Kitchen and Bathroom Updates!

With all of my posts about food, I'm sure y'all know where my favorite place in a house is.... drumroll...the kitchen! So you can imagine my excitement when I heard that the kitchen was getting fitted in this past week. Excitement doesn't really grasp my actual emotions - thrilled, exhilarated, in a tizzy of joy, passionate, hysterical - all of those together.

Basically it's like this - surprises are my favorite thing in the world, and the kitchen is my favorite place to be. I haven't seen any of the finished products because I have refused to look - I can't bear to ruin a good surprise! So I finally decided to venture over...best day ever!

Here is a sneak peak as the work gets done, there is dust everywhere, so please ignore it.

The bar area got the same soapstone as the kitchen, talk about beautiful. I don't know what to look at, the cabinets or the counter! The wood for the kitchen and bar is a mix of butternut and black walnut. Both were trees that were found in Mike's parents yard at their house in Canton - so smart of them to save it.

Surprise! We have a beverage refrigerator for the bar! I had long forgotten about the addition of this guy, but oh boy am I pumped for properly cooled beverages.

Mike quickly reminded me that he's the beverage drinker of the family, so it will most likely be full of beers carefully chosen for his palate. No need to go getting all territorial on me, I just like to brew and taste beers, not actually drink a full bottle.

I'm still not over the wood and the hardware on the cabinets. It's so rustic and industrial, yet homey and friendly. Sigh, perfection.

And look at that nice big counter for prepping and serving! And a big farmhouse sink - things I have always wanted and thought I'd have to sell my soul and happiness for a job that would afford me these things. Thank goodness I was wrong.



And here is a view to see where the fridge and freezer are going to go, and then to the left will be some cabinets and the coffee machine. Think we will have enough food to put in the separate refrigerator and freezer? My money's on yes.



Up close and personal - you can really see the wood and handles...oh gosh I can't wait.



The crown molding tops off the finishing touches...to me finishing touches means we're almost there.



And just in case you were worried, because I know I was, yes the dishwasher has a dish warming setting. So for all of those 10 course meals I plan to cook for friends, don't worry, the dishes will be warm.



We made some progress between the first time I snapped pics and the second - the dishwasher is in and the doors are on!



The upstairs bathroom is getting there too. I picked out a trough sink to bypass the issue of only having one drain hole but still wanting 2 faucets for the master bath/2nd floor bath. And the cabinet that it's going with is another piece of art. I love wood, have I mentioned that?

We went with a darker wall color knowing that all of the trim would be white, and the marble is a bright white, with hints of grey. The pictures aren't that great, so sorry for that. Very poor lighting, being in a rush, and snapping pics at dusk doesn't make the best combination apparently.

 As much as I love people and great company, I've realized how much I value my own personal space, and some good ole quiet time. Good things come to those who wait, so I will keep on waiting!

Reclaimed Wood

I have come to realize that reclaimed wood has a special place in my heart. Some people find peace going for a walk with their dog and listening to nature. Others go grocery shopping and fill a cart of all the things they find most delicious, and then leave it behind because they don't really want to buy them. And then there is the relaxing type, who want a glass of wine and a hot bath (or sauna) and a magazine full of things they have a love-hate relationship with.

Ok confession, those are all things I love doing. Yikes, thanks for visiting crazy town with me.

But where I feel MOST at peace, is definitely while in the same room as reclaimed wood. Preferably it wouldn't be reclaimed yet, it would still be in the same barn it came from. Because that would mean I achieved one of my life long goals of living on a farm with a barn full of horses - standing in said barn built long ago, full of wood that is just to beautiful to give up.

But since I'm not there yet, I'm allowing my vision to be flexible, and doing what works for me right now. And that is reclaimed wood in my house. The house is slowly but surely coming along, and the other night we got to see the beams that went up. Wanna see?! Ok yes.

 So much detail! So many crevices for my eyes to get lost in! I can only imagine the stories this wood could tell. 

In addition to those beams - Mike and I went to a furniture show and found my new favorite furniture designer, Play-Haus Design. He uses all metal and wood from barns and factories in Ohio. If you live in the Cleveland area, you are a lucky dog.

Here's the sexy little number I went home with that night...and no I'm not talking about Mike.

It's going to look SO perfect in our house! Can you sense the theme yet? Next up is to get the painting finished and then the kitchen is going in...I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait. But really, I can't, so hurry up house. Please :).

I'm excited for...

The house is taking longer than we thought, but that's okay because I LOVE surprises. So much. It's to the point where something will get completed on the house and I will purposely wait days, literally days, until I go look at it.

For example, right after Mike left for a week in San Diego, some of the flooring was completed. Instead of rush over there, I waited 6 days for Mike to get home to go look. There is something about the unknown and the anticipation that builds as I wait that keeps me coming back for more.

Now that I am typing this, it makes me think about that show "My Strange Addiction". My name is Lindsey and I am addicted to surprises.

