Bright Beginnings

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

Gianna's First Birthday 11/6/2011

2011-11-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

Gianna eating spaghetti

2011-10-08T17:32:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

First Camping trip with Gianna!

2011-01-26T12:35:00.000-08:00

Lance and I took Gianna to the dunes with Evan last weekend and it was a blast!

Gianna did great on her first road trip/camping trip!

Gianna in her new pack

Evan on his quad

Bella

Abby

No I didn't really ride my quad with her, still a little too young for that!

Family photo!

Gianna Room Update!

2011-01-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

Beautiful new curtains from Grandma Joy! They are so pretty! The bottom has a scalloped detail and the top tabs each have a flower button!

Made this as CKC 4-5 years ago!

There is a vinyl "Sweet Dreams" decal here, kinda hard to see...

Beautiful decoration from Laura Davis!

I cannot believe my sweet girl is almost 2 months old already!

Play Time!

12/14 Due Date

2010-12-17T12:04:00.000-08:00

Well she weighed 9 lbs 3 oz on her due date, we are now solely nursing (no bottles) and she is doing great!

Here are some more pics.

First grin caught on camera!

I laid her down to get ready to air dry and see about healing her diaper rash and this is how she laid!

1 month old!

2010-12-08T14:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pics!

Bath Time! Look at her curly wet hair!

My sweet angel now (12/7) weighs 8 lbs 9 oz!

Gianna Ruby Longiotti is here!

2010-11-28T12:59:00.000-08:00

So a lot has happened since I last posted. I woke up Saturday November 6th at 6am with cramps and by 8:43am Gianna Ruby had joined us 6 weeks early! We spent the next 10 days in Eugene at the NICU since RVMC was full but we are home now and loving our little angel. She was 6 lbs 6 oz and 18 inches long when she was born.

McGrew Wheeling October 16th, 2010

2010-10-17T12:29:00.000-07:00

Kaylie and Greyson, new friends!

Boys hanging out while the kids play at the trail head.

Gabe's 4-Runner

Lance, Kaylie, Justin and Tawny spectating.

Gabe's 4-Runner

Justin, Kaylie and Bella

Gabe with Greyson on his shoulders, guiding Lance through the obstacle and Kaylie hanging on too!

Lance's S-10 Blazer

Through the obstacle without lockers... just too easy!

Lance guiding Justin through the obstacle - second round for the blazer - Kaylie wants to be right in the action to watch daddy!

Justin taking the Blazer through the obstacle!

One tired, dirty kiddo!

And one tired little pup!

Well, that was a fun and beautiful day on the McGrew trail, time to get back to work!

The Carpet is in!!! We are almost done!!

2010-09-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Lance and I got our carpet tiles installed over the weekend and he even installed all my shelves!!

We are trying to move the computer desk tonight and then it will be on to Gianna's room!

Artfire ProMember Group Deal!

2010-09-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

For anyone interested in joining Artfire, they are offering a $5.95 a month Group Deal when you sign up to be a Pro Member!! That is only $5.95 a month for unlimited postings!!! Check it out! http://www.artfire.com/groupdeal - Limited Time Offer

Buy handmade and sell handmade.

A global marketplace for arts and crafts, an artisan community

Spare Room Update w/ Damask!

2010-09-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

The spare room is all painted! Ok so I have a little touch-up but it's coming along!

Hopefully after this weekend we will have all the quarter round done, the carpet installed and the floor/door trim painted if not installed! Then we can start moving the office stuff in and next is Gianna's room!!

27 Weeks and counting!

2010-09-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Finally some prego belly pictures! December 14th is fast approaching!!

Remodel Update: Spare Room & Baby Room

2010-08-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

Well, no updated photos of Gianna's room yet because we have to finish the other room before we can clear out her room and start remodeling it, however we have lots of plans and ideas to make it great!

Here is the standing of the Spare/Computer Room for today!

This shot shows the closet inset area on the right and then the corner further back is where the corner of the "L" shaped computer desk will sit.

Here's Lance peeking in from the kitchen where we will have a custom fish tank that will be viewable from the kitchen and the spare/computer room. I think we are doing Clown fish and anemones!

This shows the inset closet on the left, the door to the rest of the house/hallway and just to the right of the door will be my little Jewelry workshop area! YEAH!

I'll try to keep you posted with more progress again soon!

The Ultimate Adventure!

2010-07-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

For those who are not immersed in the 4-wheeling world, The Ultimate Adventure is an invitation only event put on by Peterson's 4-Wheel magazine - there is a full length production DVD that will come out in December so watch for it!!

We drove all the way to the east coast! Once we got there, it was 8 days of INTENSE wheeling!

Legend - Tim Hardy

17 weeks pregnant

Then on the way home (2700 miles) the Chevy Pick-up decided the motor had done enough... So Lance's dad (my FIL) Bill came to save us and tow the trailer with the Blazer home after I had driven the wheeling rig/blazer about 2000 miles home - on the highway...

Updates...

2010-07-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

So its been a while since I updated my blog... Since KOH in February I have lost Morial my beloved little dog who was with me through a lot. It was incredibly hard and I was a zombie for a few weeks - no joking...

I was lost without Morial. I always thought I would get a bigger dog when Morial was gone but the thing I missed most was being able to pick her up and cuddle. So I found Bella.

She is a Pom/Chi/Terrier mix born 1/1/2010 and has cuddled her way into my heart.

The biggest difference between her and Morial is that she LOVES everyone and all dogs!

As if that wasn't enough news...

I also found out mid-April I was pregnant! Since then we have been to The Ultimate Adventure and just recently found out we are having a GIRL!!

King of the Hammers

2010-02-22T17:40:00.000-08:00

February 9 - 12, 2010

Johnson Valley, Southern California

LCQ (Last Chance Qualifiers) Obstacle: Backdoor

Blazer tackling JackHammer.

We broke the rear 60 axle, major bummer...

Jack Hammer was not nice to us!

Arial view of all the campers, motorhomes and tents.

Off to the right you can see a larger white tent, that was the vendor tent.

