Log Cabin Giveaways

You have two chances to win a Log Cabin my friends!

Check out the Blog Cabin Sweepstakes here . On Thursday nights on the DIY network, you can watch them putting together this dream cabin. The wraparound porch is incredible! Giveaway ends on September 29, 2008.

Another one that I told you about before and is still going on is the Great Log Cabin Giveaway from Ward Cedar Log Homes. Enter here - this one ends December 31, 2008. It's the perfect size for a cozy cabin!

Good luck! If you win, please send me a picture of you standing on the porch of your new log home!

Log Cabin Loft

We are weekend warriors at our log home so when we do home improvement projects, we have limited time in which to do them. I decided it's time to carpet the loft. (Especially when it sounds like a whole army is occupying the cabin when my stepson and his cousins are running around up there.)

I called the local carpet store and told them I have 3 questions - do they have enough carpeting in stock to finish a 500 SF loft, how much and can you schedule the installers on Monday to come. There was a long silence at the other end of the line and I immediately thought - uh, oh - I'm in Type A mode and acting like a fudgie. For those that don't know, a fudgie is a person who lives in southern Michigan but likes to visit up north and acts like the typical tourist that always wants to buy fudge up there or doing something type A that the northerners don't appreciate. But then the person was really nice and said okay and we'll see you on Saturday. Whew!

Check out some of the colors I'm thinking about below and let me know what YOU think! Thanks!





























Antico

Cinnamon Toast

Green Tea

Cypress

Psst! Guess what....

Guess who's suppose to be featured in Log Home Living's Annual Buyers guide this month?

Guess who forgot to renew their subscription on time so now she won't get the issue she's going to be in?

Guess who's begging the bookstores to please reserve her a copy?


Guess which bookstores are now on her sh_t list since they told her no?


Guess who's going to be thumped on the head once he sees I've posted his picture on my blog?

Decorative Log Beams

I believe one of the best design elements you can add to your log home are decorative log beams or log trusses. When people visit our log home, they first notice the logs running across our main living area (and then they notice the log staircase.) We purchased 2 pairs of decorative logs and are going to use the 2nd set in the basement. We added extra courses to our basement to have the high ceilings and then will continue our log home theme there. What I'm thinking about doing in the future is adding some hugging beams to the ceiling of the loft wall.

There are a few fellow log bloggers that have decorative logs that I just love. Check out Dianne's loft ceiling at Schrader Landing - her project is certainly coming along. Terri has some very handy people too at Steel Magnolia . When I see their projects it makes me wish I added even more decorative logs.

Rendering of our log home

Soon after my husband and I had finalized our floor plans for our log home, Hiawatha put together our final drawings including this rendering. Once I saw this rendering on paper - it then hit me that our log home dream was finally coming true. After 4 years of planning, this was the end product we had put our personal touches on.

My mother-in-law was so thoughtful and had the exterior rendering framed for us. Now, where to put it? Instead of hanging it in our log home, I'm thinking about putting it in Greg's office at work so he can still visualize being there on the days that we're not.

P.S. I tried posting our actual drawings but kept getting errors - think I need to save them as a gif or jpeg format. Either way, I will post them soon!

Kayaking into nature

I think one of the best things I ever did was purchase kayaks for our log home. It lets you slip quietly into nature without the roar of a boat motor. It allows you to hear the birds singing and the wind rustling through the trees. I am able to get much better photographs of the wildlife that I love so much.

I purchased recreational kayaks as I don't see any member of my family having the desire to go down cliffs with rocky rapids that require a helmet! They aren't that expensive - Price ranges from $180 - $900+. And just seeing my husband and stepson's smiling faces as they glide on by the log cabin and wave to me definitely made it worth the purchase.



Big Greg and Little Greg enjoying the day.

















Good Morning Mr. Heron. You look very nice today.

















Hello Mr. Loon. Glad you decided to make your home on my lake.












Well hello kitty cat. How is the fishing today?

Log Cabin Projects

I just realized I need to start paying attention to finshing the log cabin projects in the basement. Hopefully we can finish it entirely by New Years.



I have a bathroom that I've neglected. This one is decorated in a loon theme but is missing a mirror and a shower curtain. I just can't seem to find a Loon shower curtain anywhere - if anyone knows where I can, please let me know!











We finished the staircase on the main living level but we also have a log staircase that goes to the basement that needs to be completed. We called Sashco the stain company we used for the exterior and interior logs and they instructed my hubby on getting started. He finished the bottom three stairs - looking good honey!