deets

who would of thunk i would have spent so many months searching for the perfect faucet....i did and not proud of it.  it is much easier when shopping for others and finding that perfect fit, but for me there was not as much ease.

and..i found it on line..so there was a bit of blind faith with this one and thank goodness it worked out.  another one down.....

things are a cookin

we never did end up cooking any meals in the original kitchen at hillside.  as a mater of fact, ripping out this kitchen was one of the very first projects at hillside.  it was super easy taking everything down and getting it recycled or to the dump and really opened up the space.  long gone are the above the counter cabinets at hillside...never to return.

now, putting it back together again did take a bit longer than we had hoped, but that is all par for the course.  and honestly, our makeshift kitchen grew on me and its charming dysfunction had its way with me and i kinda miss it.  

BUT..after a few years of saving pennies for the kitchen fund...we got started and now we are so close to the finish line...at least for the one side of the kitchen.  about one more day with our contractor/friend gus and the drawers will be installed and the baseboards assembled and BAM. so close....

grateful.

more before and after

so, here is another look at the side path next to the cabin.  i wish i had before before shots, but could not find them...but, as you can see,  it is coming together...slow and steady.

the painting is very therapeutic for me (as it is for many of us)  and i have been painting since i was a wee kid and find it to be one of the most rewarding tasks....as long as i am not on a schedule..then it becomes a bit tedious.  i should be on a schedule as we have company from now until the first of the year...so, i am not sure how much more i am going to be able to get done before winter comes, but happy to have a bit more completed.  

here are a few tidbits of truth:

Saved $$ on stepping stones:  had our guy make a basic form (with my specific measurements) and then create basic cement pavers/slabs vs. spending $$$$ on buying premade ones.

Saved $$$ by painting the house myself vs. paying thousands to have someone else do it (i am almost halfway finished).  paint color is BM Encino Willow for the walls and Mascarpone for the trim.  i might change the trim to black..but will not sold quiet yet..an easy one to fix.

Saved $ by using a medium gravel instead of the fine gravel i was dreaming of.  we had some major sticker shock when we went to stone supply and found the gravel we loved was about 3 X's more than what we ended up with.  lets just say we love it even more now.

some kitchen shots are coming....

now i don't feel so old

ok, i know these images should give away the destination.  all i have to say is i have never seen so much beautiful architecture and history.  it was stimulatingly exhausting...did i already say that?  these structures were OLD...like so old i don't think i am capable of wrapping my mind around it.

i was inspired by the simple details...the same things that alway catch my breath.  i know these images are not necessarily simple details, but the little villages we visited were packed with them...i left my heart there....well, a piece of it anyway. 

have a great weekend.  heading out to hillside and i should have a few new updates to show you...fingers crossed.

holiday

well, i was out of country for 2 weeks and this time it was a personal trip and not a work one...YAY.   lets just say it was  visual stimulus overload and i finally gave in and accepted that the best images and memories will always be captured in my heart and thoughts..... as a camera just cant seem to capture the essence and color that my mind holds closely to, or maybe i just need to take some photography classes.  :)

can you guess where i was from these images?  one thing i can say is the doors, the doors, the doors reminded me of my friend donna at perfect gray.  i was able to capture one image of a gray door that i can share now,  but i have many more to share soon.

images by me..instagram filters included