So nice of you to stop by!

Welcome! Welcome!
Thanks for coming to visit us!

The yard is still nothing but dirt,
but, hey, it's our dirt:)
And a back porch will come in time.
Had to build what we could afford, ya know?

Again, welcome.
Don't let the bright colors scare you.
They'll make you smile--just give them a minute.
And please forgive our mess.
Organizing takes a while.

Do you need to freshen up before we begin the tour?
No?
Alright, then let's head to the music room.

We're still looking for a used piano,
and our keyboard has yet to make it over.
But rest assured that music will flow from this room eventually.

Feel free to browse the books
or rest a spell
as we stop by the living room.

Or if you're feeling hungry,
we can pass through the nook over into the kitchen.
I'll whip something up.

I'll even let you feel all fancy
by letting you sit at the dining room table to eat.
Just don't take Dot's chair.
She gets upset about that.

I think it is about time we head upstairs.
There's a few more things to see.

You sure you don't need the bathroom?
Well, here is another one if you decide you do.

I'll even let you do your laundry free of charge.

Dot's room,
along with all our bedrooms
is still a work in progress.
We still need to do most of the upstairs painting,
and we will buy some more pieces of furniture in time.
But she is happy as a clam with her big windows.
A place to sleep and see her new morning light is all that child needs.

We won't even bother with the nursery or guest room right now.
Not much to see.
Onward to the Master bath/bedroom.
Man, I feel so grown up saying that.

Nothing fancy here.
We'd love some matching side tables and lamps,
but we're working with what we have for the moment.

Hope you enjoyed your tour!
I'm sure we'll keep you posted as we continue to
make this house our home.

Have a delicious day!

1. colors and the ability to see them
2. unpacking things I forgot we had
3. lots of sunshine through the windows

Perfect Timing

A few weeks ago,
feeling highly discouraged about the house,
I booked a trip to North Carolina to visit my parents.
It just seemed like we kept hitting brick walls.
I was hoping to just get away from the chaos for a while
and let my sweet husband bear that burden for us.

Well,
I must say miracles DO happen.
In the 12 days that I have been gone
(we head back tomorrow),
the house is finished!!!
Marty (and many others) have been working non-stop.
Every town official that we needed to sign off on our permit
has made his appearance and done so.
Tomorrow Dot and I will return to our very OWN HOME!

We are feeling more than blessed.
Our hearts are full.

1. a miracle for our family
2. kicks to the ribs from Lucy
3. incredible parents

the Lucy lump

Only 11 weeks to go!

1. February vacation
2. a spontaneous trip booked for NC
3. visits from good friends

I love...

On this day of LOVE,
I thought it would be fun to share
a few things that I love.

Of course you all know that I love my family,
my faith,
and friends,
but there are so many
little things that make me smile.

So,
without further ado,
the loves of Kim Vieira:

Farm life. Boy, did I marry into the right family.

Iguanas. Beautiful, sweet animals.

The smell of lavender.

Houseplants.
A little greenery makes the world better.

Jazz music.
Especially when it is played by old men--like these.

Honey.
And can I just say that The Secret Life of Bees
made me want to eat it, shampoo with it, dab it behind me ears like perfume...

Handmade quilts.
Oh, to some day have the time and talent.

Edward Curtis photography.
His Native American portraits are stunning.

Oh, Frankie, baby.
You croon like no other.

I could eat cheese every day.
At every meal.

Baking. Cooking. Apron-wearing.
Housewifery in general.

No words needed.

Lovage.
If you have never used this herb, please do.
A little freshly chopped lovage on soup=heaven.

Hand drums.
The sound. The look.
Fantastic.

Reading Rainbow.
Old School, that is.
"Butterfly in the sky..."

Clotheslines.
Venice.
Clotheslines in Venice.

Morning sunlight.
What is better than the promise of the new day?

Le Creuset Cookware.
I'm still waiting to win some for free
from the Pioneer Woman.

Billy Collins poetry.
Who else could make such prosaic things into poetry?

