Well. In one hour it will be September 6th. And September 6, 2012 happens to be mine and Kenny’s 15th anniversary. I was going to do a fun anniversary post, but aside from the usual craziness a typical Wednesday brings, Kenny and I have spent most of our day discussing fireplaces with our builder, architect, designer and framers. And now it’s late and Kenny is asleep on the couch and I should be asleep on the couch so an anniversary post isn’t going to happen. But that’s ok. Because our 15 year anniversary post would look a lot like our 13 year anniversary post since we haven’t changed much in the last forever. We have decided to celebrate huge this year. By giving each other a new house. And maybe dinner for two. :)
(Kenny – I still love you most. And if we are still married by the time this house is built we are going to celebrate big time. Probably by buying window coverings. But at least the house will be finished. And we will still be together. Finishing each other’s sentences, trying to outwit each other with sarcasm, faking our way through parenting and arguing over who is a better driver. When we both know it’s me. Keep your eye on the prize.)
When you walk in the entry you can see straight into the formal living room which has a wall of french doors. I wanted to walk in the front door and immediately see the yard and pool.
K – I didn’t mean to do this but how cool is this picture!? Looks like Kenny is tiny and walking on our window. Clearly I have mad photography skills. Or I just take so many pictures that something cool is bound to pop up in a photograph every now and again. Nah. Mad photography skills.
(It’s my anniversary, humor me.)
And in other house related news I am still in the process of figuring out wood floors. We ordered a box of some that we really like and I laid it out in my kitchen to get a feel for it. It’s nice seeing it during different times of the day and in different lighting.
I’m looking for floors that have wide planks, that are distressed, and dark but not too dark. The sample to the right has a little too much red in it for me. I still don’t know if this is the one. Much to Kenny’s dismay. He could care less what we get. He just wants decisions made.
I decided I’d try the fishy cracker test on my samples…
Wow! There has been a lot of progress made! How exciting! I love all the samples of the wooden floors. I like darker one the best. It looks really nice against the white. Maybe it is just the fishy crackers that give it that extra touch. ;)
My husband tells me I drive fast all the time. Why would you buy me a turbo Optima if you want me drive slow…lol. I am always in a hurry. But, I am a very safe driver. ;)
Happy Anniversary! I hope you both are blessed with many more.
Oh, the picture of Kenny made me laugh. I think you have mad skills.
No basements in Australia. Well, very few anyway. The few that are around are very old and are simply there as a hang-over from when we were first colonised by England.
…We do have some places where there are entire houses underground. This is because the temperature in these areas is very hot, often reaching well over 40C (104F) in Summer.
Back on topic though, your house looks magnificent and congratulations on such a wonderful milestone! My fiance and I are also building a house and I look forward to one day celebrating 15 years with him :)
Well, I had to come comment esp because the annoying word verification is off. The other day I tried 3 times before it let me through. Honestly, I think it felt sorry for me trying so hard :)
I love the darker floor….
And we don’t have basements in South Africa – I used to feel a bit envious of the Americans but now I think, “less to clean!”
And last but by no means least, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Gosh, 15 years. Erin, did you teach until Ellie was born?
Happy Anniversary! The house looks great; thanks for keeping us updated!
Hey Erin, thanks for taking off the word verification! I stopped trying to leave comments b/c I honestly gave up after 6 or 7 tries. The house looks awesome, I can’t wait to see it finished!
Amy from NY
I like the darker one better! I can’t wait to see the finished product!!!
Big progress, I bet it is so exciting for you to see! And I love the cracker test…lol.
Happy Anniversary to you both!
And thank you for removing the code thing-a-ma-jig. Hoping the spam stays down ’cause those things make me want to scream. ;)
Yay for framing! I love either of those floor choices.
Happy, happy Anniversary! The flooring sounds real similar to what my parents just put in their home in St. George – they love it. I think grilled cheese sandwiches will be fabulous for dining!
Love the updates! Happy Anniversary!!
Happy Anniversary! Some people get flowers on their anniversary….how lucky are you, a new house and dinnner for two ;). Love the pro pic of Kenny walking the beam, very cool. I loved seeing the progress when we were building, who knew seeing some sticks nailed together could be so exciting! Right up there with a shopping spree…well almost ;). Hope you have a wonderful day!
