First Final Walkthrough

Yesterday we had our "First Final Walk-through".  The house turned out great and we are very satisfied with the builder.  No complaints at all.  When we were finished, we had a punch list but all the items were minor paint and stain details - nothing significant.  Today we signed papers which went surprisingly well.  It was one of the easiest signing we've experienced.  Isn't that sad we can compare this signing with others...plural!

Next week comes the "Last Final Walk-through" where we get the keys and then the move begins.  Sometime in between, there's this holiday we'll celebrate and we have to pack.  Busy times. 

Thanks to Mr. Bob, our Realtor, for helping us successfully navigate the California real estate market.  He was patient, observant, keen to our likes and dislikes, all wrapped together with a great sense of humor.  If anyone is in the market to purchase in the Roseville/Lincoln/Rocklin/Granite Bay area let us know and we'll be glad to give the referral.

Here are some photos from yesterday.

Have we mentioned that we love the carpet?

 

Looking over the balcony to the downstairs.  The stained spindles were perfect.  Going with white would have been a mistake.

These floors are just asking for a game of broom hockey!

View of the kitchen with lots of cabinets.  On the right are the two "morning cabinets" which will house the wedding china and heirloom pieces.  The shelves at the end of the island will be great for storing cookbooks.  I can just see all the great bowls of cereal that will be poured in this gourmet kitchen!

Hudson Bay Blankets

Winter has arrived.  Some places get more winter than others.  Flagstaff, home of our alma matter, had it's first blizzard in years this month.  It's raining here in Northern California and snowing in the Sierra's.  Hot chocolate is going quickly in our house and the coats, extra blankets, knitted caps and cashmere scarfs are out.

This weather has reminded me of an item that I believe is a must have yet strangely I don't have.  That item is a Hudson Bay blanket.

Image courtesy of LL Bean.

These blankets are the standard for all other blankets.  Available and used for over 200 years, the history of a Hudson Bay blanket is fascinating.  From the Hudson Bay Company website:

Each blanket was graded as to weight and size using a point system. Points were identified by the indigo lines woven into the side of each blanket. A full point measured 4 - 5.5 in.; a half point measured half that length. The standard measurements for a pair of 1 point blankets was: 2 ft. 8 in. wide by 8 ft. in length; with a weight of 3 lb. 1 oz. each. Points ranged from 1 to 6, increasing by halves depending upon the size and weight of the blanket. The number of points represented the overall finished size of the blanket, not its value in terms of beaver pelts as is sometimes believed.

Wool, heavy, warm with the iconic striping and a rich history...no other blanket is like a Hudson Bay.

What a Conundrum

The carpet was installed late last week.  It looks great!  Here's a picture of the master bedroom. 

The color is "toast" and is a low pile carpet inspired by the sisal carpet in Legacy Books in Plano, TX.

We measured some windows for coverings.  Bedrooms and bathrooms come first.  The plan is to go slowly so we do it right.  The back windows are so large and let in so much light that it would be criminal to cover them completely.

Our first post included a brief discussion about what to do with the stair case.  The end decision was stain.  Earlier last week it was stained and we don't regret the decision.

Please excuse the Blackberry photo.  Getting into the house was a surprise and we didn't have our camera with us.

Now here is the problem.  Our first home was a small (950 square feet) Craftsmen home.  Interestingly, this first home is our bench mark for every subsequent home we have lived in.  Why?  Because of its character!  Here's a picture from the street.

The front porch was painted to look like tile.  It looked so good people would be surprised when we told them it was not tile.  To the right you'll notice a small nook.  In this nook were cabinets and a beautiful stained glass window complete with lead cames.  This window was original to the home.  The WPA stamp in the sidewalk out front made the home at least 50 years old.

Notice the woman walking on the path to the windmill.  A recessed light in the hutch lighting the window from above created a beautiful scene at night from the outside.

The hutch was also the perfect location for a Mother in Law's Tongue.  No plant we've had since has thrived like that one did.  Our china and various heirloom items looked great behind the glass door windows.  The pitcher and basin on the left is from a family ranch and is over 100 years old.  It's beautiful!  Thanks to my wife's father for having the foresight to preserve this great feature of the home when he restored it.

Lately I've been haunted by the fact that we're moving into is a track home in a suburb.  That's how it is these days so the challenge is to give our new home character...something to make it stand out from the others - make it ours.  What we have to do to make that happen, we're not sure but we're going to figure it out - so stay tuned!

Aperture is measured in “f” numbers.

Our camera is a digital point and click.  Inexpensive and easy to use.  I don't know anything about the science of taking good photos but that's OK - I know I'm not a photographer, don't pretend to be and I'm OK with that. 

Recently I found some great software for touching up photos.  It takes this...

And makes this...

The software is Poladroid and is fun and can create some interesting looks.  Available for Windows and Apple.

A blank canvas.

Habitually Chic had a great post recently.  I'd love to have a grid of art or photos on a wall.  Some nice landscape photos - or perhaps amateur photos of the family in black and white.  I think any grid looks best in black and white.  I'm reminded of some friends in Texas who had a great display of photos of the children.  All taken by their mom. It was inspiring then and now and not difficult to do.  (Translate that to there's no reason to not do it other than being just lazy.)

Now we're getting excited!

Last week the Mrs. snuck in during the day and took some photos of the tile.  While at the design center we decided to put what little money we did have into the master bathroom.  That decision was vindicated when we saw the tile in the bathroom.  What a difference a couple of small changes make.  Those changes include a tile with more color - less washed out - and 18" tile on the floor.  The photos don't do it justice.

This will be the garden tub with a small glimpse of the 18" tile on the floor.

The shower before the glass doors and walls are installed.

The shower floor with the diagonal tile.  A small but nice touch.  We dropped by late in the evening after a trip to the bike shop and had a great surprise.  We found the front yard was landscaped which was a relief with rain coming next week.  And even better, the wood floors are in. 

Even in the dark and covered in paper it looked fantastic.  (Please be patient with the photos, they're taken through a window on a Blackberry.)  The kitchen looked great also.

The under-cabinet lights are a nice touch.  So here we are pushing into the last stretch for a holiday move.  It's exciting but a tough balance as we try to lessen the children's disappointment there will be no Christmas tree this year.