This week we’ve turned a corner in the building project. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think it’s the hardwood that makes it feel like home.
We love the light floors. White oak, unstained, random width.
We also got our porch railings and the outdoor fireplace framed in. It will be a real wood burning fireplace. I can’t wait to sit and read by the fire in the chill autumn air!
Sorry for the cattywampus photo. You get the idea! The fireplace gets stone on Monday.
And that brings me to my favorite thing so far about this house—the balusters.
I’ve shown you my inspiration pic before. I gave it to my builder and he called his people and they called their people and voila!!!! I have balusters that make me do hitch kicks.
So when I went to the house yesterday and they were painted and installed—-I screamed and nearly cried and thought that my house had suddenly taken on the character of some old classic cathedral.
Bobby, the trim carpenter then proceeded to tell me that he had seen this very baluster shape in very old churches and chapels.
Then he gave me a baluster anatomy lesson and described the ‘fish’ shape on the top half of the baluster and the ‘chapel’ shape at the bottom.
I die. That is all.
Cue the hallelujah chorus.
I could sit and stare at them all day. And don’t worry, the handrail gets painted white too. Be patient, I know I’m trying to be!
And if that didn’t knock your socks off, I leave you with this. One of the landscaping guys heard a series of unmistakable ‘meows’ coming from underneath the huge dumpster that’s been parked at our house for all the construction trash. Today, the dumpster had to be emptied. Thankfully, my dear builder made sure the kitties were removed so that they weren’t killed in the process.
We’re not really cat people (my profuse apologies to Todd Wilken) and I’m not sure who owns the momma cat but who can resist this, you ask? Stevie can, that’s who.
They’re about the cutest things ever though. Second only to my balusters.
Amen.
I love, love, love your balusters. I am so excited for you as you get closer and closer to being back at home. If I lived near, I would take one of those kittens off your hands. Adorable!! Tootles, Kathryn
Betty Baker – Wasaga Beach, Ontario- God is good Edie and everything is shining through in your unbelievable faith.
Your balusters have me wanting to do hitch kicks and I don’t even know what a hitch kick is. 😉
Love them, Edie. Love you more. Your enthusiasm is contagious.
xoxo michele
when i finally get to meet you, we’ll do hitch kicks together with nester! then we’ll need ice and motrin 🙂
love you dearie!
xo,
edie
I’ll hitch kick with you! They’re beautiful. And that outdoor fireplace is ah-may-zing. Just think how gorgeous it will be with the stone. I would camp out there all the time.
The Ballusters are lovely, the kittens are sweet I hope the momma comes back, and I haven’t heard anyone use “hitch kick” since I took aeobics class in the 80’s!
she’s still taking care of them cath:)
i’ll keep y’all posted!
xo
oooops, Balusters.
Those are beautiful! But I think the handrails would look gorgeous stained dark. I know you’ve got to be getting so excited to see things coming together.
Gorgeous!! Everything is coming together. I am so happy for you. How exciting!!
Love the outdoor fireplace. What a wonderful spot to sit and read while the fire roars. Wish I could join you!! Your floors are gorgeous, too. I love the story of the balusters. I can imagine it made you scream and shout with joy!!
Hugs,
Ruth
dear sweet ruth,
your always the sweetest, most encouraging friend.
big (((hugs))))
Edie, I love your balusters too! However, I would not paint the railings. Seriously. Some of those kittens look like they are Siamese. poor things.
xo
my sister sent me an emergency email saying the same thing but it’s too late ms. deb.
i think you’ll like them but there’s a lot of people on your side 🙂
edie
Oh those balusters really are something special. How beautiful! So happy for you Edie. Hope the kittens find good homes!
Beautiful balusters. (couldn’t resist saying it that way.)
Fondly,Glenda
Oh my gosh Edie – the railing is AMAZING! So happy for you and your family that your home is almost finished!
thanks friend-y!
xo
it’s going to be so beautiful. i have to come in the fall so i can enjoy the fireplace and the beautiful scenery there. reserve my room.
yes yes yes yes yes!!!!!
consider it reserved.
xo,
edie
Love the balusters but I’m with your husband on the cats. In my opinion, they were created after the fall into sin.
they are a little devilish miss lauren!
i have to say though that todd’s passion for them has softened my heart a little 🙂
Lord, forgive me for being a teeny weeny jealous of those balusters……..
