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Where we’ve been

In the beginning I didn’t think having our house renovated would take over everything.

I knew having our house turned upside down and inside out for an unknown amount of time, with contractors (the best contractors ever, but still, worker guys) showing up at 7:30 AM Monday through Friday since June, would be life changing. But I knew I could live with it just fine, keeping my mind on the end result.

Last week however, just about did me in.

I am thrilled to have the upstairs space finished and to move the girls up there. I am incredibly thankful we are able to have these fabulously talented and polite worker guys making my old house dreams come true. But getting everything – and everyone – settled over the past week was a A LOT of work!

I had the task of changing out the summer-to-fall wardrobes for three kids (it’s 44 degrees here this morning) and putting them all away in new spaces. We moved out of our kitchen so it would be ready for demo Monday morning and are adapting to cooking out of a toaster oven, as well adjusting to having the girls sleeping SO FAR AWAY FROM ME.

Okay it’s not THAT far. But for nearly eight years we have either had a baby or a toddler sunggled in bed with us. Or I was pregnant and waiting for the next little bundle in line to do the same.

The first two nights the girls were upstairs I slept on the trundle bed in my oldest daughter’s room, to be sure to hear my toddler when she woke up and catch her before she went tumbling down the stairs in a sleepy slumber looking for mom. Since then my husband and I have been taking turns soothing her at night every time she wakes up. We have both spent time sleeping on a crib mattress that we store under her bed as floor protection in the case that she did roll off her bed.

I know, some kind of baby proofing plan we have huh? But it works.  We did find a baby monitor from a friend to borrow. Which seems a little funny right? A baby monitor now, when she’ll be 3 (gasp) in 20 days!!!

So this is where we’ve been the last week. Moving, adjusting, reorganizing, tolerating the noise, and being very very tired.

On one hand it is really awesome to get the girls moved upstairs. On the other hand it seems like we are saying goodbye to baby days, moving on to big kid days. And that makes my husband and I both a little sad.

During our shuffling of stuff, I found an awesome local charity that runs a thrift store to fund a food bank for needy families. It’s called Ladies of Charity and my friend’s mom is a regular volunteer there.

I asked if they could send a truck to my house. And they did – the next day. The biggest thing to go was my beloved “blue nursing chair.” The chair I never thought I would get rid of.

The nursery glider chair that I was so thrilled to find in just the perfect shade of blue. It was a semi-girly blue but a safe enough blue to use in the case of a boy, down the road. I still remember the day like yesterday, driving with my husband to pick it up in our tan Jeep Cherokee at New Baby Supplies in Midtown Atlanta. With my big belly, counting down the days to meet our baby girl and officially become parents. In 14 days that baby girl will be 8!!!

The chair sat here in the nursery. Where I thought I would be up at night rocking and nursing, and then putting baby girl back into her crib to sleep the night away. Ha! 

I never really needed that nursing chair.  I learned to nurse anywhere and everywhere and that nursery became a fancy storage room. And I never had a boy!

I know it will find a good new home. And the money someone pays for it will go to feeding poor people in need.

Now, if I could just find something to do with this fancy round crib from the nursery…the one I had to have. It was a special order deal that never met the safety requirements of railing hight, which I discovered when my babies looked like they would fall out of it at 18 months old. I think there is some potential for building a reading fort out of it – but who knows???

That fancy Bugaboo stroller, however, was HANDS DOWN the best baby purchase and is still going strong (not the basinet obviously, but the stroller) three kids later. The changing table my dad made beside it still rocks too! It HAS SEEN some diaper changing days. It now serves on as a night stand between my two youngest daughters matching twin beds, that he made as well.

So basically lately we are feeling like we are moving on, with life, with our house, but also still very disheveled about it all.

I mean….this was our kitchen late last Sunday night, taken in the dark after it was all packed up and ready for demo morning. 

This was the cabinets the next day being hauled off by a friend who is going to repurpose them in his laundry room and workshop. Really cool truck, huh?

This was the kitchen on Wednesday afternoon, as the wall was getting knocked out, dividing it from the new mudroom. 

And this is what the girls are calling the “fake kitchen” that was set up in their old bedroom, minus the new Kitchen Aid toaster oven big enough to cook a pizza. This is another late night dark photo. Which I hate! But my toddler dropped my camera and my wide lens is no longer (big bummer). So a few of these are crumby iPhone shots taken with no sunlight.

