Patience

You know you're passionate about renovation and design when friends send you photos of the cabinet pulls they chose for their kitchen.

Or ask about color choices for a specific room. These kinds of things get our creative juices flowing, and with the completion of our kitchen reno drawing near, I think we're really ready to start our next Casa Creations job!

Installing cabinet pulls is one of my least favorite things.

And we could not have chosen a more challenging pull for our kitchen. Achieving level and visual cohesion with these long narrow bars took serious mathematical equations and a lot of finagling.

It was a real practice in patience and took 2 days. But, I think we're achieving the modern, clean lines we wanted for this kitchen.

Can't wait to get that granite... and a sink!!!

Refugee

With the recent bombings in Brussels, we're experiencing a new round of terrorism awareness. It's not something new for me; living in Turkey during Desert Storm was a life-altering experience. When the bombings began in 1991, school was canceled for several weeks. When school finally reconvened, the schedule was altered daily to avoid routine--which provides a target for those with malicious intent. We rode to school in buses with armed soldiers. Car bombings hit close to home and my father rode to work with an armed guard. Yet, our lives continued with sporting events and prom, music festivals and evenings out in the city. My parents refused to let fear rule us, and I'm so thankful for their optimism in the face of terror.

Two weeks ago, bombs killed 40 in Ankara, the city where I grew up, in a busy shopping district that we frequented. Shortly after that, another bombing occurred in Istanbul. The current bombings in Brussels have received more attention, but were actually less deadly than those in Turkey. Nonetheless, the Brussels bombing hit close to home. My second cousin, serving as an LDS missionary there, was at the airport at the time of the bombing and is currently in a Belgium hospital recovering. Three years ago, my brother and his wife were running the Boston marathon when the bombing occurred there.

Is this the way it will be? In Turkey, threat of terrorism was somewhat of a given. But to fear attacks more and more on our own soil and in European countries where Americans once felt safe traveling seems to be inevitable.

And now in Boise, our chosen home, I fully expected--not intentionally--that we would be far from the fear of radical Muslims and potential attacks. Surprisingly, Boise is one of the largest refugee centers in our nation. A trip to Wal-mart guarantees that I will hear Arabic spoken and smile at women wearing hijabs.

It's a Brave New World. But I will not fear. For one, I was brought up to look for the best in people and any given situation. And secondly, my hope is in the eternal good and glory of Christ. Maybe I'll get to befriend some of the Boise refugees. After all, we all came to Boise in hopes of a better life, and I am confident that's what we'll find.

Recovering

So, the flu found us in Boise.

We survived; I've certainly had worse. Maybe the cold here scares the really bad bugs away.

Nonetheless, a big shout out to my favorite comfort creatures who made my many hours in bed bearable; they are so cute.

Super Diamond

 Out on the town in Boise :)

This is a Super Diamond concert--and I think it may have been better than the real thing!

With plenty of Neil's hits, and in a jumpsuit deserving of the Diamond himself, this guy did a great job belting out in true ND form. He even told some funny stories about growing up in the 70s as a Diamond fan, and how uncool that was...

But the house rocked last night with plenty of true fans singing along to their favorite songs.

I even got a few "bah bah bah's" in during Sweet Caroline.

 

Favorite things

Celebrating a few of our favorite things today...


With the cabinets in place, we are starting to do the backsplash! Scott looooves this part; tile is definitely one of his favorite things.

I can't wait to see it with the undercabinet lighting!


Dulce and Snickerdoodle looooove that most of the scary, loud tools have been put away.

They are joining us more and more downstairs now, even tolerating each other enough to bask in the morning sun.

Sunday worship was great at Calvary Chapel Boise; however, the pastor announced yesterday that he is stepping down after 35 years at the helm there! It will be interesting to see how the church transitions and grows in this new phase. We went to a downtown coffee shop last night to hear the new pastor deliver the message for a fellowship group/Calvary outreach that takes place there. I love that the church has established itself in unique and effective ways in this community; plenty of room for us to grow here!

