There's No Place Like Home

Especially my NEW home.

I'm stealing a minute to check in and let ya'll know that I'm still without internet service at the new house. The cable company has to come install the cable line first and we were told today that it would be 7-10 business days before that happens. Then who knows how long before we actually get service started. Hopefully not too much longer after that because I am having serious withdrawals from my computer. My Google Reader is positively overflowing with posts I'm anxious to read. And don't you dare suggest I just delete the posts....why, that'd be like...like...like ripping up Christmas cards without opening them. Dispicable. Unthinkable. Impossible.

As far as the house, we're in heaven. We're still unpacking and getting organized but it already feels like HOME. From the minute we carried the first box in, it was comfortable and familiar and felt like a deep, contented, happy sigh. It was hugely rewarding to finally be somewhere that was already such a part of us. I thought I would be in a big hurry to get it all unpacked and put away and just so but I find myself just relaxing, looking around, learning all the secrets of my home and its spaces. Maybe I just know, too, that I have time to do it the way I want. There's no hurry. The rush is over. We're there.

The last big project that needs to be completed is the kitchen countertops. We were told they should be installed this week so up until now, we've been making do without a kitchen sink, dishwasher or cooktop. I have my ovens, a microwave and a toaster oven, and I'm washing dishes in the laundry room sink. Between that and keeping the fire going, we kind of feel like we're camping. It's an adventure, for sure.

Anyway, all is well and wonderful in the Red House. We're beyond thrilled to be there and daily look at each other in disbelief at our good fortune. The kids are settling in and loving their big new bedrooms. Sam has successfully transitioned to his new school and is already making friends. And interest rates keep dropping, much to our delight. hee hee hee

Oh! And for those that know me IRL (in real life) or have corresponded with me via email, my email address will probably be being cancelled here shortly so please temporarily direct your emails to me at my Gmail account listed in the sidebar.

Thanks for all the good thoughts and well-wishes on our new home. I'll check in again when I can!

I Like To Move It

Tomorrow is MOVING DAY! Finally.

It's been 207 days since we broke ground on our house and tomorrow, my friends, is the day we start to live in it.

It's been 207 days since the dream started to become a reality. Since we started pouring our blood, sweat and more than a few tears into this project.

We did as much of it ourselves as we could but we didn't do it by ourselves, by any means. My dad and Josh's dad spent HOURS out there with us, swinging hammers, pulling wire, laying tile, sharing our excitement and calming our fears. Josh's mom made numerous trips up to help watch the kids while we toiled at the house. Friends and other family have helped entertain the kids and have offered their support and encouragement throughout the whole process. Words alone will never be enough to show my gratitude for the helping hands that have brought us to this point.

Over the past months when I've told people that my husband and I were building a house, I got much the same response: "Wow, and you're still married?!" It seems building a house is stressful. I suppose it can be, and I can certainly see areas and moments that could have been very stressful, but I gotta be honest and say that it's been a great experience.

We acted as our own general contractor so were in control of everything ourselves instead of leaving it up to someone else. We didn't really have any expensive, unbudgeted surprises and there weren't any major delays or screw-ups. We had a fantastic framer/contractor who essentially built our entire house and did it with as much pride as if he were building his own house (Hi Framer Josh!). We were on the jobsite nearly every day, monitoring the progress, giving our input, helping where we could. Maybe our constant involvement kept things going smoothly. Or maybe we are just incredibly blessed.

I did alot of praying throughout this whole process. I prayed for good weather, I prayed for our safety while working, I prayed for prices to drop, I prayed for strength, both physical and mental, I prayed for comfort and calming of my fears, I prayed we were making good decisions. But tonight, on the way home from delivering a load of boxes to my new home, I prayed with a grateful heart, a prayer of thanks.

Aside from the wonderful blessing of my new home, I am so thankful for my husband. He has worked himself silly building this house for us. He has reassured and comforted me when I threatened to spin out of control with fear, promising it would all work out. He has made wise financial decisions for years that have enabled us to build this home. He has thought of all the little things that I didn't know to think of. I am so proud of all he has done, and all we have done together.

