another renovation is in progress

I thought I'd share with you a little bit of the renovation process for my studio/gallery that will be opening this summer.  There is still a lot to be done and finding a nice stretch of time for Scott to work on it hasn't been so easy... but a lot of progress has been made.

These first two photos are where my studio will be.  I am able to access the shop by heading down our basement stairs and going in through the back door... that is the position I was in when taking this picture.  This space used to be a beauty shop that my dad had, and before they left town my dad removed the sinks and the majority of the cupboards.  Scott took down all of the existing paneling and barn wood that was covering much of the walls throughout the entire space and anything else that was left behind.

and he managed to get all of the linoleum and carpet out as well.  I'm considering a dutch door to separate the studio from the gallery area... we'll see.

The next few photos are taken from inside the gallery space.  I haven't quite figured out what the layout will be, but I have quite a bit of space to work with.  

White walls, lots of lighting, and a refinished stained/painted cement floor are what I'm envisioning.

It's a bit overwhelming to be designing a space from scratch.  I tend to have too many ideas so it'll be challenging to edit them all out and choose what will work out best on my budget.  

Scott says that once the floor is done and the walls are painted, things should come together easier.  I think we'd better get on that if I'm planning on a Memorial Day weekend grand opening. Yikes!!

**I am looking for a great graphic designer who would be able to help me out with a design for my outdoor sign, business card, and a simple website.  Please feel free to leave a comment here or send me an email at seventhandstone@yahoo.com if you know of anyone. thanks!**

some seasons have come and gone....

Spring came with sunny skies...

chartreuse leaves...

and eighteen cups of rhubarb.

summer was spent canning pickles...

taking Polaroids...

and developing film.

we caught Monarchs in vintage coffee jars...

and took impromptu dips in the surprisingly warm lake.

we assessed the damage of the 'big flood'...

and spent several days with family relaxing by the lake.

there was outdoor dining on our new patio table that Scott built...

several outdoor art shows (Facebook page here)...

and lets not forget that a certain somebody turned three. :)

Autumn brought us a kindergartner...

more apples than we knew what to do with...

a sky that was on fire...

some autumn knits...

Halloween...

and another room made 'liveable'

these last few months have been a wild ride with our share of ups and downs.  it feels good to be sharing here once again.

our week in pictures

I just though I'd pop in quick to share some pictures that document our days from this past week or so.  There has been baking and cooking, napping and reading, drawing and painting, along with some slow moving organizing and planning.  I really need to get my butt in gear and start prepping the second floor for painting.  I'm going with white! 

Also, some of my photos have been featured over at habit.  Emily and Molly have invited it's readers to participate for the month of November by submitting photos to the flickr pool  Joining in has really inspired me to take note of our daily happenings.  Please do stop over and check it out.

We hope you have a great week!  

Home

Boy, what a long day.  

Scott moved a large majority of our things into the house today while I began unpacking boxes of dishes and other kitchen items.  It was like Christmas morning all over again!  I had forgotten about so many things that have been packed away, and I'm now wondering where I'm going to put it all.  Slowly, but surely, things are coming together.  We plan to pack up and move what's left in the apartment tomorrow and intend to build beds and fill dresser drawers.  Yay!  It's going to feel so nice to not be in two places at once.

I wanted to share a few things that are close to my heart that I found while walking through the house the other day.  First, there is this...

Growing up, 'the blessing' was always said before supper and I was pleasantly surprised to see it still hanging on the wall in the kitchen when I walked in the back door.  I initially told my mother that I didn't want it, although it did have some degree of sentimental value.  I'm happy it was left behind and I plan on keeping it on the wall so my family can carry on the tradition of saying it every evening.

There is also this painting...

It was painted by my aunt (we have another drawing of hers as well) and I always remembered it hanging on the wall in the front room when I lived here.  It's a wintry Christmas scene with snowflakes and a bright red sled.  The house in which it was leaning upon always reminded me of this house.  Since then, it's been moved around from room to room and found it's home on top of these cabinets.  My mother had planned on taking it with them down to Arizona, but for one reason or another, it was left behind too.  I told her it would be in safe hands if she were to leave it and was touched to see it sitting up there.

Mom also left behind two crucifix's.  One above the front door...

and the other was left hanging on the wall next to the hutch.  The hutch was a really dark wood for as long as I can remember and not very appealing to the eye.  A few years back, my mom decided to paint it, which gave it new life.  She had really wanted to take it with them when they moved, but wasn't sure where it would go in their new home.  After loading up the Uhaul, it would've been a tight squeeze to bring it with.  I'm planning to repaint it. :)

The bath toys were left by the bathroom sink, waiting for the next child to come along and bring them back to life.  They ended up being well used tonight in the bathtub. :)

And the rocking horse that my kids absolutely love.  As some of you may know from previous posts, Maria is obsessed with horses!  We knew this was staying behind, but seeing it here that day, all alone in the darkness, touched my heart.

This glass hobnail cake plate was here too.  I love this thing and plan to use it whenever possible.

And then right as I was finishing up taking pictures, I looked at the key rack that is hanging by the refrigerator and I found this...

