Progress, Palabras, and a Pit Stop

Though the last few weeks have been full of meetings, decisions, and hours of searching for the just right (and within budget) lighting and plumbing fixtures, the progress on the construction has been a wee bit slow.  The plumbing has all been roughed in (including an upgrade of copper to the kitchen upon Rob's request!), and the master bathroom shower floor has been reinforced with cement.

 Two of the tubs have been put in and are full of water in order to test that the floor can hold 'em?  I'm not sure, but they're there and they weren't before, so that's good news!

Master bathroom shower... we've got double shower heads!  The clawfoot tub is in storage and will go in later.

The fireplace has arrived (million thanks to Sean and the delivery guy who lugged it from the truck to the living room!) and should be installed sometime soon.

This Direct Vent Napoleon Fireplace is the result of many visits to showrooms, hours of research and consultation of energy efficiency engineers, and the collaboration of Rob and Sean.  Next is to design the door that will go on the front!

This summer, I've been co-teaching a graduate school class for the Heart of Texas Writing Project Summer Institute. We're working with 18 Austin area K-12 teachers on developing their writing and their teaching of writing.  Participating in this institute 5 years ago changed my career in education significantly. It brought me to UT's graduate program, to publish articles and present nationally, and, most importantly, to be more reflective in my teaching practice and in my position as a white teacher of privilege in classrooms with populations of students who have been under-served in our society and by our schools. 

In the writing that I've done this summer, I have thought a lot about our house and the men who are out there on days like today, in 106 degree temperatures, building the home where our family will live and our children will grow up for years to come.  Last week, I bought a bunch of sharpies and wrote a message (below) to the workers that, in short, asks them to please take a marker and write a message, blessing, saying, or just sign their name to demonstrate their work toward this project that means so much to Rob and me.  I've spoken to the plumbers, some framers, and electricians and they are thinking out what their message may be.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime, Steve, a friend and colleague of Rob's, brought a fun opportunity our way. He received news from a producer friend of his that while working on an indie film in Austin, the construction site where several scenes were to be shot had fallen through.  Did Steve have any ideas of where they might be able to film?  A few emails later, the film crew for Pit Stop was scheduled to meet on West Johanna Street to get rolling!


 We couldn't believe how many people arrived!  Somewhere between 20 and 30 people swarmed onto the property and brought a whole new feel to the place!  Rob, Sean, and I each grabbed a koozie and a cold drink, perched on the edge of our newly installed tub, and watched the action!

 Before they left, they wrote us a collage of messages on the floor of a bathroom.  We feel super cool to have been able to be a small part of their work and look forward to hearing about the premiere!

As if fame in film didn't provide enough excitement for a week, we were thrilled to see that the exterior colors we chose look great and to approve the samples.  As seen in the below photos, we'll have a grayish-green main color with a creamy white trim.  The windows have both a clay and a chocolatey brown color. We're also excited about the way the stain for the eaves it looking!  I can hardly wait 'til the day (maybe this week???) when I come around the corner and see the new paint color covering the house!

Lastly, on the baby 'front', I've decided to take part in those popular pregnancy profile pics.  Over the past few days my waistline has taken on a new shape.  What better place to document change than at the house!  So, here I am on the front porch and here we will document both the progress of my baby bump and of the house.  Stay tuned!