Race Day: Friday February 12th, 2010
Obstacle: Sledge Hammer

Co-driver nearly getting smashed.

Orange truck #4488 couldn't wait any longer so he gave the red one a nudge!

All for now :) Lance is working on the sand rail so that will most likely be the next adventure!

Kitchen Cabinets!

2010-01-03T16:30:00.000-08:00

Saturday December 26th, 2009 Lance and I started tearing apart our kitchen.

This is what it looked like a couple days ago...

Some photos mid-project...

And finally the finished project. I LOVE my new cabinets!

They are Hickory from Lowes and they look great with our concrete floors!

Next we will do concrete countertops and the raised tin backsplash.

Then all the kitchen needs is some trim and it is DONE!!

Sorry I haven't updated in a while but man that was A LOT of work! :)

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-17T06:36:00.001-08:00

6 year Anniversary Oregon Coast Lighthouse Tour - September

2009-10-01T20:17:00.001-07:00

We started our trip leaving Medford after work Friday and ate at our favorite place. Mazzi's in Eugene, where Lance proposed to me. Then Saturday we got up and headed toward Tillamook where we saw the lighthouse at Cape Mears. Below is the view from the Cape.

Here is Lance with the Octopus tree. It is a 105 foot tall Sitka Spuce that measures more than 46 feet in circumference and has no central trunk. It was really strange looking!

Cape Meares Lighthouse was first lit in 1890 and sits 200 feet above the pacific ocean.

Lance and I on the beach. Just like newlyweds!

After hanging out for a while in Cape Meares and eating lunch in a strange vendor fair that closed around 2pm... We headed south to Newport. Below is Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. This lighthouse was lit for the first time in 1871. Before the completion of this lighthouse there were arguments about where it should have been built so Yaquina Head was built just two years later (also in Newport).

While in Newport we also visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium which was super cool! They have a tunnel where you walk under the water and there are sharks swimming above and all around you!!

Yaquina Head lighthouse was first lit in 1873 and stands 93 feet tall!

Here's me climbing the stairs to the top!

The view from the top of Yaquina Head lighthouse.

Lance checking out the telescope with Yaquina Head lighthouse in the background.

Next we headed south to Florence and visited Heceta Head Lighthouse. Having lived in Eugene, I had been to Devil's Elbow state park numerous times and hiked up to Heceta Head lighthouse but I have never been inside! It was first lit in 1894 and during WWII the Coast Guard sent 75 men to protect against Japanese attack!

View from the lawn outside Heceta Head lighthouse.

Then Sunday we headed south again to Bandon. Below is the Coquille River Lighthouse. It was first lit in 1896 after 5 years of construction due to numerous delays and was abandoned only 43 years later in 1939.

Lance and I on the beach. I feel so very blessed to have such a wonderful man in my life.

It was a pretty awesome anniversary weekend. I felt very lucky that we were able to tour the inside of each of the lighthouses on our trip. The planning just all happened to work out - almost like someone from above was watching over us...

Dunes - August 2009

2009-10-01T19:10:00.001-07:00

I'm WAY behind on posting so here I go!!

This is a dunes trip we took in August with Gabe & Tawny and Cameo & Scott. It was tons of fun but you can see an "After" photo on my mom's blog "Life on the Hill" if you like. Below is Tawny and I on our quads!

Here's Lance starting to pop a wheelie.

Me being silly and Cameo caught it. I love being at the dunes riding my quad!!

Gabe in his 4-Runner catching some air off a dune!

Yes this is me catching air on my quad!

Not normally something I do and this is not where I wrecked!

That was later when I was hurrying back to camp bc someone said I had enough gas...

This one is so small you will have to take my word for it.

Even though I wrecked on Sunday afternoon and man did it HURT! It was still a great trip and next time we will be camping in our brand new (to us) Lance Cabover Camper!!! I'll post more on that later...

2009-09-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I just added a link to my ArtFire Design Studio on the right and I am celebrating!!

Use and share the coupon below!!
Good thru September 2009

Visit DivaDesignsbyAmberL's Studio

Receive free shipping on Order Total (orders above $40.00)

Use Coupon Code:

FREESHIP

during checkout.

New Furniture!

2009-04-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

BIG Thanks to Ryan

for helping Lance move the new sectional in!!

It wouldn't have been possible without him!

Yeah! It's all set up!
And it fits perfectly!

Not so sure about the pillows though...
I may have to beg my MIL to help me make some dark brown or olive green slip covers!
Lance also installed the rear speakers in the ceiling.
Great Woot special!! $40 a pair!

Here's a close-up of the speakers flush in our ceiling.

That's all for now, we have Lance's B-day celebration this Friday so a lot of people will be seeing our floors in person for the first time!

2nd Coat of Sealer Dry

2009-04-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

Can I gloat for a moment... LOL! I am loving our floors!!I am so glad we decided on Madrone because it is beautiful!

We should be able to put the last coat of sealer on today and move back in to our front room this weekend!
I don't mean to be obnoxious but I think I am still in shock that these are my floors considering our floors looked like this (below) for the last 4+ years!!

Hardwood Floor Update

2009-04-14T18:13:00.001-07:00

Here's a look at the first coat of sealer.Here's the first coat of sealer dry.
I love the variation in the Madrone floors!
The entry. We have to seal the vent separate so it doesn't stick together!

I am so happy with how our floors are turning out!

It still doesn't seem real!

Thanks to Green Mountain Woodworks in Talent, OR our floors are gorgeous and didn't harm the environment in the process! Our floors are FSC certified!!

Hardwood Floors

2009-04-14T00:24:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know, this is what our floors have looked like for the last 4+ years.Here's the front room.
The stack of Madrone to be installed.

Lance nailing in the floor.
The inset vent under our screen.

The front room now!
The entry now!
Just one photo of the transition to the concrete floors in our kitchen for those of you who doubted the vision. LOL!

I'll update you again tomorrow when we have some of the sealer on the floors. It should really bring out the color in the Madrone. Good Night all!

YUDU!