Edie, everything is beautiful and is coming together so nicely! Love it all.
Blessings!
Oh, Edie. Oh, my word. The balusters. They take my breath away. I’d do a hitch kick for you if I could do a hitch kick!
It’s so exciting to see the progress on this house. For you to be at the point of this kind of detail just makes me so happy!
when i come to north carolina to meet all my nc blogger friends, we’ll have a hitch kick seminar!
and perhaps we’ll add clogging to the agenda 🙂
love to you dear,
edie
Oh, now you leave us hanging… What is to become of the sweet kitties?!? They would just look so cute wandering around your new home… 😉
oh not to worry laura, their momma is still taking care of them.
i’ll keep you posted 🙂
Balusters = awesomeness. Your house has such character, and it’s not even finished! (Are you sure those aren’t Synodocat’s babies? Just sayin’.)
they may be adriane and i do think we should keep one and name it after todd?!
maybe ‘wilcat’ or wilkie or willie?!
xo,
edie
I’m soooo lovin’ your balusters … so beautiful & original! Everything is shaping up beautifully … looks like home to me! The kitties are just too adorable … I love cats but I’m oh soooooo allergic! :/
steve says he’s “allergic” too kimberly. it works like a charm on our girls 🙂
i really think he is but i like to give him a hard time!
Gorgeous! And accidental meaningful symbolic imagery. You can’t get any better than that. The porch is looking sweet, and I love the hardwood floors. They look so light and clean.
Derek shares Steve’s opinion on cats, so I always tell him if he dies, I’ll replace him with a sweet, cuddly kitty. 😉
i think it’s time for you to come visit again ms. gretchen! it’d be like a field trip—balusters with church symbols and kittens!
i also think we made need a night out or a good old fashioned square dance to break in those boots 🙂
xo,
edie
I covet. 😉
Those balusters are amazing…truly! Wow!
Love it all, especially the balusters and the fireplace on the deck. Oh I wish we lived near you so Kimball could do all your stone work. 🙂 Great job on the design Edie!! As for the cats my motto is “cats are the devil”, ha ha, but tiny kittens are pretty cute. 🙂 xoxo, Jess
i would LOVE to have kimball do our stone work! i can’t wait to see the fp with stone—it’ll be so awesome. you’ll have to promise to come sit by that fire with me someday 🙂
love you,
edie
I love, love, love the porch it is my dream to live in a house with a porch having grown up with one and then when we would go back home all our family in the Mid-west and South had porches too. I miss having a porch. I love the Balusters, beautiful. Oh what a great contractor to move the kittens. How sweet.
i know, isn’t that the sweetest thing?!
xo
Never seen anything like it!!! They are amazing…and the fish and church thing…incredible! Can’t wait for the rest 🙂
My dear. I am in the annoying place of dealing with picking out balusters too…mine for my screened porch addition outdoors. Are yours custom made, or do you have a source? Talk to me :). Ps…haven’t been here in awhile, miss you.
Love, Amy
Hey Ms. Amy dear!
Yes, mine are custom made. They were made by a company in Knoxville called Egan Hardwoods and they took my picture and were able to do a computer drawing of them and then make them on their fancy machine. The owner of the place has already come by the house to look at them. I’m so giddy over them that I think I’ve convinced everyone to love them!
Screened porch?! yay for you. I’m so behind on blog reading but I’ll come visit you today to see what you’ve been up to. Miss you too 🙂
xoxo,
edie
My balusters look all sad and skinny now compared to your gussied up ones, but now I know what to do in the next house! I can also relate to being emotional at trimwork. I squealed when our builder accidentally installed beautiful crown molding throughout the downstairs that we didn’t have in the plans. I also almost lunged for the poor man when he offered to take it down since it was a mistake. Seriously?
