Small town man dreams big!

Zach's site gets more press!!

Read the article in the Natchez Democrat by CLICKING HERE

Read the article in the Mississippi Business Journal by CLICKING HERE

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT ZACH!!!!

I have to BRAG BRAG BRAG on my uber fabulous husband!!! Gameday Map is getting rave reviews, in fact the Mississippi Business Journal called and scheduled an interview with Zach on Friday and the Natchez Democrat scheduled one tomorrow! The Oxford Eagle also emailed and is looking into the story! I have a bottle of the bubbly chilling at home and we are celebrating his news! Zach is a daily reminder to me that the sky is the limit...DREAM BIG and DO BIG! I checked my artwork log and I went from doing about 12 pieces a year to 65 in the past year since November '08--all because I have Zach pushing me to be better than I ever thought I could be. So today let's celebrate his talents and his success!

Cheers to my REAL MAN OF GENIUS! Today we salute you Mr. Gameday map website inventor!
Click on it to hear the commercial!

SCRATCH THAT STONE

Okay scratch what I said yesterday about the granite. We have decided we like but don't love that granite sample so we are heading to Monroe this evening to pick our slab from the distributor. There are 4 others that have more depth that we are interested in. I think it is cool that you get to choose the exact one that you get.

Well the dreams have started. Right before we got married I started having dreams about any and every wedding logistic. In the past 3 nights my dreams have ranged from the best technique to paint the drawers and bead board, how I will decorate the bar for Christmas, and last night was by far my favorite. I dreamed that we unwrapped the stove (pictured in the post below) to find that it was 6ft tall by 18 inches wide. Instead of having 6 burners it had 2 griddles and it was nasty like it had been used. We tried returning it but we couldn't so we had to build the cabinets around this awkwardly large unit and I had to use a ladder to cook. Oh man- I gotta start drinking before bed to mitigate my wild dreams.

A blessed weekend with our family!

I am finally getting to the point where I dread eating out. I know, can you believe anyone would ever say that. I miss cooking...I miss being able to whip up something as simple as a turkey sandwich and and orange slices. We thought we would be able to still make simple meals but the blanket of dust that covers the entire back of the house is anything but appetizing. We have the granite, glass tile, and floor samples in the kitchen we love the choices we have made after seeing them all together. This weekend will be out last big work weekend as we finish painting and then over the next 2 weeks the doors, drawers, hardware and surfaces will go in. Our stove was delivered Friday and we are in love with what we can see through the plastic wrapping! We went with our guts (literally) and got the 36" KitchenAid Pro series range with 6 burners. Consider this an open invitation to come experience the culinary wonders that will be created with is beast!

Although I miss my kitchen it was nice not having to worry about cooking this weekend with a house full of guests. We had the whole family in Natchez for balloon race (everyone but Cory). Mom and Dad from Houston, Sue and Steve from Louisiana, newly engaged Kate and Victor (whom we just met and LOVE!!) from Hattiesburg, and Kellen, Becky and little baby Julia Claire! We had a great time at the Balloon Race festivities although due to wind we only got to see a few balloons actually fly. We did get to hear some awesome music, eat great food, and even made time for a champagne toast in honor of Kate and Victor's engagement and the launch of Zach's new website www.gamedaymap.com. This site has already made such a splash and everyday we are inundated with emails, messages, and comments about how awesome the site is. I am SO proud of Zach and his idea. Check out the site and be sure to read "The Idea" and "How it works" to get the big picture! Life seems like it is busier than ever but I can also say I have never been so happy!

Brag on Z!

"Our guys" are working on the special touches now like the bead board and the moldings before the painter starts. It is prettier than I ever imagined and I am so excited to see it painted. I think the primer and first coat will go on early next week. I have to say Zach and I have made a pretty great design team. He has such a good eye for design (in a very straight, heterosexual kind of way) and he has chosen some things that I would never have taken the risk on but I love the decision now that I see it! I think all the hours of Candice Olsen, Design Star, and all our other HGTV shows really made him into a lean mean design machine! He chose the over the bar pendant lights, glass backsplash, countertops, and vent hood. Once you see it all, you might want him to come design your home!

I got a sweet email from him this afternoon when he made a decision on some vendors for some products:

Floor and backsplash = Mark
Granite = Britt
You+Me=awesome

Here are pics of the bead board going up. Pic 1 is before trim and pic 2 is after.

LESSONS LEARNED

After one week and one day I have never learned so many lessons in such a short period of time. Note to all those thinking of doing a kitchen renovation, there is no such thing as under budget. In fact I am starting to believe there is no such thing as on budget. But we know that in the end, it will be well worth it.

ONE WEEK INTO THE RENOVATION

One week down and we have walls down, floors gone, lights up, and cabinets in! I laugh when I think about how we considered doing the work ourselves..hahah riiiigghhht! Tomorrow the granite company is coming out to measure and hopefully some of our deliveries will show up. Enjoy the latest video.

On another note, our little Emma is doing MUCH better! She was really sick Friday night and we had to decide if we should wait it out till the morning when the vet opened or drive her to Alexandria, LA or Baton Rouge where the nearest after hours vets were. After talking to my vet on phone a few times and trying all the over the counter symptom treaters, we decided to wait until the morning. She made it through the night and we found out she has an intestinal virus. Poor thing was soooo pitiful. She is back to normal now but she is on a special diet and has 3 pricey meds she takes 2x per day. You should see Zach and I prying open her mouth to get these pills down...it is quite entertaining.

Here is a pic of Emmy relaxing on her big sis, Sydney. When Emma was sick I had her bed set up in the foyer and Sydney slept on the first stair all night to be with her. It was so sweet!

Lisha is the "BLOG-MASTER"!

I cannot do Lisha's blog justice by recapping the highlights because she has such an entertaining way of updating Elle's progress. There were some scary days this week but things are looking positive now and you just have to see the great pictures Lisha has taken of Elle with all her hospital entertainment! She is the sweetest little baby and has been through so much. I can't image 2 better parents to be seeing her through the process. Please keep praying for the Lupher family and the medical staff.

So check out Lisha "BLOG-MASTER" Lupher's Blog