Catching up.

To all of my loyal followers out there who have been waiting with anticipation for the next post... here it is.  Something about a holiday and a birthday and a party and a baby.  Not to mention hundreds of pictures scattered over 2 computers.  Now, I'm back in order (for today), so here goes.

James replaced the metal pipe ("beam") in the garage on Christmas Eve.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my hunk of a husband lifted 2 massive beams into place BY HIMSELF while Charis and I blissfully watched Rudolph on the laptop.  Talk about impressed.  He's still frequently measuring to watch for any sag, but things look pretty good for now.  He's also been crawling in the ceilings, trying to figure out which way joists are running and who knows what else.

The house plans are daily changing.  We have come up with a kitchen plan that seems to work -- and we're able to "walk around" in it thanks to Ryan's fancy-schmancy computer program.  I did have a panic a couple of weeks ago and decided to start over with the kitchen in a completely different place. After I exhausted every possibility, my ever-patient husband was glad to get back to our original plan. :-)  I've spent lots of time online, looking at picture after picture of kitchens.  And I get a tad stressed when I consider that we haven't even begun to make decisions on the details -- colors, styles, hardware, lighting, appliances... I'd better stop.  James is working on the upstairs, trying to create a space that will handle (at least) 3 teenage girls someday.

One exciting addition to our "playroom" is a PIANO! Thanks to my grandparents and parents, we now have my mom's old piano. James and I are both so excited to have a fantastic stress-reliever so close!  We've enjoyed several evenings of music already. 

I'm struck daily with the magnitude of our project.  This is going to take some serious time, people.  BUT, I'm still excited, still dreaming, still impressed with my hubby.  Among other things, we've had many opportunites for problem-solving together, digging into the details of planning.  And while it can be stressful, it's always productive! 

James graduates the end of March, then it's to work we go. 

Until next time, whenever that may be...