Now that we got that out of the way, here is what I am excited about.

I am excited about the tanning sessions, morning coffees, and get togethers that this deck will be hosting. It went from this...

...to this!

Garage moved, railing complete, fence up. Yay! As long as I can see the water, I'm happy.

I am excited for a kitchen table that has quick access out to my garden, just in case I need to add a few extra veggies to my meal. 

I am excited for the front porch to be finished and to have a living room that is full of sunlight from the new windows! And with a front porch comes the duty of passing out Halloween candy, not mad about that! I want to be the house that gives out the "good" candy. There has to be one in every neighborhood, mine as well aim high.

This is more something that tickled Mike's fancy, but it'll make my list anyways. I am excited about a skylight on the third floor! It brightens up the room and is the perfect place to watch the awesome storms that roll off the lake. And Mike can stand and keep a look out, he's pretty excited about the whole standing without hitting his head thing. #tallpeopleproblems

And a view to die for. When I'm not outside, you will find me up here, on the couch that will be right in front of this window. Enjoying a cup of coffee, a breeze dancing on my face from the open windows, the feint lapping of water, and peace in my soul.





I'm excited about my garden doubling in size! So much more room for vegetables!! Just what I needed to achieve my goals of being a farmer. You have to start somewhere!

Some more spots for my veggies of choice.

Now this one is my favorite. The one I am most excited about...barn wood floors! Oh man, this wood is the icing on the cake. The kind of icing that you keep in an extra container so when your piece of cake runs out of icing because you have to have more icing than cake with every bite, you have more waiting.

It's not just any wood, it is reclaimed wood from a granary in Ohio. It was on the walls, not the floor, so it is in great shape, and the only markings are from an occasional math problem that was too hard to do in their heads. It's a little dusty in the pictures, but they are still working so bear with me.

Just look at it! I could stare at this all day. If I could fall in love with an inanimate object, this would be it.

In addition to vegetables, we will have quite an array of fruits too! Lining what used to be the garage, are about 15 blueberry bushes. We thought getting fruits that are expensive to buy made sense, hence our choices. I cannot wait to reach my goal of eating 50% of my yearly food from my garden.

Why stop at blueberry bushes when there is room for more? Here are 2 dwarf cherry trees, and in the corner by the stones is a peach tree. I'm not sure how long it will be until these babies will bear fruit, but I won't mind waiting.




Last but not least, I'm excited to be sustainable! We have 2 rain barrels going in by the garden to help with my water usage. We get plenty of rain out here by the lake, so I'm thinking these are going to be a good investment.

That's all the updates for now, I cannot wait until it is done and it's time to decorate! And that is a horse of a different color. I'm not sure I'm the girl for decorating a house, but we shall see!

There's no place like home.

For those of you who don't know, I am anxiously awaiting moving into a new place. A house, to be exact. A beautiful heritage cream (because yellow sounds too plain) house in Ohio that has amazing views of Lake Erie.

 Sunrise in front of the cloud machine! Don't worry, it's only evaporated water coming out, perfectly clean and earth friendly.

I have had the vision on living on the water for a very long time. Not a little pond or anything, but a body of water that is big enough so that I can't see the end. I love the idea of space and land and greenery surrounding me, and definitely the sound of water.

Cities make me feel claustrophobic - the towering buildings, the endless maze of cement (it's a maze mainly because I am quite bad at directions), and the constant busy-ness. I feel like my mind is constantly running, and the last thing I need is to be in an environment that encourages my issues. Nature is my rehab, and seeing the water is my drug. Why can't there be prescriptions like that?

"Oh sorry, I'd love to participate in jury duty but it interferes with my meds...I have to be at the beach for the next 48 hours. Doctor's orders!"

Yep, life would be better with prescriptions like that! Fortunately, I won't be needing that prescription, I will get to come home to that every day. I am a firm believer that if want something bad enough - if you put it out into the world that you have a vision, you talk about it and stay strong with what will make you happy, then it will happen. It may not be immediately or in the way you thought it might happen, but it will happen.

The storms rolling in are captivating. We have a loft above the garage that is perfect for storm watching; a wall of windows, couches, blankets, and one outlet for a lamp (or air popcorn popper in my case). Makes for the perfect Friday night activity.

I never imagined the body of water would be Lake Erie. I didn't know how beautiful Lake Erie was and in fact, I spent half of my life wishing I was in any state other than Ohio. But here I am, moving in with the man of my dreams, getting to help design the home of my dreams. It's funny how things work out when you believe they can happen.

The view from the porch, with a little magnifying help from my camera lens :).

Anyways, I am learning so many things about the process of building a house/renovating a house that I figured I would share our moments in hopes that others could benefit!

First paddleboard of the season!

So I'd like to share a little tidbit about myself. I love working out. Exercising, moving, burning calories, getting stronger, building muscle...however you want to look at it works for me. If I'm sweating, I'm happy. Activity dates are, and always will be, the best. Well, that and food dates, but that's a whole other side of me.

