new drop zone

The garage entry drop zone has been on our wish list since before we started building our house!  We knew it was something we'd love to plan and build together, so we just had our builder finish the space with drywall, knowing we would add storage later.  Well, 2 years later... we have brought our vision to life.  

Unfortunately, I don't have any before photos- but we had a big mirror with a tiny shelf & hooks on the back wall, and a beautiful small bench R's grandfather built.  It worked for a while, but now we have really made use of every single inch of space back here!

The beginnings... R added beadboard to the back wall {Hooray! I finally got some in this house!!}, and built shoe cubbies out of prefinished shelving.  You can see him testing stain colors on a scrap piece of hickory.  These options are honey & espresso... we ended up choosing honey, the one in the middle of the board.

Here's the finished bench top.  This is hickory that R stained; he also added about 4 coats of poly.  SO pretty!  We were only able to find 2 baskets that were in good shape... so we need to keep checking back for a couple more.  (full disclosure- they're better home & gardens from walmart!)

Upper storage baskets for sunscreen, (& more likely) winter hats & mittens.

The finished product- well, almost!  We still need to add a couple more hooks on the sides for my purse, R's lunchbox, etc.  I may also end up changing out the tiny chalkboard/key hook, too.  Plus we need to find those 2 more lower baskets, & add some trim above the upper shelf... haha!  Well, at the very least, it's a great start!!  It really brightens up the space and I already love the storage.  It will look much different come wintertime!

all the coffee !!

Lately, I'm coffee obsessed!  Maybe it's the 3rd trimester exhaustion, or simply because I have to limit my coffee intake to 1 cup a day.  Sometimes I even plan my day around my one cup, & look forward to it in the early afternoon.  :)

So, say hello to my new coffee bar.  In attempt to de-clutter our counters, I've had the keurig in this spot for a while.  The wall shelf is the latest addition.  I still have some work to do to get it all styled and organized, so I'll be playing around with that for a while.  But, so far I am loving being able to display some of our Polish pottery collection!  There's also plenty of room for my tea, cinnamon, & honey.  I am seriously loving this; it makes me so happy!

In the spirit of all things COFFEE, our kitchen chalkboard also underwent a seasonal makeover.

More to come soon!  We have been crazy busy around here wrapping up projects before out little bundle of joy makes his arrival in August.  Until then, have a wonderful week!

baby R is a BOY!

we are feeling very blessed!  we've already received SO much love & support from our family and friends.  we love you all very much.

.  xoxo  .

A&R

{+ baby bean}

planning a gender reveal

Surprise!

So, now the time has come for a little gender reveal.  I know, it should really be called a sex reveal, buuut the internet seems to prefer the phase gender reveal.  Let's just go with the flow.

Either way... I am counting down the days until we know if our first born will be a boy or a girl!  It's so exciting, I can't stand it.  I've been channeling my energy into planning a little reveal.  We are keeping it very small, immediate family only, but I'm too excited not to share my chalkboard.

I made a list of some popular old wives' tales and gave family a place to cast their vote.  Our ultrasound is next Thursday.  Until then, we wait!

basement update - bathroom & sauna

We have a (mostly) working bathroom!  We're down to the final step- tiling the shower.  I'm loving watching everything come together.  We spent a lot of time choosing tile and paint, wanting this bathroom to look northwoods rustic but still upscale.  The dual-flush toilet was a must-have for me.  We run on well water out here, so anything we can do to conserve is a bonus.  I'm also loving how the reclaimed wood tile turned out.  It's better than I imagined.  Okay, enough from me- take a look.

The sauna has come a long way, too.  R built everything himself, including the benches and the door.  He's just waiting on the stove.  We're almost there!

Bathroom Sources:

floor tile

shower floor tile

shower wall tile

dual-flush toilet

open channel faucet

vanity top

vanity and mirror

vanity light fixture

let's talk about cedar

basically, it smells amazing!  R spent last weekend installing the tongue & groove, and now our entire home smells like cedar.  I'm ready to set up a cot in the sauna.  He was a little short on material, so I had him add a few planks to his next order so we can do a cedar wall behind the toilet in the new bathroom.  In a word, I'm obsessed! 

basement progress - framing a bathroom

It's cold here.  Which means we are inside a LOT... so R has been busy framing in the latest additions- a full bathroom (well, technically I think it's 3/4 since there is no tub) and sauna.  I am already looking forward to spending time in the sauna, because I have been freezing this month. :)

We had the plumber install the drains before the concrete slab was poured.  So that was (mostly) in place when we started.  I wasn't happy with where the shower vent came up, because it made the space for the toilet 12" larger than our architect intended.  I know that a foot doesn't seem like much, but when it means your shower can be extended from 4 feet to 5 feet, without encroaching on the sauna, you ask you husband to jack hammer some concrete.  Guess what, he called some friends over and they did it.  I will be forever grateful!

If you look closely, you can see the toilet rough-in to the right.  They moved the vent closer to the toilet, so that full wall required between the shower and toilet leaves a 3' space for the toilet, and bumps the shower up to a whopping 5 feet (insert Kermit excited arm-flail yell! YAAAY!).  Not to mention the toilet will now be centered in the space.  The mere thought of a toilet sitting randomly in a 4' cubby, completely off center, was giving me chills.  But no more!  This problem was solved by 3 guys and an entire day of jackhammering and mixing concrete.

After the drains were finalized, walls started going up, followed shortly by the plumbing vents and electrical.

 ... keep reading!  there are more pictures.

basement progress - finished family room

This post is a little overdue!  We have finished our basement family room, and it's awesome.  We knew when we designed our home that the open staircase would lead down to a TV room/family fun space. (Notice how we are avoiding man-cave at all costs.)  When we moved in, the basement was completely unfinished, so our builder installed a door at the bottom of the stairs.  We started by removing that door, cutting back the wall, and then got busy finishing drywall.

Here's what it looked like when I last left you.

Since then, R has installed the drop ceiling, finished the dryall, primed and painted, moved and framed in the support post, and installed trim.  We brought someone in to install the flooring, and matched our upstairs vinyl plank and carpet.  The plank is awesome, because it's completely waterproof- perfect for our snowy weather and future sauna & hot tub feet.

Check it out.