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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!

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Earlier in the summer season, my dahlias made their appearance. Of the 5 tubers I planted in the spring, I was able to harvest about half a dozen bouquets. I’ll definitely be planting more next year! I hope you’ve seen some of the beautiful blooms on my Instagram page @jillivictorio.

I remember the excitement of planting and growing my first dahlias in Issaquah, WA. It all started with only three tubers I ordered from Floret Flower in 2017. As soon as the first Breakout Dahlias bloomed, I was hooked. I’m so happy I’ve been able to grow a few here in North Texas, as the flowers I tend to love most (peonies) are not suitable for hotter climates and mostly thrive in the NW. Dahlias however, thrive here, so I’ll be growing more for sure. My dream is to plant hundreds of dahlia tubers on acreage for my own mini flower farm to enjoy fresh bouquets at home, and to share with neighborhoods, family, and friends.

Here’s a look back on my flower cutting garden’s progress this summer. This year, I’ve stuck to dahlias and zinnias. Next year, I hope to plant more floral varieties.

Dahlias in June

Dahlias in July

 

 

At late summer,  Zinnias have taken over my flower garden beds.  I’ve been growing zinnias for a few years now, but this year has been my favorite batch of blooms. I sowed only one pack of zinnia seeds, and we’ve been graced with a ton of these beautiful blooms all summer long, even after they are cut! Zinnias are the flowers that keep on giving. They are truly one of the easiest flowers to grow!

Zinnias in June

Zinnias in July

Zinnias in August

I’ve cut down these zinnas almost weekly to encourage more flowers to bloom, and to my surprise, they’ve doubled the amount of blooms! I’ll definitely be purchasing this variety of seeds again for next year. I order a lot of my seeds from Eden Bros and have had fantastic results every time. This was my first time ordering Pumila Zinnia seeds from Eden Bros. According to the description, the more you cut, the more they bloom!  If you want easy to grow, bountiful blooming flowers all summer long, I highly recommend Pulimia Zinnia seeds!

What flowers have bloomed in your garden? I would love to hear from you.

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A few weeks ago John and I celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary in our garden. It was a change of scenery compared to our anniversary celebrations in the past where we’ve usually travelled somewhere or made dinner reservations out at a special restaurant – (Darn you Covid!). But it was a beautiful night nonetheless and just as special celebrating at home. We enjoyed a delicious meal John cooked – one of our favorite dishes, Rack of Lamb with Risotto. He’s perfected his recipe over the years and I always look forward to him cooking it for us!

A CASUAL SUMMER TABLESCAPE

To create an elegant and effortless table, I set out a white linen tablecloth, white linen napkins, and cotton placemats.  I put out yellow dahlias I picked from the garden with pink anniversary peonies from John in a ceramic vase for a relaxed, summery look. Tapered gold candlesticks completed the table.

FLOWERS

I clipped these gorgeous dahlias from my garden that morning and mixed them with these lovely pink peonies John gave me. Photos don’t do justice for how these flowers pair so well together for a stunning bouquet. Peonies were our wedding flowers 12 years ago, so I love that I get to enjoy these special flowers every year during this season.

SUMMER DRESS

Since Covid started and with businesses being closed, we hadn’t had a reason to get dressed up and go out, but we liked the idea of getting dressed up for a special dinner at home to celebrate our anniversary. I wore a dress by Callahan in Rust. I wanted to wear something comfortable, still dressy and look romantic and this wrap style dress fit the occasion. For shoes, I wore my favorite white Sam Edelman block heel sandals.

Although we do miss dining out at restaurants, making our everyday surroundings at home elevated with little touches is just as special.

Happy Anniversary John! I love doing life with you. Hopefully we’ll get to travel again and celebrate somewhere afar next year.

June 21, 2008; San Juan Island WA

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Image: WWD

A decade has come and gone by in a flash. It really has been the fastest decade of my life. The majority of it was spent raising kids, working, and establishing a home. Over the course of the decade, I’m sharing some of the lifestyle trends that defined each year.Disclaimer: By no means is this a definitive list of all trends, but more of a personal reflection of the decade trends that I participated in or adopted in aspects of my own personal life.

A lot of these trends I foresee carrying over to this new decade as some of the trends are also non-trends suitable for daily life and everyday style, such as classic fashion pieces that never go out of style, a less is more approach (in the home, with material possessions, and consumption), wellness, plants and gardening, and high quality and crafted foods designed for both entertaining and everyday sustenance.

