Floors, Faucets, and Friends

Seeing the house this weekend was fun for a number of reasons:

1) Danny and Sherry got to see the place Saturday on a quick day-trip down to NC. Considering they both love home improvement projects and HGTV, the Reynolds' wanted to check things out before the house was completely finished. It was nice getting to share the home-building excitement with them in person.

2) Progress was made with some of the "fun stuff," like flooring, countertops, and bathrooms. New photos below!

3) We met one set of our future neighbors! The folks to the right of our house just closed this week and were in the process of moving in on this gorgeous afternoon.  We were happy to see that they were a couple around our age (perhaps a few years older, as they moved to this area so that the wife could pursue her PhD at UNC).  They also let us know that they have a 16 month-old baby girl, who was sleeping at the time.  They both seemed nice and we look forward to getting to know them once we're settled in as well.

Things left to do include carpeting, installing the oven/range, window treatments, and landscaping. More updates to come next weekend, for sure.

Garage doors are on!

Coach lights on either side of the garage doors

Downstairs half-bath

View of dining nook, bar, and kitchen - light fixtures in! You can also see the wood floors peaking out from under cardboard protection. More floor photos once those are finished. 

Granite counters and stainless steel sink

Different view of kitchen

Nate standing in upstairs loft area

Sneak peak at bathroom tile

Guest bathroom upstairs - faucets, sink counter, toilet, and light fixture installed. Now we just need a mirror!

Hokie Stone

The builders got a lot of things done this week -- at least that's the way WE felt walking into the house this weekend.  All of the interior painting was complete, the cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms were in, the bathroom tile had been started, and the stone portion of our exterior had been installed. It was really neat seeing the stone up there.  Both Nathan and I had dreamed for years of our house one day being built with stone...just like many of the buildings at Virginia Tech.  Now we have our very own "Hokie Stone" for our soon-to-be Hokie Home.

New Exterior! 

Close-up view of the stone

Here you can see the stairs with new railing (will be stained to match the flooring, eventually), and the newly painted walls and trim. 

Kitchen cabinets

Knobs on cabinets in kitchen and bathrooms

Guest bathroom, in progress

View into 2 of the bedrooms from the hallway upstairs

Recipe Recommendations

Because believe it or not, this blog is not JUST for house pictures...wanted to share some winners from our Valentines Vegetarian Feast tonight! Nate and I decided to cook an awesome meal at home instead of going out, and while everything was tasty, I was a big fan of 2 of our recipes in particular: Greek Orzo Stuffed Peppers (courtesy of EatingWell.com) and Oven Roasted Fruit (courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten).  We made a few tweaks, but both were delicious AND nutritious and we can't wait to have leftovers tomorrow. Enjoy!

Greek Orzo Stuffed Peppers (Makes 4 servings)
4 yellow, orange and/or red bell peppers

• 1/2 cup whole-wheat orzo
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (We nixed the onion, per our preference)
• 6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, (not oil-packed), chopped
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Halve peppers lengthwise through the stems, leaving the stems attached. Remove the seeds and white membrane. Place the peppers cut-side down in a large microwave-safe dish. Add 1/2 inch water, cover and microwave on High until the peppers are just softened, 8 minutes. Let cool slightly, drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
3. Mash chickpeas into a chunky paste with a fork, leaving some whole.
4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and oregano and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the orzo, chickpeas, 1/2 cup feta, tomatoes, vinegar and salt; cook until heated though, about 1 minute. Divide the filling among the pepper halves and sprinkle each pepper with some of the remaining 1/4 cup feta.

Oven Roasted Fruit (Makes 4 servings)
3 peaches, pitted and cut into eighths
3 plums, pitted and cut into eighths
1/4 cup sugar (We used SPLENDA instead)
1 cup fresh raspberries or blackberries
1 TBSP orange juice (We omitted this, because I just plain forgot!)

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Place the peaches and plums snugly in a single layer, cut side up, in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle with the sugar, and then top with the raspberries. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender.

Heat the broiler and place the fruit about 5 inches below the heat and broil for 5 to 8 minutes, until the berries release some of their juices.

Remove from the broiler and sprinkle with orange juice. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Drywall is up!

Hello all. Finally, some exciting new pics of the house. Sheetrock and drywall went up this past week, so Nathan and I went by today to check things out.  They also started painting the exterior so the siding is no longer the ugly yellow color Hardie Plank starts out as, and instead is beginning to look like what we imagined back when we picked our style and color scheme back in November.

Updated exterior, as of Feb 12th, 2011

Yay! It's Gray!

View of the front door, foyer, dining room, half bath, and stairs from the middle of the first floor

Nathan, waving hello from our great room downstairs

Kitchen

Half bath and stairs -- can't wait til the railing is installed!

The Loft, overlooking the backyard

This coming week the builders have big plans -- pouring the driveway, installing interior trim and doors, and then beginning to paint all the inside walls. We will definitely keep posting as things change. Sending our love from Cary, NC!