Progress is Slow, but Happening

Two years ago last August, Jim and I painted the living room and play room. March a year ago replaced the carpet on the whole first floor. Summer a year ago we bought new end tables. Last spring we got the sofa and loveseat recovered. We also got a new TV cabinet off Craigslist. Last summer we replaced the windows. Last week Jim framed, trimmed out and painted the windows. Two days ago we put up the new rods and curtains that Jim’s mom bought us for Christmas. The room, which we live in a lot, is finally looking FINISHED. It just took almost 10 years to get there!

Bye Bye Todd and John

I wrote a HUGE check this afternoon and waved good-bye to Todd and John, the contractors. This morning I had taken the kids out to swim. As a surprise, the guys brought my washer and dryer upstairs and installed them AND removed three pieces of tile, replaced them with new ones and installed the piece of trim (whose name escapes me) that goes between the two floors. Both of these items were on Jim’s to-do list. Jim, who is working until 11:30 or 12:00 each day this week. And most likely next week as well. So I was, not surprisingly, THRILLED and tickled to death they did it.

And, oh so GRATEFUL that I get to sleep in tomorrow. Pictures to come soon, I promise!

It’s Monday and There’s Hammering

I knew going into this construction thing that it would get VERY old before we were through. Parking down at the bottom of the driveway (we live on a fairly steep hill), walking groceries up that hill, using only the front door instead the kitchen one, the dust and the noise….anyone who has gone through this process is nodding their heads in complete agreement.

What I hadn’t counted on was the feeling of not being alone. It’s not as though the guys are peeking in the windows or bugging us. They are doing their work and keeping to themselves. But they are still in and around our home. The kids have to be dressed every morning before they come downstairs (which they complain about!). I’m always dressed, so this is not an issue, but we have a towel draped over our bathroom window so they can’t see in (the foliage is thick enough that neighbors can’t see in).

We think they will be finished this week. Jim and I are going to come up with our own little punch list and make sure that their list agrees with it. We’re just so ready for this to be FINISHED!

We Have a Date

Hershey emailed this morning and gave me the date that Ethan will start at the feeding clinic–August 16th. We’ll have five days that week and four the next (missing Friday due to the triplet’s 9yr check up).

I’m happy to have a date, finally, but starting to get a tiny bit overwhelmed at school starting in five weeks and being gone pretty much all of the two right before it starts. I’m opting to try and drive up and back each day instead of staying at the Ronald McDonald house. I just don’t want to be away that long–10 hours is enough each day, thankyouverymuch.

In construction news, we painted and put flooring down in the mud and laundry rooms. They look very nice, but still need trim and doors and appliances (from the basement). The guys are working on the east wall today–windows and siding. The insulation got blown into the ceiling of the garage. Things are starting to get finished. It’s WONDERFUL!

Progress on the House

This morning the guys (Todd, John and Ron) put up the last of the siding on the front of the house. When I walked down to the car (parked on the street) I marveled at how amazing it looked. The east side and the back weren’t finished, but the front (which is what everyone mostly sees anyway!) looked DONE. And awesome! We went with a grayish tan (more tan than gray) and white windows but no shutters. It’s a very crisp look–very clean lines and just WOW. I love it!

One thing that has been made very clear during this process (and has been teased about) is how concrete I am. I do not have the capacity to imagine how something is going to look…i.e. WALLS…when it isn’t there. I was questioned about where I wanted the wall to go between the mudroom and laundry room. When there was just a floor down. Yeah, good luck with that. Once it was studded I could hazard a guess–with a little help with some more wood. Even then, it wasn’t until the drywall was up that I thought “oh! that looks good!”

Concrete. Literal. Down to earth. Pragmatic. You look those words up in the dictionary and you’ll see something like “adj. describes Tina”

Construction Update

Work continues. The garage has siding on the West and North sides, and 3/4 of the East side. The front (South) side still isn’t even Tyveked. The stairs to the storage area are up and right this second having their treads installed by Jim. Electric and Plumbing were here. Plumbing is finished, but electric still needs to finish up some things. This week will be insulation and drywall (halleluia!), which will make things look so much better. The contractor is hoping to finish around the end of the month, but I’m betting more on the first week or even 2nd of August. Here’s what things look like from the outside!

