"If you send one of your workman to the grocer & ask for a pound of their Best Butter, match that exactly, & you can't go wrong"

While I have no idea about "lallies & lintels", it is AMAZING how much I have learned about things such as septic systems, permits, & foundations during our home building process so far…. Yes, after nearly 5 years of talking & dreaming about building, it is finally becoming a reality!

In early spring, my husband and I closed on 2 acres of land, and have begun the much anticipated building process. If all goes well, we ‘should’ be in this fall. While I’m not holding my breath-I can’t help but be overly excited by this deadline!

Each step has been a learning experience, from getting permits, to interviewing builders, and even signing up to do some of the work ourselves…gulp!
The first week when the foundation was dug, my husband and I both stood there proudly saying “Is it just me, or is this the best lookin’ hole in the ground we’ve ever layed eyes on?” :)
We are on our way! Foundation is done, driveway is in, and the garage is scheduled to go in today. The frame work is also supposed to begin this week-so we should be seeing something that resembles more of a house very soon.

As my husband & I start selecting our exterior finishes, I’m reminded of the movie “Mr. Blandings builds his dream house” (note the quote in my subject line & the reference to ‘lallies & lintels’) I’ve become a ‘regular’ at the stone place we are using…they know me by name, & I can’t help but wonder if they roll their eyes when they see me coming thinking ‘here’s that girl who thinks way too hard about color.’ As I’ve mentioned before I’m a little obsessed with color - & with the exterior of our house…let’s just say, it better be right! I’m very much like the character in the movie (watch video clip below)-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRn59zNL0Ew

Each day of construction there is something new to check out – it’s so exciting – here are some pictures of the different stages so far:

~Barbara Ann~

Four Eyes

I discovered I needed glasses when I held my grandson for the first time and had to extend my arms 2 feet just to see him in single vision.
No, it wasn’t enough that everything I read was blurry or that I squinted when I read – it took a little 7 lb – 1 day old character to tell me ‘Get your eyes checked’.
The first pair of glasses I chose, I didn’t take seriously – I guess I just didn’t think that I was going to be looking at myself. I made what I refer to as ‘the cardinal mistake of eye glass choosing’, making that choice while your eyes are still dilated – are u kidding me? Why didn’t someone tell me that I was going to look like a dragon from the Pokemon comic book?
When I picked out my second pair, I knew now what doesn’t look good – ‘maybe I’ll just find a pair to ‘frame’ my eyes. I liked them, but was told they make me look older. Nice, that’s just what a person of my age wants to hear. Spend a couple of hundred dollars to add years – and you’re stuck with them for a while.
Now it’s time for my third pair – I enlist some help – these? these? these? these? We’re getting close – these? I think I’ve got it. Can’t wait for them to come in – they come in - hmmmmm. But my husband thinks I look younger and more contemporary – I’m not arguing with that!
-Pat-

To Frankenmuth & Back

Each year my husband & I sneak away for a weekend with a few relatives to the small town of Frankenmuth, MI. I’ve been going there since I was a kid, and it has sort of become a tradition. So, we made our way out there this Memorial Day weekend, and had a blast as usual. There was a dog show & a hot-air balloon festival that weekend, so we got to see some really unique dog breeds, watch entertaining dog tricks & talk with hot-air balloon pilots. Making all our usual stops, we tasted 10 & 11 yr cheese, ate way too much family style all you can eat chicken dinners, shopped, and took in many rounds of mini-golf. The weather was great, and it was nice to see so many people packed into the town.

I can actually say that everyone and their dog were there! :)

Covered Bridge in Frankenmuth

Jason & I

My dad & I trying to get through the mirror maze in Frankenmuth

First they blow cool air in with a fan, the hot air doesn't go in until the balloon is completely expanded.

Night Show - Did you know a 'used' hot-air balloon starts at $23,000. Pretty high price tag, but an awesome toy!

This peacock had AMAZING colors!

