We survived another holiday
Holiday greetings to all our family and friends! I am happy to say that we’ve nearly survived our first holiday season in the new house. All four children were home for several says and they survived too, thanks to their flexibility in sharing beds, limited family room seating, and our carefully orchestrated shower schedule at grandma and grandpa’s house in town. As they’ve all begun to leave over the last few days, they’ve expressed excitement to return to see even more progress on the house. Here are the latest updates and what is ahead in the next few weeks.
There is a lot to be grateful for with the house remodel, but perhaps none more than what it’s done to help us get through another Minnesota winter. It’s already January and by the end of the February the project will be complete. We are expecting the kitchen install to begin in mid-January as Doug sets the cabinet bases so that we can get our countertops measured and installed. It will be some time before it’s all completed, and until then my electric frying pan and instant pot will have to continue serving as my stovetop stand-ins. This kitchen is all sheet rocked now and is ready for mudding and taping work once the same is complete in the addition. I am working out of a small utility sink now as the old sink location was eliminated to make room for the drop in stove mechanics. As with everything else about this project, we are making it work. Check out the newest glimpses of the kitchen below.
With exception of the countertops the kitchen decisions have all been made. The cabinets will be natural hickory without a stain and have notches cut out for handles so that we don't need hardware. The appliances will be white with bronze handles, and will include double wall ovens, drop-in range, exhaust hood, built in microwave, and fridge. I’ve chosen a subtle floral theme in the kitchen that will be help bring the outside in. The backsplash behind the range will be a dull pink flower pattern. The lighting will include two floral sconces that will flank the windows and a floral pendent light over the sink. We won’t have any upper cabinetry to keep the space open and bright. The walls will be painted a beautiful cream color that I will be using in other parts of the house. We’ve picked out countertops, but nothing has been ordered. Once we have that purchase solidified, I can share more details.
The addition will be ready to paint this coming week! The ceilings were textured out there last week and sanding starts this week. In a few short days we will be priming and painting the walls, and then will be ready to lay flooring. I grabbed a few pictures so that I had some before shots to share when the afters are ready. Not much to see here, but it does provide some context into what is going into the addition.
Most of the master bedroom decisions have been made, too. We are doing the same engineered hardwood flooring throughout the entire house, with exception to the laundry room and bathrooms where we will have ceramic tile. After my days and hours of wallpaper scraping, I originally swore off wallpaper in any of the rooms, but am going to make an exception on one wall in our master bedroom. I instantly fell in love when I saw this pattern and knew that the big wall behind our bed would need something bold. It’s as beautiful in person, and it might be the one design style I’m most excited to see completed. Keeping on par with my floral and vintage themes, I’ve picked out a really dull pink bedding and antique looking wall sconces.
The next space that I am working on designing is my home work office. One of the requirements that I’ve had about my home office is that it be a space that is not in any common area and one where I could close the doors at the end of the day/week and leave it behind and not be constantly reminded of my to do list. After some Pinterest and YouTube inspiration, I convinced Jamie to let me have the space under the stairs that we had originally earmarked as a coat closet. Doug, our fabulous building partner, has been so supportive of my hair brain idea and is building special doors for this space. I am actively searching for a desk and chair that will fit in the space, along with my three monitors. I really want this space to work so that I can keep my work separate from my personal life. Watch for further updates on this front.
That’s it for the latest updates from the Millam home. We are now able to do our own laundry without hauling it into town. Not far off is the ability for us to shower at home too. Each day our chaos gets a little more manageable, and we get a day closer to all of this being a memory. Life continues to march forward, too. The weekend before Christmas we watched our baby, Marquette, graduate from college. It was a ray of light in our gloom to watch our little girl join her siblings as a college graduate. Jamie and I knew that taking on this house build would present challenges, both planned and unplanned. The one thing that we didn’t plan for was how supportive and flexible the kids would be through the process. They’ve lived with sharing beds like toddlers, giving up mom doing their laundry, eating less-complex meals, and showing up when we needed help. We want this new home to be our final move, and we want it to feel like home for many years to come. It’s where we want to welcome their significant others and our grandchildren. I even have a dream to someday host a wedding (or four) by the lake. Until then, Jamie and I forge ahead knowing that the other side of the this journey will yield new memories and many joys to come. Until the next update, take care of one another and be hopeful for what the new year will bring.
