Leave No Stone Unturned

In my mind the meaning of this expression is to explore all of your possibilities or to look at all of your options.

With regard to the stone for our house we are doing just that and then some. The mason and his "helpers" as my Stephen calls them are quite literally leaving no stone unturned. For weeks they have been putting mock ups of stone samples on the house. Unfortunately all of their efforts have yielded unsatisfactory outcomes in our minds. Call us picky or particular or opinionated...but then again it is the house we are planning on living in for the rest of our lives.

Finally, we thought we were all on the same page and therefore ready to move forward ~ 22 tons of sandstone was delivered to our house yesterday. I drove by at some point after the delivery and thought it looked pretty dark but could not stop to inspect the pile more closely. I was meeting a sitter for Betsy so I could attend "Planting with Mom" in Mary Frances' class {Mother's Day is coming} and then I had to file a police report {my car was broken into} and run by the grocery store {last day for .50 Yoplait and $1.99/lb chicken breasts}.

Fast forward a few hours when I pulled up and walked up to the pile of rocks in order to get a closer look. One of the "helpers" was pulling stones from the pile and we had a brief exchange. I tried to be cheerful and positive, but apparently I wasn't convincing. You know I wear my heart on my sleeve ~ it's one of my many faults. Frank {in route from Nashville} immediately got a phone call, and we were meeting with the builder and mason again ~ prior to 8:00 this morning and again around 10:00.

These meetings yielded an unanticipated 3 hour jaunt to and from Blount County to tour the quarry ~ or at least the supply yard.

Frank took some pictures and I am hopeful that we are finally on the same page. A little more color variation please! Even now that we hope the correct stone is going to be delivered the mason and his crew will pick up each and every stone that is put in our house and inspect it to determine which side will show, carry it to where it will be placed, and attach it with mortar.

Now that's leaving no stone unturned! Fortunately for us we are working with a talented as well as patient stone mason.