Front Garden

BEFORE

    AFTER

Another gorgeous weekend. We took out all of the plants that came with the house, rearranged a bit, added some perennials and sprinkled pine mulch throughout the beds.  Here's how it came out:

 

Home Sweet Home

We made what will be one of many trips to the Charlotte Ikea. Takes only 2 hours to get there on the back roads through countryside until you hit Hwy. 85. Here are some updated pictures of the living room and dining room. I've also included some pictures of Briar Chapel Swim Club and surrounding landscaping. Beautiful weekend!

Living Room: 

Kevin picked out this cool chair. It's our designated reading chair although Lilly, our kitty, is taking it over already.

Dining Room at Dusk:

Outside Shots:

Abstract shots of the house, my favorite. Enjoy!

Briar Chapel Club:

 Our little Ernie:

Time to Decorate!

 

It's been 2 weeks since we moved in and we are almost completely unpacked. We love it! Right now we are focusing on the kitchen/living/dining rooms. I found some really cool bar stools made of steel from a manufacturer that makes schools supplies. The stools I found are for science labs so they are indestructible. We painted one of the walls in the kitchen with chalkboard paint so we could write grocery lists, notes or doodle when we want. Here are some pictures of our downstairs space. 

Kitchen looking into dining and living areas. The large island and seamless Corian sink is one of the best features. Lots of cabinet space, too. Next project, kitchen cabinet hardware. 

Picture of our dining room looking into the kitchen. The open space is great and just one of the 3 areas for dining. Porch off of the master bedroom and kitchen are also dining spots. 

 Kitchen, oh glorious kitchen, how I love thee. Another perspective.

Check out the chalkboard wall!

Ernie the cat relaxing in the living room.  Still need to hang pictures and paint. Fun, fun.

At the end of a long day, Kevin and I sit on the porch, listen to the birds and let the breeze lull us to sleep.

Final Inspection

Kevin and I in the crawlspace at the final inspection. Maybe we'll turn it into another living space!!!! We've been given a lot of useful information from home inspector, Ken Tabak from TBK Inspections, LLC. He's given us great advice, including what to expect in a new home and how to keep the house in tip top shape. We only have a few more weeks until the big move! Very excited!

House Update & Nature Walk

Today we went out to check out the house and also walk on the hiking trails right off our driveway. The TORC, or Triangle Off-Road Cyclists, are a volunteer organization dedicated to ensuring the future of mountain biking in the Triangle area and are the group responsible for the 25 + miles of biking trails around our neighborhood. Check out their website: TORC

 

They are putting the finishing touches on the house before we close in a few weeks. The berber carpet just went in, along with the stained beadboard back porch ceiling, hardware and screen for back porch. The wrought-iron railings are on both front and top porches and look excellent. Awaiting side fences and landscaping. 

Stained the beadboard on the back porch in a rustic design with a medium to dark stain. Ceiling fan and furniture are next!

Back of house looking into the screen porch.

 

Stream and bridge behind our house. There are many bridges around the neighborhood that help to connect the trails.

Looking out to our garage from back porch. Almost complete. Next, perennial flowers to fill the space.

Piece of wood I found in the woods. Looks like a painting.

The Countdown Begins!

We are officially counting down the days until we move into our new home. It seems like each week something dramatic happens inside the house and we get more and more excited. The kitchen is almost complete and we are really glad everything we chose came together for a simple and classic design. 

 

They are starting to paint the house. Next, primer and trim color for the beams and posts. Black wrought-iron railing on both porches. We are thinking of planting a dwarf Japanese maple tree in the front of the house. One of my favorites!

  

Dark Corian kitchen counters, stainless steel appliances and subway tile backsplash are in. Pendant lights are coming after we settle in.

View from the kitchen bar into the dining and living space. Our kitchen is going to be great for parties and family dinners. I told my dad he will have a permanent bar stool just for him!

View from front door looking in. Paint is on. The guys in the back are installing the beadboard ceiling on the back porch. Nice neutral color on the wall.

 

Media room is pretty much painted. Waiting on berber carpet for a super cozy spot for watching movies!

 

Looking down our street. We will be the first to move in on our street. They are still in the process of building in the neighborhood. Behind our garage, there are mtn. biking/running trails. Can't wait until spring/summer!

Fresh Bouquet

Cold Weather Soup, Ribollita

Yesterday I made one of my favorite soups, ribollita. This hardy and colorful Italian soups hails from the Toscana region of Italy. It is a fairly easy soup to make, filled with delicious greens like swiss chard, leeks, savoy cabbage and chopped parsley. Once you have the vegetables chopped and the beans ready, you let simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Here are some pictures from yesterday's feast!

 

Some of the delicious veggies that go into making ribollita, including sprigs of fresh thyme and yellow potatoes. A wide variety of seasonal vegetables can be used, including zucchini, peas, lima beans, or whatever you have on hand.

 

 Cross-section of my purple cabbage. Vegetables can be so beautiful. I also chop fresh purple cabbage and add them to our salads. Provides a nice crunchy, slightly sweet texture and taste.