Tuesday, July 31, 2018

In the Midst of Summer

July came and went all too quickly... The hubby and I celebrated 13 years together, the temps started to rise, and it felt like summer all of a sudden. The month of July brought the start of lots of visitors coming in and out of the house... the start of our guest house being built... and the start of birthday celebrations for the kids (We have birthdays from July-October, between all the kids)...

It was the month that we introduced our kids to "car washes"... not really sure why we hadn't thought of that sooner... and quiet time book reads (we've implemented that multiple times in the past, but we always derail from it). We ate up all the gluten (pizza parties at the beach) and sugar (introduced the kids to pixie sticks) before we decided to take some time off from it... It was also the month I found out I have Hashimoto's disease (my thyroid is still functioning, I just have antibodies against my thyroid that showed up on my blood panel)... so, doing all the natural things necessary to help fight this autoimmune disease (gluten free and dairy free actually started before the diagnosis). 

It was the month of planting gorgeous blooms and picking them for bouquets... crafting with God's work of art, is good for the soul. We grew tomatoes only to be eaten by the deer... and transplanted black eyed susan's only to be gobbled up by the bunnies. Collections of seashells and other gems from the beach joined up with treasures from past visits... and we had too much fun letting off poppers and other festive noise makers for the 4th of July (one year, the kids will be able to stay up to view those gorgeous fireworks... but for now, sleep is just too important).

July... you were good to us... so so good to us. 



























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#livelikethemountainisout

The one thing that pretty much any Washingtonian (transplant or native) can agree on... that the best days, are the days when "she's out"... The "she"we refer to, is Mt. Rainier. Anytime "she" makes her appearance, you just know, it's going to be a great day... there's this peace that "she" brings with her appearance, and this sort of awe. We get peeks of her in different parts of our town, mostly always with the waterfront in the foreground... and we just shake our head every time "she's" there... that the view, NEVER gets old.

My sweet sister in law (the one that moved out this way to Washington) has a gig this summer at Mt. Rainier. We declare it "her mountain"... even though "she's" totally a favorite to all of us. When the hubby was out of town, we decided to venture out over her way to check in on her... see her favorite places, and spend some time with her, venturing. It was a beautiful intro to the mountain, and all "she" has to offer... only had a little taste for the day, before we made our way back home. We are excited to get back and discover even more of her beauty.




















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Thursday, July 26, 2018

Guest House weeks 1-4

When we bought our house out here in Washington... and knew we were going to be a family of 7... the size of the house, was a little terrifying...  it's just a little under 2,500 sq ft... but rests on a little over 2.5 acres. It's 4 bedrooms, and 2.5 bathrooms... we have JUST enough space for us... but we knew it would be tight whenever there was a visitor/s in town. As soon as we moved the twins out of our room and into their own room, we lost our guest room space. We knew visitors would be coming and going all year long, and without losing our space each and every time, we decided to take the plunge and build a guest house... a retreat for those visiting us, to escape our "noise" and find solitude and rest. We searched high and low for a design that wasn't "over the top", large enough for our needs, flowed well with the design of our house/pavilion and one that would be approved with minimal adjustments by the city's permitting department (one that wouldn't require extra work from an architect). We found just what we were looking for, from an architect that draws up plans here in Washington... and then hired a construction company/contractor. All of the difficulties of permitting, tapping into septic/electric/plumbing and framing/building it up until "waterproof" are all on them... and for that we are thankful. As soon as it has a roof and siding on it, we will take over, and begin with all the finishing... making this little place, more "homey".

It felt like we've been dreaming of this for far too long... permitting took months to get approved. Once they were, it took another month and a little before someone came out and broke ground, cleared the area, and laid the forms for concrete to be poured. We began June 27th... and here about a month later, we have a structure! It's been fun watching it "take shape"... I think it's time to start nailing down the details of what's happening in the inside.

































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