Do know whether the decisions in the vicinity, you know that coconut shell moved. The streets are lined with flags and improvised mini political party offices, although the Parliament is not dissolved. Ang pow packets, free food, gifts, money, and keep, distributed almost daily.
You have a cell phone has voice wins a few questions or receive a text message (SMS). Not only a local politician (which I don't know) has a generic to me, I have even a birthday greetings for mother's day, though I do not come into consideration.
Agreements in the proposals of the old Roman letters " How to win an election "?
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Prior to delivery of the used portable buildings for sale will be subjected to a thorough cleaning regimen and will be tested to the highest standards by fully qualified and professional staff. Ensure top levels of chump adeptness during the able action from alpha to finish. Portable architectonics sales will be delivered by Hiab wagon, accepting it to be tailored and acclimatized to the customer's needs and purposes.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Greetings everyone! Things have been progressing behind the scenes as we continue to design our French inspired home. As you might have already noticed; we have been on a short break from blog posting. We have been working our way through some unforeseen design obstacles. The bidding process has again resumed and we too will now pick up our blog postings right where we left off.
Today we want to share a few photographs from a recent trip to The Kohler Store in Glenview, Illinois just outside of Chicago. For those of you interested in visiting, you can find the Kohler Store at:
The Kohler Store (Chicago Area Locations)
1180 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Glenview, IL 60025
For your added shopping pleasure, you can also visit the Abt showroom right next door! See our trip to the Abt showroom, home to all appliances and electronics.
Back to The Kohler Store.....
Who is ready to take a loooonnnnngggg soak in this tub? I think I could sit in this white porcelain Kohler beauty for the rest of the night! It matches perfectly with the marble wall tiles shown. While the hardware is gorgeous, I think I would select something in chrome to compliment the clean look of the white on white. Isn't it amazing how clear and blue the water looks in one of these tubs?
To update you on our construction timeline; Our original plan was to already be mid way through construction by this summer, but as it happens other events have altered our original plans.
As we already mentioned there were unforeseen design obstacles that needed attention. Now that we are working through those our other big announcement is expected arrival of our first child this August! We are very excited and look forward to all of the new adventures this will bring.
Our new goal is to keep life simple and enjoy our new baby once she arrives. We have decided that it is probably not a good idea to move into temporary housing, have a baby, and start construction all at the same time. We will spend the next few months making, and sharing, material selections. This should allow us to coast on auto pilot through the holidays and start construction in early 2014. I do stress EARLY, because even though we seem to have a great deal going on, we are ready to move!
We appreciate each and every one of you that have emailed us over the last few weeks asking about our progress. We never expected so many followers when we started this adventure. We are excited to have over 1,000 of you following via feedburner, facebook, and blogger. If this is your first time visiting, please join us and get all future updates.
Today we want to share a few photographs from a recent trip to The Kohler Store in Glenview, Illinois just outside of Chicago. For those of you interested in visiting, you can find the Kohler Store at:
The Kohler Store (Chicago Area Locations)
1180 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Glenview, IL 60025
For your added shopping pleasure, you can also visit the Abt showroom right next door! See our trip to the Abt showroom, home to all appliances and electronics.
Back to The Kohler Store.....
Who is ready to take a loooonnnnngggg soak in this tub? I think I could sit in this white porcelain Kohler beauty for the rest of the night! It matches perfectly with the marble wall tiles shown. While the hardware is gorgeous, I think I would select something in chrome to compliment the clean look of the white on white. Isn't it amazing how clear and blue the water looks in one of these tubs?
Another view of the white tub and faucet. We have fallen in love with the look of these marble wall tiles!
In keeping with a traditional look, we are leaning towards this Kohler shower fixture, complete with separate hand shower.
The tile work behind this fixture is also amazing. I love how various tile sizes were used to create a frame for the entire shower unit.
Our kitchen faucet front runner is still the Rohls Bridge Faucet, (see our trip to Abt), but this faucet offers a cost effective alternative. This unit also comes with a separate side spray.
Some impressive features with this fixture are the faucets height and reach, allowing for deep pots in the middle of the sink to be filled or cleaned with ease.
