New Year's Eve 2009

New Year's Eve, champagne, full moon, pit fire, we're OK!








Front view of the house.







Patio view where our front door was.









Great room toward kitchen.








Great room looking west. Nick took these pictures in sections and put them all together. Click on them to get a closer look.

Christmas Eve 2009

We wish you a Merry Christmas!


















First Christmas tree in our new home.

December 16th What do you see?

Here is a piece of slate in our fireplace. Jen noticed that it looked like the three kings. Click on the picture to enlarge it and see if you also can find them. It's awesome.













The kitchen granite is so beautiful in natural light. The cook top was placed yesterday and today the backsplash should go in while I'm at work. It's so exciting to see it take shape.

Dec. 14th Granite goes in.

Here is the master bath vanity. I am excited to see the sinks and faucets go in this week.


















Lots of tweaking cuts to make it fit. Oops, one piece broke in the truck over a bump in the road. I will be back in the granite yard tomorrow morning to choose another piece.













It's amazing how it all fit together. CCM did a great job matching the seams it flows so beautiful.

Dec 12th Preston Makes Himself at Home

Preston made himself comfy while I glued the mosaic glass design to the wet bar counter top. It was pouring rain outside.














The house on the hill. Not ready yet.














The trailers in the mud pit. YUCK!

December 10th Grout and Fireplace Slate

Jen is the master for glass tile and grout. She is finishing the tub deck. I love having her around to give me another woman's take on things.













Joe and Octavio are perfecting the design of the fireplace slate. The pieces are laid out like a puzzle and they continue to move them around to get just the right look.













Raphael placed the liners and grouted the shower. He started the floor since I finally found the matching 2x2 slate. I was trying to match the slate on the wall with the same color for the floor. The glass tile looks so gorgeous.

Click on any photo to enlarge it then click your back arrow to return to the page.

December 9th Granite Fabrication

The granite has been measured and will be installed on Monday. Here are two of three slabs side by side. The photo doesn't show the beautiful coloring because I took it with my phone.

















We better be in soon. John and I are out of usable space in the motor home. John's space is the passenger seat, mine is the dinner table. We know what the early astronauts must have experienced.

Dec. 7th Water, water everywhere!

It's pouring rain in and out. This is ridiculous. We paid over $100k for this bucket of bolts. The ceiling was leaking so much John had pots and pans everywhere catching drips when I got home from work. UGH!!!!

December 6th Adding Color

I almost didn't decorate at all because things are so packed away. But I rummaged through the storage container and found some lights and our little decorated trees. It's quite cheery at night. Even Stevie's cage has lights.


















Rene and Armondo created this beautiful slate wall where the pellet stove will go. The picture does not do it justice. On Monday they will start putting the same rock on the fireplace. When it's done I want our family Christmas photo in front of it.

December 2, 2009

The cabinets , doors and windows are stained. Only one hitch, several shelves were left outside to dry. They were forgotten, we were gone and it rained.













The tub deck just needs grout. My perfectionist husband and wife team wanted to redo the middle of the front. I like it the way it is.













Mom and Dad Strizver, 45th Anniversary celebration! We were glad to be there for the memory.

Exterior stone and more decisions.

Today the exterior stone was being placed while the painters were staining the doors and windows.


















Tom (TWF Designs) and Merielle (Oceanside Glass Tile) chose the kitchen back splash tile using the granite sample. We lugged this 30 lb. piece of granite around to make sure it will go well together. Tom is my interior designer. He is steering me in the right direction and the house shows it.

We have exterior color.

Two raffle prizes in one day! Woo, hoo. God is always there leading me to the next blessing. Fun things take my mind off all the other STUFF.













The exterior stucco is finished. Now the stone veneer is ready to go on. The painters will be staining doors and windows today. I can't wait to come home from work and see the progress.

November 8, 2009

The kitchen cabinets are going in, not without some twists and turns. I'm glad Richard is a perfectionist. Joe also brought up the fact that our under counter fridge won't fit if we don't put tile under the whole island. Wouldn't that have been a bummer?













The glass tile in the master shower is gorgeous. Sometimes I just sit in there and marvel at the artistry it took to install it.













I took my copper sink out of the box and put it where it's going just to see what it will look like.

All in all we're moving along. Just a few hitches, none that can't be fixed with more work and more money. Tom helped me choose the remaining granite and shower door glass. I thought I would never decide.

Halloween Party at the Strizvers

Sponge Bob characters galore! We had a blast at our house party. It was so great to feel like we had a house to invite guests to.

Tile, tile, tile!!! Oct. 28, 2009

Julie and I worked on the wet bar with glass tiles.













Joe started the master bath shower with stone. His two guys are working on the other shower.

Whole house paint.

Nick and I worked into the wee hours of the morning preparing the house for paint.



















In one day the whole house was primed and the ceilings were painted. All other interior work came to a halt so they could get the job done.

Oct. 21, 2009 Two Year Anniversary, Witchcreek Fire

The KUSI news team was at our home reporting on the two year anniversary of the Witchcreek Fire. They did a brief interview then a live broadcast.


















Sasha is the reporter.

















Robb is the camera man.

It's amazing to us that it has been 2 years living in the motor home. With determination, perseverence and faith in Jesus we will succeed.

October 18th, 2009 Choices, choices, choices .......

I'm overwhelmed with choices. The paint is the hardest part. I already have 5 quarts of paint and the drywall I painted to see what the colors look like. They seem to change by the minute.













Preston and Rupert made off with John's old back pillow. They play tug-o-war with it.













John and this crew of guys spent the day clearing the regrowth of brush on the east end of the property. We won a silent auction that got us the help of CDF to assist in the job.

October 15, 2009 Ready for paint.

The drywall in complete and textured. I'm trying to decide on paint colors. Check back with me in a week! I am terrible at choosing paint colors.















Here is a glimpse of my granite for the kitchen. I love this stuff. I just hope it looks good as a counter top. The cabinets are due Oct. 27th.














These guys are creating a mold for the concrete counter top. It is going on the bar. They already finished the fireplace hearth.

Oct. 7th 9:00 PM After a long day at work.

No pictures because I'm not a happy camper. I got home from work to find the only nice thing in the garage, a new cabinet, did NOT get covered before the spray paint went on! AARRGHHH! OH well, thanks for letting me vent! I NEEDED THAT. As my friend Renee would say "Step away from the edge." OK, I'm drinking some wine and going to bed.

October 5th God's Blessings

Although there's a rainbow, it has not poured rain on us yet. We're not prepared for rain. This week the garage will be painted then the doors go on. Then it can rain.














This is my beautiful glass door that Dolores made. It is in Barry's family room for now.
The drywall is being textured this week then it will be ready for primer. The cabinets are being made and I'm still searching for the right tile. Wish me luck.