GIVING THANKS

There is so much for which I am thankful this year that it's tough to begin to enumerate it all. First of all, another year has come and nearly gone and the people I love are all relatively healthy and happy. My family in Knoxville, Los Angeles, Memphis, New York and points beyond are all faring better than most in this screwy economy. We are so thankful for our friends near and far who enrich our lives even when we don't see them nearly often enough. One of the gifts we've been given as a result of moving around a bit to chase job opportunities is that we have friends in all corners of the US (and a few beyond the borders). You know who you are and please know how blessed we feel to have you in our lives.

In June of next year we'll have our first grandchild and we're more than just a little excited about that! We got to see the little guy waving his arms on a recent ultrasound...and what a strong little heartbeat he has. No, we're not sure he's a "he", but my gut thinks so. Doesn't really matter...either way he/she will be the most spoiled, adored child ever to grace the earth.

And, while Thomas and Cheri will be raising their first baby, OUR baby will be tying the knot. In about a year and a half, we will welcome a new son-in-law to the fold. He's already met the "Fockers" and hasn't run screaming into the night yet. Erica and William (or "Cooper" as he's affectionately known by me) will be married in May of 2011. Alexis is still loving life in sunny southern California and was a little taken aback by the rain we got on her visit home for the Thanksgiving.

And...the house...

The house is coming along very quickly and feels more and more like OUR home every day. This week the bulk of the sheetrock was hung on the main (upper) level. Almost all the siding and trim has been finished on the exterior. We're waiting for the final little bit of siding, the garage doors and the stone for the foundation and columns and then all attention shifts to the interior.

My favorite t-shirt says: "I wasn't born in the mountains...but I got here as fast as I could!" Can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Somehow, having a front door makes the new house seem a whole lot more like a "home". That's the thing we'll open for guests, although most of you will probably use the side door and come through the mudroom like family. That's where we'll hang a wreath at Christmas time. That's where the welcome mat will be!

In addition to the new front door LOTS has happened since my last posting. Most of the siding is in place on the front of the house. In addition to the Bunglehouse Grey covering much of the exterior, we've now added the accent color, Roycroft Bronze Green, to the high peaks. If I do say so myself, I think the Arts & Crafts color combo is quite becoming! The peaks are covered with faux (Hardie board) shakes which is a nice contrast to the lap siding.

Both the interior and exterior fireplaces are in position. The big deck on the back of the house is framed and ready for decking. Most of the plumbing and electrical work has been completed. I am extremely excited about our shower. Showers are now called "vertical spas" and mine has four body sprays, a shower head, a hand-held shower AND a 12" rain head mounted overhead right in the center! If I can find a waterproof laptop, I may start working from the shower when we move!

The central vacuum has been installed. I don't know what we'll do with the Dyson when we move...I feel like we're cheating on it!

We have made a few big choices recently. The floors will be mostly a distressed hickory...awesome! We brought home the sample and tucked it under various pieces of furniture and lived with it for a week. Love it. We selected tile for the mud room and the guest bath...also awesome. Still LOTS of decisions ahead, but that should be the fun part, right?

I'll try to get more photos posted soon...things are changing so quickly right now I can't keep up with the progress!

From Raw Wood to Bunglehouse Green!

It's been a banner week for construction. The siding has started going up and portions of it have already been painted. We're going with several choices from the Sherwin-Williams Arts & Crafts Collection. The body of the house will be "Bunglehouse Grey" which is more green than grey. The Trim color is called "Vellum" and is a yellowish off-white. And the accent color that will be painted on the faux cedar shakes at some of the high points on the front of the house will be "Roycroft Bronze Green"...a dark tealish green. The TREK material has been laid on what will be the screen porch and breezeway. Much of the wiring has been completed. Fan/light combos have been installed in bathrooms. Plumbing for the upstairs has begun. The fireplace and kitchen bar areas have been framed. We made a few big changes to the original floor plan. The rec room in the basement has increased in size by about 80 square feet and there is a nook under the stairs where we will have a "refreshment" center for guests. I spent a little time selecting faucets and we shopped for stone for the foundation walls. One of the most fun things was looking at fixtures for the "vertical spa". I've been out of touch for a while, apparently, and still mistakingly called this a "shower". But that really doesn't touch what it will be! It's more like a carwash for humans. There will be four body sprays, one shower head, one hand-held shower and a 12" rain head overhead in the center. Choosing locations for various light fixtures was fun and a little stressful. Lots more decisions coming down the pike and all at a time when I've got a busy travel calendar ahead...stay tuned!

Putting a Lid on It!

Despite 5 straight days of steady rain, the past week brought lots of milestones:

* shingles on the roof!

* stairs in the stairwell!

* showers in the 3 guest bath rooms!

We also got two more exterior doors installed and lots more framing on the interior. The framing for the fireplace in the great room is in so a fireplace cannot be far behind. We've made decisions about the decking material, the exterior colors and the kitchen appliances.

And on the "other" home front, we got just about everything marked off our list in preparation of putting the house on the market.

Stay tuned! This is bound to be a busy week...

We Do Windows

Our beautiful red Pella windows and doors have been installed and what a difference they have made in the outside appearance of the house! We're two exterior doors and a little sheathing away from being totally enclosed.

Trim carpentry has also begun on the front (especially the front of the garage) and the shingles for the roof have been delivered and should be going up shortly.

Anybody want to buy a house in west Knox County?

Fall is Here!

We're experiencing our first little cool snap of the year...a bit early! We had to wear jackets out to the home site last night...a sure sign that summer made a quick getaway this year. The good news is, by the time really cool weather gets here, the house should be completely under roof and mostly enclosed! These are front and rear views as of 9/30/09! With the progress on the roof and most of the windows and doorways being cut-out, it's starting to look more and more like a house and less and less like a box. The shingles and "tin" will go up within the next week or so and windows are due to arrive any day. Fireplaces have to be selected so ductwork can be included through the roof for chimneys. Time to pick colors for the outside so we can pick decking material!

We're right on the verge of needing to make lots of decisions...and to make them FAST.

Raise the Roof!

The roof of the house is, quite literally, being raised! The framing/walls happened so quickly that I didn't have much of an opportunity to keep you all updated! Tonight I went out and was blown away to see the beginnings of a lid on the place. Suddenly it looks like a real house!

I got to stand in what will eventually be my new office and see the height of the vaulted ceiling and the incredible view from the double window! Can't wait to be working from THERE every day.

The subfloor for the great room has been completed and it's time for us to select fireplaces and the deck/porch floors. Who knew that Trex made som many different styles and colors! Stay tuned for updates...progress is fast these days!