One item we have had trouble locating is a large white console sink similar to this smaller unit. This would make a great console sink for a half bath. I would hesitate using anywhere else due to the lack of cabinet storage or counter top space. Have you seen larger console sinks? I know Tina at The Enchanted home has a great white console sink in one of her bathrooms.
We have really been considering the use of wall mounted faucets in bathrooms with vessel sinks. It would seem that it would be easier to clean both the counter top and faucet if it were up off of the counter. Do you have a wall mounted faucet? What are your thoughts?
To update you on our construction timeline; Our original plan was to already be mid way through construction by this summer, but as it happens other events have altered our original plans.
As we already mentioned there were unforeseen design obstacles that needed attention. Now that we are working through those our other big announcement is expected arrival of our first child this August! We are very excited and look forward to all of the new adventures this will bring.
Our new goal is to keep life simple and enjoy our new baby once she arrives. We have decided that it is probably not a good idea to move into temporary housing, have a baby, and start construction all at the same time. We will spend the next few months making, and sharing, material selections. This should allow us to coast on auto pilot through the holidays and start construction in early 2014. I do stress EARLY, because even though we seem to have a great deal going on, we are ready to move!
We appreciate each and every one of you that have emailed us over the last few weeks asking about our progress. We never expected so many followers when we started this adventure. We are excited to have over 1,000 of you following via feedburner, facebook, and blogger. If this is your first time visiting, please join us and get all future updates.
Have a great day!
- Tonya and Rob
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Happy Sunday afternoon!
We are back following a short break! We have missed posting but in our time away we have accumulated some great information and photographs to share with you in future posts.
Today kicks off a series of posts dedicated to the design of our French inspired kitchen. We have shared a few of our appliance choices in a prior post which you can still view here:
Our French Inspired Kitchen: Selecting a Range
In one of our first posts we shared how we found our architect, Jack Arnold. It was his kitchen that captured our attention from the very first time we viewed it reading a fellow bloggers post. Many of you have seen this photograph before, but we want to show it once again just to set the stage for the design inspiration of our kitchen.
One of the problems we keep running into as we design our home is actually being able to view any quality materials before we purchase them. For those of you living in or around larger cities; consider yourselves lucky! In Indiana we have no LaCornue showroom, no Lacanche showroom, and only a small number of Wolf and Subzero showrooms that are 1-2 hours away. There is not a single Rohl faucet or sink to be found in any of our local supply showrooms. It sounds more and more like we live in the middle of nowhere! Now would anyone be willing to lay down the money for these items without ever first seeing them? If so you are braver than we are!
That all being said; a few weeks ago we were surprised and thrilled when some close friends from Chicago took us to Abt in Glenview, about 30 or 40 minutes from downtown. If you are in the area and want to visit you can find Abt at:
Abt Electronics 1200 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Glenview, IL 60025
http://www.abt.com/
At first it looked like your average appliance store; lots of washers and dryers, refrigerators, ranges, much like you would find in your typical big box store, but on a MUCH larger scale. Then, without warning we turned the corner and saw this gorgeous range sitting there.
How could this be? In front of us sat a LaCornue Chateau Series 65" dual fuel range! It was quite exciting given that we have only seen this model in photographs. It was very unexpected. Suddenly Abt became one of our favorite showrooms.
For those of you researching French ranges; it is very difficult to find one with a full size oven. Nobody has yet to explain why so many french ranges are unable to hold a large size cookie sheet. Both of the ovens in the LaCornue Chateau line would fill the bill. There are various configurations for the range top, but this one is set up just fine. Caution: Have smelling salts in hand before looking at the price tag!
This particular setup is kept in stock, and available for pickup at Abt. While speaking with their representatives we also learned that they can get any configuration or model shown on the LaCornue website.
But the fun didn't end there for the LaCornue Chateau Series had friends sitting with him! We also took a look at this LaCornue 36" range. This model has a large single oven which is vaulted and a five burner configuration has a great large central burner. It is dual fuel with gas bake and electric broil.
