Sliding Into Finish!

We have now been in our house for two weeks (a week before the goal of Valentine's Day) and we literally slid into the house carrying boxes and furniture with the challenge of slick, solid ice on our roads and walk ways as well as piles of snow. I've never seen the schools have so many snow days, but we were able to keep the boys busy helping us.

Brian came over one evening for dinner and then helped Bob put together our new TV stand. We are very happy with it, but it was like a giant puzzle to assemble. I just left them to it and between the two of them, they did great!

Our heating guy, Bill stopped and finished his jobs with lots of good advice. Then our cable guy came and stayed quite a while teaching us how to use everything. He was so patient and took it slowly. He must work with a lot of seniors.  Everyone is so nice.

Chad came over and helped Bob clean and seal the tile in the walk in shower in our master bathroom. That was a job made a lot easier with two.

Brian came back with Brad, Kathy and the boys to start moving furniture in. Kathy was in charge of shower curtains in the two full baths.

Our pets are happily settled in. Barney loves sitting on the stairs keeping an eye on activities below. Minnie loves all of the nooks and crannies and has learned to come to the porch window to be let in and out.

Every day it becomes a little more settled and feels more and more like home. The kitchen took the longest with the number of boxes. I thought I had done pretty good downsizing, but was amazed at all we still have. A spring garage sale might be in our future. I'm sure it will all be a work in progress for some time.

Other than the new TV stand, we just pretty much moved all of our old stuff in with the thought that we can gradually replace things as we see the need. However, the goal is comfort and the absence of worry about hurting any furnishings. We can enjoy the kids and pets with a smile.

Our first guests, my Nephew Mike, his wife Cindy, and their kids Todd and Jodi and their friend, Emeris are coming next week. We have plenty of room and it will be fun to see how it all works. I already have jobs lined up for them as they can help us move our Christmas decorations and boxes of pictures in from the garage to organize in our huge basement. Some good dinners and piles of cookies should do the trick for pay.

Our yard remains a pile of sand that changes from slick ice to mucky mud depending on the temperature. Spring will bring lots of jobs there. I'm sure I'll post more as the weather clears and we can use the many porches and add some plants and shrubs. For now, thank you so much for following us on this journey. I sure wouldn't recommend it for everyone. I am proud of us for making it through (with the support of family and some very dear friends) and....we still like each other!

Bless you all! Here's to life!!

So Close and Yet....

New things happen every day that makes our new house seem more like home. The carpeting is in and knobs and handles are on almost all of the cupboards. It looks so close, but there is a long list of little things that have to be done to gain the occupancy permit.

Last Friday, after the carpeting was installed, several of our kids showed up with our four youngest grandchildren. One thing led to another and we had our first pizza and beer gathering. The kids ran in the wide open spaces and played exactly how I had pictured. It put smiles on our faces and warmed our hearts as we start the memories of our new home.

The two biggest attractions other than wide open room to run were the window opening from the stairs to the kitchen and the little reading nook in the upstairs guest room.

Butch and Bev came over both days of the weekend and helped us clean plaster dust and clippings from the floor, shelves and woodwork. Bob was worried about our beds sitting out on the cement floor of our garage, so with Brian's added help Sunday, they moved the beds in and got them set up.

That really made things seem real.

Our son, Chad, installed the light fixtures and fans as well as all of the switches and hook ups for our computer and televisions. Our plumber, Chad Hamlin, got faucets and toilets in place. Bob put in our cute new vanity in the powder room. It fits well with our farmhouse theme.

Now to get the water heater hooked up and the water connected. Then we can take a water sample in and we're a little closer to qualifying for occupancy.

Our appliances were delivered and Bob got those put in and leveled.

Our outside doors were finally painted and put back in adding more light and windows.

Mike finished our closets and the rods are in and ready for clothes. 

Meanwhile, Barney loves the height of our windows. They are perfect for watching all of the squirrels and we often see him just sitting staring. At least he is entertained.

There is still a list of little detail things that need to be done. Bob is working on sealing the shower today. Our plumber is on his way and hoping to finish. Comcast is coming Friday to hook up our internet and cable. 

It is hard to stay patient and wait for all to be done to get that permit. I sit and stare deciding which piece of furniture will go where but we aren't allowed to start until the township gives their approval. I'll probably move everything a dozen times, but it's fun to have a starting plan. 

Meanwhile, an ice storm is due to hit tonight and may slow the whole thing down again. This has been a crazy year for weather as it started so mild, then big snow, then record setting cold with wind, then spring temperatures with mud to our knees, and now here we go with everyone preparing for power outages due to heavy ice. Happiness right now sounds like some degree of being settled and our own bed.

Stay safe everyone!

It's Coming Together

The stress mounts as does the excitement.
There was a rush to clean up from the finish work of trim, crown molding and railings to get ready for the granite counter tops to be installed. We chose Fantasy Brown granite which varies a lot. We went for the lighter colored sheets with swirls of gray and brown streaked through.

