Ain't Grandkids Fun!

Our oldest Grandchild turned three the other day. Being a grandparent may be one of the few "under-rated" experiences in life! We had a family blowout, and she had a blast!

Shelby and Jake's little girl reveled in all of the attention. The gifts were pretty good too! Of course Dolly and Shelby couldn't do anything just halfway, so our house morphed into one really good party!

The hit of the party was big girl's make-up, also know around here as "puff-puff." As you can see the puff-puff takes immediate precedence over the new shower cap!

Ahhhhhh, now we're all dressed up and ready to go! Just like Mommy, Mama Sissy, and Dolly we've got our make-up on and we are ready to step out on the town!

Let's stop and have some Birthday cake and dessert first - need to build up our stamina for tomorrow's shopping!

Managed Expectations

For a destination wedding, every food station has a theme!

Everyone paints pictures in their mind. We all walk into situations thinking and wondering who will be there; what will they be wearing; am I wearing the right thing; what will he/she say; will the situation meet my expectations? Rarely does anyone just flop into a new scenario without a set of expectations. We all have hopes and desires that we wish will happen. 

Austria in July will be the site of the nuptials. 

I'm in Monroe, Louisiana getting ready to attend my nephews Engagement Party. We expect an incredible soiree -  eighty-three hosts and hostesses will entertain two shifts of probably a thousand guests as we celebrate Mac and Brittney's engagement! But what will it be like? Will the country club be magnificently decorated? Who will be there that I know? On a limited diet, will the food be anything I can eat? Will there be a band and dancing? Is it possible that I will be put in a situation where I will say/do something stupid (like call someone by the wrong name, or forget a spouse's death!)? Any number of expectations surround an event - will we be elated with the outcome, or downright disappointed?

The greater the number of participants in any given event, the less likely you are to be able to satisfy all the attendant expectations. Try though you may to manage all of the expectations of all of the participants, it just "ain't" going to happen! Strong communications with your target audience can improve the odds of success, but still someone is going to be disappointed. 

On a much smaller, yet no less important scale, that is exactly what we are doing when we build someone's home. Our client comes into the process with a set of expectations of what their home is going to look like; how rooms and areas are going to function; what the space is going to do for their family; even how we as Builders are going to perform. Our job is to efficiently communicate, while listening, to try to understand those expectations so we can manage them as tightly as possible. A well organized, and thoroughly thought out plan for trying to understand the pictures painted in the client's mind goes a long way towards minimizing expectation risk.

This is where "under promise, and over deliver" comes into play! In just the last post I was cranking about those Builders who were "over promising, and under delivering." Sure they get the contract signed by over promising, but they have set themselves up for complete mismanagement of their client's expectations. And the clients end up furious! The Builder probably doesn't care...after all, he/she beat out all the other guys and got the contract signed (though with a pack of lies!)!

All eighty-three hosts and hostesses would be delighted to know that Brittney and Mac's Engagement Party wildly exceeded our expectations! But that is the way in Monroe - quietly, and humbly "under promise" a wonderful evening of sending the future Bride and Groom off in style, then "OVER DELIVER" with an event that even the New York debutante circuit would be very proud of! I suppose that's the town's way of "managing expectations!"

Monroe photographs courtesy of Mary Dawson Photography

Cottage "Planting"

The time has come! While some folks are rooting around in their gardens planting tulip bulbs for the Spring, our sights are set on "planting cottages" in the gardens of the Dallas Arboretum. Mona Crider of La Foofaraw has had her crew workin' fast and furious painting the artwork on the Picasso cottage that is being built in a warehouse in Celina. As you will recall from previous posts (10/20, 11/24 & 12/14) all four of the cottages are mostly pre-fabricated construction. While whole sections will be erected at once, trimming and dressing of the framed carcass' will occur on-site.  Later this week we will ship all the parts and pieces to the Arboretum and begin setting them up.

The Picasso Cottage was the last one to be constructed. A model of the overall project was done by J. Wilson Fuqua Architects, and is shown above. Several pieces of the cottage can be seen in progress throughout this posting. Can't you just imagine all the children laughing and running through all of the openings, having a wonderful time?

The "buzz" has already started, and is growing louder by the minute! On Tuesday The Dallas Arboretum issued a press release recognizing our efforts and foreshadowing the greater exhibit to come. We have been truly humbled by the response - undeserved applause for work not yet completed! We are scheduled to be completed, and party pretty by February 19th.

If it looks like a party - it is! My business partner Phillip McCloud and I have accused the artists of having way too much fun! Just like with everything on this project, it truly has been a labor of love!

For The Kids!!

In the end it's all about the kids! Our next generation looks to us for care and nurture, but also for fun, entertainment, and sometimes even education! So when our friend Mona Crider approached me about a project for the Dallas Arboretum I was all about it!

The Arboretum has asked Mona to come up with four children's playhouses that represent the lives of four artists, all of whom were active in the Progressive movement, and created outdoor works of art. All four were influenced from their childhood surroundings: Monet lived near a water lily pond; Seurat came from wealth in Paris; Piccaso grew up in Spain near the sea; and Georgia O'Keefe lived out West, eventually settling in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Now, I'm no dummy, so when Mona enlisted my services to build the playhouses, I convinced her that we should go to the real talent here in town to get the playhouses designed - my Architect friends!

Robbie Fusch blessed us with Monet; Paul Turney found Seurat's influence from Parisian architecture; Wilson Fuqua went way out of his very conservative nature in producing Piccaso; and Clint Pearson discovered Georgia O'Keefe's style in Santa Fe adobe. All of the designs are wonderfully unique! All will compliment the gorgeous gardens at the Arboretum!

