A Very Merry Christmas From Our Home To Yours

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It has been a wonderful journey taking our 1834 House from shambles to spectacular!  We are so grateful for all the family members and friends who supported us along the way.  A special thank you to Steve and his teams of men who worked with us so well to make our dream home come true.  Of course there are still little things that we need to address, but we are settled in and happy.  Decorated for Christmas too!  Feels good....

Shady Business (well, not really!)

We are winding down with our wish list of finishing touches on the house which is impressive seeing as we have only been completely moved in for just over half a year.  Tom, Joel's brother, did 4 or 5 straight days of priming and painting the moldings and door trims in our upstairs front hallway, both upstairs bathrooms, and our side entranceway.  Looks fantastic and the beauty of it for us was that we were away visiting our kids during his efforts.  Thank you Tom!!

Today we ticked another major improvement off of our punch list. John McNamara, Artys's husband, came this morning and installed 7 beautiful cellular honeycomb shades on the bottom half of our parlor, office, and den windows.  We were finding that as night fell we were feeling very exposed in these rooms.  Artys worked with me to find the perfect interior color (Symphony brown) and exterior color (Ivory).  They also came up with a new way to attach the shades to the top of the window where the locks are by custom making a metal plate which they painted the same nice brown color.  They are lightweight and easy to pull down and push up.  I love them!  When they are not engaged they are barely visible.  Check out the effect in the parlor....

Our Driveway is Done!!

And just in time!  Rusty has been trying to get to us all fall but the incessant rain kept him at bay.  He was finally able to excavate and pour during the 6 or 7 dry (ish) days we had over the last 2 weeks.  I caught most of the progress between rain drops. 

Warm and Cozy

It may have taken us 3 trips to the Hearth Shop in Utica, but Joel and I managed to install our new gas log set into the Den fireplace this week.  And just in time, too, as the temperature this morning is in the 20's!   The flame provides just the right amount of heat to keep us toasty.  It's pretty as well!

Anniversary and Art!

Just a quick post to show what Joel and I found on our anniversary (33 years strong!!) trip to Clayton, NY last weekend.  We often like to purchase a piece of art to commemorate a special event and we most often do it while on a fun vacation...we enjoyed talking with Brian the artist who laid on the ground to take this photo which he turned into a painting of which we bought a print on canvas!!  We had the perfect spot in the kitchen just waiting for this spectacular piece.  Also note the sweet print in the background.  That is new too!  My friend Dell and I found that at the Remsen Barn Festival this year.  The 2 Adirondack chairs seem so familiar...

The Pump House Job is Done!

We were down south last week for a wedding and while we were away Steve and Larry completed work on the pump house.  It looks great!  Should last for a good long time.  Unfortunately, the afternoon before we departed Joel was doing some weeding halfway down the path, near the guys and the pump house, when he disturbed some bees who proceeded to sting him viciously.  He instantly reacted and within an hour was having difficulty breathing so it was off to the ER for us.  Luckily there were no heart issues and within a few hours he was feeling better, so he was released.  We managed to stay on track for the trip and the wedding although the itchiness stuck around for days.  We just checked and they are still buzzing in and out of the rotten tree trunk lying next to the path.  Definitely a situation that needs to be addressed...

The storm doors that we ordered from Lowes came in over the weekend.  Steve picked them up for us and installed them both today.  The dogs are just loving their new entrance/exit to the Rustic Room!  I thought I might have to do some coaching to get them (especially Peyton) to give it a try, but they are all old pros and before I could even break out the treats all 3 had been in and out several times.  The second storm door is located on the west side of the house.  I love the way it lets so much light into the kitchen.

2 New Fences and 1 New Light!

As summer draws to a close, Joel and I are putting some finishes touches to our outdoor space as well as completing some dangling tasks inside.  We have had multiple discussions on what sort of a fence we wished to define our 2 side yards.  Ultimately we chose bamboo!  16 big bags of this lovely fencing were delivered to our garage last week and over the weekend we got it all in place.  The east side is 6 feet tall and the western edge is 3 foot.  Both provide just that right amount of visual obstruction so that our dogs don't bark at every little thing that happens in our neighbors yards.  We planted some small cypress trees in front of the taller fence which will grow over time and give us a nice green backdrop.