2009-04-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

With the close of The Body Shop at Home channel I have decided to take my Diva Designs to the next level and create a more complete brand. I plan to do this by adding clothing and not just women's clothing! I am going to do kids and guys too! I bought a Yudu Screen Printer and I LOVE IT!

Here's a look at my first shirt! I was getting ready for work and Lance was already gone so I had to take the photo in my bathroom mirror so I could send it to my mom since she is as excited as me about this new toy! Plus I knew she was dying to see my first run! This design is a Yudu transparency design that you can buy so the next one will be a Diva Designs original! Well, off to bed so I can start the preparation of our floors bright and early tomorrow with Lance. We are finally getting hardwood in our front room. Yes it has been over 4 years that we have lived in this house and never had completed floors in our front room. That will all change by Tuesday! I'll keep you posted!!
Oh and tomorrow afternoon is a Scrapbooking Crop for Laura's B-day, YEAH!!

Signs of Spring!

2009-02-22T09:17:00.001-08:00

I just love planting bulbs in the fall and waiting for them to come up in the Spring!These are Crocus (I think) I planted quite a few in this one area of my front yard. They are only a couple inches tall but I love seeing the color and when they pop their heads up it means Spring is just around the corner!
Such a beautiful creation from God.

Photo Tag

2009-02-20T15:11:00.001-08:00

My Mom sent me a photo challenge nearly a month ago and I know I am a slacker for just getting to it but here are the rules:
Go to where you store your photos on your computer.
Go to the SIXTH folder and pick the SIXTH photo.
Post that photo on your blog along with a SHORT story about it.
Tag SIX people and leave a comment on their blog or email them letting them know you chose them.
This is our yellow lab, Abby. She doesn't bark like a normal dog, it sounds more like a combo of a bark and a howl - this is what she is doing in the photo. She does this when she gets excited and here we are camping at the base of the McGrew Trail. It is morning and we are all eating and getting packed up for a day of wheeling and she knows it! She loves running along the trail with the trucks.

I'm tagging:

1. Trisha

2. Tawny

3. Ashlee

I would also tag Tammie but she does not yet have a blog! I look forward to seeing your photos ladies!

Florence Damask

2009-01-25T18:50:00.000-08:00

Entri Come Amici, Vada Come Famiglia

(Enter as Friends, Leave as Family)

Here's the Damask pattern I used on the kitchen wall in my dining area. It is a Florence Damask so it is keeping with the Italian color scheme and decor. The red wall is the same color as the other walls but it is a flat finish. The Damask is a mixture of the same red in high gloss finish and Venetian Gold metallic paint. It is fairly subtle and mostly uses the light to reflect and show the pattern.
For those of you who know me, this wall has been white for about 4 years now. I have finally come to terms with the fact I cannot afford a mural to be painted and I certainly don't have the skills to do it myself. I am however quite pleased with how this turned out!

Diva Designs on Etsy.com!

2009-01-22T13:51:00.000-08:00

Well, unfortunately we did not get the refinance. Due to low comps in our area, our house did not appraise. While this was very frustrating to hear and I took it pretty hard at first, what I need to keep in mind is God has a plan and He will take care of us. We are not in dire straights, we are not facing foreclosure or anything, we are just sick of paying so much interest!

Anyway, I spent the weekend doing something productive and got a lot of my jewelry posted on etsy.com! Check it out!

Appraisal and a Long Overdue Post

2009-01-13T17:29:00.000-08:00

I know I have been a bad blogger lately but Lance and I were back to working on the house and right through the holidays so it's been crazy! Here are some photos of how the house looked for the appraisal today. Please keep us in your prayers - we really need this refinance! We should know the results by Friday!

Front Entry

New Fish Tank cabinet doors Lance built

Front Room

Yes Lance is sleeping - we were up until midnight last night working on the house and he has been working on it the last 2 and a 1/2 days straight!

Dining Room

Kitchen Table w/ Flowers

Main Kitchen counter

Main BathroomTrim work Lance did in our door frame into the main bathroom
Clean back hall w/ our new Doggie Door (best investment ever - except when the raccoon came in)

Laundry Room

Our Office - used to be our bedroom

Our storage room - it may not look clean from this view but you have no idea!

Here is a closer look at the texture Lance did in this room - kinda like venetian plaster
Master Bedroom
Master Closet

What you can't see here is all my shoes at the bottom of this photo - it turned out a little dark

Master Bathroom

That is all for now - keep your fingers crossed for us!

Kreativ Blogger Award

2008-12-05T15:14:00.001-08:00

The rules are I have to list 6 things that make me Happy and 6 other bloggers to give this award to!
1. Having a job that I can truly say I enjoy 99% of the time! In this market, that is huge!
2. Having a wonderful husband and a home to call our own.
3. My health!
4. Having my family close by and my in-laws as well, yes I love them too! This includes watching Kaylie grow up!
5. Good friends I can count on even if they live in Utah!
6. Living in a country I can freely and openly worship God

2 People I want to pass this on to are:
1. Trisha Clark - her blog is great!
2. Ashlee Rutter - she has a young mind and figures out all these cool things to show off her blog!

Girls' Nite Out!

2008-10-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

I was at Tammie's house last night doing a Body Shop at Home party and from this you can tell how much fun my nieces had!

From Left: Julietta, Melania, me and my other sister-in-law Cameo. We snacked, laughed and tried everything! That's all for now. I'll post a final on my house soon.

Before... and After...

2008-09-23T06:26:00.001-07:00

The master bedroom before carpet.The master bedroom with carpet and baseboard!!
Here's the vent style I chose.
Here's the beginning of my master walk-in closet!

Here's a shot of the fancy trim work Lance did around the french doors.
We hope to be moving in this weekend but we'll see! I'll post again as soon as we are moved in!!!