Happy Anniversary!!
I love following your home building journey and would love to see the blue prints if you are allowed to upload them to the blog!!
Happy Anniversary! Love seeing the house progress it is looking good!
Gosh, I’m having fun watching your house come along. :) We built our starter home 2 years ago and I know how exciting it is to drive out and see progress! Your home is going to be BEAUTIFUL and I can’ wait to see the finished result!
Love seeing all the progress on your house! So exciting! We celebrate our 10 year anniversary on the 7th! Your little paragraph to Kenny cracked me up…sounds like us :) We’re just doing a dinner out for two as well. It is his year to plan {we alternate years} and he’s been crazy busy and waited til the very last minute to plan, so babysitter availability was limited! Hope you get a fun, relaxing evening out to celebrate :) ~gina
Happy Anniversary! The house is looking amazing and you are continuing to crack me up with your posts! ;-)
Happy 15th Anniversary to my FAVORITE blogger and her husband! And wishes for many, many more! I love seeing your new home pictures throughout the building phase and hearing about your construction and decor decisions!! I hope you get to celebrate your anniversary with a dinner out!!
Oh, one more thing….your comments to Kenny about “I love you the most!” – that is exactly what my husband and I say to each other! And he thinks I am a terrible driver, too! But I know I am an excellent driver! We have been married 38 years as of last weekend!
Happy Anniversary Erin!!
BTW, your house is coming along nicely :)
It’s great to see more of what the house will really be like. I could never go through the building process, it’s so stressful! You’re a trooper! Happy Anniversary!!!
Hey first of all,Happy Anniversary to both of you!
thanks so much for taking off word verification……
OMG, My husband thinks that i am not a good driver like him too. hey, but my lil one thinks I am the GREAT driver.
I am so happy that your building the house is progressing. How long it will take to finish? I can’t wait!
Just have to post that today is my husband and I’s anniversary too! We were married September 6, 2003, so our 9 year anniversary is today.
Happy 15th!
YOU Crack me up. I love when you type at night. I think your goofy humor comes out. What would you be like if you typed at say noon every day? Fish crackers…. love it. Happy Anniversary to an amazing couple! Wonderful role models! <—- I mean it but I know you are laughing right now.
I love Kenny in the window! That is so funny! House is looking awesome!
Hi Erin,
Happy anniversary! We share the same wedding date but you guys are waaaaaay ahead of us. We celebrated our 4th year today!
I can’t believe how quick the house has come along! The builders have been busy!
Samantha (from oz)
Congrats on 15 years!!! And the framing!!!….AND the mad photgraphy skills ;)
Happy Anniversary! I love the darker flooring next to the white cabinets. So pretty!
Oh my word – such a fun anniversary gift to hear from so many of you! Thank you all so much for your comments! (I’ll definitely leave the word verification off since it was annoying so many of you!) :)
And happy anniversary to those of you who are also celebrating!
And thanks again. Your kind comments make my day. :)
Oh and Stephanie – you made me laugh! And my posts would sound the same if I typed at noon. But you are right – I do get extra goofy when I’m tired. :)
Happy Anniversary!!
And the fishy crackers is genius, I tell you. I was just commenting to Will the other day that when (if) we redo our kitchen I want countertops where I can SEE the crumbs. One of my pet peeves is realizing when I’m on eye level with the kitchen counter that there are a gazillion crumbs, spills, etc. that I just couldn’t see when I wiped them off minutes before. I think a test run is brilliant!
Happy Anniversary! So exciting to see the frame of your house. I can ‘almost’ picture what it is going to look like. I follow along with you on Pinterest, and your style is beautiful, so I am sure your home will be too! :)
Exciting to see the progress. So fun. Happy Anniversary, next week is our 16th. Love the wood floors as well, that’s exactly what I would pick and would love if I could do it. Corey says there is no way he is doing new floor in this house and have to take out all our tile. Whatever, next house…maybe!
Congrats on the frames! Can’t wait to see the new house. My husband and I will be celebrating our anniversary this weekend. We have decided that we’re going to Chipotle. How’s that for romantic?! After all these kids, it doesn’t take much to please us anymore… and… to be honest, that’s all I have time and energy for!