~Barbara Ann~

Bathroom Renovation Update

It’s been pointed out that I never uploaded any new pictures of my completed bathroom renovation as I promised, so here they are. It’s amazing that a vanity labeled 60” is actually 60 ¾”…which caused my fine friends quite a bit of consternation and resulted in complete destruction of said vanity. (Good thing they knew what they were doing…) Same thing with the vanity mirror cabinets—the box said 30”…and reality shows that they’re actually 29”, creating a lovely little gap in between the two. After awhile you don’t even notice it. A little part of me never wants to do a renovation ever again….but once it was all finished, cleaned, and functional, I realized that my new pretty bathroom was worth all the trouble.

~Tracy~

Springtime in Indiana

April showers bring May flowers, or that’s how the saying goes. Spring is in full swing now and Crown Point is showing off its colors. Over the past year I’ve been trying to take pictures of the Courthouse that capture the seasons. (I haven’t had that much luck with weather and timing, but the following pictures are from April of this year back to September of last year.) The trees blossomed beautifully, but the best days for blooms were stormy and rainy, and I missed my window. If you’ve taken some eye-catching photos this spring, bring them to any of our galleries and show them off!

~Tracy~

Facebook Challenged

I admire people aged 70 & better who have embraced this exciting time of technology we live in. I don’t want to be one of those people who says ‘I’m too old to learn that’.
So when I hear everybody’s on Facebook, I’m thinking ‘I should be there too’, so I sign up. It took me 2 weeks to get a picture on it, and another 2 to get pics I want to share – I kinda thought that was the whole idea; to share pics.
But no – you’re supposed to talk to people – or ‘comment’ to their comments. Ok, I’m game – so I post a comment – whoops, I think I’m talking to myself. Didn’t push right button.
Ok, maybe there’s another way - write on their wall? Write on a wall?? I used to get in trouble for that!! Especially when it was someone else’s wall. Ekkk – now who am I talking to? Did I just tell the whole world that? Or is it just the person whose pic I’m looking at? Or is it all 7 of my friends? Picture this: the Kathy cartoon when pulling her hair out.

Here’s what I’ve learned:
Other people have much more exciting lives than I do – I better step it up or start lying about it.
There are multitudes of people out there with your name! That’s just scary – talk about identity theft!
Get in touch with my old High School friends? No thanks, don’t want to relive those memories.
The bottom line is that you are creating an open diary for your friends to read – Did I remember to post that I just finished breakfast?

Don’t hear me saying that I’m doing this kicking & screaming - I love this stuff. So if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll help my mother-in-law set up her facebook page; it will make me feel young again!
-Pat-

But doesn’t it need to match?

But doesn’t it need to match? It is a question I hear often.
A client will bring in a piece of art, and say ‘I want a black frame for this’, when you can see a totally different direction for the art. So when asked the reasoning for a black frame, usually the answer is ‘I’ve got another piece framed with a black frame that is going to be next to this one, so doesn’t it need to match?’ Well, my answer is ‘What are you trying to achieve? If it is a gallery look, then yes, you probably do want the frames to match.’
Or, ‘I’ve got a very contemporary home, so this art needs a very contemporary frame’, and I’m visualizing a traditional gold frame on the art.
There are many frames that will fit a piece of art, the trick is to keep an open mind, and explore the possibilities. I have a mix of frames in my home – some match, some don’t depending on what I’m trying to achieve.
The picture below is a hallway in my home. I don’t think there are any 2 frames alike, and I can say the same for the people in the pictures! These are pictures of my family, past & present, so I want each piece to reflect the feel of the art (the period, say 1920, for instance), or the personality of the person. Or maybe it’s a wedding, or a school picture. All of these pieces are very close together, but it works for me.

The next picture is in a bedroom, so I want a calmer feel. Even though I have chosen pink as the primary color, it is a subdued value, and the 1 piece becomes more of a focal piece, but notice the chair, table & lamp – very traditional. The pillow & art offer a bit of the unexpected. Traditional & contemporary mix better than you would think.

Here’s my advice on how to make it work:
Pick a theme – in the case of the bedroom, I chose color. For the hallway, it was more important for the personality of the art to come through, creating an eclectic mix.
Open your mind – look at an assortment of frames. Frame the art, not the color of the wall. Remember why you chose that particular piece of art - you like it; if the frame works with the art, you will love it too. The bottom line is ‘If you love it, it will work’.

-Pat-