Lanai (aka screened-in-porch) enclosed and painting, painting, painting!

Things are moving slowly again - I think because we're not in a hurry to move, we sometimes get put on the 'back burner'. I'm going down there later this afternoon and hope to get some sort of a firm - or at least a good guestimate of a finish date. The one big thing that did happen is the porch is enclosed.


 Jake from "Porch Conversions" did a fantastic job enclosing the lanai (aka "screened-in-porch"). He is beyond meticulous, conscientious, and any other 'ouses' you can name. The color matches almost perfectly, and we'll paint the dog door so it matches, too.

Day One

Day Two - installing the dogs' door

 Luckily he has a super helper!

Almost finished

Done!

The painters are finished - I think - except for some touch ups. Painting the  front door made a big difference.

Before

After

They did a great job of matching the garage doors.

My favorite painter. She has the steadiest hands.

We are now officially a home! The new address will be

6221 Motts Village Road, Wilmington, NC 28412

I'm sorting and sorting and found this photo. It is my absolute favorite. My Dad is holding the shovel, next is his older brother, George Jr., then younger brother, Mead, then my Grandfather. They look like a Ralph Lauren ad only better. A bunch of 'hotties'!

Our Island Fixture! and a movie of Mrs. Besse ...

If you want to change the look of a metal piece - lamp, chandelier, candlestick, door knob, etc. - go to either ACMoore or Hobby Lobby (although I totally hate their politics but I wimped out to buy this) and buy a product called "Buff 'n Rub". It comes in several metal finishes (bronze, silver, gold, copper, Platinum, etc), and you can totally change anything metal to another metal or maybe another material? I was only interested in metal so I didn't investigate other options. You rub it on to the desired shade, and then, when it's dry,  buff it if you want a glossier finish. First I 'bronzed' the chandelier wine glass holder from black to bronze, and then I 'bronzed' the entryway fixture from the gold/silver finish to bronze. Totally different look, and it washed off my hands quite "easily" (However, I recommend gloves!). 

Tah Dah - here are the photos of the center island fixture. I'm not sure about the ultra white lights -  maybe a soft white? Combination of the two?  Feel free to voice an opinion. We love it, though. (PS the men in the background are the grouters/sheetrockers/painters/etc.)

and for those of you who want to see Mrs. Besse in action, here she is! The carpet she is on has a lot of stains - they're our entry carpets that we're not changing until we move. Check her out on the corners - very good!

Let there be lights ... and heat... and a refrigerator!

I was at the house a few days ago when our General Contractor, Chris Klos, stopped by to see how things were going. While we were talking, he asked if I wanted the electricity turned on. Silly man! One, two, three - bingo! Lights everywhere. It was so neat to be there. Tah Dah!!!

There's a big difference in the colors from daylight to nightlight.

The mosaic looks great in the light.

Note the mystery fixture in the middle!

I do not like it at all! Actually, I like it, but not there.

The pantry - the light is not nearly as yellow in person.

This is the first time we've really seen the laundry room. It has always been a dark hole.

Guest shower and sink below

I think it's the 'glow in the dark' paint that give our bathroom the eerie color!

The ribbon fixture looks great

Our closets

We love the outside lights. We're the first house to have them.

This is the area rug we picked out for the living room. It looks much, much much better in person - we hope.

Kevin is adding the arches to the bottom of his cabinet.

Jeff removing the white paper from the top of the hood. It's his pride and joy!

After much research he found a pull out tray for the Keurig. It fits perfectly.

The main refrigerator - not a great photo.

When we went to the house last night, I noticed the oven light was on (they hooked up the 220). It was on and the oven was HOT! The grills were in boxes in the oven, and the boxes had scorch marks plus the tape melted onto the lights. Of course we removed the boxes. When we went there tonight, the lights were still on, and the inside is still very hot. No, the oven does not have a light on/off switch! It is supposed to go on and off when the oven door is opened or closed, plus be on during cooking cycles. Just by chance we ran into Chris Klos at the grocery store, and he said he will take care of it tonight. It is a little scary.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ...

the puppies watching the rain.

Phil turned 50! Yes, I had him when I was 5. As you can tell, I packed the birthday candles! It's a Carmel Apple Upside Down cake - his choice.

Now you can meet my new BFF - Neato. We're calling her Mrs. Besse after Jeff's Mom's cleaning lady. It's a robot vacuum, and it works! Not only does she vacuum, she returns to her charging station when her battery is low. Somehow she made a beeline from our bathroom to the charger in the kitchen. How does she know????? If you don't want her to go places, like a fringed rug, you can either block it off, or, if that's not practical, they give you magnetic strips to put in front of the area. So far she didn't fall off the step into the living room, scooted under the gate into Phil's room, did not scare the dogs at all - the cats are a different story! Her program can be updated via a USB connection. She can be programmed to run at night, to spot clean, or to vacuum the whole house. Three full dirt bins later - after I vacuumed yesterday - and she's definitely a winner. 

The house schedule is they will spackle all the dings, paint, coat the garage floor, and clean the house. The lanai (aka screened in porch) will be window/screened next week. The back yard will be fenced as soon as the material arrives - probably 3 - 4 weeks. Our next 'adventure' is a trip to Ikea in Charlotte with trailer in tow.