jillivictorio@gmail.com /

 

Lumber drop and framing begins 4/15/21

 

We have officially started framing this month (April 2021) and it has been the most exciting stage in our build so far. I feel like from the time we broke ground up until framing, not a lot of progress has been noticeable until now. Since framing has gone up, it has been so rewarding to see the layout and get a feel for the floorplan of our home we designed.

Recapping our timeline of major milestones since we broke ground:

January 6, 2021: Broke Ground

January 10, 2021: First Snow Day

January 13, 2021: Housepad Prep

January 18, 2021: Temporary Power

February 9, 2021: Forms

February 19, 2021: Trenching

February 24, 2021: Retaining Wall Built

March 3, 2021: Rough Plumbing

April 9, 2021: Foundation Poured

April 14, 2021: Lumber Drop

April 15, 2021: Framing Begins

Here are before and after photos taken on the same day when framing started. I had to get one last shot of the bare foundation (and let Baron run all over it) before the framers arrived.  The framers worked so fast in such a short amount of time!

April 15, 2021

Taken at 7:33AM:

Taken at 2:35PM

 

 

Writing Scriptures On The Framing

With framing underway, I felt that it was a perfect opportunity to mark our home in a meaningful and personal way. Dubbed ‘Our Farmhouse at the Ranch’, (follow our build journey on IG @our.farmhouse.at.the.ranch), this home is already so significant to us being our first custom build, and writing a few bible verses on the framing is something we will always remember and preserve in our home. I wanted to find relevant scriptures that would tie into each room of the home, and serve as a reminder to us that God’s word never fails and is the foundation of our family and life.

Below I’ve listed some of our favorite scriptures I’ve incorporated into each room of the home:

On The Foundation

For no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christs. Corinthians 3:11

 

 

At the Entryway

You will be blessed when you go in and blessed when you go out. Deut 28:6

 

At The Staircase

Genesis 28:12 is probably one of my favorite verses as it resonates with the upstairs being the kids’ space and Jonah and Baron being our angels.

As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the Earth up to Heaven, and he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. Genesis 28:12

In the Dining Room

They broke bread together and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. Acts 2:46

Give us this day our daily bread  Matthew 6:11

 

Pantry

My cup overflows with your blessings. Psalm 23.5

 

Kitchen

Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Jeremiah 29:5

 

 

Living Room

 

Through wisdom, a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:3-4

 

Study/Office

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will direct your path – Proverbs 3:6

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as if working for the Lord, not for human masters. Colossians 3:23

 

Master Bedroom

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2-3

His mercies are new every morning. Lamenations 3:23

 

We also wanted to involve the kids in writing on the studs. They had fun writing their names along the kitchen window frame.

We will be adding more scriptures around other framed areas of the home, and around the kids’ rooms upstairs after the second floor has been framed and is safe to access. The kids are so excited to mark up their rooms.

I’d love to hear your favorite verses in the comments below!

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

It is a Monday for all, but for us it’s a big, big day.

Today, our first born son Jonah turns TEN. Double digits.

I feel like 10 years has really passed in the blink of an eye.  I know that sounds cliché.  I remember the first moment I saw him and held him.  When they laid him on my chest, I remember the fussy expression on his face upon entering the world. I remember how the late summer sun felt beaming on my newborn and me as we sat outside the back deck while I held him skin to skin as he nursed.  His first steps, his first words, his constant chattiness as a toddler, yet with an independent spirit, I remember it all so vividly.

Going home day! September 10, 2009

I, like many new moms, didn’t know what I was doing.  NO CLUE.

But I did know that this boy was very special, that only after having him did I know actually what being a mom really entails.

Although this is more a lifestyle blog, this is in my heart right now and I really feel the need to write Jonah a letter here on my blog.  I hope you’ll read it too.

TO MY SON ON HIS 10TH BIRTHDAY

Dear Jonah,

Wow!  10 years!  As I write this I have tears streaming down my face and that ball in my throat, not because I’m sad but because I’m so very happy.  Happy Birthday to you. I am so very proud that you’re my son.

I thought to celebrate an incredible decade together that I’d write you a letter.

I really can’t believe you’re 10!  It seems like only yesterday that we brought you home from the hospital.

Newborn portraits, 1 week old

In many ways, I feel like we’ve learned how to be parent and child together.  In the early days I learned to feed you, comfort you, change your diaper and you learned how to do so many things – talk, walk, run.  You would also spend a lot of time with your lolo and lola and go on walks at Alki to breathe in the fresh salty air and dip your tiny toes in the water.

