Monday, March 25, 2019

Guest House { weeks 27- 37 }

Since the last update, the guest house saw its first snow... the roof did great, the skylights did great... nothing leaked... and it looked magical tucked in to all that white stuff.

We've had some big progress over the last few weeks with the guest house. The hubby finished EVERYTHING electrical... trenches were dug with a rented ditch witch, piping and electrical line was brought through the piping (I'm sure there's a technical name for that) and everything is connected to the main breaker.

An inspection was ordered since all was complete... and only a few small items needed to be fixed, before we were approved nearly 2 weeks ago. The line can be covered, and all is well on that end.

He built a little roof for over the hot water heater... which the inspector thought, was GENIUS. He actually commented more on that, then he did on the electrical stuff.

The hubby finished all things plumbing and will be running a test to make sure nothing leaks/pours out before the final connect. Once that inspection is approved, we'll be able to start insulating (and ALL the fun stuff can start to happen).

This weekend the hubby rented an excavator to help dig for gas (to run to the tankless hot water heater.) We also hired someone to connect us next week to our propane tank... and then we can order a mechanical inspection.

When typing it all out, it seems like only a little bit was done... but in all reality, it was SO much. These are BIG things that need to get done... and hoping that by the next update, all the inspections will have been approved.



















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Tuesday, March 19, 2019

I Want To Remember part 11

On the eve of Spring... these are the things I'd like to remember about the exit of Winter...

- The weather never stopped us from having fun with friends... one of the foggiest days I've ever seen here, just so happened to be the day we got to play with friends after church, at one of our favorite beaches. Having those friends join us at church thought, that's even better.

- The twins have grown SO much during this season... their vocabulary is blowing up, and even though we sometimes giggle at how tough it is to understand them, we're starting to... and it's becoming fun to have conversations with them. It's also fun to watch them teach one another things... like pedaling on their tricycle.

- The ranunculus I planted, SURVIVED the great snow of 2019... using tons of blankets and boxes to protect them, worked. The bunnies started munching on them, but covering them up with a tiny, portable green house, has kept them safe. We are so excited to watch them grow and bloom... already dreaming about what our spring bouquets will look like. I also ordered and received seeds from my favorite farm here in Washington, to plant this spring.

- I came out of hibernation from photographing others, and boy does it feel good. Kicked off this season with a maternity shoot nearby... and then adventured to Seabeck with a Mama friend and her two boys... what a gorgeous place... it might be my new favorite place around here. The Olympic Mountains are just a glorious sight, mixed with the trees and water... it's the dreamiest place. Time to bring the family there to play.

- Finn has LOVED "helping" Daddy with projects around the house... or related to the guest house. His attention is held for a few minutes and then he's off again, playing dinosaurs.

- Charlotte started the program "Girls on the Run" at school again. When she saw that they were accepting registrations she begged to be a part of it again. What a wonderful, empowering program.

- Marley and Charlotte raised money for the American Heart Association... They pledged to be active for at least 60 minutes every day for 30 days... and although I didn't update their little website every day (because we ended up getting sick a lot along the way), they totally met their challenge! They were so excited to "Jump for Hearts"... and Marley learned how to jumprope for the first time, correct

- Marley received the "inclusive" award at school... the same award that Charlotte won last year. When this mama received the news, tears of joy were shed. Something right is going on here at home, and even more so, seeing how proud Charlotte was of her sister... the sweetest. We were the loudest cheering section at the award assembly. She also had her first Kindergarten performance... it was a Chinese folktale. The kids were beyond precious, the music fantastic, and it made the audience giggle... an all around wonderful show!

- March 17th marks the first day we ate outside at our table, without the use of heaters... it was a fantastic meal with fantastic company.
































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Friday, March 08, 2019

The Coast

After a weeks of sickness in the household (earlier this year) and week and a bit of snow... we knew we needed to "break out" of the house... everyone probably could have stayed in for a few more, but this Mama's sanity depended upon "getting out" of the house. Mid-winter break fell the week right after the week off from school from the snow, so I planned an escape to the coast...best decision EVER.

We haven't ventured too far since the twins were born. It wasn't on the top of our list, especially with so much nearby to keep us busy and explore... plus that first year, we were in complete survival mode, I mean, the hubby and I are GREATLY outnumbered in our household. However, with more and more trips we do locally, we noticed that our sweet babes, aren't such babes anymore, and boy do they have a heart for adventure as well.

We left super early in the morning... cereal bags packed for the littles to munch on along the way, book cd's for the drive to listen to, a thermos full of coffee for Mom and Dad... and made it to the western coast of Washington in 2 hours and 45 minutes. A state park, Cape Disappointment, in Longbeach, WA was our stop for the first day. We spent all day there, exploring the beach, walking to views over the water, eating our packed lunch in the dreamiest driftwood collection overlooking the lighthouse. It was a beautiful day, and the weather was completely favorable... we finished it off with a swim in the indoor pool at the lodge we stayed at, street tacos and the dreamiest sunset we've seen in awhile.

The next morning we took off to head into Oregon for a little bit before heading back to our neck of the woods. We wanted to just do a quick drive through some places that we hope to come back to, and explore in more depth. Those places were Astoria (yes yes, where they filmed "The Goonies") and Cannon Beach. We will for sure head back and explore more... but just taking in the sights was jaw dropping. We did stretch our legs at Cannon Beach... the coldness, the wetness (it had been raining), and the wind totally got to all of the kids (they only lasted for a few minutes). Their faces while snapping a few photos there, ACCURATELY depict their feelings towards Cannon Beach... BUT, hopefully our next trip there (a warmer time from now), will change their minds about it.
















































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