One post.. and a lot of update

I will let the photos do the talking. There has been sheetrock, texturing, and white paint added to the interior. There's siding nearly completed on the exterior. Doors! And there was a large delivery of hardwood flooring. And a little concrete for the front porch. But showing pictures for the almost 3 months of Sheetrock and siding stuff is not very exciting. So that is why I've been so quiet.

 Garage doors installed!

Sheetrock and dust everywhere (Living room/Kitchen)

 Garage sided

 Laundry room entrance

 My little door collage- Garage, Laundry, and Front

Front door all trimmed out

Front finally all sided. Now just waiting for shakes/shingles

And just a quick recap of our summer: Swimming, Deer wreck, Racing, Crabbing, Camping, Trip to Walla Walla with Kyles WSU/Sigma Nu friends, Cheer, A Wedding, and lots of great memories.

And now for what my phone library looks like: TILE, and TILE and TILE

 
 

What the heck is happening?!

So apparently I haven't updated you guys since April...oops. Well to be fair, nothing too exciting was happening. The electrical was installed, and that seemed to take foorreevverrr. And no one wants to see a bunch of pictures of wires. That's not very pretty. And there was all these little loose ends with framing...that just never seems to be done. But now I have some progress pictures to show you, that I feel are blog worthy. 
*Note: these are all iPhone pics...so just to clarify no professional lighting AT ALL :-)

 Insulation smells funny. And it makes everything look super pink...and takes horrible pictures. This is looking towards the fireplace wall, with the patio doors to the backyard. 

 The fabulous garage. I'm so excited to park my car in a garage! Its the little things. That back room is the mechanical room, and kyle's laundry room 

 More insulation...but more exciting is the faux beams my dad built. This is in our living room looking toward the kitchen, and the entry off to the right there. 

 This is the fireplace/TV wall. This is the little box Kyle had to build for the fireplace insert. That beam/wood was just for an idea, which was vetoed. 

 I feel like Kyle and I discussed wood stoves/fireplaces, etc for months. In this end we decided on this...and now we are committed. 

 Pretty sure this is one of many favorite rooms. It was hard to get a good picture, but this is the laundry room. Thats a little closet on the left, and that nook is where the washer/dryer/sink goes. On the Right wall will be a bench/locker for kids, and cabinets. The door on the right goes to the garage. Those windows are in the master bedroom. 

 The master bath is taking shape. The wall on the left is where MY vanity and makeup counter go. And thats a closet. The window is where the tub will sit under towards the wall. 

Still the bathroom...this is the shower entrance on the left, and the toilet room on the right. Wwhere that sweatshirt is hanging (nice) is where Kyle's vanity will go. 

So now...we were originally just planning on putting the TV above the fireplace. BUT now we are thinking about doing a corner media unit thing. I've searched pintrest and HOUZZ, but i'm not finding anything I love. So I have a few ideas that I think we can make work, doing the unit like a diagnol and not a L shape thing. Here's my idea for the fireplace look, and then the units I'm thinking of...which are totally different of course. 

All thoughts and ideas are greatly needed. Thanks!!

Turquoise: To do or NOT to do

So in my perusing of pintrest I have come across the idea of using the color turquoise. Specifically in my laundry/Mud room. And I like the idea, but it also scares me.

I like looking and seeing bold color and pattern choices, and of course I PIN it, but when it comes down to actually doing it in MY house....I'm terrified. So I play it safe, and go with a white or a grey, or some other neutral. But I'm really tempted to do something fun, and I think the laundry room might be a safe place to do that in. 

What do you think? Is this just a trend and I'll hate it in 5 yrs? Or is turquoise a classic that will keep me happy for a long time?

Check out my inspiration post on my Laundry/Mud Room here

Big bad bullies

*WARNING* Long post on parenting and soliciting advice. 

We have had a new experience this past month in the Camus house. Bullies. Miss Ellie is in the 3rd grade at the local public school. We love our school and the community. Most of the same kids have been in Ellie's classes since kindergarten, with a few new ones along the way. Ellie started off the year great, and became good friends with a girl in her class. This girl has gone to Ellie's school since kindergarten, they just hadn't been in the same classroom.

Seems like since September, this girls name was always brought up. Ellie had lunch with her that day, they played together at recess, etc. Always positive. They even ended up being in the same dance class at the dance studio.  But the friendship began to change after winter break. One day Ellie told me that this young girl said she "needed a break" from another classmate. I asked Ellie if they were being mean to this other girl or anything, and she said no. I didn't like this whole "need a break" talk, seemed not okay, but I let it go.

Then about a week later as we were heading to dance Ellie brought up her friend and said that the friend said she needed a break from Ellie. I was like "why does she need a break from you now?" The friend told her she was just tired of spending time with Ellie and needed a break. She told Ellie not to talk to her at dance as she has other friends she wants to talk to that she doesn't see at school. Then Ellie tells me this girl has been really mean to her. When I pressed further she said "well sometimes if I don't want to do what she tells me, she squeezes my arm and tells me shes gonna make me bleed". This was alarming to me. I told Ellie that is no okay, and asked her if she had told her teacher. Of course she replied she had not. I said well I think its okay you two are on a break, you need to play with friends that don't talk to you like that and don't threaten you.