We plan to have the playhouses finished by mid-February, just ahead of "Dallas Blooms!" Each cottage will have a reproduction of one of the artist's works of art hidden so that the kids can find the painting. Hopefully they will make the connection to the style of architecture that may have influenced the artist's work. All of it will be just plain fun!

It turns out that the Dallas Arboretum wants the children's cottages to function in concert with The Chihuly Glass Exhibit that will be placed in the gardens in May. They are expecting 1 million visitors to see the collection which will be featured throughout the day, and lit at night as well. Here are a few examples of his work.

All of this will be wonderful, but it's time to go to work! You know, the kids are waiting...

Chillin' By The Pool!

It's Summer...it's Dallas...it's HOT!! With the thermometer scheduled to top out somewhere around 100 degrees, I thought I'd better cool you down by highlighting some of the work from my friend, and colleague Scott Moneta of Leisure Living Pools in Frisco. Scott does most of our work for clients - all have been very happy!

But there's a little history along with Scott, and Leisure Living Pools. For years we did business with the king of extravagant pools, Marshall Moore. Marshall's attention to detail coupled with his innate sense of grades, mechanical knowledge, and just plain taste put him in a class with no one else. But he retired! So, now what has been a number of years ago, I called him to see who was the next "Marshall Moore" in Dallas. With no hesitation he said "Scott Moneta!" Once again, Marshall was right!


Scott is second generation pool construction. His father Tom started the business, and built the reputation. But Scott leaves nothing to chance. Always on top of his projects, with that keen eye for detail and construction, I feel as though we have given up little, if anything from the M. M. Moore Construction days.

If you follow my blog you may have seen the picture below in another posting. You guessed it, Leisure Living! Trust me, this stuff isn't easy, but Scott and his team make it look that way by literally taking the construction and scheduling off our plate so that all is finished when our client moves in. With much forethought on design and construction, the work is flawless. In this design a raised spa bubbles over through three scuppers into the larger pool. The coordination required to build an incredible pool in the confines of an enclosed, three sided house structure, can't be done by just anyone!

Scott was kind enough to share several examples of the latest trends in pool construction. Here we highlight the "negative edge" pool that gives the feeling that water is cascading into infinity. Usually accomplished through the use of tile, extreme care must be used to make sure that the waterline is perfectly flat and level so the water "cascades" equally across the negative edge.

The water has to go somewhere so this shot shows the reservoir that collects the water for recycling back up into the larger basin area.

Most everyone enjoys sitting by the pool. Pool decks are made out of all sorts of materials, but stone seems to be the most popular. A well thought out design will incorporate space for a number of people.

A very recent trend is to build the poolside deck out of Ipe (pronounced "e-pay" - probably because the material is really expensive!) which is also know as Brazilian Walnut. Certainly the most dense material I have ever encountered, it is hard to cut, drill through, and actually sinks to the bottom of the pool when thrown in!

More and more of our lives are being spent by the pool. People want spaces where they can get out of the sun, catch a refreshment, and entertain their family and friends. 

Feature structures have also become rather popular. Most often they use water in different, and imaginative ways. 

With both the sound of water, and plantings, water features touch many of our senses. Again, the detailing is superb!

I don't know about you but just seeing these pictures has cooled me down! A special thanks to Scott Moneta and the wonderful folks at Leisure Living Pools for sharing their work!

He has Risen - Indeed!

Easter always brings such happy celebrations for our family! Jesus Christ's rising from the dead is reason enough to celebrate, but we have always done Easter in a way which honors generational traditions started in Molly's family years ago. Through her family, our family, and now our kid's families the holiday "template" is always the same. Great family and friends, wonderful food, and a rousing easter egg hunt mark our annual celebration of Christ's ascension. Here are a few pictures:

Our Church is part of our family. We love to worship together and celebrate life!

Sometimes the anticipation of things to come is just too great to ignore! Shelby and Jake's daughter is ready to hunt easter eggs, and thinks all of this if for her!

Apparently all of "her" goodies weren't enough - we caught her eyeing her little cousins loot in hopes of maybe grabbing some of that as well!

Max and Whitney's son got into the easter egg hunt - but he is probably a year away from making a big impact.

These next two are our "adopted" grandkids from South Africa. Rarely can their real grandparents make holidays or events, so Molly and I step in where we can to support. Both the girls are so fun, and absolutely adorable!



Everyone had a wonderful time at Whit and Max's home! As you can see there wasn't much left for others to find.

A Baby Shower to Remember...

My wife Molly (a/k/a "Dolly" to the grandkids!) is always doing something for someone else! Some friends of ours are celebrating the addition of their third granddaughter and Molly, Lea, Cheri, and Susie threw a wonderful welcoming party. The event was sooooo cute, I just had to include it in my blog! Here are some photos...


Light hors d'oeuvres were served, and a friend of ours who works for Dr. Pepper really wanted the ladies to try Snapple's new papaya/mango lite tea. The tea was a big hit, but everyone raved about the decorations!










Nothing like a "sip and see" to bring out the ladies to celebrate! Everyone loves the guest of honor and her family. What a great way to welcome the baby into the circle of friends!

A good time was had by all....

Birthday Girl!

Birthdays have always been a big deal at the Hoebeke household. "Grand-birthdays" are ENORMOUS!! Shelby and Jake's daughter celebrated two years with us on Saturday. Just a couple of reminders of what a wonderful time we had.

The "Happy Birthday" sign hanging from the chandelier was made by Roundtop Designs and is available at Heart's Desire in Frisco. Every Birthday Girl should have a hat...



Jake is missing all of the fun - he is proudly serving our country on the USS Ronald Reagan.... We all miss him terribly, but little one misses him the most!





Unbridled joy...a smash cake to call her very own! Sure hope we got the plastic on the rug before she started!

Finally, I leave you with this - who is having more fun? The Birthday Girl in the tutu, or Dolly in her tutu?