My Grami's Birthstone Ring

2008-09-22T17:26:00.001-07:00

One thing I will always remember about my Grami is how beautiful her hands were and how she always wore numerous rings and it looked elegant on her not gaudy. When she passed away in early 2004, way before her time, my family was going through her things to see what each of us wanted to have of hers to remember her. This ring was the first thing that came to my mind - I didn't know at the time that it was her birthstone ring. When I realized that, I knew my mom would want it and that was fine with me. My mom did know however that I wanted the ring so this year for my birthday she gave it to me. Whenever I wear it I think of my Grami and miss her but I am comforted knowing she is in Heaven with God. I will wear and cherish this Peridot ring and the memories for all my days.

Thank you mom!

Tagged...

2008-09-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here goes . . . .

4 random things about my husband:

I think he has a fetish for a cheap vehicle. In the last 6 months he has owned a 1990's Toyota 4-Runner, 1990's Dodge Shadow, 1980's Subaru Hatchback, ummm I am sure I am forgetting more...
He is working on converting the Dodge Shadow to an HHO system - instead of gasoline. He already built and installed a HHO fuel assist.
He rides a Unicycle.
He used to race street bikes at the Portland International Racetrack.

4 movies that I would/could watch more than once:

Grease - the original
The Usual Suspects
Jim Gaffagan - Beyond the Pale "Hot Pockets anyone?"
Honey

4 tv shows I watch: I have Windows Media Center (Microsoft version of TiVo) So I will keep the list short...

One Tree Hill
October Road
My Boys
So You Think You Can Dance

4 places that I have been:

Germany (Konstanz, Berlin, Tuebingen, Frankfurt, etc. I lived in Germany for a year)
Ensenada, Mexico
Italy (Venice, Sienna, Milan, Rome, Naples...)
France (Paris, Nice)

4 people who email me regularly:

My Mom (Brooke)
Lance
Trisha
My Aunt Jenn

4 favorite foods:

Italian - anything except seafood
Mexican - anything except seafood and my favorite is El Tapatio
German - anything, I think... Even Sauer Kraut!
Doenner Kabab!! A wonderful middle eastern burrito/wrap with shaved meat that I believe was pork... I dunno but it was GOOD!

4 places I would like to visit:

Germany again with Lance this time
Italy again with Lance this time
Cancun - I am working on earning an all inclusive trip with The Body Shop at Home!
Jamaica

4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year:

TRISHA COMING TO VISIT!!
We are getting carpet installed in the Master Bedroom and closet Monday 9/15 so I am looking forward to moving into that room!
Earning a free trip for Lance and I to Cancun, Mexico!
Maybe planning to start a family?

People I have tagged:

Laura Plunk
Mark Spires

The Memory Game

2008-09-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

I participated in this on a friend's blog and thought it was kind of fun. Leave it to Trisha to break me out of the "house update" mold! Everyone please join in on the fun and leave a comment with a memory that you have of me, or Lance, or a memory you have of us together! Then if you leave the same post on your blog, we'll leave a memory of you too! Thanks!

Some Finishing Touches

2008-08-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

Quarter round finishes up the shower. We used PVC quarter round to give a finished look in the master bathroom and it's plastic so there won't be any moisture issues.The door is trimmed in and you can see the quarter round in this photo also.
I love our crown molding! This is in the master bedroom and you can also see we did the trim for the window in the same style as the french doors. Thanks to Joy, the Bamboo color paint and the Navy blue paint have a straight edged line!
I'll leave you with a photo of Morial sporting her latest hair cut! She rolled in something foul at my grandparents house and I had to trim it out so then she had patches missing... I had to take her to the groomer to have it evened out.
Look how cute she is!

Change in Plans...

2008-08-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

So I called my mom in a little bit of a panic while she was on the plane home from Philadelphia.

While I liked both the Navy and the Brown, they were competing and it was not the soothing and relaxing combination I was hoping for. My panic however was how to choose and what to change it to...

Luckily my mom is awesome and spent the day Saturday helping me even though she had just arrived back in town at 10pm Friday. Below are the swatches of color I used.
Calvary is the navy blue on my walls, Bamboo is the wall color that replaced the brown and Wicker is the ceiling color and will be the trim and accent color. I had white on the ceiling before.
I decided to go with the navy instead of the brown for two main reasons. First, the master bathroom has a blue color scheme and second, I have a lot of other rooms in my house that are brown or a close variation. Plus our quilt that my mother-in-law, Joy, made is blues and greens.
Here's what I will be doing the next couple weekends when I return from Reno. This is the base board, door and window trim and crown molding. Here's a closer look at the crown molding.
That is all for now, I'll update again after I get back from The Body Shop at Home conference in RENO!! I can hardly wait, this is my first conference and I have heard they are amazing!!

Overdue Master Bedroom & Bathroom Update!

2008-08-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the tub surround. We have it finished now but my camera battery died so I don't have any new pictures of it yet.

Yeah Paint!! I was up priming until 8pm after a full 8 hour work day Monday and then last night I was addicted to the progress I was making so I didn't wash my hands and finish up until 9:30pm last night!!

The brown will be on two walls and the navy blue will be on the other two walls. I completed the first coat of the brown in the bedroom and closet and painted the ceiling with a fresh coat of white! Tonight I am having friends over to watch So You Think You Can Dance - it's the finale! But I plan to paint until they get there :) I'll update again as soon as I get a new camera battery!

I can see the Light!

2008-06-16T07:50:00.001-07:00

Well, we got a bit more done this weekend. We moved the vanity in and attached the faucet. We have carted this vanity around for 4 years now, I am soooo glad we bought it when we did because it looks perfect! We also caulked most of the shower, but then we ran out of caulk so that is why there is a blue tape border in the window :)Here's a better picture of the mirror and you can see the linen closet on the edge.
I stained the door to the lavatory and Lance dry fit it last night so it will probably get hung this week.
Here's a picture of the stencil border I did in the bathroom. It is about 14 inches from the ceiling.
That's all for now!

Grouting complete!

