Moving Day

Well tomorow has approached rather quickly - meaning it seems as though it's already here and yet there's so much to be done yet! It's clean-up day at the house today but there's some things we didn't get to finish, like the floor, fireplace stone (which creates a horrible mess), trim and some other small things... like not getting an occupancy permit - ya, our inspector told us to "call anytime on Friday" but failed to answer his phone all day... I guess he won't mind making a trip into town on the weekend. Kev will be home at least another week, possibly two, trying to tie up all the loose ends so we can close this dang mortgage. It's been a rollercoaster in many ways, the mortgage that is. We decided to finish the basement, contrary to our original plan (and budget) b/c we knew that we'd only be living here for a couple-few years and would very likely not have the cash to finish it in the near future. Now I'm not extremely picky when it comes to living spaces, as long as they're mostly clean and somewhat organized. Infact, 6 of the 8 (yes, 8!) places we've lived in up until now have been under 900sq.ft. However, not finishing the basement meant 1: cramming 4 people and everything else into that much space for the next few years and 2: appealing to a completely different crowd of buyers than we have when the time comes to sell - the area we live in is mostly inhabited by vacationers who buy (and build) places which are conveniently "ready-to-go". So the plan was tweaked "slightly", or so we thought. I don't know why we thought that finishing the basement wouldn't cost very much... hmm... but it did. So our fabulous mortgage broker is working his art at financing and we'll be signing for a much bigger dollar sign pretty soon... oh, and Kendra will be getting a job. More about that last detail in the near future (stay tuned!) :) I wanted to try and post one more lot of pictures before shutting down and packing the computer tonight, however I realize now that the batteries for our camera are packed away... so Kev may not be able to take any (sorry Mom and Dad!). I'll be posting some pics as soon as things settle down a bit in the next few days though!

Finishing Touches... and messes

What chaos! This week we are attempting to move, do the finishing carpentry, repaint a couple rooms, install/hook up plumbing fixtures (hired out), tile the shower downstairs (hired out), put the stone up on the fireplace (again, hired out)... meanwhile the laminate floor isn't in and our appliances aren't anywhere to be seen. The house is a MESS!!! I can't even say it's "organized chaos", as my messes tend to be. It's just plain chaos. Plus, my carpet is loaded with sawdust and woodchips (the basement is currently the woodshop, from the looks of it). There are three more days to finish all our projects, big and small. Friday will be a cleanup day and Saturday is moving day. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I'm not sure if I'm more stressed or excited (a little bit of both I think). Kevin's probably more stressed than I am... anyway, here's some pretty pictures to take our minds off the mess for a moment:) Master bedroom re-paint is more brown and less purple. The dark colour is the entire room and the light colour is the closet. Kids room has a fresh coat of green (more grass-like, less puke-like!) Main floor bath has working fixtures!!!!! Kevin was more excited about the toilet going in than anything else (HA! no more trips to the grocery store). Basement bath still needs fixtures installed. Trust a carpenter to have nicer trim than the carpet beneath it! The mess: Above: Kitchen/Living area (I think...?) Fireplace in Living room awaiting a bit of stone. Office in basement is storing our shower doors. My personal favorite: the temporary workshop in the basement... carpet and all. Ug.

9 days to do...

Is it just me or are things a little hairy around here right now? My brain feels like it's going to explode sometimes. - pick new paint colours for master bedroom (it somehow ended up clashing with the colour of our carpet - really, really nasty) and green in kids room; paint - buy/install hand rails for all staircases (in and outside) - sand, varithain, nail on casing - intsall doors on main floor and all closet doors - buy/install closet organizers and/or rods - put up some kind of window coverings - screw in kitchen cabinet handles - buy/install bathroom accessories (ie. towel rods) - install laminate flooring - tile shower and install lino in basement bathroom (hired out for Saturday) - complete plumbing (hired out for early next week) - wait for dishwasher to arrive (late), hopefully before plumber comes - obtain occupancy permit (inspector scheduled to come Tuesday) - wait for other appliances to arrive, hopefully before we move in - pack (an ongoing event these days) - CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN the new house - CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN the old house (current rental) - move next weekend (February 16th & 17th) IT IS BEYOND ME WHY I AM UNABLE TO POST WITH PROPER PARAGRAPH AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE - HOW ANNOYING.

Pretty Cabinet doors:)

There's a few minor details to work out yet (and a trip to Ikea...rrg) but here's the most of it:)

There's a new Sheriff in town!

... and the sheriff's name is Atalie! ... her trusty sidekick Aiden

Carpet, Cabinets & Green beans

Well, things are flying along!! We've got two fantastic volunteers this weekend (YEAH FOR THEM!!!!) to help Kevin with finishing the cabinets, hanging doors, putting up window casing and possibly starting the laminate flooring. That means a HUGE percentage when our appraisor comes on Monday, which in turn means a HUGE draw! Likely the biggest yet. One prayer request: We need to be approved for a higher mortgage amount b/c we (like majority of builders, statistically speaking) have gone over our budget by about 20%. If we aren't approved we'll have to come up with another brilliant (and unlikely) idea. I know God has a plan for this situation b/c he's answered all our prayers regarding this house so far and has been faithfully leading us along... but boy is it scary when you look at the cost list! Perhaps we need peace more than anything;) The mortgage specialist is responding to our increase request Monday so please send one up for us before then! Thanks:) :) CARPET The carpet was finished yesterday! It's really hard to get a feel for the colour and texture with such small and grainy photos, but I guess you get the basic idea anyhow. The basement carpet is all the same colour but the carpet in the two bedrooms upstairs is slightly darker and thicker/softer. Master bedroom (main floor) Kids room (main floor) Bsmt Bedroom Entertainment Room (bsmt) CABINETS Kitchen cabinets are coming along. So far the boxes are in place and shelving in... a few doors have gone up too. Today will be spent finishing it up so laminate can begin tomorow! How do you like the drywall dust in the air? I'm hoping that it settles sometime in the next year or two... I can't believe how bad it is! I do, however, like (okay, love) my island:) Three cheers for Kevin on that - great job love! The countertop is oak, along with the eating bar ...now all we need are bar stools.. didn't exactly leave room for them in the "budget". GREEN BEANS Aiden has been eating solids for a month or so now, mostly rice or oats cereal, however he's discovered pureed fruits and veggies now too! So far he's had a apples (thumbs up!), peaches (not too bad), strawberries (a bit hit!), carrots (thumbs down), peas (pretty good) and green beans (barely tolerated). Here's a shot of him eating green beans. Actually, these pictures describe him perfectly. Even when he dislikes something or is uncomfortable with a situation (ie. nasty green beans or a tummy ache) he is more than willing to let loose a big pudgey smile! He's such a sweetheart!!!