This is the only LaCornue product we have seen in years past. Many of us have ran into this model at Williams Sonoma. It is a mass produced line called LaCornuFe. I have read that it differs greatly from other LaCornue models as it actually uses the frame and other components from a company in England rather than France. The LaCornuFe is a 43" dual fuel range with a single five burner configuration which is shown. It does come in several colors other than the Provence blue featured. This has been our front runner for some time. The biggest negative, however, are the smaller ovens which are only big enough to fit the width of a medium size cookie sheet. The thickness of the oven walls also decrease the height of the ovens. We would need to purchase wall ovens to make up for the lack of oven space in the LaCornuFe. It may make more sense to spend a little bit more and purchase a LaCornue, or other brand, with larger double ovens.
Now if you are going to have a large range, your also going to need a pot filler. Who wants to haul that heavy pot filled with water all the way from the sink? Most of our pots are heavy enough when empty let alone filled with water. For us this is a must. Rohl makes several pot fillers, including one that comes up from the counter instead of the wall like this swing arm model. It too comes in several finishes and has a cross handle (shown) or lever configuration.
This Rohl single hole, single lever faucet without a spray is a great option for an island prep sink. The single hole minimizes the amount of counter top space used, while the single lever is easy to control when our hands may be messy at the prep sink.
The nice feature about this Rhol faucet is the faucet height and reach. It has a 14" spout with a 9" reach, great for getting around those large apron sinks we all love. This faucet is shown in Satin Nickel.
This bottom grid seems to make a nice addition to the Shaw's sink, but is it useful? Any feedback?
If you are looking for a stainless steel apron sink, this may may be the model for you.
Is it really hidden if I can still see the top? It kind of spoils the beauty of the counter top. Maybe some reader out there will really like this idea and run with it.
We are back following a short break! We have missed posting but in our time away we have accumulated some great information and photographs to share with you in future posts.
Today kicks off a series of posts dedicated to the design of our French inspired kitchen. We have shared a few of our appliance choices in a prior post which you can still view here:
Our French Inspired Kitchen: Selecting a Range
In one of our first posts we shared how we found our architect, Jack Arnold. It was his kitchen that captured our attention from the very first time we viewed it reading a fellow bloggers post. Many of you have seen this photograph before, but we want to show it once again just to set the stage for the design inspiration of our kitchen.
That all being said; a few weeks ago we were surprised and thrilled when some close friends from Chicago took us to Abt in Glenview, about 30 or 40 minutes from downtown. If you are in the area and want to visit you can find Abt at:
Abt Electronics 1200 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Glenview, IL 60025
http://www.abt.com/
At first it looked like your average appliance store; lots of washers and dryers, refrigerators, ranges, much like you would find in your typical big box store, but on a MUCH larger scale. Then, without warning we turned the corner and saw this gorgeous range sitting there.
How could this be? In front of us sat a LaCornue Chateau Series 65" dual fuel range! It was quite exciting given that we have only seen this model in photographs. It was very unexpected. Suddenly Abt became one of our favorite showrooms.
For those of you researching French ranges; it is very difficult to find one with a full size oven. Nobody has yet to explain why so many french ranges are unable to hold a large size cookie sheet. Both of the ovens in the LaCornue Chateau line would fill the bill. There are various configurations for the range top, but this one is set up just fine. Caution: Have smelling salts in hand before looking at the price tag!
LaCornue Chateau Series 65" Dual Fuel Range seen at Abt showroom
This particular setup is kept in stock, and available for pickup at Abt. While speaking with their representatives we also learned that they can get any configuration or model shown on the LaCornue website.
But the fun didn't end there for the LaCornue Chateau Series had friends sitting with him! We also took a look at this LaCornue 36" range. This model has a large single oven which is vaulted and a five burner configuration has a great large central burner. It is dual fuel with gas bake and electric broil.
LaCornue 36" Dual Fuel Range
This is the only LaCornue product we have seen in years past. Many of us have ran into this model at Williams Sonoma. It is a mass produced line called LaCornuFe. I have read that it differs greatly from other LaCornue models as it actually uses the frame and other components from a company in England rather than France. The LaCornuFe is a 43" dual fuel range with a single five burner configuration which is shown. It does come in several colors other than the Provence blue featured. This has been our front runner for some time. The biggest negative, however, are the smaller ovens which are only big enough to fit the width of a medium size cookie sheet. The thickness of the oven walls also decrease the height of the ovens. We would need to purchase wall ovens to make up for the lack of oven space in the LaCornuFe. It may make more sense to spend a little bit more and purchase a LaCornue, or other brand, with larger double ovens.