Olivia from Toronto, Canada said…
Dear Erin ,Happy 15th Anniversary to you and Kenny. My parents Anniversary is the same as your September 6th. My parents celebrated 42 years of a great marriage before my Mom died twelve years ago. My Dad is 83 and my parents marriage was a match made in heaven. Enjoy your Anniversary day with your husband.
Olivia
A friend found your blog and sent it to me as she knew it would be right up my alley. I’ve just finished re-organizing our closets – thanks to your inspiration! We have a few similarities – my husband and I are both from Utah, we now live in sunny SoCal, he’s a lawyer, I’m a SAHM with 3 kids, etc.. But the topper is that today is our 15th wedding anniversary too! Congrats!
OMG! That hardwood looks exactly like what we just put in our entire basement last week! You will love it!
I have a question for you-how come it takes so long to build a house in CA? We recently built a 4500sq. ft. custom home w/ a basement and it only took about 6 months.
Kari
I love reading about the new house. I think it’s going to be so pretty. We’ve been in the process of picking new wood flooring for our kitchen/dining space too. A few of my friends have the darker wood tones in their house and while they think it’s beautiful, they also hate that it shows every speck of dust on the floor. Just something to think about if that kind of thing would drive you crazy too. I was leaning dark initially too but changed my mind after realizing how much dust would show thanks to our very large windows in the kitchen and dining area. Anyway, Just a thought I’d pass along. Does anyone else have dark floors and not find that showing dust etc is a big deal?
I love reading about the new house. I think it’s going to be so pretty. We’ve been in the process of picking new wood flooring for our kitchen/dining space too. A few of my friends have the darker wood tones in their house and while they think it’s beautiful, they also hate that it shows every speck of dust on the floor. Just something to think about if that kind of thing would drive you crazy too. I was leaning dark initially too but changed my mind after realizing how much dust would show thanks to our very large windows in the kitchen and dining area. Anyway, Just a thought I’d pass along. Does anyone else have dark floors and not find that showing dust etc is a big deal?
Oh my the house looks GREAT so far! The pic of Kenny in the window is hysterical!
BTW- I just transferred over to a public blog [use to be private] and I put a link to your blog in my sidebar, I hope you don’t mind. I love your blog [yay! for organization] and check it daily. You can find me here:
http://hugseverlasting.wordpress.com/
If you have any tips, they would be appreciated… I’m still new and feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. ;)
Thanks so much everyone! I’ve had the best day so far getting all of these fun comments!
Lucy – I have the same issue with the granite in my kitchen now. I can never see crumbs and it drives us nuts! We constantly set papers down in a mess without even knowing. The countertops in my next house will show everything! (Which is probably its own problem..)
Sarah – I totally get it! Dinner is all we could pull off this year too. Enjoy your time at Chipotle! Something is better than nothing, right? :)
Olivia – thanks for telling me about your parents. Sounds like a perfect match. How rare and wonderful. I’m sure you are thinking of them today.
xoxo
Kari – I know! It takes forever to build homes here! Part of it is the size of our home and the roof line (I guess it’s a complicated one). But mostly it’s just because it is so hard to build in southern California. My parents in Utah had their permits in the city for 2 weeks. The average time here is 3-6 months. EVERYTHING is harder and takes longer here. I could bore you forever with the city codes and daunting details! Hope you are enjoying your new home! So exciting. :)
Jill – That is what I’m worried about too! I’ve heard the darker the floor the harder it is to keep looking clean. I’m always torn between what is beautiful and practical!
Love the floors! Also, this might har already been suggested, but I have word verification turned off with comment approval on posts over a week old. Seems to eliminate the spam for me. =)
Thanks Pam! I’m going to try that!
Marcia – forgot to answer your question! Yes. I taught until Ellie was born. 6 years (right up until I was about to pop with Ellie). :)
Kady – WOW. We have A LOT in common! No doubt we would become fast friends. So nice to “meet” you!
