My Mom, the 1500-Mile Designer

Let me preface this post with how much I love my parents.  They have been there for me, even when I didn't deserve it.  Especially when I didn't deserve it.

Two years ago, I gave her a project: her my wedding.  And she did great.  Anyone who attended, or saw the photos, said it was the party of the year (for Great Falls, Montana, of course).  There were fireworks, people.  Fireworks.  OK, there were sparklers, but it was really cool!  Last year, my mother planned our family trip to England.  Again, everything coordinated to the finest detail, getting the most out of our adventure.  The woman should either go into event planning or become a travel agent.

Now, she has a new project: her our house.  I've been getting pictures of 1920's Hollywood Glam furniture, and cabinet/counter top combinations, and grass cloth accent walls, and closet storage organization ideas.  When she's at home, HGTV is on the TV, and Architecture Digest is on the coffee table.  When she's at work, countless home design websites are on display on her monitor.  Don't get me wrong, as a city judge, she makes sure justice is fully dispensed, but in her down time - it's all decor, all the time.

My parents built their own house in 2004 - a massive mid-century modern home that is stunning.  Set in the prairie grasslands of Montana, my parents' house is as clean-lined, modern and awe-inspiring as they come, due in large part to my mother's design ideas.  I mean, it's got an arboretum in the middle of it, for goodness sake!

Having shown my mom our house plans, she provided me with some very important advice: "Appeal to the greatest number of people."  If we ever plan to resell this house, it had better be something that people want.  Too many modern angles won't sell in this neighborhood...or city...or state.  So we had better keep to contemporary (modern lite).  Clean lines, but nothing too sharp.  Lots of windows, but no walls of glass.  Better go with hardwood instead of an ultra-urban sealed cement floor.

My mother gave me some great ideas for the house, and we will be calling on her design skills during the course of building this home.  She will be the first on our Epic House Warming Party 2013 list.  Here's to having one hell of a mom!

Cheers!
Caroline

Lots to Start With

We didn't think we'd ever get here.  We thought we were out when the developer started lowering lot prices and pushing for contracts.  We didn't have $20,000 lying around to start.  We thought we'd be in our little apartment for a lot longer than we anticipated.  We might possibly die there - either from the secondhand smoke coming through our vents from our neighbors, or from the fire started by fireworks being shot into the trees around our building.

We had already sold our home in St. James Park amongst controversy, anxiety, and severe loss of useable capital.  You can read my husband's blog to learn more about that fun little episode.

We were worn thin.  Still are.  Two rapidly growing Golden Retrievers with no yard make for more CraigsList Pet "Rehoming" ads than any other excuse.  We, of course, were not giving up our puppies - no matter how inconvenient living in an apartment with them was.  Though it is, indeed, inconvenient.

But someone, somewhere, took pity on us, and let the light shine in.  And that someone was our builder, Curtis McCarty.

Seeing our angst at losing what we thought was the perfect piece of property, with its perfect treeline, its perfect size, the perfect set of plans, he brokered a deal with us.

The lot is ours as of this week, and we start building in a matter of days.  The wash of relief, happiness, excitement, and hope is almost more than we can contain.  I'll drink to that!

Cheers -
Caroline