The joke is on us

About two weeks ago, everything came together on the house and our final inspections were passed. Life has been grand with manageable workloads, friends down visiting, lazy dinners outside and the warm aura of a new, completed house. Aahhhh....

I mean AAAAHHHH! Yesterday our guests found water pouring through the ceiling light fixtures of our downstairs bathroom. Turns out we have a wee problem that has been with us for a while, and it decided to introduce itself. Our upstairs shower has been leaking since we moved in, through the second floor concrete slab no less. (If Mr. Big's dad comes across this...You were right!) And without fail, this all happens the week that work gets turned on it's head. Of course it does.


So we've got a few holes in ceilings and walls (and no doubt other places that we probably don't want to know). Two of our bathroom are out of commission. Normally we probably would roll with the punches...but we've got only about 70 people coming over for a small get-together on Saturday. We weren't really going for the holes-in-the-ceiling and rough-sheetrock look, at least originally anyway.

I'm sure that the service teams will get us through, but no doubt someone somewhere is having a good laugh at us. Welcome to home ownership guys...

Rocket St George

I stumbled onto this site this morning and couldn't pull myself away. Strong willpower is a must if you venture a peak.

The Beatles got it so right with this one. And a little reminder every once in a while doesn't hurt.


And while you're at it, your bed can always use a little extra twinkle.


Along with your dining table.


And without question, no home with bright young children and a backyard should be without these loungers.

This should be against the law

This studio at the Viceroy Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen should be illegal. Not fair. Immediately go to jail. It just raises the bar to another level.

Mornings

The air was so still this morning that I was able to capture the following two photos as reflections in the canal water. Yes, they are actually pictures of the water. If you look closely, you can see the small ripples at the bottom of the photos.


In the middle of my 3 minute fantasy world, Jordan successfully scurried an iguana off our property...and straight into the water. So much for those shots.

Far too easy

Sunset.com is running a neat article on 20 fun DIY projects. How simple is this table top for a dinner party? And what an easy way to reuse champagne glasses. Love them!

Photo by Thomas J. Story, Jess Chamberlain

A long journey

On Friday, we received the call that we have been anxiously awaiting for...we received our Certificate of Occupancy. Yes, we are now legally living in our own home, just a mere 16 months after moving in. And hold you breath...66 months after our first meeting with an architect. This has been a long journey.

Calendar by etsy seller upup

In all our eagerness and excitement to build a custom home, we certainly did not realize how time and all-consuming the project would become. I couldn't wait to start making decisions back then. 66 months later, I feel like this whole experience has whopped my backside.

Don't get me wrong...I L-O-V-E the finished product. We still marvel and giggle over the fact that it's ours. But over the last few months, I have felt like a roller coaster sliding into the station after a crazy ride...a bit more calm, a lot more steady, lingering with messy hair and excited breath.

So I suppose that is why the blog has taken a back seat a bit. We've spent Sundays watching the Masters, evenings hosting friends for dinners, afternoons planting herb gardens, and overall just enjoying. It's been a real pleasure "doing" rather than "planning". Nothing beats relaxed, deep breaths.

There's certainly still decorating left to do in the house so the blog will continue. But it might be a tad slower than during the frenetic building phase. And we might get a few more "lifestyle" posts on here...dinner party ideas, interesting hobbies, etc. I hope that you'll stick around and share your thoughts as we move into the next phase...life in the new house.

Keep it simple (again)

Another reminder that simplicity is stunning.

Image from Alvhem via Apartment Therapy

Some of us (i.e. you know who) have a tendancy to want to get something on every wall. This is a perfect reminder that its.not.necessary.

Update: It turns out this is a staged apartment, hence the reason there's minimal clutter. Oh well, still an inspiration.

Product review: Miele steam oven

Is it possible to live without a microwave? We weren't sure. But when we were trying to decide between our old faithful and a steam oven, we were intrigued by the health benefits of cooking with steam. As this is a product review on the steam oven, I suppose you can guess which option we chose.


Pros:

• Perfect steamed vegetables. Really perfect. We eat more broccoli and asparagus now that we live with this cool cat.
• Maintains original flavors when reheating left overs. It's virtually the same as the original day you cooked it.
  
• The use of steam must be healthier than microwaves. Listen, I'm no expert and don't know all the nitty gritty details, but it has to be.
  
• It's easy to use. The display walks you through everything. Fill the water tank and you're off to the races.
• Pretty much everything can be cooked in it. Other than popcorn (boo hoo), this puppy can take care of virtually any dish.
  

Cons:

• Takes a while to heat up before it starts cooking. We didn't expect it to be quite as long as it is. Now that our expectations are adjusted, it's no biggie. It's definitely a transition from a microwave.
• Need to look closely at your settings. I've had a few times where the broccoli has come out very overdone. Once I experimented with different vegetables and dishes, it has become clear. But there was a tad of learning necessary at the start.
• No popcorn
  

It was a bit of an adjustment, but we would go this route again. A year after getting it installed, we've learned to s-l-o-w d-o-w-n our cooking expectations a bit. In our rush, rush, rush society, it's been a good thing.

Hope this might be helpful to someone going through similar dilemmas at the planning stage!

Obsessive compulsive at all?

Owning our own house/condo/apartment has been a long time coming. Now that we're settled in, we've started setting up the house exactly how we want it (it was pretty much in shambles for the first year). My lovely husband started to get a bit concerned when I purchased a label maker. "What are you going to with with that?" Ummm...


Not only do we finally have an organized kitchen gadget drawer, it's also been labeled. Yes, a bit over the top, but hey, I love it. :) No trying to remember where "that thingy" is. No frustrations sifting through various items for "the one tool that I need". And in a really silly way, it makes me feel like I live in a Williams Sonoma store. Yes, it might be slightly disturbing, but I've waited a long time to finally have a home of my own...and I'm going all out.

Don't feel too bad for Mr. Big. He's sorted out a few critical drawers as well....atta boy!

We could all use one

These tissue covers by etsy seller yokomono are fab.