Alki days with lolo and lola

 

During the first days at home together we’d sit outside underneath the trees, listening to the birds, while you nursed all day, and I’d be waiting for daddy to come home.  I remember telling friends that the days seemed to go slowly. I was always told how fast you’d grow up, and everyone was right – I want those early days back.

First home in Seattle (the treehouse!)

Camping trips, Deception Pass

We wanted you to grow up in the city where mommy was born and raised. God had different plans for us and we ended up moving to one of the most beautiful mountain towns outside of Seattle because we wanted the best schools for you and to raise you surrounded by nature. Our home in Issaquah was walking distance to the park and trails where we spent many hours outdoors, playing at the park, riding your bike and walking the trails. To this day, I believe you were born to be and raised outdoors, just like your daddy. You’re also a great camper and traveller!

Riding through our new old neighborhood, Issaquah WA

Hiking trails in our backyard with the dogs (RIP Gir)

CA Redwoods

 

For the first four years of your life, the afternoons consisted of mostly just you and me. We would have so much fun together exploring the town, running our errands, and going on adventures. I’ll cherish these memories as my focus was solely on you!

 

Then the arrival of Baron brought a new role for you!  Big Brother!  We actually made a bigger deal of you being a big brother than of Baron being born.  You took this in your stride and have been the BEST BIG BROTHER Baron could have asked for.  You play with him, you read to him and you help him. You were never jealous of a new baby but a brother brought out more play and more love in you.

First Disney World family trip

 

In math, art and technology you’ve found a passion. You are also creative.  You can see solutions in everything.  Please always use this creative side of yourself. It is good for your mind and your soul to tap into it, and I know it makes you happy.

Beyond your amazing creativity, you have an amazing mind.  One which takes in so much, like a sponge, but you retain it too.  When you were a toddler you knew so much about tractors and trucks and at preschool you were telling the teachers things they didn’t know.  I’ve learned so much from you about nature and the environment and science. I hope you’ll put all you’ve learned in these subjects into good use.

Boating, Lake Granbury TX

Our move from Washington to Texas was the biggest change for me, but you taught me that new environments and change shouldn’t be feared, but rather embraced. You took our move with such tenacity and treated it as a fun new adventure, which I now understand and agree it has been that all along, and I would not have wanted it any other way.

Stay who you are! You are perfect just the way you are.

One day in the not to distant future, your ideas; your brilliant mind will create solutions to problems.  Your ideas will speak to so many and touch them as it has us and your family and friends.

The last thing I want to tell you is that wishes really do come true. I dreamed of starting a family.  You made my dream come true.  So when you blow out the candles on your cake dream big and make a wish. I know it will come true.

Hartstene Pointe, Harstine Island, Shelton WA

I realize as I write this that in 10 more years you’ll be twenty and you’ll be well on your way to being a man and you may not even be living at home, you may be at college.  That is so hard to think of!  My heart hurts knowing soon (hopefully not too soon!) that you’ll be starting a whole new path and journey that won’t always involve me.

But know that daddy and I will always love you every step of the way and be so very proud of you.  No matter what.

Colorado trip

Happy 10th Birthday to our Jonah Boy!

Love,

Mommy

 

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

Image courtesy of PaperCity

 

 

Since moving to Fort Worth TX, John and I, along with our kids have been making time on the weekends to explore our new town, city, region, and state. Recently we had the opportunity to head south to San Antonio to explore the San Antonio’s Historic Pearl and The Missions. We absolutely loved it and wanted to share our discoveries and photos of the area with you!

Stay

AIRBNB

This trip’s Airbnb was an amazing historic mission building, Casa De Alamo, built in 1868 that has been fully restored with modern décor and luxe touches, kid friendly amenities, and had everything we needed for a comfortable stay.  The scenic drive to the home was a highlight in itself passing through winding roads and views of Texas Hill Country.

Absolutely loved this welcoming front porch.

The stoney walls continue throughout the interior…

Cute farmhouse style kitchen

The kids’ bedroom

 

Master Bedroom…

Complete with the perfect selfie mirror for capturing the perfect #ootds

Outfit Details: Coat: H&M, Pants and Top old, Platform Sandals  Blush (also available in white)

The back deck, fully fenced, and just beyond the grass is a creek

 See

The Pearl

The Pearl is a great example of the revitalization along the Riverwalk. Originally a brewery founded in 1881, this property has seen a renaissance in the last decade. Buildings have undergone complete renovation and restoration and now house the Culinary Institute of America, 15+ food venues, a weekend farmer’s market, a luxury hotel and apartments, 13+ retail venues, a yoga studio, and the new Bottling Department, San Antonio’s first food hall, opened in 2017.

