kitchen sneak peak...

Photographs showing the half completed kitchen cabinetry. The Paper Stone counter top is scheduled for delivery next week. Also shown are the powder room door - glass to be frosted eventually - and the baby's dresser and assorted goodies.

ceiling fans...

Trying to find a ceiling fan that is 1) modern, 2) simple, 3) warm (ie, not too modern), and 4) doesn't look like a prop from Gone With the Wind. If we can actually find this animal (seen in photos) locally and get a better look at it, it might do the trick. There are 2 ceiling fans in the vaulted living / dining / kitchen wing. Having the up and down lights (each operates individually) would be a bonus.

Two pictures showing the finish plaster coat. Picture one shows a somewhat rustic niche in the spare bedroom. Picture two shows the bookshelf hallway - minus the actual book shelves. BUT, look closely and you will see an illuminated ceiling light at the top of the frame. That's new. There are also some switches and electrical outlets scattered about. Good times.

IKEA assembly line...

Sunday afternoon marked a break in the schedule - time to begin assembling the kitchen and bathroom cabinetry. There's a LOT of flat packs laying around the living room at the moment. By the time we broke for dinner we had assembled three kitchen base cabinets and this bathroom vanity (seen below). It will hopefully only take a couple weeks of evenings and Sundays to get everything more-or-less put together...

plaster before and after

Race to the finish...

Who is growing faster, Christie or the eucalyptus? Christie or the nursery straw bale house? For sure, one will be done by June, and it probably won't be the house. After an amazing 2 weeks - which saw the plasterers scratch and brown the entire interior of the house -the sun came out and the plasters scattered to complete exterior work elsewhere. It's unfortunate, but we're still happy with them and their work. Though, one thing we didn't count on was the interior of our house turning into a steam shower. Water from the plaster condenses onto windows and doors and is soaking the (unstained and unsealed) wood - to the point where doors and windows aren't operating properly, are sticking shut, or - if they are already open - not closing. My new morning coffee ritual is to take two large, dry beach towels to the house and sop up all the moisture off the wood. Once the sun is out, I open up all the doors and windows and try to let them dry out as much as possible. If the plasters return, we'll start assembling the kitchen next week.

bright and shiny...