Outdoor Project: Progress, progress!

Going forward on the outdoor project here.  Over the past week we have seen more changes, some of the painting continued for the beginning of the week and is looking very nice so far, and the stone and other supplies needed for the fireplace and patio arrived.  The crew began work on the patio area the following day by removing the old wood timber retaining wall and concrete pavers, then began leveling and covering the area with concrete, and also concrete blocks were added to rebuild the retaining wall.  The flag stone has now been added to the patio area and it is looking better than I had imagined!  Meanwhile the fireplace box arrived and was installed the following day, then the fireplace front was prepared and ready for the stone to be applied.  The application of the stone for the fireplace front began on Saturday while the patio was being completed, they are about to the height of the mantel with the stone now and we are enjoying the look of it so far.  The gutters were installed today.  Progress, progress!  Only a few things left to get this job competed!  This morning we discussed the recent progress and upcoming plans on the project completion with our contractor as we were having a little bit of a rainy Monday morning while we were under the cover of our newly covered deck, adding to us appreciating all the more the decision we made to do this project in the first place!

More sneak peeks of the progress and what's going on here!

Fireplace box being installed.

Stone stone, and more stone!

Sand and concrete blocks.

This pretty piece of stone is going to be the mantel!

Out with the old wood retaining wall and pavers.

Adding more concrete and a concrete block retaining wall.

Preparing for stone.

Stone! 

Starting to look a bit more like a fireplace!

That is all to reveal for now!...

~ Tammy ~

Monday Message

~ My Monday Message ~

Share the laughter...

Some of the best moments I treasure are the times spent sharing laughter with my family and friends, laughing together with my guy, many a laughs with my parents and other relatives, great big belly laughs with a friend, having a real good laugh with my daughters, over and over again, and laughing hysterically 'til tears with my sisters...

image source

Moments spent laughing are some of the best moments we can share with others!

Outdoor Project: Full Steam Ahead & A Little Glitch!

We have seen much progress on the deck and cover over the past week.  I can see the finish approaching fast, and I am getting very excited for this project to be completely done.  I have to say the whole process has been fairly smooth and we've been pleased so far.  The crew has done a terrific job, with fine craftsmanship and attention to detail.  Although we did have a little glitch at the end of the week on last Friday evening, after having a very productive day and just as they were about to finish for the day, when an unlucky nail hit a water inlet pipe.  The unfortunate installer hit the pipe using his nail gun while installing beadboard.  A quick turn-off of the water main by the hubs, and then the installers removal of the boards that had just been installed, exposed the pipe that would now need a repair, pronto!  A call for a twenty-four hour plumber and a change of our Friday night dinner plans was in order.  All is well now.  Nothing that a quick, thorough plumber and three hundred dollars couldn't fix that night.  Since the contractor did this, of course that bill is on him.  He was very apologetic afterwards, and also when he returned to work again on Monday.    It was good that the water did not get inside the wall and did not do any internal damage.  I think he was relieved that we were understanding and handled the situation calmly.  We said "Hey, if that is as bad as it gets, it's all good!-(sigh of relief)

This week began with the builders finishing all the woodwork, trim, and beadboard by Tuesday.  The painter began the prep for painting doing chalking and priming on Wednesday, then the paint was being applied all day yesterday, following a rain delay day on Thursday.  It is really coming along now, and it just gets better everyday!  It won't be long now...

A few more sneak-peeks at what has been going on around here!

The backside of the corner fireplace is covered with siding to match the siding on the house, and will be painted accordingly.  The roof is finished now, and the painting prep is next on the list.

The plumber had us repaired, as well as entertained, with his skills and humor.  

This overhang area was already here before the new deck and cover, it was originally covered with a flat surface before, but it was decided that it would be re-covered with beadboard to match the ceiling on the cover over the deck.

A closer view while standing in front of the window and looking up at the overhang area from underneath, showing the higher ceiling beyond it.  

The infamous (copper) pipe after the repair.  One tiny little nail threw a glitch in the plan, but was fairly quickly remedied!

Again looking up from underneath the overhang and in front of the window.  The beadboard installed transformed the previous look.  Although it looks rough this comes with a thin layer of white paint on it and it will be painted.  Shhh don't tell the hubs, but I'm glad that we did have this area covered with the beadboard, it wasn't in the original plan, the contractor suggested doing it and therefore adding it did also add a little glitch in the progress, with the nail incident.
I've been ribbing the hubby with saying, "Yeah you just had to have the beadboard there!" (giggle)  
It's all good now!    

A portion of the upper cover in the process of being prepped for paint!

Moving forward, with greater anticipation of the completion!...

~ Tammy ~

Feeling Fall!

Starting to have the feeling of Fall here, with more of the visual appearance.  Here we are mid October and it's a little cooler, the leaves are changing and have started falling all around, provoking a real feeling of Fall.  There is still a lot of green, but the transformation into Fall has begun and is apparent.  

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There still appears to be a lot of green on the trees...

...a closer look reveals the changing color of the leaves.

My Lantana plants are still producing their pretty flowers.  These bloom for a long time, another one of the things I love about them along with the color, and they attract butterflies!

A closer look shows the pretty little flower clusters of the Lantana plant.  

These won't last much longer, but for now I am happily enjoying their pretty lavender blooms!

