One of the many things I love about this location is watching and hearing the flocks of Canadian geese that stop in this valley for the winter.
This last week was busy! The crew started on the siding, which we are so excited to see go up. We are using concrete board siding with board and bat in the top gables. Once it’s all painted white, it will give a nice contrast of textures, adding interest and character. The trim will be painted black and there will be light wood accents (front door, porch beams and office trellis).
The electrician started installing all of the can and fixture lights and setting the switches and plugs. I’m a big fan of less can lights and less light switches, so I minimized both as much as possible. Our last home had can lighting everywhere and I always said our kitchen looked like an airport runway when lit up. Plus, it gives me a chance to order more fun light fixtures, since there are so many I’m in love with, it’s been hard to narrow down the selection.
This week, they should be finishing the siding, electric and hvac. They will have the framing inspection and next week we start on insulation and drywall. Wow, this feels a bit surreal- like it really might be happening!
We also did some major shopping over the weekend, purchasing most of our interior doors, and hardware, and ordering our hardwood floors. 
And, taking advantage of the sun, I was able to sand and stain all of the front porch beams. It’s not every girlfriend that will help you when it comes to power tools, but thank you, Ally, for lending me helping me with the sanding process- it’s an arm and core workout!
Lastly, this morning I received sad news that my Mémé passed away peacefully at the age of 94. My grandparents were immigrants from France who came over to Canada and then the U.S. after WWII.
From my grandmother, I inherited my French heritage, as well as my love of all things home; entertaining, cooking, gardening and decorating.
This photo is of a plant that Mémé dug up for me, years ago, to transplant to my last house. She gave me violets, peonies, ferns and these little pink flowers, which I still don’t know the name of. I dug up some of each of these plants (they are all multipliers) to take with us to this new home and they are planted in pots waiting for their home here on the property. They are special little plants that will always makes me think of her.
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