I’m celebrating the release of my fifteenth book, Counting on the Cowboy. This is the 4th and final book in my Texas Cowboy series. Comment or answer the question at the end of the post to enter the drawing. Giveaway details are at the end:
I’ve heard that if a couple can survive building a house together, their marriage is solid and will survive. I’m certain the same can be said of remodeling together.
The need for a new roof and heat and air unit led to a major remodel and room addition at our house. For the last five months, Grant and I have boxed up all our books and doodads, smooshed two rooms of furniture into one. We tore out walls, built new ones, ripped out carpet, put in laminate flooring. I textured and painted mismatched walls while he climbed ladders and installed pine planks on the vaulted ceiling.
We discovered muscles we didn’t know existed, got grumpy when things got tough, powered through,
and celebrated with steak dinners. When rooms were in demo mode, we often had a trail through the main living area. Many nights, in order to have some family time, we had to sit in rows behind each other. Through it all, we worked at not disrupting our son’s room. Even when there was nowhere in the entire house in order with everything where it was supposed to be, his room remained untouched.
In six weeks, we moved three rooms, made a new kitchen from scratch, and redid the flooring, walls, and ceilings in each. With plans of having the family meal at our house for Christmas, we worked and cleaned until three am on Christmas Eve. We managed to have a wonderful clutter free gathering with plenty of room and oohs and aahs over all the changes we’d made. Afterward, we took a week off.
My office area used to be in a corner of the living room. It worked fine when I was home alone. But when my family was home, I couldn’t get much writing done. I require peace and quiet. Besides that, I’d decorated my corner in pastel colors with beachy accents and lots of seashells. Neither my husband nor our son liked my decor. Though we were all looking forward to me moving into the new office we added on to the back of the house, as long as my computer is functional, I’m fine. So we left it and our new walk in closet last.
With no motivation like Christmas dinner hanging over our heads, we’ve gotten a lot slower. In the last three months, we’ve done the ceilings, walls, and lighting in the two small rooms. We still have to do the flooring in my new office, we’re in the process of moving our clothes into their new home, and all my cool beachy decor is still in boxes. Neither room has a door yet.
We finally got most of the building materials and tools off of the screened back porch outside my office and got the screen door installed. It’s wooden and makes that wonderful clapping noise when it shuts. I haven’t got my furniture set up out there yet. And I plan to decorate it beachy too since it will serve as an outside office when the weather allows.
We’re really close to finished. Except that we’re turning a small extra bedroom into a laundry room. And we have to repaint the entire exterior this spring. At this point, we’re beginning to wonder if we’ll ever really be finished.
But we love our old new house. We sit around and talk about how much we love it. I cook more because the family room is open to the kitchen and I can visit with my guys while I work. Logan is amazed at what a good cook I am. I even clean more. Partly because with no carpet, the dust bunnies are visible. Partly because I love our new old house.
The really great news is, we still love each other. And like each other.
About Shannon: Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does.
She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects.
Connect with her: Shannon’s Website, Shannon’s Blog, Shannon’s Facebook, Shannon’s Goodreads, Shannon’s Pinterest, Shannon’s Twitter, and Shannon’s Amazon Author Page.
About the book – Counting on the Cowboy:
Ranching is his whole life… until he meets one special city girl
Texas Cowboy Brock McBride knows better than to fall for a city girl. She’ll leave and break his heart—just like his ex-fiancée did. But his job at Chasing Eden Dude Ranch requires working alongside Dallas wedding planner Devree Malone. And despite fierce resistance, he’s falling hard. Yet with Devree’s business back in the city, can he convince her she’s found her home…with him?
Can’t wait for the drawing? Get your copy now: Counting on the Cowboy Purchase Link
Giveaway details:
Comment to enter the drawing for a copy of Counting on the Cowboy. Ten copies will be split among names drawn during the blog tour from March 13 – April 10. One winner will get to pick the theme for a custom made memory board personally crafted by the author. Deadline April 20. Winners will be revealed on the author’s blog on April 21. Go to my website https://shannontaylorvannatter.com and sign up for my newsletter to enter more giveaways and get a free book download.