Congrats Erin, on your anniversary and your frames! Your house is looking great! I love your fishy cracker test! We renovated our second home and polished up the original timber floorboards – they are quite a warm brown colour (even yellowy in parts – sounds weird but these are from native NZ trees) and they are very forgiving when it comes to dust and crumbs! I love the warmth they give to our sunny living areas too. P.S. great photography skills too!
I feel the same way about a formal dinnning room. We have plans to extend/redo our kitchen and the dinning room is attached and will also get bumped out. My thoughts were to convert our formal dinning a huge kitchen nook and just include it as part of a huge kitchen—my husband is against getting rid of a formal dining room because of resale value. I say I’m never moving so who cares. Only time will tell on this one—who will win? Not sure-but I can still picture it so clearly and love it. Good luck with your house—evrything looks so great already! Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!!! I love the darker floor sample and what’s more I love that you put fishy crackers on them (or maybe that was Cole) b/c that’s what happens around here way too often! Can’t wait to see the final pictures of your house. I’m sure it will be awesome!
Happy Anniversary you two!!!
I have two thoughts:
1. I have been a passenger of yours many times.
You do just fine other than missing turns sometimes.
2. I like the lighter colored wood better and for what it’s worth…the fishy cracker crumbs looked the same on all the samples. :) That wood is so pretty though!
YAY!!! So excited for you! It’s so fun seeing the framing go up! And I’d say you do have mad photography skills, that picture is awesome! BE CAREFUL with the wood floor, if you go very dark, you will go insane because the dust shows SO BAD! Like clean in the morning, dusty by evening, every day. Also little footprints show up much more on darker floors. Don’t go too dark! That’s why my floor is a nice medium color. :)
Congrats on 15 years you guys! Wahoo!
Ok, I just read your comment about the counter tops, be careful with that too. I promise you really don’t want them to show everything! You’ll think you are clean and then it will depress you!
1) I have had times when I’ve had to try the word verification 4-5 times before I get it right. What is the DEAL with how hard they make those things? Why so difficult? I mean, a machine cannot read a word, so why just just a simple word without the letters overlapping and such? Ugh. I loath…I mean LOATH…word verification! But all that being said (complained!!) I completely understand if you put it back on. I’ll still leave comments! Even if it takes me 20 tries.
2) I have ALWAYS wanted the pool/backyard to be seen from the front entry!!
3) That photo of the micro-Kenny made me laugh out loud. Yes, I’m spelling it out instead of saying LOL …because it deserves to be spelled out. You DO have mad photography skills!
SO exciting to see the progress !!
Love the flooring too! I laughed out loud when you said ” I hope his clients like grilled cheese” LOL
YAY for no more word verification…:) Happy Anniversary and Happy Framing! I know its going to be beautiful…are you furniture shopping at all yet? IT would be a fun post to hear see the direction you are going on the inside – colors, furniture, schemes, etc…
Happy Anniversary! Thanks for sharing all your amazing house progress! I am having so much fun living vicariously through you! SO excited to see it when it’s done! Especially the KITCHEN! xo
Behind on commenting but girl you KNOW how much I love your home updates!
Thanks everyone! You are all so sweet. :)
Shari – HA! I DO have a problem with missing turns!
:)
Thanks Amanda! All I have so far is bar stools for the kitchen island! I will definitely post more about decor choices as we get further along. FUN stuff! :)
Love the house progress! I’m so excited for you that your going to have a pool! Lucky girl!
Love the house progress!!! It seems to be happening very quickly!! Love the wood flooring!!!
September 6th is a great day to celebrate an anniversary! My hubby & I celebrated 9 years this year! We have also survived building our own home…imagine this thought we live in the pacific northwest & we had to sell the home we were living in to afford to buy the property we wanted to build on SO we bought a large 5th wheel trailer to live in on our lot while we built our house ourselves….all with a 6month old baby. We broke gound in September & moved into the house in May! My husband & I always joke the if our marriage surrvived that then we could survive anything!
Hi…we have distressed wood that isn’t too dark!! We get lots of compliments, too! It is called Harvest maple by Elegance. We have 3 labradors and it holds up great!
3KViningMomma – Oh my word! I’m never going to complain again! You are my hero! :) With a six month old!? YES. Your marriage can survive anything! :)
Meg – thanks! I’m off to check out those floors!