The turf lawn outside the Bottling Department Food Hall is the perfect spot for kids to run around and play and people watch.

 

Hotel Emma

Located in the hip Pearl District of San Antonio, Hotel Emma was originally Pearl’s Brewhouse built in 1894 and a San Antonio landmark ever since. It brings an eclectic, high style vibe to a city known for its intermingling of the multicultural and historical. Opened in 2015, Hotel Emma was designed by the award-winning firm Roman and Williams in the historic Pearl Brewery bulding, whose IG I’ve been following for years for their stunning designs in all the cool places. I could spend an entire blog post on just the Hotel Emma itself, but for now I’ll just share some of our favorite features we had time to enjoy.

Lobby

The Roman and Williams team created an original hacienda-chic style that feels one part South Texas ranch, one part Old World extravagance, and one part Jules Verne steampunk.

The front of the building welcomes guests and visitors to a beautiful courtyard that has a romantic Old World feel, with string lights hung, terracotta tiles, a water feature created from tanks salvaged from the original brewery, and a sitting area in front of a beautiful large wood burning fireplace.

Courtyard and wood burning fireplace

Can we take a moment and talk about this impressive kitchen? The Exhibition Kitchen at Hotel Emma sitting smack dab exposed in the middle of a hallway hosts events and classes throughout the year offered to guests. When not in use, the kitchen is definitely a show stopper and conversation starter.

Edible garden landscape outside Supper

 

Outfit Details: Blazer Cape (from 2016): Similar here, Jumpsuit: ANewDay , Sandals  Blush (also comes in White), Fanny Pack: Who What Wear (no longer available)  similar here

 

The Missions

Preserved by the National Historic Parks, San Antonio’s four historic missions are not only architecturally alluring, but also offer some of the area’s most interesting attractions. Sadly, many people have never even heard of these missions – overshadowed as they are by the famous Alamo. Here are some of San Antonio’s most beautiful missions to get your family-friendly, cultural adventure off to a great start.

A fun family day out, The Missions are very kid friendly and best of all, a free attraction for the entire family to enjoy. Kids can run and play inside their stone walls, explore garrisons that guarded residents from raiding Apaches and Comanches, see how native peoples lived 250+ years ago, and learn how ancient settlers grew crops and carried water along an ancient aqueduct.

Mission San Jose

Mission San Juan

Mission Espada

 

Eat and Shop

San Antonio Historic Market Square

We followed the upbeat music and came upon a square dating back to the 1820s, which locals dub “El Mercado,” full of vendor stalls, indoor shops and patio-equipped Latin eateries sitting underneath colorful strings of flags.

The boys and I had our first authentic Gordita! As surprising as that sounds and as much as I love Mexican food, I’ve just been comfortable ordering my usual street style tacos al pastor or carne asada. The boys loved them so much so I’m going to have to learn to make these gorditas at home!

The indoor market had the most beautiful artisan wares. I need to go back for some Saltillo tiles and other art objects.

 

Brunch at Ocho

Ocho is arguably one of the most instagrammable spots in San Antonio no matter the time of day and weather conditions. I knew I had to visit here after seeing photos of their conservatory attached to the Hotel Havana which serves as the Ocho restaurant/bar. I mean the place practically had all of my favorite things in life: windows, plants, marble, turquoise, and brunch!

Upon entering, you are greeted by the largest and tallest Fiddle Leaf Fig you’ll ever see.

 

Southtown

We spent our last day in San Antonio in the Southtown neighborhood, which we stumbled upon by accident searching for the nearest Steelcity Pops per Jonah’s request. After a bit of walking we found Steelcity Pops around the backside of a block located in another industrial building with a big grass lawn in front. I could see this being a popular spot for families during the warmer months.

We also found The Friendly Spot while driving through Southtown. What we first saw was the big children’s play structure out front with tons of kids playing and having fun. In the background was what appeared to be a bar. To our surprise, this said bar had the perfect solution for parents with kids to be able to enjoy some adult beverages while their kids safely played. Let’s just say the rest of our plans for the day got scratched after we found The Friendly Spot.