2008-06-08T22:41:00.001-07:00

It's been a productive weekend starting Friday evening after work. Lance finished cutting all the travertine. Then we spent Saturday adhering the tile with thin set mortar.Here's Lance and I grouting. Lance spread it on and I cleaned it up. We made a good team but man was it a lot of work! Here's the finished product! We decided to dry fit the shower heads to make sure it all fit right. We tiled in the window so we could keep it for light, it is already privacy glass, and it turned out really good!
Here's a close up of the glass mosaic tile, love the pop of color!
My favorite and most recent addition to the bathroom is the mirror! My mom and I were shopping at Costco looking for a linen closet when we came upon this mirror. It is wood with a bronze crackle treatment on the frame. The fixtures in the bathroom are all bronze so this was a great find and it was the only one left! I wanted a big mirror and this one is 38" x 50" and it was only $70!! Lance had to move the light up a couple inches so it fit but I LOVE IT!!
Next we seal the travertine and grout and then we can move the vanity and other items in the room permanently!!

Week 6 ... uuggghhh...

2008-06-03T19:47:00.001-07:00

Here it is Tuesday night, Lance and I are working on the bathroom floor after working 8 hours at our "day job" I wonder what we will do in the evenings after work when our house is done.You'll notice the orange mesh with blue wires in it. That is so we will have the option of heating our travertine floor! It doesn't go in the shower of course but it does go from entry all the way back to the toilet.
My mom came over during the weekend and we painted, now I just need someone with a steady hand to make a straight edge between the wall and ceiling colors. After the wall color cures I plan to add some brown elements, stay tuned for details!
We still have a bit of tiling to do but we are definitely making progress. Then comes the grout... that will be a whole weekend with all that tile! It will be worth it though, I love the way it is turning out!

Memorial Day Update

2008-05-25T15:52:00.000-07:00

Visualize with me for a moment...

On the left, picture the toilet instead of a green towel. And on the right, picture the finished shower with glass doors.

And here is a Jacuzzi tub.
Here is the hard wood vanity with marble counters and a linen closet.
The day dreams keep me going as we start week 6 of this project. You will notice that we have lights installed and electricity, the sheet rock is mudded and taped and almost all the tiling is done in the shower - just need to finish the shelves, the window ledge and one small row along the top.

Shower Update!

2008-05-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

From Friday evening through Sunday evening Lance and I were in here measuring, placing and setting our mammoth 18x18 travertine tiles. This time frame was only interrupted by rescuing my brother from being stuck in the snow. Yes, I said snow and he was stuck in it, even though it was 100 degrees this weekend! Gotta love him!Here is a view of the floor, not grouted yet but man it is pretty!!
This is the outside wall, the shower spouts will be on this side.

You can see the blank spot in the middle where the glass mosaic tiles will be.

That's all for now. Maybe next weekend we will have it done and grouted!! Keep your fingers crossed for us!

It's starting to take shape...

2008-05-10T21:11:00.001-07:00

Here's Lance cutting out the Jacuzzi tub surround. We finished building the supports. It's cool to see the space filling up and becoming defined areas versus empty space.
Here's the tile in the floor of the shower, we decided to cut our 18x18 travertine into 4x4 squares for the floor.
This is how we will do the edge.
So tomorrow we hope to get it set in mortar and then off to spend mother's day with our moms!

Custom Shower

2008-05-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Lance and I decided to do tile instead of a custom concrete floor and shower. I found 18x18 Travertine on clearance at Home Depot for a screamin' deal so we decided that is what we would use. The only catch being that the Home Depot here in the valley did not have enough to complete our bathroom floor, shower and jacuzzi tub surround. In true Lance and Amber style we ended up driving to Corvallis to get what we needed. We left at about 5pm, arrived in Corvallis around 8:30 and arrived home about 1:30am. Did I mention we took my beamer and the total weight of the tile we needed was about 600 pounds?!

Ya well, it was worth it!

That was Saturday, Sunday we were pooped so luckily my dad came over to help Lance and my mom came over to help me run errands and stay sane! I was, well let's just say in a "mood"... nothing was going my way and did I mention I was REALLY TIRED LOL!!!

Here's my dad helping Lance with the first layer.

So custom size and layout for a shower = you "get to" pour your own basin and make sure it has the right layers and pitch so the water goes down the drain and doesn't puddle. Below is the first layer of mortar. Below that is metal lath and tar paper as a barrier and of course the wood base board.
Next layer is a rubber membrane. Once I found someone to help me find it at Lowes, the rest of this layer wasn't so hard. Lance did this tonight, it's Wednesday.
Here's Lance making sure the pitch is correct on our final layer which is also mortar.
We even got some of the backer board hung and hope to get to tile this weekend!
That's all for tonight, hopefully we'll make good progress this weekend and get a normal amount of sleep!

It's been a LONG weekend!

2008-04-28T19:37:00.001-07:00

View to the left of the door where the

Jacuzzi tub will be...

View to the middle, you can see we framed in the potty room! To the right is where the custom over sized shower will be built.

For this view you will need to imagine a vanity in place of the pile of tools on the right wall near the door.
So this weekend we finished plumbing (THANK GOD!), we re-installed the floor and framed in the potty room all in three days time! If you scroll down past Lance's birthday photos, you can see what the room looked like Friday night before we started this weekends madness!!

Lance's Birthday

2008-04-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

I realize I am out of order but here are photos of Lance's birthday from Wednesday the 23rd.

Joy made the cake... man it was good!!!Here's Chef Lance preparing the bacon wrapped tri-tip steak!

Mmmm I'm getting hungry all over again.

Opening presents. I got him a new air hose, it was the wrong one of course :)
The family and friends singing Happy Birthday!
All in all it was a good evening!
I'll post some more house progress soon!

Progress Update for Friday Night

2008-04-25T21:01:00.001-07:00

We've made quite a mess tearing down sheet rock and ripping up the floor. Lance has his work cut out for him! Plumbing, oh the joy!Here's the room now that I loaded up all the trash. Yes you can see the dirt under our house! Lance was working on a test wall with some new concrete that is made to go vertical!
That's all for now but we took Monday off work to have 3 full days to work on it. I'll try to update again tomorrow!