We followed the suggestion we pick remnants of granite for our two bathrooms as it would be much more reasonable. We walked around out behind the warehouse in snow and wind finding colors we liked. They are all so beautiful, but we wanted to stick with light grays and browns. Our upstairs bathroom has flecks of a rusty brown and we were surprised to see that our master bathroom piece has a merlot purple through it. We did not notice that when we chose it. The way they were stacked outside, we often could only see a slice of stone.

However, we are more than happy with both bathrooms and the fun colors.

The painters came back with a boat load of drama. They've done a good job, but it's been a soap opera with daily highs and lows. We have white ceilings with white woodwork and trim to match our cupboards. We followed Mike's suggestion of the color Sailcloth for the walls. It is a very light beige and looks different in different light. We are happy with the very light colors as our floors will be dark and the older we get, the more we need light.

The door you see in this picture is not our actual door. Those are being painted. 

John finished our shower and we're so happy with how that turned out. It is much prettier than we even imagined and it makes it better that we got the tile on such a good sale on Black Friday. We're also pretty happy with the great linen closet and hope we use our good senses to not fill our storage spaces up just because we could.

This last week the flooring guys came from Collins Brothers. We are thrilled with our vinyl plank. It is exactly the color we shopped and shopped for. It was a very long process, but well worth it.

Meanwhile, Mike, Bob  and Dave worked on finishing the entry porches and deck. They built benches and railings. They also added a deck connecting the main entry porch with the screened in porch. It really framed and finished the look.

Mike and Bob did a lot to clean up the yard and return some of the unused lumber just in time for our first big snowstorm of the season. It hit with over 6 inches of snow followed by wind and below zero temperatures. Barney loved it all as he ran and dug in the piles of snow. 

Bob had just finished the fireplace and put the mantle in place so we were able to enjoy a cozy fire.

The carpet guys are supposed to come Wednesday. Chad has a lot to do with our electric hook ups, pendant lights and fans. Our plumber is due to install toilets and faucets. Doors have to be put back in and floor trim has to be put in and painted. There is still plenty to do, but it's looking so good. We can't wait to move in and our new, very possible goal date is Valentine's Day which will also be the week after our 51st Wedding Anniversary. Who would have thought??!!

* An added note for us to remember - The morning after I wrote this entry for the blog, we woke up to -13 degrees with a temperature of 54 in our little brick guest house. We had on layers of clothes and wrapped in blankets to watch the morning news. You know it's cold when Barney wants to sit on Bob's lap curled into as small of a ball as he could. We are tough! But, we'll be glad to settle in to our new house with a fireplace!

December Progress

Between getting organized for Christmas and the piles of progress we made on the house this month, I never took the time to sit down and blog. Finally, here is my update.

It was weird to have Christmas in this cute little brick house after years and years of Christmas at the family home on N. Shore Dr. Add the fact that we didn't have our usual decorations that are safely packed away in our garage, and I often just couldn't quite get into the feeling of the season. We bought a cute little pre-lit tree at Dollar General, added a wreath and candle and called it good.

 We made the best of it with the Yule Log channel on cable TV that snapped and crackled and it was all very cozy. Sean and Lindsey hosted Christmas Day Brunch in their well decorated, festive new home with lots of room and all went very well. Hopefully next year, in our new home, we can  adjust and start new traditions. Change is always in the air.

Bob did well getting the fireplace close to done. He and Mike trimmed the mantle to size and he is now working on the finish.

Mike and the builder Bob (as opposed to Bob Fish) worked on finishing the trim and putting up the crown molding. It really cozys it up and frames the look.

Bob Fish worked on an accent wall in the kitchen and at the end of the bedroom hall. He used the wood he salvaged from the old Shannon Cottage and from the Rife House that sat on this lot before we built. It adds a nice sentimental feel to reuse old cottage wood from people we knew with history on the lake.

Bob also used that wood to complete our screened in porch and for ceilings on the entry porches.

Dave, a builder also working with Mike, worked on baseboards and finishing the closets. Here is one of our walk in closets and our linen closet. Brian the painter, is caulking and getting ready to paint next week.

The guys doing the siding were finally finished. They did a great job and we'll miss their sense of humor and tolerance of Barney. Now a new crew has started putting in the eves and downspouts.

Our laundry room counter came in and Bob is getting that ready to install.

We got a great Black Friday Deal on our tile for our walk-in shower in the back room at Christoffs. It might not have been my first choice, but I like it and the price couldn't be beat. Mike found the small square tiles to match for the floor and trim. Every little bit helps. John is going to start that tiling process tomorrow.

                                  

As we roll into January, the granite counter top should begin going in on the 9th. We've bought the sinks and toilets. Our flooring (carpeting and luxury vinyl plank) is in at Collins Brothers in Jackson and they are planning to come to install the 14th. Meanwhile, I've worked on a knob and pull order for all of the cupboards and bifold doors and a faucet order for all of the sinks. I also ordered the tempered glass for the little reading nook in the upstairs bedroom. We've been busy.

That's it for an active end of the year, but I'm sure the pace will continue through most of next year. On with the adventure and we wish you a Very Happy New Year 2019! Thanks for following.