almost there

Welcome , here is the entry, looking through the front door. We’ve been washing windows,  mopping floors, & anything else we can to get ready to move in.

We are learning all sorts of new tricks in  how to wash the large windows…the norwex mop & polishing cloth do a fine job.  Here’s a sneak peek at some of the rooms:

The downstairs bath is almost done…Levi did a fabulous job on the subway & penny tiles…the salvage wall-mount sink & claw foot tub are really fun…so happy Ben the plumber was patient & made it work.

Thanks to Calder, Barn the welder, & the designer,  the restaurant sink is secure & working…the kiddos love to squeeze the pre-rinse faucet.

The old school conference table…hoping we won’t have to move it again (we’re not the only ones , Brit, the Childs family,  to name a few). We sure appreciate it,  thanks so much everyone!

A few peaceful moments.  Anxious for more.  Meanwhile, the kiddos have been feeding the new neighbors:

Soon! Very soon…and then the real work & adventure begins! xo ~ katrina

the builder turns 8!

It really is great to be eight .

A couple months ago, the designer, builder and I attended our ward’s great to be eight program.  I was especially touched, sitting there with the two of them, thinking about the upcoming and unforgettable opportunity before our lil/big builder.

He’s been preparing: learning the Articles of Faith with his siblings, mock interviews with our Home Teachers…and a lot of discussions.

Meanwhile, we’ve watched him grow in so many ways this year.  He shared with his siblings and I last week that he wants to ski when he is older (at his school’s recent Olympics, he skied on team Spain in a relay, obstacle course, and the biathlon) …and when he isn’t skiing he wants to sew…specifically: felting, like the projects we do at Meredith and Wacky Nancy’s Open Studio.

He is a good friend.  He loves a good joke.  His favorite right now: what do you find on the stomach of a jellyfish?  a jelly-button!

Still an avid builder and inventor, I love to watch his latest project.  He is full of ideas and solutions.  He has a huge heart and loves to help others. A helper to all…especially his siblings.  And he loves to be silly with his siblings.

We love you buddy, may this year be another wonderful adventure for you!

love day

The designer suggested we have a Valentine’s lunch while the kiddos are in school and since he needs to referee a game this evening.  It was delightful: Caprese salad, Caesar salad & a Margarita pizza with eggplant and artichoke all from Cafe Galleria in Midway…we do love that place.  And now they are starting to make/use their own cheese…even better.

We stopped by the house to talk with Paul after I ordered a door from Matt at ProBuild(the last door… hallelujah!).  Paul was having an “everything is over budget” day.  We are just having an “past-move-in-deadline” month.  :)  The insulation is about done, the indoor gas line and dryer vent go in tomorrow.  Hopefully Wendy will pass off a few items so the dry-wall guys can finally start, they’ve been waiting 4 weeks now I think.  And those soffits…they are really quite infamous at this point…as no one wants to do them I suppose .

Last night we picked up a very large (6′x3′) mirror last night from Pilot Dan in Park City last night.  (thanks Dan!)  I can’t wait to see what it becomes…we also found a prep table last week, which will be our kitchen island.  The salvage stuff has definitely been a highlight for the designer and I…to see what we can make with the least as possible…how far we can take materials.  Hopefully it will speed up the process in many ways too.

The explorer, participated in his first Valentine’s Dance…or first dance, for that matter.  He was charmed that he danced with 2 girls.  Two girls!  First, Fallon, and then she moved on to David, so then I danced with Madeleine.  Next time I will just dance with Madeleine.  He might have a crush.  :)  Their class dressed up, had salon-hair done, wore boutonnieres and corsages, and he came home happy as a clam with a kleenex box full of super creative Valentines.  (I was just happy to complete the 64 handmade construction-paper Valentines this year)

The dancer missed her field trip (cause I forgot to send her booster), after the tears, she confessed that she’d had a wonderful time staying back at class with Devyn (the TA) and 5 other students…playing house and eating some of their candy (that they’d not been allowed to eat…understandably so).  Thankfully, I believe with all that is going on, that I was finally able to “let it go” and realize that she’d still had a wonderful day.  Yesterday, she was one of 4 in her ski group that had taken the rollercoaster (a black trail).  The other dozen kiddos were pretty disappointed.  It was a good lesson for both of us that sometimes in life we really do miss out on things…and that it can still be okay.

The builder ran along the rollercoaster for the first time a couple weeks ago and we were impressed & absolutely floored.  Now the dancer wants me to go with her tomorrow…the builder doesn’t think I can do it (he may be right) but I’m going to try…better skate classic tomorrow to make sure (less slick).

So our little skiers are really blossoming and it is so fun to go and be a part of their journey.  The explorer is keeping up and doing hills on his own (finally)…he’s graduated to using poles.  (the dancer still doesn’t use them…probably better for her strength though).   The new independence has given him the needed push to keep up with the big kids.