 

Finally, no trip to San Antonio would be complete without stopping in an H-E-B for market goods. For South Texans, H-E-B is the spot for locally sourced and specialty food items. It’s corporate headquarters is based San Antonio with retail stores located primarily in South Texas and 8 locations in the Southwest part of the DFW Metroplex – we feel lucky to have one in Granbury!  We decided to stop at the H-E-B near our Airbnb in Helotes where we were staying, and to our delight, it was Happy Hour at South Flo Pizza!  South Flo Pizza is a new concept at select H-E-B stores featuring fresh made-to-order artisan pizzas. Happy Hour is from 4-7pm and includes a 16″ large pizza and a choice of draft beers and wine… all for only $10.00!!

Clearly, the wine and beer made our day. The pizza was delicious too! The best I’ve had in Texas.

San Antonio has so much more that we want to see and will have to do on our next visit. I’m already booking a hotel stay for just hubby and me at Hotel Emma for our 11thanniversary this summer!  Three things still on my bucket list in San Antonio:  The Riverwalk, The Luxury, and La Villitia Historic Arts Village.

For those who have travelled to San Antonio, what are your favorite places to check out?

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

https://youtu.be/u8_4knRjKPo

My favorite part of the season is when we transform our home into a Christmas wonderland: putting up the Christmas tree, decking the front porch with lots of  prelit garland , pulling out our favorite decor from past years, and keeping it fresh with the prettiest pieces from (where else?)  Target’s New Holiday Collection .  We love lighting the fire and cranking up the Christmas tunes to turn our holiday decorating tasks into a festive occasion — with hot cocoa for the boys, and beer and wine for my hubby and me.

 

LIGHT IT UP

Nothing says “the holidays are here” like twinkling lights. Thanks to Target’s festive decor, greenery and prelit garland  my home will have a warm, cozy glow all season long.

shop the look: Phillip’s  prelit garland ,  Flocked Pine & Pine Cone Wreath

 

CHILDHOOD CHRISTMAS

One new family tradition we started when Jonah was born is that each Christmas, we get a new family ornament to hang on the tree so that our collection grows with meaningful pieces. We’ve also gifted to our boys their own customized embroidered stockings that they love to put up each year. We have one stocking made for Gir (RIP) and Chaka that we will continue to proudly display for years to come even though Gir is no longer with us. It’s a special way for our family to remember her.  The kids love having their own little Christmas tree and a mantle in the family room where they can add their own creativity and fun touches.

Kids’ Family Room Tree

shop the look:  White Berry Pine Needle Wreath ;  prelit garland ;  3ft Prelit Balsam Fir Christmas Tree ;  Burlap Flocked Christmas Tree ; kids and pet wool stockings are from Garnett Hill;  Toy Christmas Telephone

 

 

 

Main Living Room Tree

WINTER WONDERLAND

I always start my holiday decorating process by laying a foundation with lots of greenery – garlands on the mantle, wreaths on the doors and windows, and of course a towering Christmas tree and the kids’ own tree.  I’ve been sticking to a single color palette over the years with wintry shades of white and frosty sage warmed up with cozy faux-fur, rich velvets, and pinecones, while letting the kids go wild with color and fun decorations on their tree.

shop the look:  Gold Wire Wreath ;  Candlestick Holders in Gold ;  Eucalyptus Pinecone Garland ;  prelit garland ;  Faux Fur Christmas Stockings ;  Burlap Flocked Christmas Tree ;  Letters to Santa Mailbox

 

BRING ON THE COZY

When relaxing at home, I’m all about the cozy vibes. To make the house feel extra inviting, I love layering a few extra throw pillows and draping big fluffy blankets over couches and arm chairs. I also like to add a few seasonal pieces such as art, objects and figurines to my bookshelves that I can rotate throughout the year.

shop the look:  Faux Fur Throw Pillow ;  Faux Fur Throw Blanket ; Framed Art Trees ; 

Holidays, we’re ready for ya! I hope that you all have the best time decorating your space this year and enjoying the holiday magic all season long.

 

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

Kapolei Hawaii June 2018

One of my favorite holiday traditions is writing and sending out Christmas cards to our family and friends. I pick a favorite photo and memory from the year to preserve and use on our Christmas card. This year, I chose a photo from our family vacation to Hawaii in June where John and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and had a vow renewal on the beach. I’ve used TinyPrints every year for their premium quality luxe paper, amazing picture quality, and beautiful designs.  Check out their new luxe holiday cards here.

A gift from me to you as a thank you for reading and visiting my blog: Enjoy 40% your order using code: MDLT-EJWM-K3C8-UNSX42 (while supplies last)!

 

xo,

Jilli