Thanksgiving in Isolation

 It was a very quiet Thanksgiving. Normally, my youngest brother and his wife come up from northern Alabama as she likes to spend Christmas with her mother. However, the surge in COVID cases kept them at home. And my sister-in-law, who lives locally, had to work all day. So it was just Pete and I. We tried a Jennie O Oven Ready Boneless Turkey Breast, which came out great. The rest of our meal consisted of tried and true favorites.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We're in Debt Again

Image
We signed the contract to build our house with TAB today. Pete and I celebrating being in debt again; personal collection The contract is a firm-fixed price contract with three areas of unknown costs, which was unusual for TAB. We were unable to get a price quote for site preparation due to the Hurricane Florence recovery efforts. Our contract included only an estimate. Also, our plans would have to be reviewed by a structural engineer to ensure they met or exceeded local building codes. Because we are on a river in hurricane country, there could likely be additional costs. Finally, depending on where we located the house on the lot, the foundation may exceed the four rows of cinderblock included in the contract. Next, the hurry-up-and-wait period while permits are pulled and the structural engineer weighs in on changes to meet codes. I have been busy setting up electrical, water, and sewer service to the lot.
Read more

Selecting the House Plan

Image
"Where we love is home -- home that our feet may leave but not our hearts." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Dad was a mechanical engineer by degree who worked at an architecture and engineering firm and then with a manufacturers' representative company, designing commercial heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC) systems and selling the equipment. He and Mom were inveterate remodelers of every house in which they lived. (I got those genes.) They designed their last two houses, which they built; and Dad did most of the construction of their house on Dawson's Creek. Some of my fondest memories of Mom are sitting with her at the kitchen table and looking at house plan books. Building a custom home is a project I anticipate eagerly. After I retired in 2015, Pete and I decided it was time to move to New Bern. He was commuting by plane every week to Albany, New York, and figured it didn't matter where home was. So I started looking at house plans in ear
Read more

Exterior Lighting: You Get What You Pay For

Image
I initially selected Y Decor's 1-Light Galvanized Finish Outdoor Wall Sconce from Home Depot as our exterior lights. At $36 each, the price was right. I ordered one as a sample and am so glad I did. Y Decor's 1-Light Galvanized Finish Outdoor Wall Sconce ; courtesy Home Depot It wasn't really galvanized; it was a fake finish and cheap looking as well. The lighting selected by our builder when pricing the contract was from Kichler Lighting. They went for a modern farmhouse look and used black or oil-rubbed bronze fixtures. We're going for a more coastal vibe and want to use shiny, reflective fixtures. But I thought it would be a good idea to stay with Kichler if at all possible. And it was. I chose their Northland sconces in brushed aluminum. Northland 1-Light Wall Light in Brushed Aluminum ; courtesy of Kichler Lighting
Read more