And tomorrow's just the beginning...

Yellow Light

In case you're wondering, I'm still alive over here in my little corner of the world. Even though I was semi-housebound because of the snow and puttering on the computer throughout the days, I just ran of things to talk about. Other than the snow. And how it was ruining my life. So in the interest of keeping you, dear readers, I opted to hold my tongue and say nothing. Mark the calendar; it doesn't happen very often.

Christmas was lovely. Hubby and I were up before the kids; me because of a dang cold & cough that attacked me shortly before Christmas and Hubby because he's just an early riser. We sipped our coffee in the pre-dawn silence and eagerly awaited the little footsteps that would come from the bedrooms. Sam woke up first, sneaking out to check if Santa had visited. After seeing the presents & filled stockings, he raced to wake Zoë up with soft kisses and whispers of "Santa came Zo-Zo! Wanna go open presents??" It was a magical morning, watching them tear into presents and squeal with joy. Their smiles and excitement were truly my best gifts.

We got dressed and headed over to my parents' house for our family brunch. After opening presents there, we gorged ourselves on Mom's homemade cinnamon rolls, eggs, potatotes, biscuits, and sausage then sat around holding our bellies and groaning about how full we were. Really, everyone should have it so bad. In the afternoon, my sister and I took all the kids to see the movie Bedtime Stories which, by the way, was super cute and funny.

Now here it is, the Day after Christmas and the packing of our house needs to start in earnest. We still have alot of snow but the forecast is for warmer temps and rain in the coming days, which will hopefully translate into the snow melting quickly. Since we gave notice that we'd be out of our rental house by the end of the year, I'm hoping we can make that happen, although I know the owners would be totally understanding if we end up needing an extra month week. Unfortunately, the house will probably sit empty for a few months before somebody else rents it because, honestly, who's going to be able to drive out here, see the driveway and think "Yah! I wanna live there!" It's a great house, it just sits on top of a ski slope practically.

I'm working on getting my new house equipped with internet service but it may be a bit before it gets installed. Especially since the pipe that the cable lines need to go in is full of ice. So if we manage to get moved in the next few days, I may be without internet service for a bit. But do not fear, I will find a computer to check in on. And of course, I'll update ya'll once we actually begin moving, whenever that may be.

For now, I'll get packing and wait anxiously for the green light to get the show on the road.

Snowy Adventures

Yesterday I was looking out the window...because really, what else is there to do when housebound with two small agitated, bored, crazy children except look longingly out the window, remembering what it was like to leave the house. But I digress...

As I was gazing out the window, a couple of our hooved neighbors wandered by and were getting perilously close to discovering Bob's nose. (Doesn't Bob look a little nervous??)

Using my ninja-like skills, I quickly formulated a plan to distract them. I went out on the porch and bribed them. "Come here, pretty deer. I have something tasty for you."
And wouldn't you know it, the fuzzy critters listened to me! And walked right up to me and took my offering oh-so gently right out of my hands. (Apples, in case you're wondering.) I even snuck a quick pet on their noses.
It was pretty cool. I never get tired of seeing the deer go through my yard or trying to entice them with treats (always apples so don't be hatin'!) I've written about our visitors before, here and here, but I'm always amazed and in awe to have such a brush with nature. I don't know why. I just love it. Or maybe I'm a Deer Whisperer and have a special gift.

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Today I loaded up the kids and headed out to brave the roads. I figured crashing into a snowy ditch couldn't be any more painful than enduring another day at home with them. Just kidding! (Kind of.) We headed in to the mall to look for some snowpants for Zoë and I couldn't have been more wrong: leaving the house and going to that particular destination was in fact extremely more painful than staying home would have been. Christmas shoppers combined with every single school in the state having a snow day resulted in masses of people and zero parking spots, which when added to the way below freezing temps and snowy parking lots apparently sucked any hint of Christmas spirit out of people.

