It began....some might say- FINALLY!

To Build Our Home

Oh we're getting closer!

Fingers crossed they start to dig tomorrow

This is how meetings had been looking at the homestead

We finally decided on a foundation guy

My father filled in the old pond

Yep - that's where a pond once sat!  It's a little freaky to stand there.  

I just love it up on the hill 

The most beautiful thing is that it makes me think of God

He is everywhere, but I feel the beauty of all he created when I'm there.  

I never thought I'd love a place this much. 

To Build a Home

yeah we are pulling our hair out......

Building your own home during your husband's busy time is hard
Building your own home when you never it did before is hard
Building your own home when you have a wife that can't make a decision is hard
Building your own home when things aren't cheap is hard
Building your own home is just a lot of hard work

And it's not like we are physically building it with our own two hands!  Well actually that sounds somewhat appealing and easier at this point.

SO~ there is movement and history is already being made on that little peice of land we will call HOME!

 There's my daddy~ helping us out as always!

So we've had our first good news announcement at the homestead!

Lucas tells Dadone he's passed his driver's test!!!  Yahoo!!!

Oh these two.  I can remember when Lucas was so tiny and would call my dad his partner.  :)  I love these two and I'm so glad I got this memory with my phone!

So the update on where we're at.  We have our builder who we love.  My father has helped us fill in the old pond behind our land and is moving dirt around for us.  Rob is sketching out/investigating where a pond can go, figuring out the foundation stuff and maybe going to be ordering our framing package.  We almost settled on who we will have do our foundation.  Once we break ground for the foundation we might stop pulling our hair out.

And other news- I finally know the kitchen style I want and I'm so relieved and scared- I hope it can happen!  I have some great hopes for my kitchen because let's face it I love to EAT!

Also I'm in love with the concrete floor at JCPenney - now our JCP has this floor

Not bad - I even like it like this- but it needs it's gloss.  Well while in Hershey I went to JCP there and here is what I floor should look like at our store eventually.

Beautiful to me!!!!  I hope we can eventually do something like this in our basement!!!

I really loved these stops in random areas- but Rob told me those are flaws- Oh well.

Back to JCP- I'm loving our store.  The people there are SO nice and who ever does the merchandising is wonderful as well.  The Hershey store could learn a thing or two as our store is just so well set-up!!  Not to mention their dress selection was no where near what ours is.  I love our store.

Here's a couple of things that caught my eye (JCPenney in JC)
I love how they set up the kitchen area...... I wish they would do some demos there!

How about these cutting boards?

Jars- I'm always on the look out for jars!

 And I feel in love with this lamp- the tall black one.

 I also like this one as well

They really have some really nice stuff

To Build A Home

It takes a lot of patience to build a home and a lot of different people and personalities......
The one night I thought it would be a nice idea to go up to our land and watch the sunset.  It was really nice........It will be REALLY nice when we can watch the sunset with a roof over our head  ;)

So sorry for the bad video......I'm so bad at it I know!

It can't come soon enough for us.....I may just set up a table and chairs for some dinner one night!

To Build A Home

Well I've been looking at a lot of pictures for house ideas- I save stuff even if it has the tiniest of ideas.

I've made little notes of the reason why I kept a picture.

I know Rob and I will be sharing an office- if there's room for me so I do check out some home office ideas.

Here I like the shelves

I like the desk

OK this can never happen- but isn't it so FRESH- too girly I know.

Kitchen Ideas

European cabinets

Hood/Our Island will have burners

I originally wanted a tiered island, but now I don't know if I like that idea.

I don't know how to explain it, but something about it doesn't jive for me.

Still thinking about that.

wallpaper wall 

Adding in wood and check out floor color - 

Cabinets handles & Sink

Hood....this maybe an example of too much white

Color combo and lights

White and dark- window treatment?

I just love this picture......The wall is so cool to me

and then there's things I don't want to see in my kitchen

1st off- which was a really hard decision:

A MICROWAVE

I will not have one in our new kitchen- I will have one, but it will not be in our kitchen.

Some may think I'm crazy and I may be, but I'm committed to not use one unless I'm really desperate.

Here's something else I don't want to see- appliances on the counter with cords.....I know I'm being a bit bratty - but I'm gonna try really hard to make this NOT happen.  :)

I need very creative beverage station ideas!

Beverage appliances we have our 

Coffee maker/Keurig

VitaMixer

and hopefully a

Juicer 

SO anyways- my brother and his wife are moving into their new home and I can't help but see things I think they could use.

My sister-in-law allowed my mom and myself to help with Nat's rooms so I'm working on a chalk board project right now so I'm been looking at a lot of chalk board ideas.

I'm really into plants lately as summer is on it's way!

I love the plants in this picture and their pots.

This plant/tree is amazing to me

I also like the table

I have an old chair I've been wanting to do- well the other morning I seen it out front for the garbage.  I have to say I a little upset.  I have seen this chair and had high hopes I could do something similar to mine.  Not so sure that can happen now.  We'll see.

To Build a Home

Well things are moving along nicely- not as fast as we would have liked, but moving none the less.  We were marking off where we would like the house to sit Monday night.  It can be stressful- especially when I have a bit of an attitude.  I think about all the stuff I don't get done normally and to add to my plate helping Rob as we are planning to be our own General Contractor- makes me nervous- sometimes.

It seems to be the best decision for us.  We have hooked up with a couple who recently did their home and they said they could help us.  Well I've spoken to the wife and she already gave me my first assignment  :)

We weren't really showing anyone our house plans because we wanted it to be a surprise.  Our plans are very simple and tailored to exactly what we want so to look at our plans you wouldn't really see much.  We did end up showing our parents as we had an issue come up that totally baffled us.  It is so nice to be able to build a house together and know we did on our own all our way- good or bad as it may be.

This night we also attempted to go in the neighboring house that is to be torn down.  I thought it would be so nice to have a piece of that house in our house being it was the family's house who sold us the property.  It just seems sad to see a family home torn down- so I just thought it would be nice.   Well it was so super scary and locked down that we decided that wasn't going to happen.  I don't know we'll see once they start tearing it down.  My luck it will get all torn down and I'll miss all opportunities to snatch a piece of something.

We have also gone kitchen shopping and well that was interesting as I don't know what I want until I see it.  I wanted a white kitchen, but when I was there I liked a chestnut color kitchen.  I know I would drive anyone crazy.  So when I got back home I started to look at some darker kitchens and although I loved those cabinets I just couldn't picture me in a kitchen with dark cabinets.  A lot of my kitchen will have to be light and bright colors as they make me most happy.  Here's the thing- my style- well it's all my mine which means I like everything and anything well just about...lol.

See I like the plainness of these cabinets  

 I even love seeing two different colored cabinets in a kitchen- this is most exciting to me!

 I just can't get away from liking white

Then you see something like this and realize the potential to make it exactly how you want

Not that I'd ever have a clue how to make colors flow and match, but it is very inspiring to see this modern country look- I do like it which is surprising to me.

Then the thought of a dark island to help with the flow of the color to the dinning room sounds like a nice plan to me....I wish I knew what color floor they had.

There is so much to consider when planning so that things flow.

I'm really trying to think about the "flow" of the 1st floor.

I know I'm stuck on the kitchen, but hey that's mine to worry about.  

The rest of the house is seeming good.

I have a concern with a window above the bathtub- it's just not what I had envisioned, but I don't think we have any other option so somehow I guess we have to make it work.

I'm very happy with Lucas room.

I love our master bedroom very much- but thinking about style in there is tough too.  I'm hoping something comes to us with that as well.