A family's journey to build a healthy home
Why would we take on the overwhelming task of building our own house as "Owner Builder?" We have a unique story to share with you. In 2007, we had two sons, eight months old and four years old, along with a chocolate lab. We built what we thought was our dream home. Two years and… Continue reading Our Story
We have lived the journey and now it's written in a book so you may be encouraged as WORDS MATTER along our journey & YOURS! It's an easy short read! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736362402/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=landtohome0d-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=348fbd0ae96533049d4f31c3b9c815d9&creativeASIN=1736362402 Three challenging houses taught me words matter on my journey & yours... 1st challenging house: Toxic Chinese drywall house with a sinkhole 2nd challenging… Continue reading DEMO DAY BOOK
Three years, 65 blog posts, views from 44 countries and 1 book published... DEMO DAY book release - January 2021 A labor of love... - December 2020 Leaking GAS Cooktop - November 2020 XL epic wipes & our favorite hand sanitizer - October 2020 Tight house & carbon dioxide build-up (part 2) - September 2020… Continue reading 3 YEARS OF BLOG POSTS!
December 10, 2020... I am waiting for my hubby to be home from a long trip for his new job training. My boys and I are so excited to surprise him! Last summer he saw a table in Waco which he so liked and has talked about since, but was not practical to have it… Continue reading A labor of love…
How can something which looks so nice cause such frustration?!?!? While this month was packed full of celebrating our oldest son's birthday, Craig beginning a new job and traveling for training as well as celebrating Thanksgiving and decorating for Christmas, we were trying to find a resolution to our leaking gas cooktop. In August, we… Continue reading Leaking GAS Cooktop
A flat tire on the way to a job interview....doesn't that only happen in the movies? NOPE! Craig had an early morning of driving about two hours north for his current job, and was then starting to head back to town when he hit something in the road. IMMEDIATE FLAT TIRE! He was able to… Continue reading XL epic wipes & our favorite hand sanitizer
As you read in part 1, last month, the problem of a tight house and carbon dioxide build-up is real! It doesn't have to be a hard, long drawn out fix....yet our journey to get there was difficult....since there's not a money tree in the back yard we continued to have hope in the company… Continue reading Tight house & carbon dioxide build-up (part 2)
For those of you who are counting....yes, this has become our third house with challenges. First was toxic drywall / sinkhole house. Second, was a rental house with mold. This house was built very well and very tight. Tight is not the problem, but a tight house which is not properly ventilating is a PROBLEM!… Continue reading Tight house & carbon dioxide build-up (part 1)
For the past six months, our youngest son has been making great strides and great items with his 3D Printer. At his age, we were using markers and crayons, but a nine year old these days has an amazing use of technology. It has been fun watching him learn how to slice, use files and… Continue reading 3D Printer Safety & Sunscreen Safety
A beautiful sunset evening for my birthday....interrupted by mold! BUMMER was when we opened the door to this privately owned condo...we smelled MOLD. The plan was a weekend getaway for my birthday / mother's day. That didn't happen! With a quick glance at the room, the a/c unit and curtains were covered. One theory is… Continue reading Mold in a beach condo & We love Essential Oils
While our world went to a very slow pace almost overnight with a stay at home order, there was extra time for projects. A planned project was building and planting a garden... Then a spontaneous thing happened....we bought baby ducks! Our older sons had experienced the fun of raising baby ducks, so when our boys… Continue reading Spring garden & ducks which don’t fly
Projects off of the to do list is always a good thing around here... BLINDS on windows - cross it off! Temporary paper window shades stayed on the windows longer than we expected but it was past time for the real window blinds. Two inch white blinds on each window and the house felt more… Continue reading Projects & Parenting
There was a lot of research with our "self-taught crash course" on HVAC... Bigger is NOT better! After a dozen visits by the HVAC company over the past year, we were at our wits end dealing with the humidity in the house. Last fall, the units had been recharged, systems balanced, new coils in the… Continue reading HVAC 101 Crash Course: Bigger is not better
String It Up! Our middle son has found a new way to put wood from the garage to use and make money. It started with my Christmas present which he made to say MOM and added clips for pictures to hang. Since he made my gift, he decided that sanding wood, staining or painting, hammering… Continue reading A new entrepreneur: String It Up!
Our new year began with taking down the Christmas lights and adding a fire pit to the backyard... During a stressful afternoon, our neighbor texted to say their was a rainbow over our house. We captured these pictures as the rainbow as so bright and a reminder of God's promises...it felt like a hug from… Continue reading New Year: 2020 & Hexclad Pans We Love
A family tradition seemed so much easier this year....(A.) Was it because we had built a whole real house so a gingerbread house seemed much easier? (B.) Was it because I bought a pre-constructed gingerbread house with all necessary items included? (C.) Both A & B It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...this… Continue reading First Christmas…
Construction projects are always happening!!! Blaze, the bearded dragon, enjoyed his upgrade from a glass aquarium to a custom home... WOW!!! Who knew that hanging lights on the back porch could be so eventful.... We are SO THANKFUL that this black widow and nest was discovered BEFORE it became problematic!!! Decor is coming together....cozy,… Continue reading November Highlights & Mold Resources
Pumpkins and fall were a welcome sight as the fireplace wall transformed over the month... Amongst house projects, we added a furry family member...Milton, a chocolate lab puppy, came home with us at 8 weeks... After years of asking for a 4 Wheeler, our almost 16 year old got his early Birthday/Christmas present... Yes, this… Continue reading October: Fall Fun & Decor
TILE, TILE & MORE TILE..... Backsplash was one of our hardest decisions and was such a feeling of accomplishment when it was complete!!! Master shower flooring was one more memorable project as the pebbled floor tile looks great on display and comes in tidy 12x12" square sheets....However, they don't fit together like puzzle pieces. Displays at… Continue reading September: Tile & Air in our home
REMEMBER STONES: A reminder of our house journey... 5305- our first townhouse we rented 15307 - our first home we built with a builder 1536 - our second home we built with a builder - chinese drywall / sinkhole 5519 - rental house for 5709 - our home we bought as a foreclosure and redid floors,… Continue reading REMEMBER STONES
August flew by, but ended with a great anniversary celebration...and HUGE SURPRISE! MY favorite GC (Owner-Builder Hubby) and I met Fixer Upper's GC Chip Gaines...While we don't watch a lot of television, we have watched Chip & JoAnna Gaines HGTV show where they took on many fixer uppers and made a house feel like a… Continue reading August & All things Magnolia Anniversary