Anyways, I recently committed to a goal that I am super excited about, and it is as follows - this summer, I will do all of my workouts outdoors, with the exception of yoga classes. The sun gets my going every morning, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than taking advantage of the summer weather.

Darwin plans on sleeping in this summer, what a bum.

Activities outside make me feel like the world is my gym and that I'm training for life. Doing stairs outside = winning the races I always play at the airport against other strangers taking the escalators. Trail running = the ability to chase down your dog when he takes off after a rabbit (oh Darwin, such a trouble maker). Jumping rope/plyometric workouts = never having to step away from a dance party because your calves are burning in your 4 inch heels . All frequent occurrences in my life, so I plan on being as ready as possible for them.

So this brings me to my first day after setting this goal. It started off rainy and gloomy at 6 am this morning, and I was afraid my workout date was going to skip out on me. We had planned to meet at 7 am on the beach for a little pre-breakfast sweat, but I almost rerouted home when I felt water droplets during my warm-up jog to the beach. The universe was working in our favor though, because as I headed down the hill, I saw my neighbor Denise coming down the stairs.

These are the stairs, oh man what a good workout they are.

After some jumping jacks, too many different kinds of push ups, some ab work, and some more push ups, the clouds parted and the sun beamed through.

And that is when I decided it was time to debut the paddle boards.

Off to visit the lighthouse!

The cool thing about the harbor is that it can be calm one minute, and ridiculously choppy the next. We sat down when it got too rough, mainly because falling in the 50 degree water wasn't part of the plan. As it gets warmer here, the water will follow suit...soon wetsuits won't be necessary and swimming can be part of the workout!

I like to face backwards and take pictures while trying to not drop my Ipod touch in the water...thank god I do yoga, hello balance!

Relaxing and enjoying the view as we cruised in.

Paddleboarding is an amazing core and arm workout, and I will take that over being stuck in a gym any day! Day one of working out outside was most definitely a success! 

What's your favorite outdoor activity?

Live, Swim, Drink.

If there is one thing that I love, it's a good quote. I couldn't think of a better one to kick off the weekend than this.

This could actually be my life mantra, what more do we need?

The weather is getting warmer, my tan is getting bronzer, beach volleyball season is underway...I couldn't be happier! It's the little things that do it for me, ya know? Nothing fancy, just the little pleasures in life :). 

Meet Darwin!

I suppose we can't really be friends without you knowing my favorite things in life, so it's time for you to meet Darwin.

Whoops, he was excited...too close.

There we go, isn't he awesome?! A pinch of Akita, a dollop of German Shepard, stir in some Canaan, and here is what happened! He's perfect. 

My boyfriend (Mike, perhaps you'll meet him later) and I rescued him from a local dog shelter and he has been king of the castle ever since. His favorite hobbies include: seat stealing (he has this thing for still-warm-with-body heat spots on the couch, which makes getting up for anything a bit of a game), checking every window to see if he can spot a moving object to intently watch, digging his way out of the fenced in back yard to hunt, and of course, long walks on the beach!

I am getting ready to move close to Fairport Harbor beach, the beach is thatta way.

Darwin was a stray for a long time and was in the shelter for around 8 months before we found him, but he has always been amazing with people. He will follow us around and make sure we are never alone in a room - so thoughtful. One of Darwin's best qualities is that he is the quietest of hunters. With the agility of a mountain goat and the stealth of a panther, he would spend all day hunting if we'd let him. I guess that's what being a stray teaches you! And yes, his name fits him perfectly, although it was only by coincidence. We didn't know he was the epitome of survival of the fittest until we saw his hunting techniques, how he rationed his food, and his expert hiding skills when there are thunderstorms.

Who me? King? Yep.

All I've ever wanted is someone to watch every sunset with me, and now I've found that someone! I think Mike would do that for me too, but Darwin's enthusiasm for going outside is unmatchable. Not too bad of a view either. 

Wondering what ocean this is? Surprise, it's Lake Erie! Mistake by the lake? I think not!

Darwin's worst quality is most definitely his deep hatred for cats. The kind where if he sees one outside, he will run to every window, stand straight up, and start whining and barking until he can no longer see it. When a cat is around, it's as though we aren't even there. He completely ignores our commands and if we shut the blinds he merely moves to the next window. Any suggestions?

See? What a window hog! I wouldn't want to take a plane ride with him, I'm the kind of person that has my face pressed to the window the whole time. Uh oh...it just dawned on me that I may be a window hog...

Anyways, now you've met Darwin. This is the first dog of my own (well I share him with Mike, but you know what I mean), so excuse me if I constantly include him. I feel like a mom with her first child, I just want everyone to know how amazing he is!

Goodnight Lake Erie, I will never stop loving you! Well, as long as you keep letting me pretend that you are an ocean...it makes me feel better.