Custom Doors and Door Knobs

I have been neglecting this blog for some time now :( but thanks to some inspiration from friend Ruthann I'm back  :) 

The good news: Dave just finished the custom doors last month! The door handles are from branches in the yard, and we didn't want knobs, so he did bullet catches which I love. We wanted possible passive solar heat to still reach the back side of the house so we did a glass pane in the upstairs bathroom door, and downstairs bedroom. 

The Adventures of Redneck Dave

This is what happens when you don't pay attention to what Dave is doing in the driveway - my sister and I were watching a movie and apparently he was stuck for over 20 min before we went out to supervise!

December 2008 On Ridge Road

We received our first snow storm that required plowing at the very tail end of November - operator error the plow cables were switched so Pete and Dave got her fired up and were able to clear the driveway. We also added our first official lamp to the house which was a gift and it has changed the mood of the home ever since... one word AMBIANCE :) it makes the house feel so much more homey - comfy - warm and I just can't stop looking at it! It was made in NH too :) The artist made 75 - this piece is #17.

Non-Toxic Green Home in Bartlett, NH

Despite my long blogging hiatus we are still here! I was inspired to update the site when I saw a video link on Portland based Wedding Photographer Emilie Inc's twitter feed that is all about Toxins in your home! This feature on the Today Show sums up in under 3 minutes what we have implemented into our home, from the non-toxic building materials, the mattress, shower curtains, etc... you may be extremely overwhelmed after watching this so if you are looking to start small, I always tell people start with a 100% all natural wool pillow (regulates temp much better too).  Don't forget to also check out the Non-Toxic resource website, The Naked Truth Project created by my friend Lora Winslow (also based out of Portland, ME)

After a late start to the garden, we managed to have a bumper crop of some strange looking carrots - why? We didn't have deep enough raised beds so they couldn't push through the ground to grow so they started to grow out and on top of each other. Thanks to Russ Lanoie of Rural Home Tech for helping us get started with the garden in general. Dave did some fall projects with help from brother Pete of Port City Studios (Portland, ME) and we are super psyched about the minimal amount of fuel the house has consumed and the great power of our solar hot water system. 

Daves Garden

Thanks to my mom, Jenny Simone for taking all these great photos of our garden, the humming birds, and the pesky yellow-jackets that are feeding and fighting with the hummingbirds ;(

Holy Schmidt!

It's been a long time! During the month we had many visitors, including our dear friends the Schmidt's (Team Holy Schmidt, click on photos to see T-shirt up close) from CA and the Kishes from VT. We all met in Cairo Egypt when my parents were teaching with them. We had a mini-reunion of sorts, a much needed Cairo family get together. Amy just whipped up an amazing meal which I had to post photos of here. Thank you all so much for coming... and cooking...and filling me with inspiration :)

Open House a HUGE success!

WOW! 91 people on the sign up sheet and we know another 20-30 weren't on the list! It was once busy Sunday! We saw people from Maine, MA, and NH. People started rolling in at 12:01 and I did not see Dave for 5 hours. He was in the basement talking about Solar and I was upstairs answering questions. It was unreal. It was so busy that I didn't even get to my camera until 6pm when the BBQ started (in the rain) I would have loved to showcase how many cars were in the driveway during the busy rush.

Errol Towers is an American Clay Plaster applicator and he came by to see what we had done. It was great to meet someone who does plaster exclusively - New Hampshire Clay Plastering, 603-745-9442.

Most everyone wanted to know about Solar capabilities and options... lots of people were educated about toxins and toxic chemicals in everyday household items and building materials. The Lifekind Mattress was a focal point as many had never seen or heard of a 100% all natural Rubber Mattress.

Thank you to everyone who attended and to everyone who helped out with food and organization. Moat Mountain Smokehouse, Mia, Jenny, Ellen.

A special thanks to The Schmidt Family in CA for sending some "landscaping" just in time :) (Dave waving in the background) The potted arrangement seen below.

Thank you to Russ Lanoie of Rural Home Tech for coming back on Monday with our Garden :) We had been growing in containers so our plants finally have a home :) The Killourie's for continued enthusiasm and support! Neighbors, friends...countrymen!

The thank you's can go on and on!

Looking forward to many visitors to the fire pit this summer as the Smores did not get used at the open house, due to the rain.
See you all soon!