Five things for Friday

Hi everyone.

As per the course lately, my thoughts are a bit scattered but I had a few things I wanted to share for the weekend.

Item number 1.  I love embroidery, and so does Sis.  I made a couple of Sarah Jane samplers as Christmas gifts last fall, and in the evenings when I need to unwind a bit, I've been chugging away on one for me.  I had fun changing the color scheme up a bit, and adding more green and teal.

Here is Sister's latest creation:

I found the design idea by Wild Olive via pinterest, and she transferred, color coded, and stitched completely on her own.

Item number 2.  I just found out my Valentines Charms made the top ten over at Sew Mama Sew's True Love contest, as did  my friend Gwen's Mixed Media Hoop!  Pretty please, would you pop over and vote for your favorites?

Item number 3.  I am ready for the wind to stop already.  We've had some wild weather around here, with at least three storms with sustained winds at 45 mph, and gusts up to 60. I realize this is nothing compared to those who've been hit with tornadoes, but this did not bode well for our roof.  I don't have pictures, but we went over to the house to find the top layer of synthetic felt was flapping like a sail last week, with all the western edges trying to pull up.  

We tried to fix what we could with the two of us, securing the western edge with bits of sheeting.  We called our contractor who came over with his roofing gun and we climbed onto the roof to reattach everything.  It took Mr. Pickup and I laying over the roof ridge, holding down the paper as best we could while our contractor nailed between where we were holding things.  One of those stories in this house building adventure that we won't ever forget.

These pictures were taken a week ago, as we made sure we'd be ready for the next storm.

Yes, he is that awesome.  Oh, the adventures of house building.  Maybe we need more life insurance, too.  

Item number 4.  I am trying to pick out flooring and cabinet finishes...and it is hard!  The cabinet company we can afford has a white paint finish, but it's not bright white.  It's a creamy white.  I like it, and think I'll be painting all the trim to match.  We have a tight budget, can't afford hardwood, so I've been researching laminate floor options.  After two different rounds of sampling, I think we're down to two.  

Here's the differences between the two floors:

Close up of the textures:

The Acacia has wood graining and subtle waves across the board.

The Pecan is smoother, but the waves are more noticeable.  The flooring is from BuildDirect.com.  I have found they have the best prices for high quality laminates, even considering the delivery charge.

I'm thinking we'll keep the painting simple this time.  The colors are Valspar, through our local building supply.  

Any thoughts?

Item number 5.  I really appreciate each of you for reading and commenting and being true friends.  It's been a turbulent year and half for us with moving twice, deciding to build a house, and just making things work.  Having this happy place to visit and be a part of has been such a blessing to me.  As a token of thanks, I wanted to share a couple pretty pictures of this place I call home.  On my drive out to the homesite, I pass this bald eagle's nest nestled in old trees on the bluff just above the Snake River.

And as close as I could photograph without trespassing:

I hope you have a lovely weekend.