The Snowmen Dolls are Back!

I am simply amazed at the number of primitive snowmen (and snowwomen) dolls available online. There are big ones, little ones, set of three and pairs of two. There are snowman lamps, snowman pillows, dolls, curtains, table cloths and table runners. You name it - there's a snowman version available somewhere.
In my niche, there are a wide variety of pricing and shipping options. Country Sampler boasts a pretty good assortment, but they seem to have higher prices than other retailers. Ebay has a wide variety of snowman collectibles, but you have to pick through a lot of junk to find the good stuff. Stitches and Baskets has a pretty good selection and very reasonable prices. The best place (IMHO) to find primitive snowmen is Primitive Home Decors in the, you guessed it, Snowman category. They have fast shipping on most of the most popular snowmen. I saved pictures of some of my personal favorites below. Which one do you like best?

Primitive Snowman Dolls


Mr. Jingles Primitive Snowman


Mr. Cane Snowman


Sir Tanner Snowman



Jingle Tree Snowman


Granny Rose Snowmen Doll Set

June Construction Progress

Greg Hillan and company made great progress on our new country home during June. The framing and roof were completed and the put in the windows before starting on the brick and stone work. Since these pictures were taken, they have done the electrical and plumbing rough in work and started on the drywall. Kate picked out the plumbing fixtures this week and Greg ordered the cabinetry and the appliances.
Here's a couple pictures of the brick, stone and windows:

Country Curtains

Found some great curtain ideas from Park Designs. These came from the country curtains section at Primitive Home Decor.


I love these Willow and Sheep Valances:


The Ohio Star valances are cool, but might not work with our new home decor.


These Honey and Spice curtains would brighten up just about any room. They would look great in the kitchen.


Cabin Quilt design is much more subdued than the Honey and Spice, but very rustic / country feel to them.


These Homestead design valances might just do the trick. Simple design for simple folks living in the country. (Even though we're really not that far out in the country.

Framing goes pretty fast in the country

They let the concrete harden for a few days before the framing started, but they didn't waste any time getting the walls up. From Monday to Friday, they framed the entire basement, framed all the exterior walls and started putting up weather proofing and framed the intior walls. WOW!!!





This is the view we will have from the kitchen



This is the rear elevation. So much for the concrete patio... Looks like a great spot for a deck.



They are going so fast, Kate will be challenged to get everything picked out by the time they are ready to install.

And then the concrete crew visited our country home site

Not more than a day after the excavator dug this huge hole in the side of the hill, the concrete crew from Weber Concrete showed up to pour the footer and set the concrete forms to pour the basement walls. These guys move FAST!!!

Basement Dug and Foundation Poured

First there was a bulldozer, then there was a huge excavator...

Big Gravel, Little Since

The excavators got the big #2 gravel spread in the driveway last Thursday, but they haven't done a whole lot since then. The gravel is hard to drive on (even in the truck) but it's even harder to walk on in boots. The dog (Buddy) prefers to walk in the muddy grassy areas and I can't say I would argue with him if I didn't understand what muddy feet do to carpet...
Kate is still working on the pictures from last week so I will get those posted as soon as they are available. Several great pictures, they just haven't been processed yet. Even got a couple pictures of Jesse on his birthday with his 3 finger salute to the new project.
Somewhat disappointed today because they didn't start digging the basement. No word from the contractor yet on the timeline, but I'm sure he has a good reason for the timing. Looking forward to rapid progress once they get all the subcontractors lined up.