Just a few feet away from the Lantana is this scene of leaf scatter, truly looking like Fall!

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I felt inspired to change my chalkboard for Fall, 

and what could be better than a ...

I do wish everyone a Happy Fall Y'all!...

Warm Hugs!

~ Tammy ~

Aeon @ 9 months

Our precious pup is officially nine months old today.  Not so little anymore there is a lot of him to love, and a lot to love about him, as he is now weighing over 78 pounds!  I will say there is only a couple things we're not loving about him, one being he jumps up to greet people, and another would be pulling at the leash, which he usually does while trying to jump on someone.  He has gotten quite strong and he will wear you out fast, not just me, but even a bigger guy like the hubs too.  I have applied training techniques that I learned while training our other retriever that I took to obedience training years ago, and most of the basics Aeon performs nicely with ease, but he has areas in need of improvement and needs consistency.

We have enrolled Aeon in puppy training school (actually this class is classified as "Adult dog" class since he does a lot of the basics already, and he is older), we attended our first class yesterday.  Aeon was eager to please the trainer, who was also training us at the same time.  Which I believe will be even more beneficial since we both will be doing the training with him.  We met this trainer last weekend and really liked her style and techniques, and how Aeon responded to them, and her.  We were pleased with our first class, as she focused on the jumping right away, and Aeon quickly got the message that jumping wasn't rewarded with any attention or yummy treats!  Amazingly he really seemed to be thinking about not jumping up!

We will have class over the next six weeks and hope to achieve the goals we are expecting.  The positive dog training methods focus on the good behavior using rewards and praise, and with using lots of repetition.  We look forward to more classes and are applying what we all learned the first day, and so far, so good!

He is a sweetheart, and very loving.

Aeon likes to sit on the stairs...

It's usually two stairs, one for the seat and one for the feet!

There he is in action, doing the jumping greeting!

In short order he was eager to please and seemed to be thinking about not jumping!  

We are also trying a new harness that is claimed to stop leash pulling, it clips in front and it turns them if they pull forward.  This also helps in training to walk with a loose leash.

He really is a sweetheart and loves everybody, and he smiles most of the time.

He makes me smile too!...
~ Tammy ~

Outdoor Project: Continues - A Sneak Peek

Our outdoor project continues.  The progress has been going along well, changes daily lend a whole new excitement for the finish.  We are about four weeks in now, and there has been a lot completed on the deck and cover.  The past few days have been a hold-up with waiting on inspections for the over all rough in, and electrical.  Ready for the green light on starting the finishing details on the fireplace and patio stone, and also the framing, gutters, paint, and trim.  The look will be coming together, and I can't wait to see our vision come true!

We have been enjoying the new deck and cover so far.  We start our day out on the deck with a coffee morning, and usually end the day with relaxing out there and listening to all the sounds of the outdoors and nature.  Aeon has been enjoying it too!  There was a nice gentle rain last night and it was our first night to sit outside under cover and listen to the rain.  There will be more of those I'm sure!

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The deck and cover progress.

Sept 21, 2013

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Railing installation and fireplace framing progress.

Sept 24, 2013

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Starting to look like a fireplace after more framing.

Oct 2, 2013

Can't wait to see the finish!

With great anticipation...

~Tammy ~

A Night at the Opera - Tosca

The Atlanta Opera 2013-2014 season opener this year was a performance of "Tosca", we attended the first performance on Saturday evening.  I never would have thought that we would enjoy going to the opera as much as we do, but we really do!  It seems with each performance we enjoy it all the more.  This performance had us both saying it was the favorite thus far of all of the others.  The music and vocals were passionate, intense and very moving.  Tosca is very entertaining and an emotionally captivating opera.  I admire all of the talent of these performances, along with everything that goes into each one of them, from the stage set, costumes, orchestra and of course the cast members.  I always feel a sense of being pulled back in time as I am drawn into the telling of the story through the emotion of the performance.  It amazes me knowing that these were the entertainment, long, long before movies and television, and are still a wonderful form of entertainment today.

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"Libretto by Giacomo Puccini and Luigi Illica

Conducted by Carl and Sally Gable Music Director Arthur Fagen
Directed by Tomer Zvulun

Sung in Italian with projected English translations

Lies, lust and corruption turn a tale of love into a struggle for survival in Puccini’s Tosca.  Amid the bloodshed of revolutionary Rome, the diva Tosca battles the treacherous police chief Scarpia for the life of her lover, Cavaradossi.  Set to Puccini’s intensely passionate music, this gripping melodrama is quintessential opera!"

source

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Ready for the performance of "Tosca" at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center

Wikipedia - Tosca 

Looking forward to the Spring performance of "Faust"...

~ Tammy ~

October Already!

Happy Fall Y'all!

That is how they say it here in the South!

And so another season begins and as always, time continues to pass.  Is it really October 3rd already?  I'm finding it hard to believe, and yet the calendar confirms it!   The weather has been perfect though, with mid 70's and 80's by day, and the evenings are a little cooler now too, mid 50's and 60's.  A light jacket has been required for me with the chill of the evenings or early mornings, but the hubster and pupster, they are lovin' it! (Yeah, I couldn't resist, I like their nicknames!)  Won't be long now before it looks like fall too.