This morning the renovation excitement continues. And so does the settling, among all the unsettling. And the birthday planning – oh my! There will be two birthday parties held here next month.

Soon, very soon, I hope to show you some finished rooms with some freshly sewn curtains. I have been very busy working on getting to that place. And painting and sanding furniture along the way.

This is what we did last week when the girls had a day off of school. 

And pretty much, that’s where we’ve been. And this little blog here has sat quiet. Waiting for me to return. Slowly, one post at a time, I’ll keep you updated with our creative happenings and life cooking in a toaster oven.

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When mothering gets tough, I eat chocolate!

It was one of those days with three grouchy girls in the house, and when I let the contagious funk get the worst of me too. It was an estrogen overload. No doubt about it. We needed a boy around to balance our act. But we had none.

What we did have was chocolate.

My husband had a swanky work dinner 45 minutes away that night and it was supposed to be a fun movie night at home.

But no one wanted to watch the same movie. I caved and put a movie on my computer for my oldest daughter to watch and a “little girl show” on the TV for the other two to watch.

With the girls getting older by the minute (which is what it feels like to me lately), I’m savoring the days when the little girls squeal with excitement to watch Bubble Guppies. I love this age where they are still oblivious to the Disney Channel and the dreaded pre-teen shows that I have all my girls believing “do not work on our TV.” Yes I lie about that. A tiny white fib I am completely okay with.

Then Bubble Guppies finished before McKenna. My toddler was done watching all together, buttons were pushed without asking, movies ended before they were supposed to, one girl was pushed, there was feet stomping and loud crying. We all shouted and no one was listening to me.

I was acting just like them. So it’s no wonder why things went from manageable, to needing chocolate.

It was bedtime. No one had bathed and the dishes from dinner were still in the sink. And everyone was upset about something.

I tried to explain that all of this behavior was really rotten, by all of us. There is never a reason to hit your sister. EVER. It is never okay. I apologized for loosing my cool too, for getting upset at my soon to be three-year-old for all the reasons that makes the age 3 harder than 2.

It took some time. But finally I got everyone on the couch to apologize. And I waited until they SHOWED each other some sister love and not just say “I’m sorry.”

Then I took a depth breath and surprised them when I said, “Now lets eat chocolate!”

Three girls jumped up and down with giggles and ran together to the kitchen. They were giddy, together. TOGETHER!

It made my heart smile.

It was a bar of organic milk chocolate (different than the one shown on the top of the post but still one of my favorites). It was my special chocolate that I keep hidden in the cabinet and rarely share it with anyone. The girls know if they get a square of my “good chocolate,” that it’s something special.

I had already been sneaking some through the night with my red wine. So I split the last 12 small squares between the three girls.

They all said I was the best mom in the world and quickly forgot what a grouchy mom I had been just 30 minutes before that.

My oldest daughter gave me her last square of chocolate. My middle girl looked me in the eye with a shy grin that said I’m sorry but this is too good to share. My toddler had chocolate smeared all over her face.

Yes sometimes chocolate does make everything better.

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A Simple Moment

A Simple Moment is a post that appears here every Friday.
A photo I want to remember of a simple moment, with a few simple words.

If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link in the comment section for all to see and read.

They were doing a video shoot of Alice in Wonderland. I love the light, the innocence and the creativity from these kids. Right in the backyard.

A Simple Moment was inspired by SouleMama. Visit her site to see many more moments.

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A week of simple, fresh food lunches for school

I have never been the mom to make the Pinterest-style lunches with celery sticks decorated like a caterpillars, crackers toped with cheese cut like ladybugs or a sandwich wearing a smile face. I think those lunches are adorable. I’m just more of a grab the fruit and go mom. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter for bread is about as decorative as I get when packing lunches.

While talking to a friend recently she asked me to do a lunch post showing what I pack my girls for lunch, as a bit of a reality check on what good old regular moms likes us are packing their kiddos for lunch. I thought it was a great idea! Especially since moms are always looking for new ideas for lunch? I know I always am.

I do, however, wish my girls would accept more variation in what they eat for lunch. But overall it’s fresh, usually organic, sometimes homemade and the lunch boxes usually return home empty.