Here is my decade trend recap (as best as I can remember!) from each year:

2010: Macarons are at every dessert table, subscription boxes (produce, meals, clothes, beauty, etc), wedge sneakers, skinny jeans, photo collages, booties are a closet staple, festival wear, street style bloggers are the go-to for inspo, #ootd

2011: Succulents are everywhere, cheese boards/charcuterie boards are a kitchen entertaining staple, garden beds and container gardens are the norm, colored denim skinnies, millennial pink

2012: Fiddle Leaf Fig, boho interiors, Birkenstocks are back, peplum, lighter and brighter interiors replace dark furnishings

2013: Boyfriend jeans, the year of Moscow Mules and the copper mug theft across America! Rose all day! Farmhouse everything thanks to the HGTV hit FixerUpper, LaCroix’s comeback, foil ballon number and letters

2014: Blazer capes, coats worn over the shoulders as capes, Doc Martens reemerge, cropped jeans, mom jeans, the lob (long bob), essential oils, KonMari Method book changes life

2015: Midi dresses, off-the-shoulder tops, slip-on sneakers, athleisure, backless loafers/mules, fanny packs/hip sacks, embracing the art of Hygge

2016: 90s revival: bodysuits, crop tops, high-waisted pants, lug sole boots, the block heel, faux fur coats, animal print, faux stems and greenery are more than acceptable

2017: Midi skirts, culottes, paperbag pants, bras and bralettes worns as tops, hikers as everyday shoes, chunky sneakers (again 90s), wildflower loose stem bouquets, floral arches, floral garlands, eucalyptus, IG Stories

2018: Balloon garlands, biker shorts, dad sneakers and Tevas comeback (again 90s), snake print, olive trees

2019: Neutrals, microbags, slip dresses (again 90s), organic earthenware, pottery, mixing metals, earth tones, Amazon The Drop

What are some of the decade trends that you are bringing with you into 2020 and beyond?

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January is one of my favorite times to slow down, especially after the holiday festivities and travel has halted.

When the tree and holiday decor has been taken down, I start to get excited for simplicity and fresh inspiration in my home. There’s a moment at the beginning of each year after the decorations have been packed away where the house feels a little bare, but I like to look at it as an opportunity to approach our home with fresh eyes.

For me, the tools for this reset begin with the senses—sounds, smells, colors and textures. I love to burn a new candle, add greenery and start looking for the places in my home where I can clear clutter, incorporate new colors and add life.  I’ve opted to embrace change in simple ways this month. For example, restyling my entryway with new greenery, burning a fresh scented candle or doing a sage cleanse, and tackling a space I’ve been avoiding in our home, like the garage, workshop, and closets!

Here’s the entryway restyled. I added the potted eucalyptus, faux succulent and this tiny vase. Two seagrass baskets below finishes off the look adds additional storage for throws and pillows.

I’m obsessed with wall pockets lately. They will be everywhere in the home this year – just watch.

I love having a fireplace mantel to decorate. Here’s the family room mantel restyled. I love it so much more without all the Christmas decor. A new mirror and some touches of greenery brings out a bit of softness to an otherwise masculine feeling space. This space, by the way has been repurposed into Jonah’s game room.

The month of January wouldn’t be complete without looking back at the goals I set for myself in 2018 -I’ve listed my 2018 goals down here to if you don’t feel like clicking on the link above:

  • Home & Garden: Plant and grow new flowers, trees, and install a vegetable garden, change the front door – CHECK! (minus changing the front door)
  • Travel: Save for our 10 year anniversary trip (Aulani, June 2018) – CHECK!
  • Invest in a new business – Our beach cabin – CHECK!
  • Get my real estate license. – Did not pursue. Reevaluate…

For 2019, I have taken my time to think more about intensions for the moment and still set goals for the year. I like to combine both and think they complement each other. As TED states, ‘Goals are focused on the future. Intentions are in the present moment. Goals are a destination or specific achievement. Intentions are lived each day, independent of reaching the goal or destination.’  

My intentions for 2019

  • Create beautiful and functioning spaces for each member of the family for a whole happy home. This includes my ongoing process of organizing, rearranging, decorating, and repurposing spaces and items.  {Side note: I’ve continued to implement the Konmari Method in my home and personal life since I read Marie Kondo’s book about 6 years ago. Her new Netflix series is a good refresher and reminder that tidying up is really all about a state of mind and how you go about making those changes and making it an ongoing process.}
  • Dedicate Sundays to Self-Care. This includes all things wellness; skincare, aromatherapy, cleanses, baths and my ongoing love affair with hygge.
  • For my family: potty training daily with Baron, preschool research and planning for Baron. Nurturing both kids’ interests and balancing time for Jonah’s activities.
  • Live my best life and final year of my 30s!

My goals for 2019

  • Plan, plot and cultivate a flower garden – Spring 2019
  • Remodel the kitchen – Spring 2019
  • Travel throughout Texas: San Antonio, Gulf Coast, Marfa – Summer 2019. There is so much to see and experience in this great massive state.
  • Rent out the beach cabin.
  • Plan my 40th birthday trip (Fall 2019)
  • Build our forever home/dream home (2019-2020)

I love this time in January as opportunity to slow down, reset and embrace the clean slate of a new season. I am approaching this year with pause, purpose and intention. Happy end of January!

What are some goals or intensions you have set for yourself in the new year?