The Short Family Adventures: Week 7

Lots of changes this week as well as lots of decisions. We now have a third story floor and a couple of walls as well as an interior staircase from 2nd to 3rd floor. We moved the living room wall back into the office a foot and a half in order to increase that space somewhat. We removed the wall blocking off the laundry area so it is now one big mudroom/laundry space. The laundry chute was framed in and Ainsley thinks that it is the coolest thing! I'm sure we'll have much more than clothes making their way down the chute over the years! The radiant was laid in the basement and cement will be poured over it next week, weather permitting.

Dean and I traveled to Seattle with our contractor on Tuesday to pick out flooring, countertops, and back splashes. We STILL have not decided on a flooring - ahhhhh!!!!! We are down to engineered tigerwood vs stained engineered red oak. Oak can be stained to a similar color of tigerwood, is more stable esp over radiant, and is a third the cost. However, it's not as beautiful as tigerwood. We'll see how the quotes come in and make that decision soon. The countertop and tile shopping was so much fun! We went to Pental in Georgetown and they have this huge warehouse of granite/limestone/quartz/onyx, etc. slabs. You walk through the aisles and pick the style you like based on the one on top and then they pull out all of the slabs of the same style - different variations based on where from the rock they were sliced. We opted for a creamy color quartz for the perimeter kitchen counter and desk and picked a limestone slab that will be split between the master bath and the laundry counters. The nice thing about quartz is that it is very hard and nonporous and needs minimal to no maintenance - perfect for a kitchen. And the "awesomest" (as Ainsley says) piece is the granite slab we picked that will be our kitchen island and powder room countertops. We were walking the aisles and I saw it and said "ooooooh" and Dean came over and saw it and said the same - sold!!!! However, we are waiting final pricing as this slab of granite was in one of the priciest categories of course! Our framer lives in Bellevue and is currently living 4 days a week out here for the job. He had suggested that we call his wife who does interior design when we headed over. Heidi has worked with Dell and Paul (the floor guy) on numerous projects and was luckily available to help us - and did she ever!!!! It was so great having someone who knows how to coordinate things to assist us in picking! Dean & I would have been so lost! For example, our master bath will have espresso colored cabinetry. Heidi helped us pick a slate floor, limestone counter, marble bath tile, and glass backsplash! It all looks so great together but I never would have thought to combine so many mediums.

I had Friday off since Kelli was out of town so I spent a relaxing day with the kids - playdate with friends and lots of outdoor time. Saturday we went to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium as a family. It was a beautiful 65 and sunny and we had a great time! Afterwards we went to Erika's house and had dinner and hung out with Erika, my cousin Steffi, and her boyfriend Tom. All in all, a really great day. Today we have an egg hunt planned and more work to be done on the burn pile since it's pretty cloudy. Monday I again have the day off since I need to appear in traffic court in Port Townsend to try and defer a speeding ticket I got on our way to Mexico - yuck! I feel like such a criminal! At least it gives me a five day weekend!

Ian is either sick, teething, or growing or possibly all 3! He's not sleeping well at night, taking unusually long naps, snotty nose, drooling, and eating a TON! He's also started using his legs to crawl, though he's still faster with just his arms and his preferred method is walking! He's pulling himself up on everything and starting to get into the kitchen cabinets and go after electrical plugs - back to baby proofing again!

Ainsley and I got along great Friday and Saturday compared to the rest of the week. We've decided that she & I need some alone playtime together in order to keep our bond strong and prevent a lot of breakdowns. Tuesday we're headed to her preschool for an hour of play to introduce her to it. It will be interesting to see how she interacts with the new kids.

That's our week in review, here's a few pics...

First stairs Monday

Powder room door flipped

Living room wall expansion

Some Tuesday choices...

Kitchen tile backsplash

Our granite slab - looks very much like petrified wood. Picture does not do it justice - you all will just have to come see it!!!! The right 2 feet will be used for our powder room counter - see with sink below.

Mexican copper sink on granite for powder room

Third floor - looking at Master bed/bath/closet :) on other side of stairs

Basement radiant

From the front Thursday

Master bath walk-in shower - yes that is a huge window because we have no neighbors!

Get ready... tons of cute kiddo pictures coming up...

Dying & decorating Easter eggs

Bundle!

Ainsley's King of the Castle!

Ian LOVES the swing - one of our best investments! He spent an entire hour in it like this!

We went on a little hike on a logging trail behind our playground and about fifty yards off I saw what I thought was another dog. I called the dogs close and then the animal turned and trotted off - definately a young cougar! Good thing the dogs didn't see it! We turned around and came home!