in the manner we desire, all is well!

The mantel still has to be added.

That will be another custom, we will show you in the final revel of our home.

Trust us.... This fireplace wall is going to be the focal point of our living room!

More customs to come!

HEADS UP!

Flower Boy Gets To Have All The Fun

Yesterday was Presidents' Day.

Flower Boy had the day off.

Drewman had school and I had to work.

Flower Boy gets to have all the fun!

Besides the training session with Ailey, Flower Boy was overseeing some custom detail work with the brick layers, tile guy, concrete guys and delivery of trim materials.

LUCKY!!

He claims, he needed to return to work, today, in order to get a break.

There was so much activity going on yesterday, I will have to make several blog posts to catch up.

SO....

Let's talk about the tile guy!

His first project is the utility and mud room floor.

Remember that brick run we made?

Well...

Those look a lot different than they did then!

They have been power washed and cleaned.

Removing all the dirt, grime and excess mortar, leaving that perfect 100 year old aged look we want for our floor.

Yesterday, the tile guy started laying them.

Flower Boy and the tile guy had several conversations about what we wanted.

The tile guy wasn't sure about putting the pavers down. 

He isn't a brick guy, he is a tile guy.

There were questions about boarder or no boarder, mortar or grout, and the unevenness of the pavers.

I've said it before, Flower Boy takes care of me. 

He knows exactly what I want.

He will make sure I get it, too.

I am so glad Flower Boy was home yesterday!

I received a phone call confirming what Flower Boy already knew.

Then later, I received this photo.

YEAH BABY!!!

Flower Boy wins!

I am getting the herringbone pattern, with the boarder, I wanted!

I told you, Flower Boy takes care of me!

The mud room should be laid today and grouting will begin.

After the pavers are grouted, they will be sealed.

What do you think of the black pavers being mixed in with the others?

We think it ROCKS!



Meet Ailey



Onyx and Ailey

Last week I received an email saying "Free registered female German Shepherd.  Are you interested?" with a photo of Ailey attached.
I instantly fell into puppy love!
After a few emails and texts, I opted to wait for a final decision and sleep on my feelings.
The next morning, I was still in puppy love!

I sent a message, asking if she could be picked up from her original home and held until we could come get her on Sunday or Monday.

Ailey was in a very small yard and has had zero training or discipline.
Her original owner said "She isn't like my Yorkie.  She doesn't set or lay.  She is very busy."
WELL... DUH!!!  Ailey is a German Shepherd!
We believe her owners put her in the yard and did nothing but feed her.
Ailey doesn't even know her name!
She has never been on a leash or collar!

People, whenever you think about getting a pet, do your homework!
Research the animal breed.  Find out what the breed requires.
Pick an animal for your lifestyle.
Not all dogs are lap dogs.
Large breeds require space to run and play, jump and swim.

Ailey does all those things!

We got her home, after an hour or so car ride.
Ailey does not travel well.
Good thing we had a crate.

After a few hours, Ailey was ready to play.
She found the pond!
She loves to dance in the water.

She came in the mobile home and was right at home.

Ailey's ears don't stand, but that is no matter to us.

Flower Boy and her are going through a training session today.
I'm sure there will be many more to come.
Feet off the counters!
Stay out of the trash!
Set when I stop!
Lay!
Down!
OUT to potty!
Kennel to stay out of trouble!

For being 9 months old and having no training, Ailey is doing quite well.
Flower Boy stops and Ailey sets.
We set and Ailey lays.
Ailey walks on the leash very well.  Heeling like she should, most of the time.

She has found the receiver fence and now knows her boundary.
Her collar gives her a warning beep before the electric zap.
She will stay clear when she hears the beep in the future.

Ailey is a very smart girl!
She and Onyx will make great friends.
Princess Sheba isn't sure what to think.
Pete is a bit upset too.  He wants a girlfriend now.

We believe Ailey is going to fit in well.
Given the time and effort, she will be a fine member of our canine family.

Here's to saving another one!
Miss Athena would approve!

Signed,
Official German Shepherd Rescuers