I would take the kittens as a sign of good luck. We are totally cat people here with a herd of 5 (technically it’s a pride, but they sound more like a herd when you shake a kitty treat bag).The fireplace on the porch is on my wishlist too. Can’t wait to see how the rest turns out!
hi ms ami!
i have had cats before but i just could never bond with them like i can dogs.
maybe i need your cat whispering skills to teach me a thing or two!
and yes, i most certainly take them as a sign of good luck and new life:)
it’s amazing how much i’ve come to notice moldings and balusters since this whole thing began.
i bet yours looks great!
xo,
edie
Good Golly, Miss Molly! My heart goes pitter pat! Gorgeous!
Five minutes ago, I didn’t know what balusters were. Now I’m fairly certain my life won’t be complete without these. Love them!
Wendy
Five minutes ago, I didn’t know what balusters were. Now I’m fairly certain my life won’t be complete without these. Love them!
Wendy
Those are the most Edie balusters I’ve ever laid eyes on. Now I cannot wait to see the newel post!
You’re going to love your outdoor fireplace! I love mine; and, you’re right reading is the perfect fireplace activity.
oh edie!!!!!!!!! so cool about the balusters. so cool!!!
p.s. we had baby raccoons in our rafters during the addition
p.p.s. did I mention that I love your balusters?
So beautiful. All of it. The outdoor fireplace may be my fave spot.
Love the balusters, especially the significant design. I love the wood on the handrails – I think the wood (stained) highlights the balusters.
I love, love, love the balusters! So unique!
PS. Now I want a kitty… Thanks for that!
So glad the contractor had a soft heart and thought to save the kittens! We are cat people here, so that would be like the highlight of our week – second to the fantastic balusters of course. And now I’m wanting an outdoor fireplace – although in Montana we wouldn’t be able to use it but 3 or 4 months a year.
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Love it!!!!!!! The balusters are awesome. I’m so going to file those away for the future…I will be stealing those from you…I mean borrowing from your inspiration. So glad that it’s all coming along, it’s going to be fabulous & I can’t wait to see it finished. I hate that you had to go through the pain, but I thank you for allowing us to be with you on the journey. Your family continues to be in our prayers & I thank you for all of the ideas & fun that you gives us in so many areas & in so many ways….you are a gem!!!!!!!!!
what a sweet encouragement you are ms. sarah!
xoxo,
edie
Love it!!!!!!! The balusters are awesome. I’m so going to file those away for the future…I will be stealing those from you…I mean borrowing from your inspiration. So glad that it’s all coming along, it’s going to be fabulous & I can’t wait to see it finished. I hate that you had to go through the pain, but I thank you for allowing us to be with you on the journey. Your family continues to be in our prayers & I thank you for all of the ideas & fun that you gives us in so many areas & in so many ways….you are a gem!!!!!!!!!
Love. Love. LOVE!!!! the balusters! I couldn’t be more thrilled for you! Thank you for taking us all on this journery with you – from the deepest of despair to the joy of make it all your very own, with personal touches through out! God is so faithful! Yay!
Beautiful Edie!! So happy for you!! Hugs from Texas!
Edie, your balusters just sum up this journey that you’ve been on ~ a daily, tangible reminder of His grace rendered in wood. How beautiful is that?? And any girl that uses the word “cattywhompus” is a long-lost sister to me! 🙂
Have a weekend full of blessings.
Wow! I haven’t checked back for awhile, your house is really coming along! This would totally be my dream house too!! I’m so happy for you, and can’t wait to see you all moved in and settled.
I’m so using these in my house. AMAZING.
A friend had me check out your blog! Love it! Love it all, can’t wait to sit and peruse at leisure.
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“Project Restoration: The Anatomy of a Baluster” delves into the intricate details of baluster design, exploring its historical significance, materials, and craftsmanship. This comprehensive analysis offers valuable insights for architects, historians, and enthusiasts interested in preserving architectural heritage. homers.ng
One of the landscaping guys heard a series of unmistakable ‘meows’ coming from underneath the huge dumpster that’s been parked at our house for all the construction trash. Today, the dumpster had to be emptied. elementmaja