Bad Blogger, Bad!

So I know I’ve become somewhat incommunicado. It’s not on purpose. Honest! I still love you guys. But my schedule has completely altered and I haven’t yet fit regular blogging in yet. I used to post after the kids went to school. Well, um, that ain’t working anymore!

Work continues apace on the house. The electrician has been out the past two days and will be back next week (holiday weekend). Everything has walls, Tyvek, a roof and shingles now. There isn’t any drywall yet, but the garage has windows and a door, and the “room” upstairs has a floor. That’s all it’s going to get due to budget constraints. No walls, or insulation. Plumbing comes next week, as does the inspector. I fully expect to pass, as everything seems well constructed. Jim (being a former contractor) is rather picky and he’s pleased, so I am as well.

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Short Update

Catie is still sick–still throwing up. I’m trying to keep her hydrated (water, popsicles etc) and rested. She was up 6 or so times in the middle of the night, including one changing of the sheets. I’m starting to wonder about dinner because I usually shop on Mondays (or Tuesdays if I can’t on Monday) so I’m starting to run low on things. And Jim is working late.

CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN! They are already digging as I type, which is just so cool. I’ve never seen a backhoe this close before. It’s bright orange and HUGE.

Bulk Trash

Twice a year a rather large trash truck pulls around to gather what is nicely called “bulk trash”.  These are items that, for whatever reason, do not fit in a trash bag/can but still need to go to the dump.

Item A: The loveseat in the playroom. When we moved into this house 10 years ago, the previous owner left behind a fair amount of things, a set of living room furniture being one of them. The sofa and chair went years ago to a family, but the loveseat stayed behind and has been beaten, ripped, playdo’d etc to death. It is not worth passing on. It is not worth donating to the Habitat Home Store. It is not worth anything except taking up space in a landfill.

Item B: The “Green Cabinet”. Years ago (and I mean YEARS AGO), Jim’s grandparents lived in a home and enjoyed their lives there. They were thrifty and handy and often Jim’s grandfather would build something instead of buying it. The Green Cabinet is like that. It was made to house a turn table/record player on the top (in a lower section), a VCR in the middle, and a TV inside it’s doors. 1) we don’t use turntables anymore. 2) we use DVD players AND VCR players AND a DirecTV receiver in this house so more room is needed. 3) We need to be able to access the back of the TV to plug in various and sundry handheld plug’n'play games. 4) It’s GREEN and very, very ugly. Could it be handed to someone else? Maybe. Although the multi-leveled top would probably get in the way. People just don’t use turn tables anymore, unless they are DJ’s and then I don’t think a green cabinet would be helpful to them. So into bulk trash it goes.

Halleluia. Now if we could just find a buyer for the Victrola Jim’s stepmom gave us 9 years ago I’d be thrilled. Anyone? Anyone? Buehler?

Day of Rest

Jim has a stomach thing and my allergies are really acting up, so we both stayed home from church. That’s actually a Very Big Deal for us, being that we comprise the leadership of both worship teams. I can’t wait to hear what the elders chose to do for worship time.

Having a fairly eventful week here:

Monday is lunch with my mother and sister (which I don’t get to do nearly enough).

Tuesday Ethan and I are trekking up to the Hershey feeding clinic to see what’s in store for him. Tuesday evening the appraiser is coming over to figure out an amount that she thinks our home is worth and then give it to our new mortgage company. We’re hoping it’s the same amount our realtor thought, because if it’s less they won’t give us all the money we want. That would be BAD.

Wednesday and Friday I’m working

Thursday is a dentist appt and I’m really hoping for no cavities.

Saturday we’re having a get together here with two other families that each have four children. 18 people in all.  All the adults like each other and get along and have a wonderful time together. We started doing this last summer and are trying to make it a semi-regular thing. Fellowship ROCKS.

In between all the above I’ll be cleaning and doing laundry etc. Especially cleaning! Having people over is GREAT incentive!