All of these things were left behind with purpose and love... and all these things will stay here with that same sentiment.

I began writing this post yesterday evening, but became to tired to finish.  I decided to sit down once again tonight after the kids were sleeping to finish.  We are spending our first night here in the new house.  The girls are both sleeping in their own rooms, and Maria is sleeping in her real bed... one that has been in storage for far too long.  It feels good... really good.  Although there are still A LOT of boxes to unpack and things to put away, it's already feeling like home.

Vacant

I took some time on the first day of November to walk through our vacant house.  It was weird... really weird.  My parents weren't there to greet me at the door and when I walked into the kitchen and around the corner, I saw this.

and this

Practically empty rooms except for the few things my parents chose to leave behind, including that love seat in the first photo.

My intention was to come in and check on the progress of the floors upstairs, but I couldn't help but take in the quietness before it was all gone.

I couldn't hear the guys upstairs and figured they were out to lunch, so I knew I didn't have much time.  I took some pictures and thought about childhood memories, knowing that my children will make their own memories here too.

I walked up the stairs and found the bare floors, stripped away of all the scratches and wear marks that were once there.  I'm sure my parents had always wanted the floor refinished when they lived here, but various reasons kept them from doing it.  I wonder how they feel about it now?  I wonder how they will feel when they come to visit next summer and find that it doesn't feel much like it used to when they lived here?

We have plans for this house... lots of them.  Some of which I'm reluctant to share with my Mom and Dad.  They told us that we have our whole lives to get it the way we want, but I tend not to work that way.  I'm either 'all in' or 'all out'.

I'm already starting to feel overwhelmed by everything.  Packing, unpacking, painting, taking down wallpaper, my jewelry studio, Thanksgiving, Christmas, potty training, getting Ginger into a big girl bed... it doesn't stop.  But today I realized that I can't do it all, not at one time.  I think I tend to get ahead of myself and my mind starts to race with all the things I want or need to do.  All the while forgetting to live right here, right now.

I bought myself a nice journal about a month ago and have yet to make a single entry.  Maybe now is the time to get these thoughts on paper so I can breathe.

*I'll be back soon with updates on the girls speech therapy session, pictures from Halloween, and a little something that touches my heart*

Good things

Good things have been happening around here lately and I'm eager to tell you about a few.

First of all, my parents packed up all their things in the Uhaul trailer and headed for Tucson early this morning.  It's bittersweet that they're no longer living there and are now permanent residents of the south, but at the same time we are extremely happy to be moving in and taking over what they've worked so hard on these last 40+ years.  We didn't waste any time getting a professional in there today to redo the hardwood floors upstairs. We won't technically be moved in and living there until the end of the week.  Scott will probably start moving some things in on Tuesday and maybe I can start organizing the kitchen.  It's going to be so nice to once again have a dishwasher as well as a washer and dryer.

Today is Scott's 32nd birthday too!  The girls gave him his gift this morning before he left for work... a black, metal vintage lunch box and the David Sedaris book "When you are engulfed in flames".  I got him David's other book last year for Christmas and he liked it.  From what I've heard, this one is good too.  I've baked chocolate brownies at his request and V.I.P. pizza is what's for dinner.  Yum!

I also knit him up a new winter hat using the Seaman's Cap pattern off ravelry.  I'm calling it "Scott's Seaman". :)  He wore it to work this morning, which made me happy.

And, as we all know, Halloween (which is my least favorite holiday) is tomorrow.

Maria's planning to be a unicorn and Ginger will be a skunk.  I'm not sure how Ginger will handle all the spookiness considering she can't even look at our jack-o-lanterns, but Maria is EXtremely excited.

The girls also have an appointment tomorrow with a speech therapist.  Maria has trouble saying her r's, s's, and l's and Ginger STILL isn't talking.  Although she says 'uh-oh' and 'mama' the majority of what does come out of her mouth sound a lot like grunts... almost like humming.  We're hoping that the therapist, with a lot of dedication, can get some words out of her because I've tried and nothing is working.  She's able to get her point across by pointing and such, but it's frustrating for all of us.  Not to mention I'm DYING to hear her little voice!  I'll let you know how it all goes.

I finished up a little sweater for Ginger last week.  The pattern is pretty easy and would be a great first time sweater project.  It's a bit big around the neck (my fault I'm sure) but I'm beginning to think that she's narrow in the shoulders.  Perhaps this isn't the best neckline for her. It's still pretty cute on her though.

We went for a walk by the lake the other day.  It really felt like fall as I was wishing I had some gloves.  The girls didn't seem to care.  They ran around, up and down the hill, and posed for a moment so I could get a picture.  It's very rare that I get a picture of Ginger with a smile on her face.  It's almost like her and Maria swapped personalities for a minute.

I'm currently in the process of knitting up some stocking stuffers and other Christmas gifts as well as a sweater for Maria.  I've started pinning on Pinterest, AND I've got a book or two (or three) in the works through Blurb... hoping to get at least two of them done by Christmas.  Between all that, moving into the house, and having kids running around, I'm beginning to wonder if I can do it all.  Why do I always seem to take on SO much?? 

I guess it's what keeps me ticking.

More soon!