Candles burning in candle places.

Judy Garland.
And no, her performance in The Wizard of Oz
is NOT why my daughter's name is Dorothy.
It is, however, a wonderful coincidence.

Women of the 1940s...

and the 1950s.
Seriously,
for some reason the idea of wearing red lipstick,
an apron, high heels, and a house dress
makes me happy.
Not that I ever do.

Sushi.
The dragon roll, in particular.

Hippie skirts.
Can't have enough of them.

Cinnamon.
I probably sprinkle this on more things than I should.

Painting.
Bob Ross.
Bob Ross painting.
I rest my case.

Books.
I'm giddy just typing the word.

Oh, and the library?
Don't even get me started.

Nothing warms the soul
like a hot and gooey pan of enchiladas.

Hi. I am Kim Vieira,
and I have an unhealthy obsession with mugs.
And my kitchen cabinets are hurting because of it.

Bluegrass music.
No, not all the time.
But once in a while all you need is a banjo.
Am I right?

Antiques.
Always have. Always will.
Makes me feel nostalgic for times I never lived in.

Piggies out in the air?
Yes, thank you.
(And no. These are not my feet.)

There you have it.
The lesser-known loves of yours truly.
I'm feeling closer to you all already.

the joy.

I can't help but feel joy
when I look at this face every day.

1. two-teeth grins

2. hugs and kisses
3. baby girls

Wee, sleeket, cowrin, tim'rous beastie...

Living in a basement room, we have had our encounters with quite a few lovely creatures: ants, spiders of all shapes and sizes, and a nasty bunch of earwigs that would not quit in the fall. There have also been those creatures we have never seen but have definitely heard in the walls. I hoped that would always stay the case, but you never can tell what will attract a mouse...

Around 3 this morning I woke up to a loud clinking against our baseboard heaters. Joy of joys. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first until I realized it was on the move--from behind our bed to down the side of room, behind our chest of drawers, and--save me now!--behind Dot's crib. Ugh! Luckily, for this poor mother's sanity, Dorothy was in bed with us sound asleep (a typical occurrence when ya'll are sharing a room and the wee one starts fussing).

By this point I had turned on the lamp, elbowed Marty several times to wake him up, and was staring at the spot where I figured our guest was about to emerge. And oh, did he. That little gray mouse came flying out from behind the crib dragging in its mouth one of Dorothy's nuks! I about died! She had thrown one behind the bed the night before, and apparently this seemed like a great treasure to the mouse. That dang little thing would not let go of it. It ran under the crack at the bottom of the door, and even with us talking, the light on, and the door blocking the nuk's path, it pulled and pulled on the silicon nipple, the plastic side banging against the door with every attempt. Finally, after about a minute of trying, it let go and scampered off to some other area of the basement.

Woooowee! I'm laughing about it now, but in the middle of the night it hardly seemed amusing. I had awful dreams about all sorts of things invading our room for the rest of the night.

I hate to say it, wee mousie, but your "best-laid schemes" are coming to an end. The traps go out today.

1. waking up to see the humor
2. making it 6 months before a mouse appeared
3. only seeing one. and hopefully only the one.

45 days

The very first contractor we started working with
(ahem) LAST FALL
was our dear excavator/road man/ septic man.
Who is the only person holding us up at this point?
Yes.
The very same man who started his work first.
BUT
this post is not to complain (too much) about him.
We have finally taken action.
Don't push a pregnant woman around--
he got some pretty words from me.
I also drafted a letter to dismiss him from his duties
should he decide to keep procrastinating past next Tuesday.

ANYWHO,
the point of all this is
that even if we have to switch contractors,
our house WILL be done in 6 weeks or less.
It has to be.
We locked in our mortgage today,
so that settles it.

Ahhhhhhhhhh.
Doesn't it feel lovely to know
when the end of something will come?

1. Knowing just how much longer
2. Limited Edition Ginger Snap Ben and Jerry's
3. when the baby girl falls asleep before 7:30