* Jenni Bowlin *

Morning Blogging

I have decided that blogging in the morning before I start my day is a much better scenario for getting it done on a regular basis! I think it is going to be my new policy which hopefully will mean more than once a week blogging is in my future.

So many things going on right now. We are still digging out from show orders (a blessing, not a complaint) and of course I am already starting development on our Fall release. Such is the way it goes! Also working on new classes to roll out this fall. More about that soon too!

After almost 3 months of being in our rental, they finally started on our house last week! It has been a 3 year process and I must say, until I saw movement and changes over there, I couldn't let myself believe it would really happen.

Hard to tell here, but they did a ton of clearing and have now dug out the foundation (ended up having to dig down a little in the back). Of course they hit rock - it is Tennessee afterall! That is why our basement is a "daylight" basement, basically just meaning we will have 3 levels. You don't have a basement in TN unless your on a cliff (exaggeration, but you get the picture)!

Jared has been over there almost every night moving rocks that we could use for something eventually (not sure what, but I'm sure it will be cool)!

We have worked on the plans for nearly 3 years and have a storage unit full of pieces and parts to "recycle" in the building process. And. . . the most exciting thing of all. . .

we just secured bricks from an old (early 1900's) tobacco barn in Greenville, TN where my inlaws are from. The barn sat next to Andrew Johnson's home right in downtown Greenville. I remember seeing it and admiring it when we toured the home more than a year ago. Sadly, vandals burned it down several months back (maybe a year ago now), almost taking the Andrew Johnson home with it. After several months of trying to figure out who actually "owned" the brick, we finally secured it and 60,000 of them will be on their way here soon!!! I'm so very excited to have that piece of history as part of our home (not to mention it's recycling at it's best)!!

Hopefully I won't bore you too much, but I plan to show updates here and there as we go (and ask for prayers that I make it through with my sanity still in tack)!

Happy Tuesday!!