coming home in a few days.

Only a few more days in the lovely state of New Hampshire!

Will blog more when I get home and am able to upload about 600 pictures!

For now, just a quick shot from the deck of Bill's Aunt's house on Bow Lake. Such a beautiful place!

In the North East now!!!

Having a blast! Can't wait to post, but very busy 'touring' and will upload photos when I get home. Here is a photo from my first lobster meal!

getting closer....

Bill finished framing the wall that will be the backsplash behind the counters in the basement kitchen. I'm seriously getting excited. This probably isn't the most interesting blog material, but I can't help but share a few more pics. We took the Ikea butcher block countertop out of the box and placed it on top of the cupboards. I can't wait to cut a hole and get the sink installed! We are getting close (thanks to Billy Boy)!!

I have pics of the counter and wall building, but first- a picturesque view of the flowers and bamboo outside of the new kitchen window. The afternoon light hits this window just right.

I have been waiting so long to see how this countertop looks and I am very happy! It was very reasonable too!

Starting to see what it will look like....

Bill starts to build the wall that will be the tile backsplash.

Ahhhh!!! I can't wait until it's done. After this project, we move onto the floors. That should be fun.

2-14-11

Making up for lost time.

I'm taking a break from grading papers to work on some long overdue blogposts. This past Valentines day, Mr. Bill and I were so lucky to spend some time at the Twin Lagoon Camp. This very special house sits between two lagoons, very close to Coupeville, Washington on Whidbey Island. If you are interested in staying there, check out this facebook link: Twin Lagoon Camp Facebook Page .

It is seriously one of the most serene places I have ever stayed, and I have the pictures to prove it.

A Very special thank you to my Aunt Marilyn for helping us enjoy this magical place! And she gave me some amazing china, which has found it's way into my dining room built-ins! Alix and Brandon also greeted us with hospitality and good company. I look forward to the day when I can return the favor in Portland!

Just reviewing these pictures lowered my blood pressure. I LOVE this place! Most of these pictures are from the area around the Twin Lagoon Camp. You can explore for hours and still see the house. Good stuff!

Baby liked it too.
Fresh Mussels.



Photog filter fun.



I love this pic.











It was so hard to eat breakfast from this little table every morning. Poor us.
That's the master bed in the bottom of the picture. Above the bed is the huge window with the amazing view. Again, so hard to stay there.....

Coupeville, WA. So quaint and cozy.

We took a different route home so that we could check out Deception Pass. This was my first time seeing it and I was not disappointed!






Watch your step!!





It was a wonderful trip. Thanks again to Aunt Marilyn, Alix and Brandon!! I hope to see you all again soon!

progress

Bill and I opted to stay in town this weekend after rain was predicted. The goal this weekend was to finish the new basement bedroom so we can use it for storage to finish the rest of the basement. The bigger goal is to finish the entire basement so we will have a cool and comfortable place to hang out this summer. We can have a nice place for out of town family and friends. We are not in a rush to get downstairs tenants. We do want to have the place ready though in case we need extra cash in the future.

There is a lot to do still! We need to fir out a wall in the kitchen, drywall and tile it. The entire basement needs some paint and the floors are a mess. I started working on them this weekend and they will require a ton of manual labor. I like manual labor though. There is something therapeutic about having a goal that you can achieve without having to talk to someone. Manual labor is great! You can work on it without hearing about something disturbing that will make your job more difficult, and when you leave the basement, it doesn't go upstairs with you! Too bad I'm not terribly proficient at manual labor. Maybe in my next life?

Despite the fact that the basement project has taken for--ever, I'm actually super proud of the progress. In just the little bedroom, several things have changed. The closet wall and door have been completely demoed and rebuilt; the electrical has been expanded and the old fluorescent light that was grounded on a 2 x 4 has now been patched up and relocated to the middle of the room; a new window has been installed; some crazy outdoor siding and a useless shelf have been removed and replaced with fresh drywall; and now the walls have been primed and painted a nice warm color. Now we need to prepare the floor for carpet(which I already have) and hang the trim, and then we are DONE! Despite the fact that this room is just a small part of the entire basement, this room feels like a success. It is actually where most of the structural work has been done. I need to give props to my neighbor Jeff who is a drywall master and did work for a very reasonable price last summer.

Here are a few pictures of the 'old' room.

This was the tiny closet that seemed only suitable for a few books and a laundry basket. Please notice the exposed handy work above it? They had shimmied all kinds of crap around the frame??
Here is the outdoor siding, useless built in shelf and the light that should have burnt down the house a long time ago. I guess my Karma isn't so bad after all?

They had these old craft cabinets that were sitting on old bricks. That is also the old window that was sealed from the outside, leaving NO outdoor light in this room. It should be noted that this room used to be haven for spiders!!

And a few pics from this weekend-

The new closet and door.
The new window and beautiful, clean walls.

Working on the house is fun and extremely fulfilling.

Hoping to post more 'After' pics soon!

Back to grading papers =(