Then next morning, I'm still upset by what Ellie has told me. Ellie brings this girls name up again, and says that this girl tells Ellie she needs to shave her legs because they are hairy, and you shouldn't have hair on your legs. I tell Ellie that's not true. Ellie is upset and says well this girl doesn't have hair on her legs, I say everyone is different and just because you have hair and she doesn't does not mean your legs are gross. And because I'm really getting upset that this girl is saying things like this to Ellie, I tell Ellie I just think she needs to stay away from this girl at school since she can't talk or play nice.

So I think this is all settled. Until it wasn't. About 2 weeks ago, Ellie tells me this girl keeps getting upset with Ellie, and has squeezed her arm again. I said Ellie, remember what we talked about, this is not okay. So I email her teacher telling her I'm concerned about what Ellie is telling me. The teacher tells me she too has had some concerns and is looking in to the situation. She has advised the two girls to just stay separated for now. So for a few days I ask Ellie who she's eating and playing with and that her and this other girl have stayed separated. Ellie says they have, except the young girl has come up to talk to her, and well just said mean things like: "i know you are the one that's gotten me in trouble" "if you tell anyone I'm a bully I will squeeze you're arm" "I'm only mean because I am copying you". I said Ellie, please tell me you've told your teacher, and she said that she did.

Last week I had a early parent teacher conference. I asked what Ellie's role in this all has been. I don't want to be that parent that'd blind and thinks their child is innocent. If my child is contributing to the problem, I want to know and fix it. But that's when her teacher told me something even more concerning. The teacher told me she had been talking to the girls and other kids, this young girl had denied everything that she had been accused of, and so the teacher was questioning what to believe. Until she saw the following: Ellie was holding the classroom door open, and the young girl walked through the door and punched Ellie right in the stomach. 

People, I was shocked. I thought with so much talk and education now about bulling that maybe it didn't happen as much. Apparently I was completely naive to it all. And I certainly did not think this would be happening in the 3rd grade, isn't this behavior for older kids? Again, I know nothing. And lastly, girls are becoming physical? I thought this was just a boy behavior. I know girls can be mean, I lived through middle school and high school, I just didn't remember it starting so young. 

So a bullying report sheet came home, and I have to help Ellie fill it out. She had to identify in a picture what role she fell into in the incident (victim) and where the incidents were happening (playground, library) and in her own words what has happened. After we turned the sheet in, a few days later the vice principal called the girls to his office. There the young girl blamed Ellie and said Ellie was elbowing her, which Ellie denied. The VP told Ellie he was what inclined to believe she did not do this as she has not been in his office before, and this young girl has for this exact behavior in years past. (Ellie's version on what he said)

I hope the school and her parents address this issue with the young girl. I don't know what makes a child be a bully, I guess I haven't read enough about it. Obviously this is a pattern. And if she has demonstrated this behavior in years past, why isn't is being addressed more aggressively? Why is it repeating, just on a new victim?

What's your experience with this? Any and all advice appreciated. 

Ellie's bday party 2 years ago. 

Decision: Wood stove and fireplace

For the past two weeks Kyle and I have been trying to choose which wood stove and type we want for the new house. Being residents of the PNW we like our wood stoves and the way they can heat our homes. Especially when we loose power during a wind or snow storm. We had a wood stove in our last home and loved it.

This time around, thanks to good 'ol pintrest I have some ideas how I want this whole area to look. I like the look of a traditional fireplace, but with a wood stove inside. We at first thought to just do a wood insert stove. But the problem is, if something broke (pipe) or the stove just needed replacing (they tend to need that every 15+ years so Kyle says), any stone or tile work around it would have to be ripped out too to remove the stove or access pipe. Kyle gets a scrunchy face with that thought. So a freestanding stove seems easier all around.

The problem though is clearance, obviously you don't want the walls and such catching on fire. So you use "non-combustible" materials like brick and tile, etc. Also the opening has to be so high and so wide. All stoves have difference 'requirements'. For example, one stove said the height opening had to be 84" tall, that's like 7 feet tall, then a mantle and then the TV above that. Um, no that is ridiculous looking tall. We would all be at the chiropractor for neck issues. 

So we found a few stoves that allow us to have a lower height clearance and still achieve this look that we like. 

Ok, the fun part, here is the "look" I'm wanting with the opening 

So cute right?! Our ceilings are vaulted here and the fireplace area would be centered on the peak. And I love a good thick rustic mantle beam like this

I think I'd like to do the surround with some steel, and brick or tile on the inside like this

And these are my stove choices. Which do you like? Look wise of course, because that's what matters.

Decisions, Decisions, and more decisions. I do love it most of the time.