Reesa joined us yesterday and we had a blast…as always.  She’s off to Vegas this weekend and we can’t wait to have her back to ski hopefully again next week.  The treat this weekend is Sara (my cute cuz) tending the kiddos at BYU (bowling, etc) while the designer and I attend ward temple night.  Thank you Sara!

Oh for one more funny explorer moment: In the car lately they all ask to listen to “church” or “quiet” music when they are tired, etc.  The other night we were coming home, and he did not want church music (the other 2 did though, so he was out of luck).  He protested and a few moments later we could hear him singing loud and clear (he just couldn’t help himself).  Then he went back to protesting…didn’t want to lose his focus.

How was your Love Day/Love week?  Sending lots of love to each of you from the cold and sunny Rocky Mountains! xo ~ katrina

my little chefs

I thought for sure that with the kiddos gone each morning and less creating together in the kitchen…would lead to a lack of interest within those realms.  But the opposite seems to be the case.  I came up the other afternoon to find a beyond beautiful (and edible) salad waiting to be enjoyed, courtesy of the dancer:  romaine, pecans, dried apricots, and cherry tomatoes to be exact.  And yes, she’d even cleaned up after herself.

Around the corner was a bake sale of sorts and a bread and butter brigade in honor of the new darling French bistro butter dish. ($10 steal for sure).  The explorer is probably enjoying the new kerrygold most…he’s had it for snack much this weekend:  ”butter toast not toasted”, as he likes to call it.

As for the builder, he dreamed of pancakes using cookie cutters.  We decided against the plastic…and were left with 3 metal.  We learned very quickly that you must spray the inside of each cutter with olive oil before each use.  Unfortunately, we also found that colored metal cutters lose their paint when heated…we ended up with beautiful heart-shaped pancakes, each edge trimmed in red.  Food for thought for sure.

Though we find ourselves rich with blunders within the kitchen, we find ourselves investing in future chefs either way…at least someday they will eat and enjoy eating well from their own recipes and discoveries right?!

A dancer appetizer: toasted whole grain tortillas (overcooked, which became chips), with fresh mozzarella  red pepper, avocado, and banana a top…revolutionary

What follies in the kitchen have turned to real joys for you and your love ones?  xo ~ katrina

merry merry to one and all

hasten now, good folk of the village

hasten now, the Christ child to see

you will find him asleep in the manger

quietly come and whisper softly

hush, hush, peacefully now he slumbers

hush, hush, peacefully now he sleeps

Wishing you and yours the blessings

and light of Christmas…

all year long!

much love, the bergs

fall break in idaho

Knowing we were looking for a wood stove for our home, Paul-the-Builder offered us an extra he had stored in his Idaho cabin.  All we had to do was drive up and get it…and enjoy the cabin on Lake Cascade for a few days.  We of course took him up on the offer and had a beyond wonderful trip together.

Its a little over a 7 hour drive to the cabin, but moments past Park City, the are we there yet? queries began.  So the designer and I taught and practiced the art of road tripping with the kiddos.  :)  We read books, enjoyed the scenery, listened to cool tunes, and the kiddos came up with at least 10 new verses of 5 little pumpkins.

 

We arrived late in the night and while the designer started the wood stove, I carried in the luggage so the kiddos could sleep warm in the car till the fire had started.  In the morning we met the only neighbor for miles (the other cabins are owned by flat-landers, she explained).  After agreeing to help jump our battery, she asked if we had the blue rig.  Goodness…it took minutes after I left to figure out what she was talking about.  :)

 

 

With the car running once more, we set out to explore the area and enjoy the sites in Donnelly and McCall.  The designer and the kiddos enjoyed skipping rocks on Payette Lake before eating lunch at The Pancake and Christmas House.

 

 

 

We spent our afternoons at the local hot spring: Gold Fork Hot Springs,  which we totally enjoyed…the locals all told us to come back when it is snowing…  The kiddos got a kick out of sitting in the lowest pool and having a couple local cows wander on up and enjoy the spring with them.  We learned that Idaho is not just serious about potatoes.  There were open ranging cattle in much of the mountain areas we explored that weekend.

 

 

Back at the awesome cabin, we had dinner and smores ’round the fire.  The kiddos loved to play and explore on the dock and all around the cabin.  We even went canoeing to the other side of the lake one morning.  Found a mother bear and a couple bear cubs’ footprints in the sand…fresh from a couple hours earlier we guessed.  New friends that we met at the hot spring let us borrow life jackets…which we really appreciated as we nearly tipped a couple times!

 

 

It was an extremely peaceful weekend.  Beautiful area of Idaho, we were betwixt for sure.   The locals are very friendly and we enjoyed everyone we met.   And the kiddos got to bunk together in a room much like I’ve pictured for them for ages..

 

 

Over all it was an incredible Fall Break together and we are so grateful to Paul for letting us enjoy his beautiful cabin (not to mention the cast iron stove which we know we will also enjoy).

Meanwhile, the kiddos and I have been listening to Holiday/Christmas tunes everywhere we go in the car (I know – scandalous!) and are looking forward to Turkey Day, time with family, and friends! xo ~ katrina