Guest House Renovation

Renovation of our guest house has been at the bottom of our priority list these past several years. We've had so much to accomplish on the main house that although we were anxious to fix up the space in which our guests stay, there just wasn't the time to do it. 

This past spring we decided that it was finally time to cross that task of our to do list. Once we started thinking of the things that needed to be done, we called Dale, our local structural engineer. In the above photo, he and Mike are checking the foundation. As you can imagine, Mike was thrilled when I got the camera out to capture them. 

If math is not your language, I wouldn't recommend trying to join in on a conversation with two engineers. I stood there for awhile and when I realized that I had nothing to contribute, I just let them be. 

At first we had big plans...removing the roof and expanding the second story, creating a little half story for an extra bedroom, etc. Then we came back down to earth and decided that much could be improved with a few of the most basic things...new windows, new door, and refinished floors, new sink, and faucet, and paint, paint, paint and more paint. 

As do all of our projects, the guest house renovation has taken much longer than anticipated (notice that these photos were taken last spring). I believe the goal was to finish it before my brother and his family arrived this past June. A lot was completed but many things were not...no new door, no kitchen faucet, no ceiling lights, refinished floors...

This little project of ours has reminded us of how stressful renovation can be. We thought that because the structure was separate from the main house, we would be less affected by the typical anxiety inducers, such as noise interrupting the babies' naps, endless scheduling, coordinating and consulting with contractors, delays, and the list goes on - but this was what you might call, wishful thinking... 

In the end, Mike has been doing a great deal of work on it himself. Floor sanders and power washers needed to be rented, lots of painting had to get done, many discussions and ruminations were needed over design elements. And then of course, there were all of the other million little things that needed to get done. How quickly we forget! But we are nearing the end now. 

Photos will follow...eventually. 

September Garden

The cucumbers keep coming...

These are a little overgrown as Mike was out of town for over a week and I lost track of the garden. My mom was here while Mike was gone and I accomplished one million tasks (cleaning closets, dusting, doing laundry). However, picking cucumbers wasn't one of them! 

But it's a good thing that I have such a wonderful helper! 

Our sweet little gardener is also a great pumpkin inspector! 

Mike carved the babies' names into one of our pumpkins. It has become our tradition to make something special for the babies' birthday in December with pumpkins from the garden. Last year it was pumpkin pie, but this year it will be pumpkin cake - yum!

We picked the last of the green beans. 

Picking the red balls (tomatoes) from the garden is probably Graham's favorite thing to do. Here is his collection of tomato pickings - all of course have been thoroughly inspected. 

They are also tested for good roll ability.  Tomatoes are multi-faceted fruits and can also be harvested for use as toys. 

Unfortunately, tomatoes are not one of their favorite foods (unless in a sauce) so many of the tomatoes that the babies pick end up being dropped, rolled around and squished. 

We slice fresh tomatoes on just about everything. One of my favorite ways to eat a summer tomato is to have it in a sandwich with avocado and lettuce. I ate about a million of these when I was pregnant with the babies. 

Another favorite tomato dish is fresh made salsa. I don't follow a recipe per se. I tend to use the taste test method - a method that can alter the serving portions significantly. 

Salsa: 

Plump red tomatoes, diced (about four medium ones)

Fresh diced cilantro - about a 1/2 cup 

One jalapeno diced, without seeds - this typically results in medium spice

Red onion, diced - about 1/4 cup

Sea salt - to taste 

Add more or less of one thing or another. 

And again, lots of taste testing! 

xo

Mommy Blogger

I'm not actually sure what defines a Mommy Blogger but I guess I identify with the term these days. Although I try to post on the house as much as possible, it's not always easy to highlight new things as we haven't really updated much around here since my last trimester of pregnancy (when I spent a great deal of time reclined).

What I have done is to eat, sleep and breathe our babies. They are my life, my loves, my everything. They are my favorite topic, and the focus of our existence. Our days are busy as you can imagine and most of the time, the only moment I have to hop on the computer is at night, when the house is asleep. 

Being limited on time has also unfortunately affected my ability to always respond to comments, for which I've wanted to apologize for some time. I read each one and often think about them throughout the day. But no matter the dialogue I have with everyone in my head, I often don't get a chance to write it down.

Mike took some pictures of me with the babies recently, which was a treat. Usually, I am the one holding the camera. I included a couple of the photos at the top of the post.

Though I think if my Mom saw these, she'd wonder aloud if I combed my hair before taking the photos... It is funny because I haven't had an official hair-cut in a long time (could it be a year?). My mom has been cutting it during her frequent visits from California, despite the fact that she hasn't cut anyone's hair since she herself was the mother of two little ones.

This is me back in those days. My mom recently told me that my dad and she used to sneak into our bedrooms at night to cut our bangs. Hearing that was an ah-ha moment for me, as it explains why our bangs were always so sloped and/or crooked in all of our pictures. 

Hmmm...I see a pattern here. This is my brother and I, and although we are not twins, my mom used to call us Irish twins as we are only a year apart. We grew up with a lot of matching outfits that my mom would sew herself. 

Matching jumpers. 

Here it is in the wee hours again, so I must end and go to bed! Because no matter how late I stay up, the babies always awake nice and early!

Morning Blackberries

I love blackberries, but the ones I savor most are those that we pick right outside our door. There's something about wandering out through the patio in your pajamas with an empty bowl in hand, and coming in with fresh, morning chilled fruit to begin the day, that makes them extra sweet. 

We've had a bumper crop this year.  We've been picking for over a week now, and as you can see, there are plenty of pink berries continuing to ripen. 

Best wishes on enjoying yet one more of the seasons of bounty in late summer.

A New Look...and a strawberry bathing suit

Welcome to my refreshed format! For some time, my 'to do' list has included a few changes to the blog. But between being low on time (at night, when babies are sound asleep) and the know-how to make the updates, it has taken quite a while to cross this one off.

Thankfully, the 'know-how' part is something I don't have to worry much about as Shari from Little Blue Deer helps me. This is the second time she's helped me with format and design updates. I can't say enough great things about her. She is wonderful to work with -  so accommodating, patient and of course, very knowledgeable about all the technical aspects that elude me.

A few things left to do...an updated photo of Hubby and I being the primary one. Unfortunately, photos of us are few and far between.

Thank you Shari!

The photo is of limelight hydrangeas and strawberries...a strawberry bathing suit that is!