More jaw-dropping fire screen options

Fire screens by John Lyle Design

Have you ever seen a fire screen like the one below? Amazing. 

I'm loving...

These fire screens by Philip Nimmo Ironworks...

Introducing the newest (smallest) McElveen

Caleb Reese was born last night at 10:14 PM! He is so precious and such a blessing to our family! Way to go Reese and Linds, you did good.

"D" is for drywall

As I write this we sit in Greenville waiting for baby Caleb to arrive! In fact, my parents just hightailed it over to the hospital. Busy is the word of the week with finishing up work, Caleb, the casa and traveling for Christmas. If I were president, I would make today through the new year a national holiday. No workin' just eatin'.

On Saturday the drywall was (almost) finished upstairs and this week there will be more of the same.

Post-church, Nate and I laid a concrete bed for our new hearth. We said that it is good we decided to head to Greenville because it just forced us to do it. No more thinking about it. (Apparently, Nate spent Saturday counting, re-counting, pressure washing and re-counting the bricks we will be using to make sure we had enough... such a planner). We actually found all of the bricks laying around our property in random places.

Before laying some Quikcrete (we just discussed how that word should be spelled), Nate spent a day re-enforcing the hearth from below with some concrete blocks.

In other news. I can't stop looking at this office done by Kelly Wearstler...well mostly just that painting.

I'll introduce my newest nephew once he arrives!

Sleigh bells and big bellies and insulation...

We went to the lumber yard very early this morning (they are doing a custom handrail for our new fancy- schmancy stairs (photos below!!)) and on the way home Nate told me, "I like it when you're on coffee." ON it. Like a drug. I, also, like it when I am on coffee.

Coffee literally makes the sun brighter. My thoughts...
I am now officially obsessed with Vampire Diaries. That's what I do instead of blogging these days...Nate told me that I had to stop watching it because I woke up screaming one time. You would have screamed too if Nate had been trying to touch you with his bloody leg stump that was taken off in a scary supernatural manner. Yes, you would have screamed. I am always a sleep talker/walker. Nate overreacts and tells me I am annoying, Reacher just groans and pushes me further away with his legs.

Christmas is 12 days away. I am officially done with my Christmas shopping, boooyah.

My newest nephew seems to be on the way. I think his official due date is now Christmas Eve. Poor buddy.  I tried to find a picture where you can see Lindsay's cute baby bump, but it is almost impossible to perceive in photos....but I know Linds doesn't feel that way in person! Mom, Dad, Reese and Linds in Oklahoma last week at Reese's graduation from Orthodontics residency/school. Yay!

Back at the ranch things are a-happenin'.
By the end of the week there will be insulation and drywall upstairs, along with a myriad of other things! We will be able to use heat...translation: y'all feel free to come visit next week! They also took down the half wall around the staircase and we will be getting grown up railings and such.
Some photo story-telling...

Keep you posted.

Let the fiesta continue

The fiesta in my living room that is.

This week our house was once again filled with worker bees as we renovated our fireplaces (not a literal we...we have mad skillz but not that mad). They were in serious need of repair with crumbling fireboxes and flues. We bit the bullet and went ahead with the $$$ fixes because it's one of the reasons we bought it in the first place and we were going to do it at some point anyway so why not now. Take a look. We no longer have to block them off as safety hazards and energy sucks....Just remembered that we DO have a safety hazard...see the giant gaping canyon in front of the pretty new firebox?

 We had them remove the buckling hearth and now have to reinforce it from below before laying a new one...if you give a mouse a cookie...Now, of truly garish nature, our master fireplace. The shoddily laid pink marble surround is going away along with its interesting mantle, but the firebox is oh-so-pretty. The guys were able to add another 8-10 inches to the depth. What a happy surprise!

And from outside: they built up the chimney to code, new flues, liners, cap, dampeners...the works. Some of those words were probably made up in my mind.

I see some of you are still jealous of our Tar Heel blue house...but as Clemson alum it turns our blood to ice. Sorry, little bro (UNC alumni), its gotta go. 

And the porch?

Almost there. 

Wired and ready to go for outdoor speakers, two fans, and two receptacles (plugs for us SC folk). 

Remember what it looked like before??

Still in the pipeline are our front steps and new walkway (we have to meet with the Historical Society to be approved), drywall hopefully by mid- January, insulate upstairs, reinstall moulding, paint hardwood floors upstairs, paint downstairs...overwhelmed, so I'm stopping. 

In other news, there have been some seriously fun finds recently...

I got this onesie Troy wall sconce from Habitat for $100...retails for $567. He has a future home, but not a current one. And is wonderfully large in person. 

And this table lamp for $180...retails for $840. Shazam. 

Mom got an amazing pair of sconces but I can't find them from any of our vendors and no mo' iPhone means no pictures on hand. 

I have been exhaustively searching for the perfect fabric for our lake house drapes, picky I might be...and it is a lake house so we don't want to break the bank. Today I found this Oscar de la Renta fabric and it will be perfect...it has a hand-made folksy look and beautiful colors. I may just have to go buy the rest of the lot tomorrow before work. 

We are making one pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomato and pepperoni pizza tonight...it will change your life. 

P.S. I am a professional run-on sentence maker. It would make my awesome Aunt Tracey (and little brother) cringe and turn blue, so don't let them read it, Hannah. Just pictures. We don't use sentences in my profession, or math. Calculus was a waste.

It's an Etsy holiday

Check out the Luxe girls (me included) top Etsy picks for the holiday on our blog...