Close to Goal.

Still, two more weeks. LOL, but I'm pretty sure this is a true statement today.

The inside is complete. Just a few outside things left to do before getting a 'certificate of occupancy'. I cannot wait to be an 'occupant'! I've been without a home now for 2 years. I'm ready to nest. Design. Create. Decorate. I'm ready to go into the promise land. Yea, those guys had to wait 40 years. Very thankful I won't  be 90 when we move in.

I wanted to give a shout out to some folks who gave up valuable time to paint. Who does that? 

These folks right here.

Laura. You are like a daughter. Thank you.

Rachel. You are my heart. My tall drink of water.I only wish I could have painted the tops of the doors without a ladder.
Check our her teacher blog HERE

John Parish. I don't have a blog big enough for my thoughts about this friend. He has been by Doug's side for more than 2 months. Every afternoon after he gets off work, he has come by to help. Our pastor calls it the 'ministry of presence'.  More than a friend.  Thank you, John.

Chuck & Roger. Chuck was a paint wizard. And Roger might have been praying in this photo. lol
Thank you both.

Selfie with my bestie. Always there for me!! LOYAL friend. 

Wanda. My chum, pal, little sis, problem solver, DEAR friend.  Jeff was there too, but he manages to avoid the camera. Thank you both for your love & support.

Char. My heart full of laughter friend. Neither one of us could paint the top of the doors.
Thank you for your prayer covering & your love for both Doug & I.

My oldest son, Brandon.Your dad has enjoyed you being alongside
him. Thank you.

The builder of dreams. The future is ours!!



Also a shout out to Jim Weathers, Denise Thomas, Ben Rader & his team from the church who also painted and helped build the decks. The finest friends.



I wanted to update you with the finished flooring. We wanted a Brazilian Cherry floor, but could never find a good deal, so we ended up going with a bamboo floor in this cherry color which is so close to the brazillian cherry. Plus it's quite a bit more durable. We are quite pleased.

Ignore the white bar stools. They are from our old house. They are counter height
& I need bar height. There will be a large yard sale in my future.

It's gorgeous!!

And here is a shot from the kitchen looking into the breakfast nook which looks out at the marsh view.
I'm quite possibly in a dream.

 Here's a little tour of the laundry room. Can I just say, IT"S HUGE! FYI: laundry is one of my favorite household chores. Don't ask why. I love sorting & folding it. I especially love how it smells when it's clean. 

This room is definitely one of my favorites.

I love this black & white tile. And yes, Doug put this in. It makes me want to dance.

We found these cabinets from habitat for humanity.
Here is what they looked like then.

Love the tin back splash. Pinterest has been one of my best friends.

And, of course a shout out to Quoizel and my $30 drum light. I've truly become a light snob. Please forgive me.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. I leave you today with the best view I have.

This is gonna happen alot at Clearview.  This is why we build. This is our future. And I'm pretty sure there are more coming our way!! Stay tuned. 

A Clear View on Memorial Day

Today I'd like to take a little detour from the house build and share my thoughts on this Memorial Day.

"There is no greater expression of love than when someone lays down his life for his friends."
John 15:13

Dating back to the American Civil War was a day known as “Decoration Day". It was the practice of placing flowers and flags on the graves of fallen soldiers & was done in remembrance of the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces, but also to honor the freedom in which they upheld. Today we know it as "Memorial Day". A day in which we get together with friends while having BBQ's, enjoying the beach, boating, & vacationing. It's the unofficial 1st day of summer. 

 “We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.” – Francis A. Walker

I do love all of our military holidays. It's very close to my heart. In case you didn't know, 'the builder of dreams' aka Doug is a retired Air Force veteran. 

Huge blast from the past. 

I loved being a military spouse. Those 20  years of my life brought me some of the best friends I've ever made. We are still friends to this day & I cherish our military history and all of the new stories we are writing. 

But today, on this Memorial Day, my mothers heart is quite heavy. You see, our youngest son, Justin, aka Vinny, leaves for his 5th deployment back to Afghanistan. He leaves tomorrow. Getting my mothers brain around that number 5 is just completely insane. The last time he was deployed was over 3 years ago. So here are a few reasons why this time is different. You see, in 2011, he married his sweetheart. Lisa. 

I love these photos she had taken for their engagement pictures.

She is an awesome military spouse. Determined. Strong. Courageous.
I just love her.

They celebrate their 3rd anniversary in October. Justin will not be there for that.

Nine months later, we were blessed with this little guy. Tyler James. Tyler turns 2 in July. His daddy will not be there for that. 

They've been busy the last few months cramming in vacation time & making memories at Disney.

And Build A Bear to keep daddy close.

You see, this will be the first time he has deployed since having a family. He doesn't just say goodbye to us, but to his wife & son. This mothers heart breaks. But with God's strength & His guiding hands . . . this is what I know for sure:

"If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,says God,
    I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
    if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
    I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life"

Psalms 91

   

I will display my blue star flag stating that I have a son who is defending his country so that we can enjoy all the freedoms that entails. 
Blue Star Mothers

 Thank you to the men & women of our armed forces. Those who have given the ultimate price for freedom. And those who continue to serve and do it so they can get home to those they love. 

Serve well, Justin. We love you!!

 Until then . . . . . we wait for your return. 

Really Soon . . . About two weeks?

About two weeks!!!

That's what the 'builder of dreams' has said now for about a month. I'm getting used to that but, what the 'builder of dreams' has accomplished is astonishing. Can I just say how much I love my house!!!! It is just beautiful and sometimes Doug & I just stop and look at each other and laugh. A joyful laugh. Who put us in this dream??  God. 

So let's take a look at my favorite room in the house. The heart of the home. The kitchen.

Remember when it looked like this?

Look at it now. It's awesome!! (don't judge the blue chairs. They are the most comfortable thing when you've been painting all night)

IN LOVE. That's all!

The flooring is down now also and you cannot see it in this pic, but the sink is in the island. 

We are standing in the breakfast nook. This is looking out into the great room. Dining room is to the left.

We are now standing at the sink. You are looking into the great room. Straight ahead will be the fireplace & built-ins. That gorgeous view is beyond that window. Sigh . . . 

We are now standing in the dining room looking back at the kitchen.

I picked out a back splash that would just fade into the wall and this subway tile does just that.

He loves doing this. Its nothing more than big puzzle pieces.

Let's just take one more look at those ridiculous awesome lights. I snagged those on my first trip to Quoizel when I was a newbie. I could now be considered a pro. $40 FOR EACH ONE. What???? So proud of them!!

This is the biggest pantry I've ever dreamed of. Can't wait to fill this up. This is the door to the left that you see in the picture above.

FYI: Remember the Bibles we buried which I blogged about here?
Can you see the little box on the floor? It says Nan's Bible. That is the exact spot it is buried under the foundation. Looking into the kitchen it is right in front of the island. I love that I have  her here with me.




So there is my kitchen. I can't wait to take you on a real tour. Will definitely have a pot of coffee or some sweet tea. We can sit out back and just chat about all things. Dreams. I hope you are full of dreams. Dream big, friends. Until then, I leave you with some views of boy love.

I can't wait for this boy love to try and climb that tree back there. 

It won't be long.

There are so many things to explore. Even for the big boys. 3 generations of them right there.

Justin, Tyler, & the builder of dreams aka Doug, Papa, & the boyfriend.
How I love them.