Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I just read the classic Aesop fable called the "Tortoise and the Hare" to my first grade class.  After we finished reading the story, we had a discussion about what the moral or lesson of the story was.  We decided that there were two lessons: Don't be conceited (like the Rabbit) and to never give up (like the Tortoise).   

At the end of the story, the Tortoise states, "Slow and steady wins the race".  Nick and I currently feel that we are at the "slow and steady" portion of the house project.  It feels as though nothing is happening and that we will never be ready to move in.  However, when we look at it, there actually is a lot going on; it's just not the fun, exciting stuff that you can SEE.  Behind the scene stuff can be boring (even if it is critical and needed).  

Here are some of the things we have been working on: 

                                   Doing the last dump run!  Don't I look thrilled?

Recessed lighting is installed in the hallway.  Recessed lighting is a TON of work and there is a lot of "behind the scenes" work involved. 

Recessed lighting is installed in the living room.  My Dad also patched up the wall above the fireplace.  It makes such a difference!

The family room recessed lighting is installed, too. (Can you tell what my husband has been working on?!)

This is Nick's "Oh yah, this is awesome" face.  We chose LED lights for the recessed lighting.  This is what the final product looks like.  Even though LED is much more expensive, we decided it was worth the investment for several reasons.  First of all, LED is much more energy efficient which will save us in the long run.  Secondly, LED is the direction that lighting is going.  Standard light bulbs won't be popular much longer because of the energy efficiency movement. 

 We have been shopping and price matching.  Please ignore the price tag; I took this photo so that we could compare with online shops!  This is the cabinet hardware we will be using throughout the kitchen.  We love the sleek, clean look!

We bought a toilet for our master bathroom remodel!  I never knew that I would care so much about a toilet!  However, once you start researching and learning about them... you can become quite picky!  We chose this particular toilet because of the high ratings/reviews, the 1.28 gallon per flush feature (yay for saving on the water bill), and the base design.  I DESPISE cleaning around the base of the toilet.  There are all those ridiculous nooks and crannies and it just isn't a fun task for me.  All the new toilets have a solid base.  BRILLIANT!  I was sold.  Doesn't my hubby look excited?  

And, most importantly, we are trying to remember to take time for US in between the craziness of it all.  The picture above was taken last weekend at the Huey Lewis and the News concert at Rodney Strong Winery.  We had an absolute ball!  

So, we have been busy; it just hasn't been exciting stuff like floor installation and painted walls.  But, SLOW AND STEADY wins and race.  We are well on our way!