Electricity

Today we met with our electrician for 5.5 hours.  Oh. My. Gaw.  I had no idea how long that'd take.  And we've built a house before.  Is it like childbirth where you forget how painful things actually are until you're right in the middle of it again?

Things like: we need an outlet there, a light switch here, and so on.  And, let me just mention Colin has an accounting degree.  So. Every. Little. Detail. Is. Not. Lost. On. Him.  He thinks about the square footage a light fixture will illuminate ( x 562 or however many it seems like we'll need) while my mind has already wandered off to... hmm.... what type of frosting is my favorite?  Is it vanilla buttercream or mocha?  Chocolate shavings or a dusting of cocoa?

And let me just say that our electrician is a gem.  A real keeper.  It's just these darn details.  They're killin' me!

How about kerosene?  That lights nicely, right?

I am, however, looking forward to selecting the light fixtures.  If only that was the only thing I had to do.  Sort of like getting to bake and frost the cake without having to shop for the ingredients first.

My favorite lighting is definitely from Schoolhouse Electric.  I love how they offer inspirational images.  (And that it's made in the U.S.A!)  Here's some I love:

And let me confess, as much as the details make my head feel like it's going to pop off, I'm so so so thankful that it's Colin's thing.  Thank goodness for my guy.  He lights my world.

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Comments

[margaret]

school house electric is my favorite !

[Amber]

Oh my goodness, I LOVE those lights!!

And, my husband is a math guy, so I hear you. :)

[spencer]

Schoolhouse electrics store here in portland is amazing... love their lighting.

[Emily Ventura]

So true! After building two houses of our own I've often told people that it's just like childbirth-you completely forget about the pain!
And thank you for introducing us to Schoolhouse Electric-lovely!

[Katee]

Love their light fixtures! I went to their site and the chandeliers look like the ones in my grandma's old house when I was growing up! Might just have to build a house so I can buy from them myself!!! :)

[Jill]

I treated myself to a Schoolhouse Electric light when we renovated our kitchen in our summer house and I LOVE it! Their catalog is such eye candy!

[shannon]

love the inspriational photos you posted, that is a GREAT direction to be going in! And you are not alone, my mind wanders to more important things (should I make apple pie or apple crumble?) when technical things like numbers come up.
:)
Shannon
www.cascobaysoap.blogspot.com

[Gina DeBruler]

Never posted here before and just found your blog last week...really love it! First, I L-O-V-E the fixtures! Second, did you notice the little hidden nook in the kitchen? On the counter top, with the bead board pantry doors? Is that a built in bread box? So neat! I guess you can NEVER have to much storage in the kitchen.

[Indiana Lori]

Those lights are to die for. Good luck!

[beth]

love love the all the lights Serena !!!
xo,
beth

[Chris Calabrese]

We used Schoolhouse in every room in our house and they are amazing. People always comment on them. For my business and our house exterior we went through barnlightelectric.com. Also awesome and rugged as hell, made in the USA too!

[Emily]

Love the inspiration photos, check out my sister in-laws blog. She just went through the exact same process, and your style of lighting is very much the same. She is a weath of knowledge!!!! Hope you have a great weekend, I am so sorry to hear about your store!
http://24corners.blogspot.com
That is her address...

[Trina]

That is so funny as I can so relate! My husband is an engineer and whenever the contractors talked about those little fine details, my mind would start to wander. In fact, I would stop them mid-sentence if my husband wasn't there and just say point blank "this isn't my language, you need to speak to my husband."
We loved Schoolhouse Electric too! We ended up going with Rejuvenation (www.rejuvenation.com) in the end due to their huge selection - plus they sold claw foot bathtubs, plumbing fixtures, door hardware, etc. so it was just easier for us to shop for everything all at once (they have a store in Portland which isn't too far from us).
Have a wonderful fall weekend,
Trina

[Melissa]

I needed to see this!! We're getting ready to build our little dream farmhouse, and I had never heard of Schoolhouse Electric! And we live in Oregon. Hello! It was meant to be!

[Vicki]

How Funny! I would be the same way...gee look at that sunset,how would I Paint that...I think it is a Male Female Thing!

Have Fun!

[Marla]

I was present the day the wire was "pulled" in my daughter and son-in-laws log home. Made me realize the extent of planning and work that goes into turning a light on, which switch is turning on which light, etc... Makes you appreciate picking out the light fixtures!! Have fun!!

[lauire magpie ethel]

I have a couple of kitchen light fixtures from Schoolhouse Electricity (local company for me) in my kitchen...they are awesome. I just ordered an outdoor fixture from Barn Light Electric (http://www.barnlightelectric.com) which I thought had great choices!

[Shelley Garretson]

Schoolhouse Electric was my favorite too. We bought almost everything there and what we didn't we got up the road at Rejuvenation. The "IN Store" experience is totally worth the trip to Portland...it felt so good to leave with all those bags knowing they were going in our new home!

[Grace~katmom~Brown]

Oh Serena,
I am soooo glad to hear that I am not the only one who suffers from this malady...when it comes to 'details'...my vision blurrs, and my mind wanders off,,,,sort of like "Ferdinan the Bull in a field of flowers"...lol! lateedadeeda..... : > )
Love "School House Lighting".
>^..^<

[Hollie Eastman]

I love School House Electric too!! And I laughed because my husband, Mark is a math teacher, hence the detail man for numbers...I just want to skip it all and get to the decorating=)!! Thanks for the fun blog~Hollie=)

[Mermaid Debbie]

Just love your house! Beautiful!

[Amanda Z.]

I also love Schoolhouse Electric, although we are far from a farmhouse. We have a tiny brick house in St. Louis city, right behind a historic school - so the lighting was a perfect choice when we redid our kitchen. Can't wait to see what you choose!

[sarah]

I am just now catching up on my blog reading from sooooo long ago!!! And I'm so excited! We are going to be building too. I've also been perusing Schoolhouse Electric & Rejuvenation's websites. How exciting (for both of us!). :)