The Montessori school where my girls attend encourages waste-free lunches and pre-packaged items are discouraged. So we have that in our favor, as I think the children they are sitting next to have similar fresh food lunches.

My girls don’t like all the same things and I understand that. So each girls’ lunch is not entirely the same everyday. They also balk at dinner leftovers showing up in their lunch, and I kind of side with them on that. I’m not big on leftovers either.

Here is what I packed for lunch this week. Friday is pizza day and the children have the choice of buying pizza brought in from a local pizzeria near the school. I gladly take a break from packing lunches that day!

Monday

My oldest daughter had hummus wraps, cheese, fruit, a raw carrot, corn chips and salsa. 

My middle girl had peanut and butter jam on a whole wheat flat bagels (the Rudy’s brand), plums, carrot, almonds and plain lettuce she calls “salad.”

My toddler had “baby humus wraps” cut in four quarters and made the right size for her mouth, fruit, “salad” and red peppers.

Tuesday 

My oldest girl had mini heart cheese sandwiches on homemade bread (from the Knoxville Bread Co-op),  apples and carrots, dried rolled dates, cheddar bunny crackers and a tangerine. The mini sandwich cutter is from Montessori Services and works better with store bought bread that tends to hold its shape better and be less crumby.

The two little girls had mini peanut butter and jam heart sandwiches, carrots, cheese and a banana that works great cut like this and left in the peel. My middle girl also had a few sweet potato chips.

Wednesday

The top two lunches are Rudy’s whole wheat flat bagels with a small glass container of cream cheese for spreading. I packed my toddler’s preassembled, with a dab of jam to help hold them together. My oldest girl doesn’t eat meat so she had cheese and the little girls had ham. I try to get a veggie in their lunch everyday. Carrots are the go to on that and packed almost daily.

Thursday 

My oldest daughter had a cheese sandwich, fruit, a zucchini muffin (from this recipe) and dried cranberries. The black fabric is the sandwich wrap that the sandwich gets packed in. This very plain sandwich is just the way she likes it. 

The two little girls had the same lunch, with fun shaped zucchini muffins, boiled eggs, cheese and grapes with berries. These are their preferred containers because they are easy to open.

For more info on these lunch containers, see my post Plastic free lunch packing containers and systems. To read more about our waste-free lunches, I wrote about it here.

Snack Day!

Wednesday was also snack day for my toddler and middle girl. At their school students rotate turns bringing snack for the entire class. It was a coinsidence that two of my girls were scheduled for the same day. For snack my toddler brought cheese and berries. My middle girl requested peanut butter pretzels, apples and bananas (non shown). In the 3-6 age room the students prepare the snack and cut the food, so we just send in a bag of organic apples. 

What do your children like to see packed in their lunches? I could use more hot food lunch options. I’d love to hear what you pack for lunch!

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Adventures in finding a local marble countertop

For seven years I’ve dreamed up ideas on how to renovate the kitchen in our 1918 craftsman house.

There were times when I wanted to rip out 1950’s metal cabinets with red the formica countertops and chrome edges. But I didn’t. I waited, and hoped for the day of finding a contractor (and the funds) to create hand built cabinets that match the original character of the house. I wanted to restore, not just renovate.

Keeping in mind the home’s the original cabinetry that lives in our basement, topped with its original pink Tennessee Dark Rose Marble by the Tennessee Marble company, I looked for design inspiration.

The internet, and my Pinterest board on kitchen renovations, are filled with white kitchens with white marble countertops. It’s what I really want.

There are some great websites I have found with real life advice, warnings, and amazing photos of people who decided to put in white marble countertops –  even through they stain easily, are very porous and every single person who knows anything about kitchen renovations looks at me like I’m crazy to want white marble countertops in a kitchen full of red wine, coffee and little people eating marinara sauce.

Here are are few good sites I have read.

Sealing Marble: The acid test – at The Perch House and the follow up she did on it next day showing even less signs of staining.

Would I be Crazy to Choose Marble Countertops for My Kitchen? Marble Countertops Pros and Cons – at The Kitchn. I found the comments on this post, and the links bloggers provide to their own sites, to be very helpful.

Best Advice: White Marble Countertops Pros & Cons – at Apartment Therapy.

After reading these sites and visiting two stone warehouses, I still needed to see more. To do more research. These places stock very little marble and barely any soapstone at all. But I knew going into this search, that I was not their average granite buying consumer.

