Finley's Field Trip

I enjoyed a field trip with Finley's preschool class to Gallrein Farms! Nice to spend one-on-one time with the kids sometimes! Here are some pics!

October House Progress...we're gettin' there! :)))

October is here and we are starting to "feel" the house! Below is a picture of the sunken living room looking into the foyer. Here is a picture of Bailey's desk...it's going to be painted a fun color!

The room showing is a secret hidden playroom connecting Hogan and Finley's rooms by little mini-doorways!

Whoops! A repeat picture, but note the hardwoods in the hall! Slowly but surely, they are laying the reclaimed barnwood and I LOVE IT!

Mudroom, Laundry and Office floor is in! It was a splurge but I am really loving how it turned out!

Floors are going in in the kitchen...they take a while but are worth it!

Riley and Bailey's shower...much cuter in person.

The kids media room bookshelves.

Sunken Living room...The sconces going in here are really beautiful!

Thanks for checking in! We are sooo happy with how the house is coming along! Cabinets go in this week, counters next week!!! Check back! :)

Tile, Trim and Floors!!!

October is a fun month! Todd and I are so excited to watch the trim going up, tile going down, barnwood being delivered and our house turning into our home!!

The foyer is coming along! These stairs will be covered in a seagrass runner.

Our bathroom floor is down! I love it!

The front doors look great! We changed the board and battan a bit since the picture was taken, but not by much.

The family room beadboard is up and looks amazing!!

This is the area we altered. It was looking to "grid-y", so we removed some to alter rectangles with squares. Looks great now, but I am without a photo!

Todd and my steam shower! Can't wait! The stones were chosen to play off the barn beams.

Hardwoods are arriving!

Another shot of family room.

It all looks like a mess, but we are so excited!

Todd has the lawn looking much better!

Tiny and The Biggins playing in the yard.

Can't wait to spend every sunset here!

Love and Marriage :)

Okay. I rarely get really irritated when I hear something on the radio. I actually rarely get irritated at all. But something on the radio the other day just got under my skin. The commentator was talking about the possibility of marriage licenses having a two year window that would allow the couple's marriage to dissolve without legal issues after two years...like an "out". Where is our world headed? I think there is a HUGE problem with our society. HUGE. What happened to vows meaning something? What happened to saying "I do" without thinking "I do...but just in case it doesn't work out then..."? I do not have a perfect marriage. I also know that NOBODY has a perfect marriage. They do not exist. But I believe that two people can be perfect for each other. The trick is to never fall out of love at the same time. The trick is to not believe that the grass is greener somewhere else and to believe that the grass is greener where you water it. The trick is to keep boundaries. To put God first and your spouse second. I am not good at all these things but am learning. Todd and I have had our fair share of trials and each time we face one we get closer. Stronger. Softer with one another. We realize that the other person will dissapoint at times, but the purpose of marriage is not to always be ga-ga in la-la land. It is more than that. It is for better...but even more for worse. It is for health...but even more for sickness. It is for good times (yahoo!)...but far more for bad times. It is for finding that life's journey is for learning and sharing and growing together. God gave us grace...for that I am sure. But the BEST thing about grace is the ability to extend it. Marriage takes forgiveness...with no record of wrongs (no matter how big-that can take time!) Marriage takes selflessness...always trusts, protects, perseveres. I don't like the idea that marriage is a union that can be cut off easily. (Although, realistically, sometimes, divorce is the best option). But my heart believes that too many people throw in the towel when things get hard. When their spouse doesn't make them happy. When things aren't easy. When life throws a curveball. When the butterflies dissapear. They don't realize that the butterflies could be on their way back. They quit before they see the miracle.

Meet Jack...and a quick house update!

Meet Jack! There is a new member of the Hostutler clan! He is a great puppy and the kids are thoroughly enjoying his company! Todd and I are unsure of what he is, but we refer lovingly to him as our "Blue Chiuahua Shep". This picture makes him look like Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, but he is quite darling in person.

I have been really busy lately, so I haven't caught up on the house on my blog. Here is a quick update... It hasn't been very exciting since electic, drywall and plumbing have been the bulk of the work over the last four week. It is truly looking like a home and we are so excited to just GET OUT THERE!!!! The hardwoods start to go in in about a week and should take about four weeks. I have the trim package nailed down (very fun and creative and different!) and most of our lighting is decided. It is really coming together beautifully.

The trim around the windows and the band board need to be painted. It is looking all one color presently, but will definitely have more POP when it is complete.

T is working hard at getting the lawn up to par. It is a big job, but I can tell he enjoys it.

The shake is up and looks great...adds alot of texture! :)

The foyer shows where we are in the drywall stage! Starting to look like a house. I love that all our notes to each other are buried and saved inside the walls (I am hopelessly romantic and sentimental when it comes to that)

We have a door. Needs some paint and a few prayers that it stays in good shape! :)

This beam looks pretty dumb in this photo, but it is great in person. It is at the top of the nook in the dining room.

Side door!

Looking forward to the porch beams.