This is after one and a half days of framing.
First floor trusses are scheduled to be set tomorrow.
Could I be any more giddy?
Can we move in next weekend?
My builder is likely to tire of me soon.
Love to you all.
Go hug your walls.
Three cheers for walls.
xo,
edie
The foundation was poured this week. Such exciting times! We added our scrawl to the semi-wet stuff, profound things like ‘Emme was here’. I was trying to think of the perfect scripture but I guess that’ll have to be written on the wood after the framing is done. I managed an E.W. + S.W. surrounded in a heart. If you look closely at the bottom pic, you’ll see floor trusses! Framing starts tomorrow. I have half a mind to move school out to the job site and let the carpenters teach my girls math while I dream of cooking dinner by the lake again. Tomorrow I have an appointment to pick out tubs and fixtures. I’m planning to do a clawfoot tub in our bathroom and then just cheapies everywhere else.
As far as the kitchen floor plan goes, we’ve decided to leave it as is except for the addition of a pocket door from the living room into the pantry. We carefully weighed all our options and finally decided to have a fancy butcher block custom made that will span the area between the left side of the stove and the 18 inch counter top and will be on casters. It will have a marble top and be snazzy as can be. It will be about 3 feet wide (to span the area needed) but only 2 feet deep so that it can be moved into the workroom when not in use—which given my kitchen habits, could be never. I went with structure over function here and hope I don’t regret it. In case you need to refresh your memory, here’s the kitchen floor plan again. Thank you for all your suggestions—I read and considered them all. I’m also working with a ‘new-to-me’ online designer to help me with the girls’ room. I’ve never worked with anyone before and I’m using their room as a testing ground. It’s been SO much fun so far. I email her with links and photos and random phrases forty eleven times a day. And she hasn’t fired me yet. I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on. She appreciates my quirky ways and understands my immortal fear of things being too matchy. You’re gonna love her.
In case you didn’t notice, I’ve blogged 3 days in a row. My computer may indeed implode.
I’m adding things daily to my tumblr site, which is where I store online inspiration photos and links.
Happy Thursday!
xo,
edie
There are still days, since the fire, that I feel like an Israelite wandering in the wilderness. Lonely and unsteady and heartsick.
Today is one of those days.
Rebuilding a life seems like impossible work. Some days, I’m not sure I have it in me.
This wilderness is nothing like home. Sure, I have everything I need and more. And yet, I long for anything from the past—something to remind me of what once was.
Rebuilding a house is one thing. But rebuilding a heart? That’s another story altogether.
I have beds and chairs and tables but it’s all undone. Just like me.
I have that vague temporary feeling that I’m staying at a roadside inn, waiting.
Waiting for the house to be built.
Waiting for the insurance.
Waiting for the ache to stop.
Waiting for something that never comes.
Or perhaps waiting for someone—-to tell me how to do this.
I don’t know where to start. What order to do it all in. Do I need lamps and shoes and quilts or just courage enough to show up at the Lord’s table for the Bread of life?
Is it too late to wonder if this is all just a bad dream?
Do I just march on with life or is there time to fall apart?
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There are breaks in the hazy despair and I find myself excited about the new life.
It’s such a picture of our life in Christ, the dying and rising.
But sometimes, in our desperateness, we just want to take back what we’ve lost.
The new life forces us to trust in Grace that’s not our own.
The new life leaves us vulnerable, without a true home, without the comforts of our idols.
No wonder the people of Israel wanted to go back to Egypt.
I’ve turned my nose at the manna too.
This bread of heaven seems a meager substitute for the feasts I was accustomed too.
And that’s when I see it. The ingratitude. The self-pity and the selfish wanting.
If I can’t learn to be thankful here, in this wilderness—–with this manna, will I ever know the true joy of going home?
Is that why He brought me here?
To show me that true joy only comes with gratitude?
That gratitude is not a mere feeling—–but that it comes on purpose. When I open my hands to ALL His gifts, even the manna.
The Lord must build the house, or they labor in vain that build it.
So today I pray:
Remake me Lord. Rebuild me with the multitude of Your tender mercies. May Christ be the chief cornerstone of this house. And when I fill it with the idols of this world, I ask you tear it down again and start anew. Strengthen me in the waiting. Comfort the aches of body and soul. Feed me with the Bread of heaven and for the sake of Christ, forgive my ingratitude. Restore to me the joy of my salvation. Remove this heart of stone and make it new. Amen.
Today, the concrete walls will be poured and the girls and I will go watch. I’m reposting this video from the Nester—-my dear sweet friend. On days like today, it brings me so much comfort. Thank you for your prayers today. Comments are closed.