I always try to shop local when I can. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I’d much rather have countertops that did not have to be shipped across the world using the earth’s resources of oil – to bring a shinny piece of earth to me from another continent. The big company Vulcan still blasts at a quarry on the other side of the river from where I live – very close to downtown Knoxville. What they get from there is a gray marble, which I believe is a viable option for our kitchen.

The Knoxville area was HUGE back in it’s hay day of harvesting marble from the local quarries. The Candoro Marble Company, now just a museum, is a few miles from my house where they showcase marble that was used to build monuments in New York in Washington D.C. It all came from quarries just miles from where I live now.

While pretty marble from Italy seams to be THE THING to have, to restore a home with, to be period correct, to be beautiful. In 1918 they put pine floors in my kitchen to save money since guests were never invited into the kitchen. Oak, a more expensive wood, was used throughout the floors in the main living area. They used marble because it was readily available, not because they were showing off their fancy kitchens. These were working kitchens. 

The average home owner was NOT importing marble from Italy, where Carrara marble comes from and is showcased in so many kitchen photos I find myself drooling over today.

All of this desiphering about marble countertops sent me traveling down this road Monday morning.

To this place, the Tennessee Marble Company. 

Where local workers still ocassionaly blast marble out of this quarry, forty-five minutes from my house.

I even got to tour the warehouse, wearing safety goggles! Tennessee Marble is not open to the public. Now days it does mostly all commercial work, building beams for industrial buildings and restoration work on exterior buildings made of marble.

After looking at their gallery of offerings online, I called to ask if I could come look at the slabs of marble. I also called Stonecraft, the countertop business I have been working with who would cut and instal the countertops, to make sure they could instal the marble if I found something I liked. They said yes. So I started driving. Seeing the facility was facinating.

On the way home I realized it made perfectly good sense, me hoping in the car to visit a marble yard on a whim.  I like to know where things come from, from my food to my clothes. It only makes sense that I know where my countertops are coming from too.

I like taking the scenic route. Embracing something a little different. And yes, even stoping in the middle of the road to take a picture of a cow who was looking at me oddly – as if this was not normal. But I’m okay with that.

Here are the samples on my old red countertop, and me trying to decide on a new countertop. The 1×1 tiles are samples from Tennessee Marble. One of the three is actually from Tennessee, taken from a quarry close to my home. The other two are from quarries they own and operate in other states, but process the materials at the location I visited near Maryville. The darker grey piece is soapstone from Brazil, and then the white Carrara marble from Italy. The soapstone will become more black after it is sealed using mineral oil, which pretty much rules that one out for me. Except that I like the use of a natural sealer, opposed to chemicals used to seal marble. 

Next I decided to do my own stain tests – using coffee, red wine, tomato sauce and cold things that would leave a ring. I found they all wiped up fine after about 45 minutes. The more acidic foods did leave etching. But I think I’m okay with a little wear and tear in a 95 year old house. That’s what we do here. Live in this old house they way it was meant to be lived in.

I’ll update on the finial choice soon….as I have more to reveal on the renovation front.

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A Simple Moment – with color!

A Simple Moment is a post that appears here every Friday.
A photo I want to remember of a simple moment, with a few simple words.

If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link in the comment section for all to see and read.

The faces of little girl seeing color going up on their new rooms was priceless. With no camera in hand, I soaked up the moment. And I went back later to take a quick shot of something to remember here.

When my middle girl saw the fuchsia pink walls in the bathroom her eyes lit up in a way that she could not believe what she was seeing.

“Ohhh my gosh mom, I love it. The whole upstairs is G-r-e-AT,” she said. It was a moment when I felt like I got it just right for my girls. Where they knew, that I know what they want and I’m willing to give it to them.

And there is still more color to come. Yes I like color. Rooms should be fun, especially when they are for three little vibrant girls. Even if it did require 10 different gallons of paint. I can see the thankfulness in their eyes. And that makes a mom smile.

A Simple Moment was inspired by SouleMama. Visit her site to see many more moments.

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Winning the after school snack cunundrum in the car

I’m putting a stop to eating in the car, actually it’s the van – Betty the Bus.  But after three years I still have have time saying I drive a van. So I don’t say it. Even though I just did.

