In our last Welcome Home post we took a look at the lounge and I got sappy.  This time, let's get straight to the goods.  We're checking out the master bathroom...

Nobody can actually live a minimalist life, right?  The practicality of daily chores just gets in the way - especially around the sink.  You need a convenient place for soap, and scrubbers, and paper towels.  The clutter is inevitable, so you should just resign yourself to living with it, right?  

Last week I showed you the lounge.  This week, I'll show you how I made the pendant shade.
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We're back!!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and a happy new year.  We certainly did.  After an absolute whirlwind of a month (18 months, actually), I am happy to say that we have moved in to the new house and are settled.  
 

Here's just one picture of the office:

The next in the Just One Picture series....the mudroom:

More progress.  Here's just one picture of the master bathroom:

We're making progress...here's just one picture of the kitchen:

Yeah, you heard me right.  The. Worst.

1. Natural light.  Who does the sun think he is, sending all his beams of light through my windows?  The lack of walls makes it too easy for all of that natural light to permeate my home.  Give me artificial flickering light bulbs and higher energy bills, is what I always say.

Do you remember that commercial from a bunch of years ago?  You know the one where the couple is walking through a huge, fancy studio listening to a pretentious architect talk about his accolades.  Then they get to his office, he says, "So what can I, do for you (the I is dripping with condescension).  They say...

Does the title of this post sound like the start of a bad joke?  Yes.  Is it actually the start of a bad joke?  I don't know, maybe.  For the purpose of this blog post, let’s assume it’s not.

In May of 2011 Pancake and I took a trip to Spain.  Like any good travelers, we wanted to experience the culture as much as possible, and a large part of that experience is done through food and drink.  Long story short, we just about ate and drank our weight in paella and mojitos.

Are you ready for the first ever look at the second floor???  Before we get there, be sure to check out the first floor and the basement if you haven't already.  Just like in those tours, we'll start with an Image Location Plan.

Welcome back!  Last week we took a look at the first floor, in the first of our 3 part house tour series.  This week, we're checking out the basement.  Just like last time, I put together an Image Location Plan to keep you oriented as we look at the pics.

We've been focused on the outside of the house here on the blog for a bit, so it's been a while since we last took a look inside.  I think it's time to change that.  The framing is done.  The windows and doors are in.  Plumbing, electric, HVAC all done.  Drywall is up.  We're doing a 3 part house tour series.  Today, let's take a look at the first floor.

Whether you're designing a new house, or are in the market for a replacement piece, there's a better way to choose furniture.

Welcome to September, the unofficial start of fall.  Welcome to crisp air and changing leaves.  Welcome to sweater weather.  And welcome to comfort food season.  You're going to want to bookmark this page - you'll be making this slightly smoky, slightly sweet, totally satisfying (and healthy) meal a lot.  Like, a lot a lot.

Last week we saw the siding get finished.  This week, another huge milestone - rough grading.  Here's what the grading looked like before:

It's been awhile since I've written about food (or a drink in this case), so I figured this was an excellent time to change that -- summer is winding down, and here's the perfect way to end it:

The day has arrived - we can finally say goodbye to our greenhouse.  The siding is being installed, and as it is, this is looking more and more like our modern farmhouse.

We were at a prior-to-the-schoolyear preschool playdate this morning, and one of the other parents told me that her friend follows this blog.  It made me so happy to hear.  When I look at the web traffic for the site, there are many people who passively follow - no problem with this, obviously, I love to have people spending their time with me, but sometimes I feel like I'm writing to no one.  It was nice to hear that this friend loves the blog and following our house progress, so thank you friend, and thank you other pre-k parent for sharing - it made my day.  

Every design starts with an idea; a little inkling of what might one day become something. In architecture school I was taught that these little ideas should be generated quickly, jotted down, and set to the side so more ideas are free to come.  In the architecture world, these sketches are called Parti Diagrams - I think it's much more relatable to call them what they really are - Logos.

We've been planning for this retaining wall for nearly a year.  I first told you about it when we installed our construction driveway.  It's finally a reality.