Follow my blog tour for more chances to win Counting on the Cowboy:
- March 14 – http://theresalynnhall.com/blog
- March 15 – http://www.castlegatepress.com/blog/
- March 16 – https://shannontaylorvannatter.com/inkslinger-blog/
- March 19 – http://sarahruut.com/category/interviews/
- March 20 – http://brendaandersonbooks.com/blog/
- March 26 – https://kimberlysmusings.wordpress.com/
- March 27 – http://www.gingersolomon.com/
- March 30 – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ideas-to-books/id1245507117?mt=2
- April 2 – http://www.inspyromance.com/
- April 10 – http://craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com/
- April 10 – http://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com
And if you’d like to see more pictures and details from the remodel, enter the drawing for 7 free books up for grabs, read a cut scene, and get a yummy recipe for pot roast, sign up for my newsletter over to the right where it says, Get your free book.
Question for Readers: What unfinished or future projects do you have at your house?
Come back March 16th for my excerpt and character inspiration for Counting on the Cowboy!
I have boxes of clothes to go through and get rid of that were my parents’ as well as closets to clear out
Hey Shelia,
We’re clearing out our closet as we move it. I plan to let it go if I haven’t worn it in a year. Not sure I can do it. I always, That’s cute, I’ll wear it again someday.
We have a “hole” in our kitchen floor. That’s high on our list for fixing! And I want better winterizing of our doors and windows for next winter. Found there was cold air coming in from somewhere. And I hate being cold!
Been there, Linda. We had a weak spot in our bedroom floor where we were afraid to step. It was at the foot of the bed on one corner. We skipped around it until we could buy enough laminate flooring to tear the carpet out and redo it the whole room.
We need to replace a sliding glass door with French doors and replace our kitchen floor.
We had sliding doors too, Connie. Everybody said they’re drafty. But we thought since they were new and we had them professionally installed, they wouldn’t be. They were. We never got around to building a porch where they were. So when we had the new screen porch built, it’s between the old living room – new family room where the sliding door was and my new office. We took the sliding doors out and closed off that exit, then had the carpenters put in a regular door from my new office into the screened in porch.
After 32 years we are starting major remodeling. We need new flooring,new windows,new doors throughout the house and all entry doors,new kitchen cabinets and countertops,bathrooms updated,painting inside and outside,and our pool needs to be redone. It’s almost like we are building again! 🙁😳
Sounds like you’re in for it, Patricia. But you’ll love it once it’s done. I tell people it’s like we moved. But we didn’t. I still have boxed up decor and pictures in the closet that haven’t found a new place to hang yet.
Sounds like a great book! We still have a hole in our ceiling where we need to insulate the area and a flat roof to fix. Sigh.
MJSH, I understand a leaky roof and a not quite flat, but not enough pitched roof. Our roofer burned tar on the part that didn’t have enough pitch. It’s supposed to work better than shingles on flat and slightly pitched roofs. So far it’s worked like a charm.
I hate to say it, but we desperately still need to unpack about 15 boxes. We are in a rental and hope to buy a house at the end of summer to early fall. I really hope to tackle this soon. 🙂
Congrats on all of your hard work and book 15!
I’m trying to weed out the contents of some boxes and declutter. We have lots of pictures and wall decor that used to on walls that no longer exist. It’s a process, but you’ll get through those boxes eventually.
Love these books,would love to win
I live in a high rise apartment future project is the community garden that will be planned in raised beds for flowers and such. So looking forward to that toward the end of april of beginning of may.
I moved a year and a half ago and have yet to reorganize my books the way I want them as I can’t sit on the floor that long right now due to severe back issues. They are on my shelves but no longer organized right.
We purchased our house with the idea of doing some major upgrades. Built in the late 50’s, it has a true mid-century modern vibe that I really like and want to save in subtle ways. My husband broke his ankle shortly after moving in and about a year later got sick for about 4 years. This delayed the start of our remodel and we are only now getting to it after living here almost 10 years. God knows what he’s doing, though. If we had started earlier while my husband was ill and I was home-schooling, I’m not sure if we could have survived the crazy. 🙂