LaCornuFe 43" Dual Fuel Range in Provence Blue
Many of you have either seen, or may be lucky to already have, a Rohl's faucet. This is the Rohl's bridge faucet with side spray. Rohl's faucet's can be described as kitchen "jewelry". Their quality construction and detail really add the final touches to any kitchen. This faucet is shown with lever handles, with cross handles being another option. Most of the Rohl's faucets come in Polished Nickel, Chrome, Brass, and Bronze. We are leaning towards Polished Nickel.
Rohl Bridge Faucet with Side spray
Now if you are going to have a large range, your also going to need a pot filler. Who wants to haul that heavy pot filled with water all the way from the sink? Most of our pots are heavy enough when empty let alone filled with water. For us this is a must. Rohl makes several pot fillers, including one that comes up from the counter instead of the wall like this swing arm model. It too comes in several finishes and has a cross handle (shown) or lever configuration.
Rohl Swing Arm Pot Filler
This Rohl single hole, single lever faucet without a spray is a great option for an island prep sink. The single hole minimizes the amount of counter top space used, while the single lever is easy to control when our hands may be messy at the prep sink.
Rohl Single Lever Faucet
The nice feature about this Rhol faucet is the faucet height and reach. It has a 14" spout with a 9" reach, great for getting around those large apron sinks we all love. This faucet is shown in Satin Nickel.
Speaking of Apron Sinks; we found some Rohl Shaw's Original Fireclay sinks. They claim that the Shaw's sink is scratch and stain resistant. Any feedback on that? Shaw's makes several sizes, this one being 30" apron. We are considering the Shaw's 36" apron.
This bottom grid seems to make a nice addition to the Shaw's sink, but is it useful? Any feedback?
If you are looking for a stainless steel apron sink, this may may be the model for you.
I am still trying to figure out if this is a useful counter top feature or not. This hidden pop up top has an electrical outlet on one side, and an ethernet connection on the other side. I can see the convenience of having an electrical outlet in the middle of large islands, but I am turned off by the still visible top even when it is closed and "hidden".
Is it really hidden if I can still see the top? It kind of spoils the beauty of the counter top. Maybe some reader out there will really like this idea and run with it.
We really didn't get a good shot of what we'll call the appliance courtyard. Many well known brands (KitchenAid, JennAir, Viking, Electrolux, Wolf, Subzero, Thermador) circle this centrally located room. Nearly every product made can be found in their respected showrooms. We will share some others in a future post.
As mentioned earlier, Abt carries nearly every line of appliance and electronic on a much larger scale than your typical big box store. Case and point, you can find anything from a typical 42" flat screen television all the way up to this large multi screen matrix television that I caught Rob drooling over. Each square is an individual television that can be tuned in to a different station (4 stations being viewed on top) or combined to make a single large screen (12 sets on the bottom). Don't get too excited, this screen will set you back about 100K! That is some serious TV viewing.
We hope everyone has enjoyed part 1 of our tour through the Abt showroom in Glenview, just outside of Chicago. We would love to hear your thoughts or experiences with the products we have shared today. Maybe your kitchen has a great alternative to one of these brands or perhaps you have found a great deal. We are all here to share and learn, so we welcome any comments.
Our next post in this series of Designing Our French Inspired Kitchen will feature kitchen cabinet designs. We have been given some great sketches so far and are eager to get some feedback.
Wishing you all a great week!
-Tonya and Rob
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Greetings everyone!
Today is yet another cold day here in Indiana. I believe it made it up to a whopping 39 degrees today..burrrrr. After the holidays we are pretty well much over the cold and snow. Yes I know winter has only started, but there is nothing wrong with also starting the countdown to spring!
Looking out over the snow covered patio gets us thinking about warm summer evenings sitting outside and enjoying fresh produce from the garden. Today's inspirational images remind us that warmer times are just around the corner.
The new house will have two separate outdoor seating areas just perfect for one of these French inspired patio tables. Can you see yourself enjoying a bottle of wine at one of these tables with your family and friends? On second thought, I could really enjoy a bottle of wine anywhere!