But damn that van! It gets crumby, and sticky and nasty with food. So much so that when we our dog sees the door open and has a chance to bolt from the yard to the sidewalk, she makes a beeline to see what kind of snacks she can find on the floor. Honestly, the basset hound Scout does the same thing to us during piano lessons.

My husband (the saint that he is) vacuums out the thing every weekend for me. So don’t think it’s crazy nasty and we never clean it. There are just three hungry kids in there everyday after school. And the one thing that cures cranky kids the best is FOOD.

That’s why being the mean-ey mom who says no more food in the car feels like such a hard thing to do.

That is why when my oldest daughter was got grossed out by the crumbs in her seat last week and declared we should no longer have food in the car – I jumped on the opportunity to side with her make a new rule. Knowing not all the little Simmons people would agree it.

This is a big deal because our afternoon school pick-up schedule goes like this – 2:15 for my toddler, 2:30 for my kindergartener and 3:00 for my second grader. This equals lots of waiting time, and being in the car time, in addition to my twenty minute drive to school and then home. This is why saying no to food in the car feels like such a brave mommy move.

At pick up time instead of packing a basket full of apples, bananas, cheese, hummus wraps, snack bars and such – I now pack three drinks. And that is it. 

So far the smoothie in a mason jar with a hole poked in the lid for a straw has been a winner. I put them in a small cooler for the trip, and for the wait time from one kid’s pick up to the next. They are all happy to have them. They all smile and say yum.

And I am SO thankful to have one less bag to unpack when we get home – when the dishes from three lunches practically fill the dishwasher as it is. And then snack happens at home, at the table all together, conveniently located next to the dishwasher.

Unless it is piano lesson day. Then we share our snack with Scout. It’s a good thing we like dogs.

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Laboring on Labor Day

The upstairs renovations in our house are getting close to being finished. Which means I’m busy trying to complete, or at least get started on, all the homemade-ish touches I want to add to the girls’ new rooms, bathroom and play nook in the hall landing.

On one hand I’ve known it’s all coming for a very long time. And on the other hand I can not believe it is becoming a reality. I have kept a list of wants and dreams for this old house since we moved into it seven years ago. Minus a few emergency plumbing repairs, not many of them have gotten checked off until now.

So yes, I’m wanting to make this move a special one. As my little munchkins flee upwards, and sleep just a tad bit farther from mom and dad.

We spent our Labor Day weekend at home, playing, planning and dreaming of exactly how we are going to use the new space.

Here’s a peak into what I worked on during Labor Day – sanding this small, sturdy table I bought at Goodwill for $8. Or maybe it was an ottoman missing the foot cushion? I have no idea what it was supposed to be.

Soon it will have a two pairs of happy feet standing on it while the little girls use it as stool to brush their teeth.

While I was in Goodwill I stood on it, jumped on it, jumped off of it (because you know that’s what they do), and determined it was a perfect footstool. I was excited about the find! An elderly couple contemplating a sofa purchase just found me odd, I’m sure. But oh well.

Also in that garage is an oak school desk and chair that I am refinishing to be stained. Along with an unfinished shelf to file papers (because my oldest daughter is a HUGE  packrat of papers, cards, school work and such), and an unfinished bookshelf that well get a coat of orange paint.

Then, the list goes on and on and on. And the ideas keep coming. And my sewing machine is waiting. And there is another round of canning I want to get done before my kitchen gets dismantled.

Good thing I have helpers! Well, sort of. But their cuteness surely keeps me going, in the best creative way possible.

 

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Hiking to the top of Mt. LeConte with SIX kids

I’m pretty sure we made record at the LeConte Lodge in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for having the most, and the youngest, children there at one time Wednesday night – bringing up six kids ranging in ages from 2-8 years old.

The Lodge sits at an elevation of about 6400 feet and is only accessible by foot. Staff at the lodge uses lamas to get down the mountain to have sheets laundered for the rustic cabins, and return with perishable goods from town. The rest of the supplies used to serve meals and maintain the lodge are dropped in by a helicopter at the beginning of the season, which lasts from March through November.

My husband had made the 5 mile hike twice before with the two older girls, while I stayed home with our baby. This year that baby is almost three. So all together, with some good family friends and my dad with his hiking buddy, we set off on the Alum Bluff Trail to make the 2500 feet elevation climb. With SIX children!

And we made it!

