Labor Day Weekend Scores

Labor Day weekend was a fun filled exciting time for Adam and I and for the house. My parents got to come up for an extended weekend to see the house progress and make a special delivery, we made some great house finds, and we got to revisit our old stompin' grounds. My parents have not seen the house since the framing stage so it was very exciting to get to tour them through and show them how far it has come. During the last week of his summer break, my dad helped us with the oyster shell outdoor fireplace by bringing 5 gallon buckets down to the local raw bar for them to fill up. He would then pick them up at 10:00 at night which, if you know my father, is equivalent to me having to wake up at 4 am (something he does daily with a smile - yuck), clean them the next day, and let them dry out in the sun. He tried to recruit the neighborhood kids for a small incentive per shell cleaned but that only lasted one day. Luckily for Adam and I, my dad was on summer break and is always willing to help us out! This weekend, the 1,000+ oyster shells were delivered to us. I am now a very happy coastal crafter!

Neighborhood kids on oyster duty day 1 

Dad, the master oyster cleaner on duty days 2-5

So may oysters drying in the sun!

To add to the amazing-ness that is going to be our back porch coastal fireplace, I really wanted a large piece of driftwood for the mantle.  Unfortunately, the only driftwood that is readily found around here is protected on one of my favorite beaches at Big Talbot Island State Park. Thus, you can imagine my surprise when I spotted a large, unprotected piece of driftwood on our local public beach that Friday while we were beach combing. The only problem was that it was still a little water logged (I think it was washed up after the storm the night before) and at least 20ft long. In my euphoric state, I attempted to convince Adam that we could carry it to the nearby boardwalk but Adam was not nearly as on board as I was (or just more realistic depending on how you want to look at it hehe). So, that day we left empty handed. I, however, did not forget the gift that had magically appeared before me that day. When my parents got here that evening, I convinced everyone to go back to the beach, saw in hand, and cut off the 7ft piece that we needed for the mantle. This made the wood manageable to carry and allowed us to leave what we did not need in its natural state on the beach to be enjoyed. I cannot wait to share this next DIY project with y'all!

The remainder of the driftwood after we took our mantle piece 

Adam in front of the remaining wood for a size reference

Our piece for the mantle with the buckets and coolers full of oyster shells.
I can barely contain my excitement!

Totally unrelated to the house part of our fun weekend, Adam, my parents, and I got to go back to the Swamp! We managed to luck into tickets on the 50 yard line 24 rows up after we were called and told that our tickets on the 35 yard line 38 rows up were accidentally released to us for purchase. Unfortunately, the cursed Florida summer rain and lightning caused the game to be cancelled and our tickets refunded. We did get to see the one play of the game from those awesome seats and had a great time tailgating with the fam and indulging in a Gainesville staple: Satchell's Pizza!

Also unrelated to the house, but in line with the "scores of the weekend" theme, Adam and I found a starfish that we have been searching for for years at our local fish store. Meet the newest member of our family...Albert! (He is orange with blue spots).

That Monday, my mom and I decided to do some house shopping while the boys went fishing. I needed some lighting fixtures and mirrors for the bathrooms. We did not find any mirrors but did find a great chandelier for the dining room at World Market for a steal $80. We of course also found some things we were not looking for like this amazing cane print rug at Homegoods. Those that know me know that I am somewhat obsessed with caning. I have been searching for a cane print rug for awhile now and have found very little selection and nothing in my price range. So, once again, I was surprised when I saw it hanging up on the other end of the store in all its cream and navy blue glory. It is 8x10 and will be perfect for the home.  Homegoods has been good to me lately. A few weeks prior to the rug find, I found this $300 dollar lantern on clearance for $30! While my mom and I scored in the shopping front, my dad and Adam scored with some delicious redfish, trout, and flounder! That night Adam made us his famous mango fish tacos...yum!

Top left: Dining room chandelier. Top right: cane lantern
Bottom: Cane rug

Nice catch guys!

Left: chef Adam. Top right: mango fish tacos.
Bottom right: impromptu baked apple biscuit with honey and ice cream

All in all, I would say it was a fun and successful weekend (even if we did not get to see our Gators play).  Until next time...

Happy Anniversary...We are Wired!

Well, it seems like an eternity since I have written and updated y'all on the progress of the home. Things have been crazy busy with the home and work and I just returned from a medical mission trip in Mexico followed by the always accompanying post travel sinus infection. However, things are getting back to normal here and the house is progressing quickly again so expect an influx of posts in the near future.

Yesterday was Adam's and my 3 year wedding anniversary. We could never have imagined that we would have already accomplished so much in our first three years of marriage.  Since saying "I do," Adam started a new career in finance, I switched jobs and have traveled abroad on dream medical mission trips, and now we are building our dream, and hopefully forever, home. We have been on a tight budget lately trying to prepare for the numerous and apparently inevitable surprise expenses that come with building a custom home, so we did not want to do anything too extravagant for our anniversary. In fact, we didn't really want to go out to a big fancy dinner. With that in mind, we decided to do one of our favorite things... pack up the picnic basket with a homemade meal, grab a bottle of wine, and dine under the stars. To make it extra special we chose to dine and celebrate on our new back porch. I guess you could say we officially had our first meal in our new home together. It sounds funny considering the fact that there is not even any drywall up yet hehe.

Anniversary picnic dinner on our back porch....I see many of these in our future!

My happy place

We have ben somewhat stuck in the same stage for a few weeks now: electrical, plumbing, and roofing, that I did not even realize how much progress has actually been made since the last time I posted, right before my trip. Since then, the second plumbing rough in has been completed and the tub installed, the duct work and HVAC are in, the roof and metal mustache are completed, windows have been installed, the outside fireplace is in, the electrical has been completed (after several meetings and Adam and I making numerous changes and add ons - it just seems like this part is never truly perfect), and the gas lines have been run. In addition to gas to the cooktop and outside gas grill, we decided to run lines to each fireplace. We still plan on them being wood burning but it was recommended to us to have gas available for a quick start. Then, once the fire has been started and the logs are lit, the gas can be turned off and the wood logs are free to burn and crackle. Check out the progress...

dryer, washer, and laundry sink hook ups. We later had the dryer electrical receptacle (black box) moved down to be even with the vent so that the dryer will fit flush against the wall when plugged in.

Master shower plumbing. It is 7.5 ft so that Adam has plenty of room to stand tall and shower. The plumber also put the on/off lever just to the left of the door so that the shower can be turned on/off at the door rather than having to walk all the way in and getting wet before the water is nice and hot...brilliant idea! 

Guest bathroom plumbing and tub installed. I had to purchase a special drain for the plumber to install (a decision that received a great deal of scrutiny from the plumber and our builder) so that all of the hair I shed as a girl will be caught and not go down the drain. My days of digging out the hair with a wire hanger (I know, gross) will soon be over.... hallelujah!

Outdoor shower. This will certainly come in handy to rinse off sand from the beach and mud from the creeks. 

HVAC in the walk around garage attic...such a space saver!

Duct work 

Outdoor fireplace installed... it has the standard refractory pattern instead of the herringbone so we are waiting for that to be replaced.

Recessed lighting in kitchen 

Fan hookup on front porch and plywood base installed

Large picture kitchen window

Master bedroom view

Back of house with windows installed

Metal roof mustache over garage

Front of house with roof completed and windows installed

Stay tuned for what comes next...doors, drywall, and more decisions. It is almost time for finishings!