Today is yet another cold day here in Indiana. I believe it made it up to a whopping 39 degrees today..burrrrr. After the holidays we are pretty well much over the cold and snow. Yes I know winter has only started, but there is nothing wrong with also starting the countdown to spring!
Looking out over the snow covered patio gets us thinking about warm summer evenings sitting outside and enjoying fresh produce from the garden. Today's inspirational images remind us that warmer times are just around the corner.
The new house will have two separate outdoor seating areas just perfect for one of these French inspired patio tables. Can you see yourself enjoying a bottle of wine at one of these tables with your family and friends? On second thought, I could really enjoy a bottle of wine anywhere!
Choice 1
We like how these smaller bistro style tables were pushed together to form one larger table. The space is enhanced by the French blue shutters and red flowers, both providing a "pop" of color.
Choice 2
This wood table provides a separate dining space away from the house, and surrounded by nature. A great way to spend a quiet evening.
Source
Choice 3
This outdoor French style table appears to be made of iron. The green seat cushions do a good job of blending in with the natural surroundings.
Choice 4
Looks like a great French bistro table. Lunch for two anyone?
Looks like a great French bistro table. Lunch for two anyone?
Choice 5
What an amazing place to dine outdoors! You can actually rent this home in France if you are in need of a good vacation. Great terrace covering the large patio table.
What an amazing place to dine outdoors! You can actually rent this home in France if you are in need of a good vacation. Great terrace covering the large patio table.
Choice 6
We love the idea of placing a table under the arbor. Arbors do a great job of letting in just enough light, while vining plants can give off beautiful flower blooms.
We love the idea of placing a table under the arbor. Arbors do a great job of letting in just enough light, while vining plants can give off beautiful flower blooms.
Choice 7
A small french style patio table on a crushed stone path. What an amazing little well!
A small french style patio table on a crushed stone path. What an amazing little well!
Choice 8
Large rustic tables are great for the outdoors. I don't like the idea of having a very formal and expensive table outside only to be exposed to the weather. We also don't want to move all of the furniture indoors every fall. This wood table under a shelter is just perfect. It has protection from the elements and since it is made of wood it can stay out all winter.
Large rustic tables are great for the outdoors. I don't like the idea of having a very formal and expensive table outside only to be exposed to the weather. We also don't want to move all of the furniture indoors every fall. This wood table under a shelter is just perfect. It has protection from the elements and since it is made of wood it can stay out all winter.
Choice 9
What a long French style wood table. It looks like you could seat 14 or more people at this table. How great it would be to spend long summer evenings outdoors with your neighbors and friends (assuming you want to share your wine with them).
What a long French style wood table. It looks like you could seat 14 or more people at this table. How great it would be to spend long summer evenings outdoors with your neighbors and friends (assuming you want to share your wine with them).
Source
Choice 10
This wood patio table sits under a retractable roof, allowing for more control of the sunlight.
This wood patio table sits under a retractable roof, allowing for more control of the sunlight.
Choice 11
More bistro style tables on a crushed stone terrace. Great French blue shutters as a side note.
More bistro style tables on a crushed stone terrace. Great French blue shutters as a side note.
Choice 12
A great private outdoor French style table. More terracotta pots and flowers brighten up this space.
A great private outdoor French style table. More terracotta pots and flowers brighten up this space.
This is the view from our current patio. We intend to use this French style iron table at the new home, but with new cushions. This patio is covered and has a great ceiling fan to keep the air moving in the summer.
Another view from the other side of the patio. We also have roller shades to keep the western sun under control.
On the house front; we have so many meetings scheduled with contractors over the next week. On the agenda are 1) Wood Floors 2) Custom Cabinets 3) Built In Shelving 4) Heating and Cooling 5) Brick / Stone / Stucco Selections. You will all get to see the "narrowed down" selections VERY soon.
WINE RECOMMENDATION
As we mentioned before; if you are going to sit out on the patio, you might as well enjoy some wine. Here is one we highly recommend following a recent tasting we hosted. If you want to spend a few dollars on a bottle (and know it's going to be good) give this one a try.
2009 Grand Vin de Bordeaux
Chateau La Bonnelle
Saint Emilion Grand Cru
Wishing everyone a great day!
-Rob and Tonya
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