Sunday's Progress

2008-04-21T09:05:00.001-07:00

Today Lance's dad Bill, came over to help for a while.We cut out the sheet rock that will be in the bathroom so we can replace it with green board.
This is the wall all framed that will separate the bathroom and closet.

Hi Morial!
Here's the wall sheet rocked!

Wednesday is Lance's birthday so I am not sure how much we will get done before the weekend but I'll keep you posted!

We're at it again...

2008-04-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here is our Master Bedroom pre-appraisal 2005. That door goes to the small bathroom and yes, the plant is sitting in a drinking fountain.Here is the same view of our Master Bedroom a few days ago.
Let the demolition begin... You'll notice the wall missing. Look again at the picture before, the closet hasn't moved... We are opening it up for the Master Bathroom! Gotta love the trash heap... going to the dump is always such a pleasure. LOL!
So this side will be the Master walk-in Closet!!

WOO HOO!!!

You can see the frame to the pocket door,

we are trying to save space.

And this side will be the Master Bathroom, we have more than doubled the size of the bathroom so we can have a Jacuzzi tub, over sized 2-person corner shower, a single sink antique hardwood style vanity we bought at Costco almost 4 years ago (yes this August marks 4 years for us in this house) and we will also have a built in linen closet. We also plan to have a separate room built in for the toilet, little privacy is always good!

That's all for now, I'll keep you posted!!

It's Spring!

2008-03-22T19:26:00.000-07:00

I planted the first half of my garden today!

I look forward to having organic veggies

thanks to Valley View Nursery!!

I have a mix of gourmet lettuce and spinach here.

And here is broccoli, carrots (seeds) and sugar snap peas in the back on the tomato cage. I've never done any of this stuff before but I had good luck last year which was my first try!
Here is a little more lettuce, another view of the sugar snap peas and right in front of the tree I have garlic!
I also have red onion planted behind the tree and a little to the right but you can't see them yet. In a few more weeks when it is time to plant the rest I will also have cherry tomatoes (sungolds), green pepper, cucumber and watermelon. Lance is going to build a shelving system so we can go vertical for the watermelon!

Re-Roofing... oh the joy...

2007-12-01T19:58:00.001-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving weekend re-roofing our house. And by "we" I mean Lance and I plus our friend Ryan, my dad Paul, my brother Justin, Lance's dad Bill and sister Cameo. And thank God we had all the help we did because it was a LONG weekend! As you can see we had some holes... stick your foot in them sized holes... hence the re-roofing before the winter.

Who needs roof top delivery when you have a Case and two dare devils to stand there while Lance drives toward the house... Safety first! LOL!
We had to cover the majority of the roof with OSB to rid ourselves of holes and further issues. Here's Paul, Justin and Ryan laying down the felt or tar paper.
Here's Bill and Ryan laying down the rolled roofing. We did this on the flatter section of the roof to help with leaks and the possibility of sitting water.
Cameo moving the Case while Lance yells instructions from the roof since she had never driven it before. "It's like driving a tank" Lance says, like that means something. LOL!
We still don't have the ridge cap on but man does it look better. You might notice there is now an eve or overhang on the front peak. Nice added touch Lance thought of since we didn't have any overhang. It will be nice when the rain comes to stand at the front door and not get soaked while you unlock the door.
Oh and thanks mom for making us dinner 3 nights in a row since we worked so late. She "doesn't do roofs" but she knows how to cook!

Fireplace Surround

2007-12-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

One more piece of the front room puzzle is now completed! Here's the project!

So you can see in the picture above there is a ledge at the top of the surround and if you look in the picture below you will notice it is no longer there. Apparently gravity doesn't allow concrete to stick on the underside of things. It was almost a disaster but we made it work!

Scroll down to see the finished project.
I think it turned out quite nicely!!
One more project down, um... I have no idea how many more to go!! LOL!

Entry Closet

2007-12-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

To put your jacket on at the front door as you leave or hang it up as you walk in your home may seem like a simple thing but for the last 3 years this has not been an option, until now!!

Here's Lance framing the closet and cabinet for the soon to be saltwater fish tank to sit on.

Here it is finished!! And it looks like it has always been there! Gotta love that!

And a view from the front and the closet doors. I'll have to post an update of the fish tank when it is up and running!

4 Years Today!

2007-09-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

How quickly the years fly by and how much FUN we have had! It's amazing to think about. Lance and I went from Kindergarten through 7th grade in a lot of the same classes. At that time of my life boys had cooties so I didn't have much nice to say about him, especially when he cornered me on the school buss and kissed me! My mom heard all about it when I got home. We actually became reacquainted through my younger brother. Lance didn't realize "Amber Stranberg" was Justin's older sister, didn't even know his last name until my brother told Lance "you should date my sister". My brother didn't approve of any of my ex-boyfriends not that I can say I blame him. LOL! Lance being the curious person he is asked my brother who his sister was and Justin casually says "Amber". From that point on they began scheming how to get us together. I got home from college and told my brother I would go wheeling with him, my brother and I are close which is good because if we weren't I never would have gone "wheeling" which is totally fun by the way. Yes I mean off-roading in big 4-wheel drive trucks. Anyone who knew me in High School would understand why this never would have happened! LOL! We went wheeling but I didn't end up riding with my brother, they told me it was because Lance's truck was more capable and safer... yes, I fell for it and it didn't hurt that Lance's 8 month old yellow Lab puppy was sitting in the back seat... Six months later we were married and have enjoyed the days ever since. It's crazy to know that the first person who kissed me will also be the last!

The Rubicon Trail

2007-09-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

Here's the group! Lance, myself, Tawny, Gabe and Abby in the front. Abby wasn't paying attention and Morial is hiding under Lances s-10 Blazer. Here's Lance maneuvering the "Devil's Post Pile"!! This was basically a ravine of BIG rocks!
Here's Gabe in his Toyota 4-Runner maneuvering a one-way trail with a large cliff on the passenger side...
Both guys climbing a rock face along the trail.
We had a complete blast, it was hot and dusty but we bathed like bums in Buck Island Lake each night, nearly caught hypothermia while in the water - due to the elevation the water was NOT warm! It felt nice though to be clean before eating dinner and heading to bed. We camped along the trail during our trip which kept it interesting as we did not sleep in the same place once! I think this will be an annual trip for the 4 of us and anyone else who comes along!

