Home Plans: Things I am loving Thursdays.........

Happy Thursday! You know its my favorite day because I get to share what I am loving this week and this week its mostly all about my house as we step into high gear into the finishing stages. Granted we have a long ways to go but its exciting to finally see things starting to come together! So here we go with what I am loving this Thursday.....
MY NEW FLOORS AND A FEW HOUSE UPDATES. Oh yea, you better believe after driving my husband CRAZY with a capital C for months(gotta have them ~~or else)~~..for these floors then waiting another four months for them to come in...you better believe this is at the top of my list of things I am loving today! They were installed just a few days ago and they are exactly as I had dreamed about all those sleepless nights. So worth the wait, the sleepless nights, those extra glasses of wine, that extra cup of coffee, that argument, yep...worth it all! So here's a peak at the kitchen floor during the "dry lay" unfortunately by the time I arrived with my camera in tow to have a little photo session they were all covered up...but I will snap away when they uncover them next week to do the sealing process, they came out AMAZING! (In these pictures they are wet) And then pictures from the factory of my husbands floor which got shipped 2 days ago and should be here today! I am in love with those too! What do you think?

Sons bathroom in progress..loving it!

Dining room...final spackling is done!

Radiant heat in kitchen finished....

Ditto for breakfast room

The table with the molding samples

The dome over the stairhall

A tiny sampling of the floors...a "dry run" before the actual install

Finally........if a floor could tell a story....

And at last they begin......

Hubbys bathrooms floor......

HARDWARE FOR CABINETS. My newest reason to lose sleep. Yes, I thought I had this all figured out. Should have known its never that easy. Thought I was going the old polished nickel route which I think is GORGEOUS. However now am second guessing myself and thinking my particular kitchen with all the old world elements it's got going on might call for something a slight bit more rustic(not sure if rustic is the right word) not something so bright and shiny if you get what I am saying...nevertheless I have been eyeing some pretty gorgeous hardware. (and I am seriously confused now) Here are some tidbits.....

MARBLE. I melt over marble. Buckle at the knees. Get a little faint and lightheaded. Crazy, huh? Don't know what it is but show me a slab of gorgeous white veiney marble and I just about lose my mind. So, as you can see I have been looking a lot at marble slabs. The one I am the most in love wtih is Calacutta Crown, naturally one of the more expensive of the whites! But, man is it gorgeous..so below are a few of the slabs currently available...thoughts?

AN ACT OF KINDNESS. This story is simply amazing, there is a movie called "A small act" which is about as heartwarming as you can get. An incredible story about the domino effect of giving and receiving. Starts with Hilde Back, escaped from Nazi Germany, so grateful she wants to give back and does so by giving $15 a month by randomly selecting an African child to help. Turns out it is Chris Mburu, a rural Kenyan student who miraculously turns his tiny opportunity into success beyond anyones imagination. He becomes a standout star student, eventually moves to the United States, attends Harvard Law School and chooses to honor his donor by establishing the Hilde Back education Fund which sponsors more Kenyan children to do just what she did many years ago. He tracks her down and brings her back to Kenya to see what her generous and then small act of kindness has inspired. Such an incredibly heartwarming story! Click here to read all about it and to see how you can help get in on your own small act. Below is a picture of Hilde and Chris reunited.....such a wonderful story!

LIMESTONE HOODS. I love the authentic look a limestone hood gives a kitchen. Granted, its not appropriate for all kitchens but for mine, I know its just right. I can't wait to receive it! The one I am getting, shape wise looks very similar to this one below.

WALLPAPER. You know I have literal daily wallpaper crushes. I have chosen and ordered paper for two bathrooms so far because I had to strike while the iron was hot, however there are still many more areas to consider papering so my quest for gorgeous paper continues!

I love Gailbraith and Paul papers..used them in my old bathroom. Something about these below that I really like, they feel so fresh and I love the soft muted colors..was thinking maybe for my laundry room, and am thinking to go wtih pale painted gray cabinetry in there....any thoughts?

Possible cabinet color above (thoughts?) in laundry room...contenders for paper below:

FUN OUTDOOR PLATES. Boatman Geller, love everything they make. And love these adorable melanine plates...shatterproof, perfect to have on hand for fun effortless ourdoor entertaining! I love the first ones and am ordering them, they will look great on top of a wicker placemat with white flatware and a chunky glass! Love the other patterns too...wouldn't they make great gifts? I am thinking of ordering these for a housewarming gift for a cousin moving to AZ. If you want to visit Boatman Geller to check out their extensive line of goodies..click here.

A GREAT DESIGN BOOK. By Chritiane de Nicolay-Mazery and Jean-Bernard Naudin. I could open a small library with my book collection, I kid you not. But there are a handful of design books I go back to again and again....they just never get old. One of them, if you love all things French and if you love "being taken away" is this one,it is a gem of a book and I promise you, you will not only love it but you will thank me for recommending it.They take you into a special and privileged world. It is chock full of dreamy and breathtaking pictures, all taken at various chateaus in the countryside in France from real life dinners, weddings,events and day to day life. We see these magnificent homes in the most intimate way possible through all four seasons and the photography truly takes your breath away...I promise you will not be disappointed...there is a reason my book looks likes its as old as the chateaus featured in them! It is a true slice of heaven.

A GOOD SAUCE IN A JAR. I know...I know, I am not a "sauce in a jar" kind of gal. However I decided to try Mario Batali's new Alla Vodka sauce, well actually I got it to prepare for my son who is a self declared alla vodka connoisseur. Since yours truly is on a diet...I figured this would be easy and what did I have to lose? As it turns out, this was darn good. Its quite spicy (but he likes it that way) and we would both highly recommend it. It required almost no extra seasoning which is a first (I just added a wee bit extra Parmesan cheese) Try it...you'll like it!

UNIQUE GIFTS. I love when I come up a unique idea to buy for someone special in my life. My niece has a birthday coming up, so for her I always send a gift card (as show me a teenage girl who doesn't love an excuse to hit the mall) but this year as she spends her last few weeks trying to decide which college acceptance she will say yes to, once she does I am going to have a dozen custom cookies made up in that colleges' logo made up. I have ordered from Flourpotcookies before and let me tell you, they make the cutest cookies! For my grandmother who is a serious bridge player from the south, they whipped up a dozen cookies all with the theme of bridge and made two mint julep cookies! Here is a sampling of their truly incredible almost too cute to eat works of art! Click here to visit them. And, yes these are all really cookies!