 
 

Healing

Craving true words, words that heal.

     The next thing she knew, Dahlia awakened to the sound of tinkling bells and speckles of light beams shining through tiny holes in the fabric of the tent. Lifting the flap, she peered out and saw that the sun was already high in the sky. A small shepherd boy wandered among his sheep as they nibbled on the brown, dry brush behind the tent. Memories from the night before shifted through her mind. Endora slept peacefully on a pallet nearby.
     In her dreams, Dahlia had seen the stormy sea again, Ibrahim swimming into the blackness, Endora walking along the shore singing sweetly to herself, Artashir laughing at the moon, the light--the beam that called to her day and night. She followed it and this time it led her to a stream that flowed through the desert. Along its banks, thousands of parched, weary people stood, staring at the crystal clear water in awe as if they couldn't believe what they had found. Dahlia ran to them, gesturing for them to drink. And then she saw it. A large tree grew up over the stream, its massive, gnarly roots growing out of both banks, twisting up and meeting over the water, forming one enormous trunk. Dahlia leaned back her head, looking up, up, up . . . trying to see the branches that grew out of the gigantic, old tree, but the sunlight blinded her. "Its leaves are for the healing of the nations," a voice whispered.
(Desert Rose)

* Revelation 22:1-5

Lobbying

Household cohesion on renovation finishes can be a real challenge. So far, we have successfully chosen flooring, cabinets, granite, backsplash tile and paint colors. However, my husband--who rarely has strong opinions about anything :)  --has downright rejected my choice of light fixtures. He has even called them gaudy.


It came as a bit of a surprise since, for some reason, I didn't think I was capable of making a gaudy choice. Unusual, unique, thinking outside of the box--these are all phrases I would like to use when describing my style; but gaudy...

We've been at it for quite a while. Every time we visit Home Depot or Lowes, as we purchased electrical items, an assortment of construction tools and every other item we've installed in the kitchen so far, we have meandered down the lighting aisle and come away completely astonished at the complete opposite-end-of-spectrum style choices we prefer.
 Who knew?

After much lobbying and debate, we have managed to avoid outright name-calling and other trash talk (outside of the one "gaudy" comment) and we  have finally reached a decision. I think.

The one thing we absolutely share is an infatuation with engineered flooring. We have installed over 1000 square feet of Bourbon Apple Wood in our downstairs living space.

Driftwood Estate Oak laminate now accentuates two sides of our kitchen island.

A polymer based 100% water-proof Durban Oak will run through the laundry and guest bathroom.

Save the trees! Embrace engineered flooring!!!

Levee ride

There is a canal near our home, with a levee that follows its course--with breathtaking views of verdant fields and snow-capped mountains.












The geese love this man-made
mound, and our little south-Boise neighborhood is flocking to it now as well because the winds are turning warm :)
Bike ride!

March Madness

Most of February was lost in a dark depression brought on by the renovation blues. Fueled by too much dust and the absence of a downstairs living space and kitchen, it is something I have seen in many of our past clients and thus is easily recognizable.

Mourning the absence of my pots and pans, kitchen sink and other useful everyday items, I have drowned my sorrows in too much Malbec and evening television. Which is even more depressing.

To avoid the endless hours of painting trim and decision making that comes with entirely redoing the most important living space in our new home, I have enlisted Dulce to help me get out of the house in the morning.

She is a happy accomplice, and we hit the pavement running just as all the kiddos are standing along the street waiting for the school bus to whisk them away to higher learning.

Down Thunder Mountain, we glimpse the snow-capped Boise foothills between the houses to the north.

This week, I've noticed that crocuses and daffodils are starting to make their appearance!
In fact, the days are getting much warmer, ending mostly in the high 50s, though there is often a cold wind blowing; I'm hoping that will pass as March "goes out like a lamb?"

The fence installation is complete, which means we can enjoy a little more privacy, and Dulce can run around on her own some, too. And we're eagerly awaiting... cherries! Our neighbor says this tree will be filled with fruit come May!!! Can't wait.