The McGrew Trail (Pre-Rubicon Test)

2007-08-18T12:34:00.001-07:00

Rock CrawlingCheck out that FLEX!
Here's "The Crack" on the McGrew Trail. Both our rigs made it through for the first time without carnage! Tawny & Gabe are with us on this trip! I can hardly wait for RUBICON!
One Aggressive Chevy S-10 with plenty of custom work built by our very own Lance Longiotti!
Believe it or not, Lance meant to put us in this crack and we drove right out once the guys were done oogling the suspension. LOL! Overall the trip was a success for both rigs, Lance and I found out the hard way that the gas gauge doesn't work so they had to syphon gas out of Gabe's truck and into ours so that we could make it to the tow rig and onto the trailer! All in all the trip was a SUCCESS!

S-10 Maiden Voyage

2007-07-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

White City Sports Park!

Here's Lance checking the articulation!

Here's me driving, I was a little nervous!

All in all it was a good first trip, we broke 1 arm of the 4-link but Lance thinks it wasn't welded solid enough so it should be fine soon!

Tag You're It!

2007-07-22T14:45:00.001-07:00

Ok so my mom tagged me, I have never been tagged before so I figured I would share this little tiny flower with you all as well, it is smaller than an inch. It is on a Lily pad in my pond and they only stay for one day!7 things you may not know about me... my mom knows everything about me so we'll see how well this works...

1. I speak German, some Italian and would love to learn Russian, Spanish and even Czech.

2. When I have children I intend to speak more than one language in our household, not sure if Lance knows that yet. LOL!

3. I love riding my quad (Yamaha Warrior) and tearing around on the dunes with my husband and friends.

4. I can't wait until my Yamaha R6 (street bike) is ready to ride! Lance is fixing one up for me.

5. If money wasn't a factor, I would be perfectly content traveling the world for the rest of my days. Owning a home is great but nothing compares to traveling and seeing the world God created for us!

6. I also have a love of organizing and labeling things... Thanks Mom!

7. I miss a really great friend that moved to Utah, I miss her everyday. Right now I am reading Kite Runner, she recommended it to me over a year ago and now I know why! Trisha you are the best!

Now let's pass it along and see what we can find out about Trisha!

Deck Furniture!

2007-07-17T17:02:00.001-07:00

Telescope Casual is the best deck/patio furniture available! And Valley View Nursery carries a variety!This is the most comfortable set of chairs (we have 2 swivel rockers and 2 recliners) and I love the table! It has 12 x 12 tiles setting in it so you can pick your color!! Gotta love that!
I, of course, had to choose two colors and create a pattern. LOL!
Lance and I sat out on the deck last night, ate dinner and enjoyed the cool summer evening. It was so relaxing, I just soaked it in!!

Front Step!

2007-07-15T10:56:00.001-07:00

Taadaa! The new front step!So you really can't tell too much in the pictures but the approach to our front door slopes just a little making the placement of potted plants difficult! I learned the hard way with the planters from Lance and my wedding.
But now we have two beautiful pots with Nandina to set off the front door!

Pond Update

2007-07-14T11:41:00.001-07:00

This is a Canna in bloom, the photo washes some of the color out but man these are beautiful up close. They look like a prehistoric plant with the coloring on the leaves. You can also see the other Canna I planted down a little farther, it is green and much smaller. We'll see if it gets big enough to bloom this year.
Here's the Crosomia in bloom. I love this time of year!
This is an aerial view of our pond. I thought it was cool you can see the gold fish!
This is a water Lobelia, kind of odd looking at this point because we should have pruned it so it isn't one tall skinny stalk but it started to bloom and I couldn't bring myself to cut it just yet!

Garden Update

2007-07-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Check out the size of this stuff!!My peppers are over a foot tall! That solar light measures 13" above the dirt. And you can see peppers growing if you look close.
This isn't the jungle but it sure looks like it! Look at my tomatoes go!!
My lettuce grew like crazy too! Although the first salad Lance and I had with it was not so tasty...

S-10 Chevy Blazer Rebuild

2007-07-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

Enter the S-10 Chevy Blazer... fully stock... no modifications. I figured I would tell you all what we have been up to since the progress on the house has come to a halt. Here it is with full-size axles, 38" tires and no bumper. You notice it is sitting on jack stands because there isn't suspension at this point... no more leaf springs!
Here is a look at the rear 4-link suspension Lance fabricated. This is a very precise endeavor to make sure everything is the proper length and placed in the proper location so as the truck articulates the tires raise straight up or drop straight down without axles wrap... or at least that is what I got out of it. LOL! Check out that articulation!! Yes that is our yellow lab Abby posing for size relativity in the photo. Don't worry that is a 1/2 ton Cherry Picker (used for lifting and positioning motors in vehicles), so at least she is safe! Anyway, this is going to be one serious 4-wheeling machine!!RUBICON, HERE WE COME!!

The Laundry Room!!

2007-05-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Ok so I know I am way out of order since the laundry room was finished in February and I just worked on my garden last weekend... but here it is anyway!Here is a look at the room totally stripped and we are adding the beadboard walls.
Here are our helpers. Morial and Abby, very good spectators.
Here's Lance skim coating the existing concrete floor so we can make it look pretty and new!
Here is the final product!! Yeah, a laundry room and full size appliances (Thanks Papa)!! So here is a list of the details you may not see. Lance Hammer Coated the washer and dryer because they were stark white and it didn't go with our decor. I added a section of wine corks for visual interest between the upper cabinets. The new concrete floor has been acid stained (thanks DJ for all the advice!!). Man am I glad we did this small concrete project before the mammoth kitchen and hall project!! Best to start with 50 sq ft versus 400 sq ft!! Yes the walls are purple and I love it!! It has a utility look with a feminine flare. hee hee! There is also a pocket ironing board in the wall on the left, man that thing is awesome! It even holds my iron and it is all nice and tucked out of the way!

