The stuff of life.

I wish I had some impressive project photos to post. You know.. the latest trending style, expensive, innovative, photos to showcase our abilities and experience as a company. But I don't right now. It's just the way it rolls.

Currently we are on a small bathroom remodel as well as starting a large roof replacement project. Well the roof replacement will be interesting to share. Last winter we had a ton of snow and the weight of it bowed a home's roof trusses. We will be taking the roof off completely. Installing brand new trusses. …

~ the Artist

This and That.

Slices of pie.
Accounting. I'm taking over our Quickbooks work for Applewood. I mentioned previously, changes for 2015 that will help our office run smoother. Well this is a big change for us. We have been using Quickbooks, the Carpenter just doesn't have the time to keep on top of it.

Enter moi. I've been receiving Quickbooks training and so far so good. I am surprised. I thought it would be harder. It's quit intuitive and visually appealing. So for this artist, that is a very good thing! I'm excited to be able to help the Carpenter. Lighten his load just a bit. 

We rocked it!

Last weekend I put together another volunteer work day to help one of my organizing clients paint the interior of her home. After I set the day up I start getting feelings of misgiving. Everyone is so busy.. who has the time to do this? Why do I keep doing this? …

Small but mighty.

2015 is going to be the year of the "apple". A lot has been going on behind the scenes I can't share here yet. But watch for future updates! We've been in business since 1983 and have weathered much over the years. We got hit hard by the housing market crash in 2007 (like so many builders) but we prevailed and have continued on. …

Privacy + Light = Style

I came across a great solution for windows/doors where you need privacy and light where curtains or shades won't be ideal. Window film! I was in a home recently and saw a beautiful set of stationary square awning windows in a master bath. These windows were over the tub area. They were striking. A geometric motif- a frosted background with the design in clear film. At first glance I thought it was etched glass! …

Chocolate bitter is better.

It's been a battle of bitter for the past couple of weeks. Bitter cold. Now I like bitter… in chocolate. Not in my weather. December was unusually warm and misty. We actually saw green grass for much of that month! January… has been quite miserable for the crew. And unfortunately the way our projects have rolled… we're outside right now. Last week alone we had to cancel three days of work due to extremely cold temps. …

So much for plans.

As I sit here the outside temp is registering -1 degree. Another day our crew has been shut down on the Sycamore project. We have a small bath remodel queued up and waiting to start for weeks like this week, but the homeowner is very sick. So... so much for plans. Our crew is off but our behind the scenes work continues. …

Just look around.

I recently attended a family Christmas party at the Carpenter's cousin's home. It is actually where we are currently residing the exterior. Sycamore Ct project. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.752079664879215.1073741914.342655239154995&type=3 He tried so hard to get the new siding installed on the front of the house before the party! He didn't make that goal thanks to a mixed bag of nasty weather here in Minnesota. …

Civility.

This post has nothing to do with home building, home decorating or the guy who builds the homes. It's about civility. At Christmas. 

Most of our Christmas gifts head to the east coast. So every year I start dreading that trip to the post office to wait in line with a stack of boxes that I can barely lift or see over. The hard part is getting the two post office doors open. I have to balance (on a nearby trashcan) the boxes to grab the door handle. Then at the second door, I have to put the packages down, open the door, prop it open with my bum and pick up the massive tower of boxes (well at this point they feel massive). …

Saturday.

It's the Saturday before Christmas and Santa and his elves are too busy to help. I am sure they are into "overtime" themselves right about now. Saturdays are clean-up days. Little projects and errands that the crew or the Carpenter can not get to during the week. …

A light from a window...

The other night I was driving to the public path by the lake to take our snack manager for a walk. A single lit window caught my eye. I made a note to circle back on my way home to check out what caught my attention. …

Bow maker.

I've just spent the last 7 days helping my sister-in-law prepare and co-host her 8th Annual Holiday Greens Arrangement Party. We purchased specialty greens, bought Christmas trees and boxes of "Oasis"– soaking bricks of foam for use in vases and planters. We cut and prepared the greens, laid out a spread of food and made sure everything was ready for the 1.5 hour sessions. …

BUSY.

Just as this is a busy season for family, gifts, parties and Christmas trees… it's also been an exceptionally busy time for us. For the Carpenter.. searching for a new Applewood crew member, finishing up our Midland project - kitchen update (finish photos to come on Facebook), building a custom vanity in the shop for our Apple Valley project, and continuing on the Sycamore residing project. And for me…. helping my sister-in-law host her 8th Annual Holiday Greens Arrangement Party for the past 5 days. More on this to come….

Have a great Monday!
~ the Artist

Below Zero.

It has started. The cold weather that cancels workdays that is. This is not a good sign. It is only December 1^st and I have already canceled work for tomorrow. We are waking up to 20 to 30 degree below zero wind chill values. …

Late nights.

I’m getting ready for Turkey! Yep, Old Tom Turkey best be hiding about now.

That time is here again, the start of the holidays. Every year we probably all ask the same thing…where did the last year go?

The busier we all get, the faster time goes. The last two weeks for me has been a blur. Two weeks of over 80 hours, this week alone I just finished 91 hours of hands on actual work. That is one downfall of having a shop where we live... never can get away from it.  When every night turns into being in the shop till midnight or later, something is way out of balance. If you read this on a regular basis, you remember I wrote about margin in our lives. Well I have messed up my margin in a big way recently. …

Dots.

The Carpenter and I have been a mite busy. He's been traveling between our two current projects on opposite ends of the cities and prepping for the next projects.. queued up and waiting. I've been doing a bit of organizing work (with my fly-girl sister-in-law) for a new client and keeping the home fires burning. Sprinkle in a blast of Old Mr Frosty and there goes the month of November! …

Incoming.

White that is. Too soon. Much too soon. Here in Minnesota we are expecting our first snowfall of the season tomorrow continuing into Tuesday. Significant snowfall. Any snowfall is disruptive but the first one is especially so. …

Letting Go.

I have been struggling for some time to make the decision on whether to hire right now or not. It has been a real roller coaster of thoughts. Sometimes I am ready to, and then the feeling fades. It usually fades when we start to get on top of our jobs. Right now, the roller coaster is climbing again. We are looking at booking work now through Christmas. …

Dash.

Whoa! How can it be, so many weeks since I sat down to write something. 

A friend of mine told me some time ago that we all need “margin” in our lives. Do you know what “margin” is? Margin is that time we all need in our busy schedules to just step back, breathe a fresh breath, and not let the pressures of the day control us.

Well I have not made much margin in my life of late. The time I have made for a couple of special things, my Nieces drum line show, my nephews football games, all seem to come with a give and take cost of time of some sort. …