Post Edit:: Y’all are so bossy! I love it 🙂 Now, let me do some more explaining on the 47 doors in the pantry. My designer has this computer program that let’s you ‘walk around’ in the house in 3D. It’s so cool. I thought I wanted all those doors but because everyone was up in arms about it, I had him change it in the computer in every conceivable way: one door into the workroom, double doors into the workroom, no door into the workroom and on and on and on. What I ADORE about the two doors where they are is that when you’re sitting in either of the rooms, it adds so much visual interest to be able to see into the other room. I would almost rather close off the pantry from the living room than remove one of the workroom doors. {The door from the lr into the pantry will be a pocket door if that helps your door angst!} But since you’re all so adamant—–and I’ve been wrong before—- I’ll continue to rethink it.
About the laundry. One of the things I’ve tossed around is the sliding barn door concept. If I do that, I’ll have to move them away from the window—which would be fine. We will either have a central island in the workroom or a central table so there’s not nearly as much available space in that room as it looks. And now that I’m down to two kids at home, I don’t do as much laundry as y’all imagine and I think I would just hold off doing a load if we were in the midst of some school or craft project. This was the first inspiration picture I found of the workroom concept. Visit the Hemlock Springs House Tour at Southern Living to see more!
Also, I love your one-island, two islands discussions. Did you see the two island concept in this Martha Stewart kitchen where one of them has all this open shelving underneath and is on casters??? I die.
Two more things: 1) I now have a sewing machine! I bought the same one from eBay that I had before after a down to the minute auction. I’ve bid on a machine at least ten times before this and lost so I’m considering it a small personal victory. It’s a Viking Designer One. I would sew something today but I have no thread. 2) The footers for the house were poured yesterday!
Thanks y’all!
I’m starting a new series here at life{in}grace. I want to purposely document our journey to restoration by forcing myself to weekly (possibly more) write about the process.
Let’s start with the plans.
You can’t build a house without a plan and this one has taken a lot of tweaking to get (almost) perfect for us. We had to rebuild on essentially the same ‘footprint’ which greatly limits the type of house that will fit the bill. This is basically a story and a half cottage with about 1800 sq. ft. on the main level, a bedroom and reading loft upstairs and a fully finished walkout basement. One thing I had to give up was a formal dining room. I’ve ALWAYS had and used a formal dining room so it’s taken me a few weeks to come to terms with a dining room/kitchen combo. But what I gained instead is what I’m calling the workroom. This will function as a laundry/craft/sewing/school/home organization room. I’m full of all kinds of anticipation about this room and I’m currently accepting any and all inspiration photos! I plan to have some built in desks in that room along with a built in sewing table. (Basically countertops with open space underneath).
Main floor layout
This is a close up of the kitchen/scullery (female version of a butler’s pantry!/workroom area.
Here are some things to note about the current/ever-evolving plans for this space. Check out my tumblr site for pics of Martha Stewart’s kitchen, which provides ample inspiration in all categories!
1. I’m currently still pondering whether I should have one big island or two smaller ones. Your thoughts?
2. There will be open shelving beside the refrigerator and built in shelving/bookshelves/open shelving on the kitchen wall that is shared with the living room.
3. There will be a prep sink in the scullery, along with a wine refrigerator and an additional ice maker.
4. The so-called scullery (pantry) will also funtion as a mudroom/prep area. Accepting ideas for this space as well?!
5. Yes, you see that right. My draftsman asked me more than once if I realized that the washer and dryer were open to the workroom. I like it that way—at least in theory. It’s a workroom so the ‘tools’ of the room can be showing, I think.
6. Study these and get back to me. But only minor changes can be made now so don’t go moving walls and such 🙂
xo,
edie
Today is the 3 month anniversary since our house was destroyed by fire.
Today is the 9th birthday of my baby-child.
Today, we began our journey to rebuild.
Today is a precious gift to us from our Father.
He will move this mountain for us. And He will move your mountain too.
Timshel by Mumford and Sons
Cold is the water
It freezes your already cold mind
Already cold, cold mind
And death is at your doorstep
And it will steal your innocence
But it will not steal your substance
But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers we will stand and we’ll hold your hand
Hold your hand
And you are the mother
The mother of your baby child
The one to whom you gave life
And you have your choices
And these are what make man great
His ladder to the stars
But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers we will stand and we’ll hold your hand
Hold your hand
And I will tell the night
Whisper, “Lose your sight”
But I can’t move the mountains for you