The Continuing Landscape of the Backyard

2007-05-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at our pond now that it is a bit more landscaped! Thanks Valley View Nursery!! So here on the left of the pond you will see Scotch Moss (the bright green little mounds), and 2 varieties of Canna - one is redish and one is green, they are still small so I will have to post againg when they are larger and in bloom! You can also see the clumping Bambo peeking out from behind the waterfall - that will get 6-10 feet tall. I can hardly wait!!
On the right side you will see Heather (the purple flowering shrub), a Crocosmia (the tall grass on the right that will flower), an Evergreen Bonsai from Lance's brother Cory (Thanks Cory!) on the right by the grass and a rare Birch to the left overhanging the waterfall.
These are my new planters with Happy Chappy Roses in them, they are just beginning to bloom and they are sooo pretty! Man I love Spring! Ignore the deck that is pulled apart... Lance was rigging all the drip and sprinklers to all my new plants!! YEAH no watering by hand!!

My very own Vegetable Garden!

2007-05-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the herb side, starting with Rosemary, Basil, Cilantro and Red Onions. You can also see my Strawberry planter on the deck.Then we have green and yellow Bell Peppers, a Cantalope, 3 Cherry Tomato and 2 Pear Tomato plants.
And last but not least we have a Lemon Cucumber and a regular Cucumber along with 6 varieties of Lettuce.
So this is my very first vegetable garden, wish me luck!!!

The Main bathroom Remodel

2007-04-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

So we pretty much had to gut the whole room and start over. We removed the sink and cabinet and the toilet and replaced it all! We also torn down all the old sheet rock walls and installed greenboard (sheetrock for bathrooms) and tile backerboard for the shower area.
The only way to get the tub into the bathroom was to cut a whole in our kitchen wall and slide it through... we then had to replace that whole wall because the texture would have been impossible to match without it looking "patched".
This is a pocket we put in the wall to inset the towel rack behind the door so the door does not hit it every time you open it.
Here's a finished look at our bathroom, it's small so it was hard to get a good picture. We finished this in September 2006.

Insta-Lawn - No more mud!!

2007-04-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

In the Fall of 2006, Lance and I decided it was time to end the mud pit in our backyard, the dogs tracked in enough mud our first Winter to last us a lifetime!Abby is always at lance's side.
As per usual, our projects last late into the night.

Gabe is onsite to help more things along faster.
The final product!

A Backyard Water Feature

2007-04-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Just the beginning...Abby checking out the depth.
Abby again, spectating to make sure the underlayment is installed properly.
Yeah!! A Pond!! This is July 2005.
This is our pond in April of 2007.

Back breaking cobblestone

2007-04-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here's the beginning of our cobblestone drive and walk way in the front of our house. This is June 2005.View from the front door looking towards the driveway. We just love maxing out the springs and shocks in trucks... do you know how much a pallet of those cobblestone weighs? Me either, but trust me... it was A LOT - riding on bump stops baby!!
Here's Lance diligently creating a straight line... at this point I was like "good enough"!
Morial the digger, lending a paw. Go Morial, Go!
Wow, look at how beautiful those curves are! Hmm, wonder whose idea those were...
Even though this was more work than I care to remember, I would do it again if I had to (only if I had to) because I absolutely love how it looks!

The deck of all decks!

2007-04-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

Lance and Gabe scoping out the plan. A view of the pattern in the corners of the steps.
A view from the spa towards the garage and back door.
A view from the back door towards the spa.

Bring on the 7' fence!

2007-04-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

After a missing quad, up went a 7 foot fence to separate our back yard from the alley.

Gabe was on site to help Lance out.In this view you can see the pond and the skeleton of the fence.

Lance's red Chevy pickup is in the alley.
The guys are hard at work.
Ahhh, the finished product. Man that is a beautiful fence!

We're just getting started

2007-04-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

The Garage!! AKA Lance's Shop!Here's a view from the alley approach. Lance built most if the garage himself at the beginning of 2006 with some help from my dad setting rafters and Gabe's advice on the electrical.
A more finished view from the alley.
And the cobblestone stamped concrete approach. Thanks to DJ Lyon!

Front Yard Makeover

2007-04-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Before...After!
It has grown in a lot since the summer of 2005!

Next on the very long list...

2007-04-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Some much needed demolition to open the galley kitchen into the dining room. My cousin Tim was here to help Lance with this step. Boys will be boys!

Current state of our kitchen, new floors are in. We did some super cool stamped, stained concrete. I am currentl repainting my kitchen cabinets to match the floor and wall colors.

Here's a photo of the floor, it's hard to see the dimension and full spectrum of color in a photo but I am in love with these floors!! And man am I glad they are done! Lance and I spent a weekend from 7pm Friday to 8pm Sunday working 12 hours straight both Saturday and Sunday prepping, pouring and stamping 425 sq ft of concrete.... whew, that makes me tired just thinking about it! Then Lance stained and sealed the floor the next weekend while I was gone at CKC in Portland with my mom!!! Lucked out there!

Bring on the renovations!

2007-04-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

First things first... NEW SIDING!Ok, so I highly recommend getting a home inspection done prior to buying a home. We did and it revealed that the stucco was missing the vapor barrier and therefor was installed/applied improperly and needed to be replaced. Luckily we found out soon enough and it was included in the deal. And, I got to pick the colors of my new home!! This also gave us the opportunity to move exterior doors to better locations for our long-term plans for the home. It's hard to tell but the front door in this photo isn't there in the other photo of our front yard. There are two other doors, one to the left between the two windows and the other was just right and around the corner of the current front door. Confusing I know...

Home Sweet Home

2007-04-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at our home when we bought it in August 2004.

This is our front room

and our kitchen

and our dining room

and our main bathroom

Here's our laundry room

Here's our back yard

and our front yard.

In the Beginning...

2007-04-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

In the beginning my husband and I were looking for a home to call our own.