I was in Target, meandering through the crowds and trying not to scream, when I came upon some de-icer. As I've mentioned, we have a perilously steep driveway so I figured grabbed some might not be a bad idea. I saw that it was in short supply so I squatted down to look on the bottom shelf. Lo and behold, there was one last gallon jug of the stuff. But! Before I could reach out and get it, some Astoundingly Selfish SOB reached around me and grabbed it. I was shocked into near silence, considering I'd stood there and watched the same man grab two 25lb+ bags of the stuff and heave them into his cart. So it wasn't like we were fighting over the last bit of de-icer. He had ALOT already and had moved away! Shocked and absolutely dismayed by his behavior, I simply stood up and started to walk away, muttering (loud enough for him to hear of course), "I guess I won't be buying any of THAT today." A kind lady who had grabbed several jugs already offered me one but I was too stunned to say anything other than "No thanks." Seriously, I still am in shock at his behavior. I mean, really? You're going to grab the last bit of de-icer, reaching around someone who is obviously interested in it? It just makes me really sad that people act like that. It would have been different if he hadn't already loaded up his cart. I considered following him through the store, waiting until he turned to look at something, and then taking it out of his cart and running off it with. But I didn't think that'd be a very good thing for my kids to witness: mama duking it out with some man over de-icer. Sounds like a scene from a National Lampoon's movie or something. Whatever. I hope he has a Merry Christmas with his extra de-icer.

Snowmen

Building a snowman yesterday reminded me of one of my favorite comic strips, Calvin & Hobbes, and his snowmen.

Winter Wonderland

This was my view on Sunday:

This was the view off my deck yesterday:
This was my view this morning:

The snow is getting progressively deeper. Our deck shows 9", but we probably have closer to 12" since the kids trampled it down during first batch we got on Saturday/Sunday.

Yesterday was considerably warmer, probably almost 30°, so Sam and I went out to play. And whaddya know? Bob showed up.




We were back inside, drying off and warming up, when Hubby exclaimed "Oh my gosh!". We looked out the window and saw that an entire fir tree had uprooted and crashed down onto the house behind us. Fortunately, the house is vacant and empty.



We went around and looked at the house, looking in the front door. And saw daylight. The tree went completely thru the roof and down into the second floor. We called the community association office and reported it and they were going to contact the realtor, but there wasn't much else we could do. And scarily enough, there is another tree right next to it that looks a little lean-y.

Today Hubby and his mom went out to the new house to check on things. The carpet is all in, and the plumbers have gotten several of the sinks and a toilet installed (hopefully they're finishing up today). I'm home today again, trying to entertain the kids and maintain my sanity. I'm going to get started packing some boxes after lunch in hopes that someday soon, we'll be actually moving.

Freezing

I am too cold to blog.

Winter arrived in the Pacific NW late Saturday afternoon. With a vengance. While I was at work, it dumped about 5" of snow and the temperature dropped into the 20's. The forecast says it won't make it above freezing for a week and the winds coming down out of Canada are making it painfully cold outside - last night was -7° with the windchill.

If you've been enduring reading this blog for any time at all, you might recall that we had planned to start moving this week. I don't know if that's gonna happen now. First, we'll see if the plumbers actually show up today and if the carpet layers show up tomorrow. Out where our house is, I hear there's not as much snow and that the roads are clear (because the frigid arctic air blew it all away, that's why) so hopefully there won't be a problem. But then it'll depend on the weather after that - if it snows more, or doesn't warm up to melt the snow we have, we won't be able to get a moving van up our driveway to actually move our stuff. We have a perilously steep driveway (see picture below) and even walking up/down it in the snow is tough, much less driving.

For now, plans are creeping tenuously along, but may come to a complete halt depending on what the weather does. Or doesn't do. So not only am I slowly turning into a solid block of frozen flesh (see Factoid #5 in the sidebar) but my plans for Christmas in the new house are evaporating. Who knows? It might still happen but I'm not counting on it.