We even had a man at the lodge ask to take a picture of all kids, to show his grandchildren and tell them they could do it too!

So how did we do it?

My toddler rode on my back in an Ergo for most of the hike. She walked some, when it was safe and we were not near a cliff, and my husband carried her some on his shoulders in addition to his backpack that carried supplies for the five of us. Each big girl had a small backpack with clothes for layering, a rain jacket, extra socks and trail food/water.

Our friends who went with us have a newly turned two-year-old. The mom become ill and was unable to join us. She is doing to better now. But the dad decided to go ahead with the plan and take the toddler, carrying her most of the way on his shoulders.

The key to keeping the other kids hiking all that way was having friends there, and extra grown ups. We had five grown ups to the six kids. A grown up was always in the front, back and scattered in the middle. There are very steep cliffs on this trail and many spots where hikers hold on to a cable drilled into the rock, with treacherous drops just a few inches away. The grown ups kept the kids safe, and together the kids had fun.

When one child gets cranky and tired of walking, it’s great to have non-parent grown ups there to step in. Because we learned kids don’t like to whine with folks who are not their parents. We are all like family anyway in this group. For the most part the kids needed very little pep talks to keep on hiking, even on the steepest of climbs. They did awesome and they had great fun.

As for me, I’m super glad I did it. However, it was a hard hike! And it was a lot to manage with the little ones.

The lodge was great about accomidating us, even when the kids kept sneaking back for more (and more and more) hot chocolate. Oooops. 

No one batted an eye when kids climbed the walls, for real. Or walked on the railings. 

There were games to play. And bunk beds to be excited about. And dinner bells that everyone had a chance to ring.

And there were many amazing views along the way.

However with all of that said, my favorite views of all were one’s like this.

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Renovations Update on the upstairs and mudroom

The upstairs renovations are getting close to being done! It’s taking longer than I expected – but it always is with renovations right? Either way, I love the way things are shaping up. So much so that I’m wondering what in the world are we doing giving this brand new space that is equivalant to half a new house – to the kids?

Well, the main reason is we need more space to spread out. Period. The upstairs space is a built out attic originally done sometime in the 30’s. There are two bedrooms with high ceiling dormers but the rest of the head room maxes out right at 6’5″. My husband is 6’4″. So basically it’s perfect for short people.

The contractors are on their third day of putting the trim in and bead board in the bathroom (the real kind that goes in piece by piece). The floors were sanded and need one more top coat. Then it’s down to paint, putting in the toilet, sink and light fixtures. So, until I get some of my projects done and have something really big to reveal to you. This will be the last update posts on the upstairs of the house.

But first, since I have’t updated since there was no drywall upstairs. I MUST share this photo of when the drywall for the upstairs of the house was being hoisted by crane on a boomer truck up OVER our dogwood trees and through the upstairs windows. Not a single tree limb was damaged. And our all star contractor from Clinch River Custom Builders was watching their every move to make sure. 

Fast forward to today and this is the hallway and new nook that was made by taking out the wall. Old hardwood was taken from an unused part of the attic and put in here. In these photos it is shown sanded and raw. We chose a water based sealant that leaves the wood looking as natural as possible, and very close to what you see here. I also liked that with that option we get to avoid using the more toxic epoxy sealants. 

This is the crawl space door and hole for what will become —- drum roll please —- a laundry chute! 

The trim, in which a special blade was created to cut the wood so it would match the design of the rest of the house. 

My favorite part is going to be the bathroom. The contractors made custom windows for this space too. With old houses my biggest pet peeve is not having windows on addictions that match the original house and design.

First photo is the shower, second is the toilet nook, the third is where the trough sink is going. The one that I mentioned here, where I got the idea to paint the bottom of it fuschia pink. Oh yes! This will be a GIRL bathroom. 

When the kid space is done I DO have something to look forward to for my self – a new mudroom and kitchen. When the contractors offered to make custom windows and doors – as in actually make in their very own wood shop – for the mudroom. I jumped on that with a big YES answer. Therefore the building of our kitchen cabinets has taken a backseat and will start sometime next month. Incase you are wondering about the cost, them hand building the windows and doors  costs about the same as ordering custom, factory built windows and doors. And I’d always rather support the local guys. Plus it will look SOOOO much better.

So far, here’s the mudroom off our kitchen. The doors and windows are coming next month too. 

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