It always strikes me as funny that something I get so stuck on early on in a project takes a backseat until the end; and that it is okay with me!  I purchased our Meyda chandelier for over the dining room table well over a year and a half ago and it sat in it's box in a closet until last week when, on a rainy day, Joel and I finally dug it out and put it up.  I love it.  It fits in the room just as I had hoped and completes the look and feel that I was aiming for.  All that stressing about possibly needing to move the electrical box was for naught:)

End of Week Progress...

Steve and Larry continued pump house repair all week long.  We had several hot and humid days, but they said it was quite pleasant working near the water.  I am not completely sure of the inner workings of a pump house, nor of all that needs to be done to make sure that ours hold up for the next few decades, but I am impressed with the photos that Steve shared with me yesterday!  Check them out...

Joel and I did wander down there last night and were very impressed with the new roof, the cement side and front supports, and the cleanup of all those frayed wires.  Also, the water running through the house is so clear and cold.  Impressive!

Pump House Rules (a loose reference to John Irving!)

Steve and Larry are back with us this week to fix all the problems down at our pump house.  Joel checked out the entire structure several weeks ago and discovered that the roof is caving in, the electrical wiring is antiquated, and there is debris in the water.  If we are to get through the winter with fresh, clean spring water, all of these issues need to be addressed immediately.  Joel prepped the space over the weekend and the guys got to work today.  Because it is difficult to navigate down there, Steve was kind enough to forward me some photos from today's progress.

Our New Mantra

Our new daughter-in-law, Katherine, put the final touches on our master bedroom walls yesterday by taking on the task of applying the custom stencil I had ordered to the archway into the Yoga room.  Joel had affixed one years ago to our kitchen in Emerald Isle, and I remember it being a bit difficult to get things lined up and even.  Katherine made it look easy, and now our new state of mind will speak to us each and every day!

Steve and Larry have been working hard all week to get the garage sided, the lanterns up and running, and most of the odds and ends jobs completed.  The garage doors got installed on Tuesday.  Everything look fantastic!!

Wait for it.....

So I know I promised finished master bedroom pictures late last week, but it took a little longer than I thought to put together our plush and tranquil oasis.  Joel and Tom created the bedframe on caster wheels then adorned the sides with that same beautiful redwood that my father-in-law gave us years ago.  I have been collecting the bedding and pillows in anticipation of putting the whole project together.  Well here it is!

Who sees the photobomber in the second shot?!

In addition to the bedroom completion, work has started on the garage.  Steve and Larry are back with us for the home stretch.  This past week they got the garage doorways framed out and ready for the 4 doors which are being installed this coming Tuesday.  They also started putting the siding up.  I am excited for the final reveal.  Here are some sneak peeks...

Yesterday Joel and Tom were back at their furniture building studio (our garage and back yard!) working on a truly unique outdoor dining table.  I am amazed by Joel's ingenuity and Tom's helpful perspectives because I will hazard a guess that no one else has an entertaining space such as this...

The guys still have some work to do on the table today including sanding and coating and inserting a larger piece of the original house wall board in that spot off to the left.  When all is said and done I will have seating for 12 in my outdoor dining space!!

The Evolution of our Boat Dock

It was fun for me to watch the installation of our gangplank and 2 6ft by 10ft docks yesterday as there was no way I could help...whew!  The 2 men from EMPIRE Dock and Lift in Baldwinsville made it all look so easy.  Joel stepped into assist, though, as they carried each piece down our neighbor's lakefront stairs.  Once they got the goods down to the water they floated all 3 pieces over and then set them in place by screwing 10 foot poles into the sandy bottom for support.  Very cool!  Here is the progression of events...

Oh my my!

We have been waiting with bated breath for the carpet that we ordered for our upstairs hallway, master bedroom, and yoga room to be delivered and installed.  It may have taken 4 hardworking men and 8 straight hours, but the job is complete and we are thrilled!  Call us crazy as we chose a very soft, plush, snow white rug that is just dreamy under our bare feet.  Ask me how I feel about it in 6 months after micro bits of our dirty world start settling in:)  Here are some photos before we begin to place some furniture (not too many pieces) and artwork (lots!) into the rooms.

Check back in at the end of the week as I think we will have the bed, side tables and lamps, dresser, and mirror all set into place.  (I hope!)