City workers....UGH

I am not sure that the "City of Denham Springs" as a whole does much right or well.  Up until recently, the only way to pay your bill was to visit them during their jacked up hours, or mail in a check.  Now, you can pay online with a fee.  Well, lucky us!  Our water, sewage and gas for the new house are all under City of DS.  So, I call them this morning to let them know it's time to set up our gas meter - you know, so we can start climate controlling our poor house in the crazy weather.  The first time I called, the girl tells me that the person I need to speak to is away from her desk and to "call back in a few minutes".  Well, I know from previous experiences that their offices close at 11am on Fridays (must be nice).  So, I call back right at 10am - plenty of time for what's-her-face to get back to her desk.  Now I am told that I "need to call back during normal business hours".  Are you f*cking kidding me?  They have changed their business days to Monday-Thursday.  Now, who the hell answered the phone and what department she works for, who knows!!  I mean, I figured that no one would be going out today, but I was hoping to have my ticket started so that I might be first in line on Monday.

Whatevs.

So, we are chugging away, getting closer and closer to the end!  Our outdoor kitchen should be bricked tomorrow, maybe Sunday or Monday (apparently, brickers don't like the cold).  The sheetrocker will be there Tuesday to do any repairs that need to be completed, and then the painters will start on Wednesday - and take 2-3 days to complete their second coats, staining and touch-ups.  I am meeting with the landscaper on Tuesday to make a decision on that part, and then he'll start ASAP - weather permitting.  Our flooring guy will be doing the apoxy coat on the floors starting the 5th, which means we could start moving in that weekend (ideally)!  Of course, we still need to get an appraisal done for our mortgage, so I'm not sure how that is going to fall or affect us in this process.  The best part about building yourself is that you don't really have to wait to go to closing to move in.  The construction loan is ours, which means that the house is ours already.  We just need to flip it to a regular mortgage before the 1 year mark hits on our loan.  We decided to use DSLD Mortgage and Title for our closing.  So, fingers crossed no bumps or hiccups! ;)

In the meantime, we had the antiquing done on the kitchen cabinets!!  We LOVE it, and the pictures just do not do it justice, but here's a peek:



Wine rack and bead board



Closer pic of the detail

 

 

 

Tile, granite and fixtures - oh my!

We've had an exciting week, and another one is coming!

So far, we've taken delivery of our barn doors (still to be installed) and remaining brick (for the driveway skirt and outdoor kitchen), had granite installed, completed the backsplash around the master tub and in the kitchen, had most of the lighting fixtures installed, started plumbing trim out, and completed the HVAC trim outs.

Mud area complete!

Those red dials means that this bitch does business in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, it is still too wet to do the grading in the yard to prep for sod.  Brickers will probably finish the ddriveway skirt and outdoor kitchen tomorrow.  They'll have to pump the water out of the driveway skirt area to finish that part - then one won't need a full-sized truck to actually pull up onto our driveway.  According to weather.com (which is an absolutely reliable source), we should have beautiful sunny skies for the next 10 days - just in case they don't make tomorrow.

I have a meeting with the blinds/shutters rep next week, and our antiquing girl will be there on Tuesday to complete the kitchen cabinets.  I CANNOT.WAIT to see the end result! 

Now, what would this blog be without a little bit of bitching, right?  We've visited the house a few times this week, and now that we're getting so close to the end, shit is starting to get real - and real annoying.  For one, I noticed that one of my cabinet doors on the island was damaged by someone knocking it off of one hinge (had to be the plumber or electrician).  It will be fixed, but still.  I know it's not your house, but please don't eff my shit up - ESPECIALLY since I am PAYING you to be there.   You have no idea what kind of hell I am capable of bringing to you.  Then we were told by the electrician that there "may not be a wire above the island" for our lighted pot rack.  Well, then you better make one happen, kind sir!  (edit: I did go back and review the plans, and it does not appear that one was originally there.  Go figure.)  Next on the list is our bar area.  The slab of granite that is there now sure as hell is not protruding enough into the living room to be considered a "bar".  According to the plans, it should be a bar.  I even have the metal works to go underneath it for support sitting in my office.  Please don't make me go pregnant-postal.

And, on top of everything that's kept me excited and stressed all week between the house and my "real job", I got scheduled to work my "for fun job" tomorrow.  I had gotten so used to them reaching out to me to see if I could work X day at Y time, so I'm glad I randomly checked the schedule online.  I had already booked a massage that afternoon, so talk about pissy 'n pregnant when I had to call and cancel.  Honestly, working beyond this weekend before Liam arrives will be difficult.  Byron's wedding is next weekend, we will be moving/situating into the new house the next one or two weekends, I am co-hosting Jessica's baby shower the third weekend in February, and beyond that I could be having a baby at any moment.  Makes me tired just thinking about it.

But, something adorable that happened last night.  Michael got the "nesting" urge.  We bought several large storage containers and started going through Ethan's clothes and shoes.  The kid grows so fast that it's hard to keep up with what fits.  Plus, most of his clothes either fit in the waist or the length, but not both.  We sorted out what was definitely or close to too small and started a box for Liam.  It definitely felt good to get some organization going on.  Michael wants to be as packed and ready as possible for the big move.  Tonight, I'm going to go through my closet and dresser to see what I can go ahead and pack up, and what can go to Goodwill.  Our goal is to not buy anything new from now until we after we move in the house - no new clothes, "things for the house", etc.  Yeah....let's see how this goes! lol

BLOG ALL TEH THINGS!!1!11!!

Geez... Has it really been over two weeks since the last time I blogged?  This year has started off in a sprint!

So, we have locks on the doors and our first coat of paint!  Woot.  However, the painters mistakenly painted the corner cabinet in the master bathroom the dark color that I wanted on the tub casing. 


And, they were probably thinking I was the stupid one while they were painting it.

The boss emailed me before I saw it in person, which saved me a heart attack upon arrival.  They will fix it on the next round of painting.  The kitchen appliances arrived yesterday, the electrical fixtures arrived this morning and all are being installed today.  Tomorrow morning, our barn doors for the dining room area will arrive.  Those and the beam over the bar area of the kitchen still need to be stained.  At some point this week, the air conditioning trim out will be completed.  Obviously, lots going on this week!

The granite guy has the sinks and faucets, and is working on cutting our slabs this week, as well.  Not sure if he will install in the house before the week is out, though.  Once that is done, our tile guy can go in and work on the kitchen backsplash.  Thankfully, the travertine is already in and paid for, so that should get started as soon as the granite is set.  Beyond that, we still need to decide on landscaping.  Our GC has been in contact with that company and will let me know when we need to decide.  Oh, and the garage doors should be on their way.

I ordered our microwave, cabinet knobs and drawer pulls today.  The points from our refrigerator cut the microwave cost in half, so that was nice.  I never realized how freaking expensive cabinet hardware was or could be.  We looked at Home Depot over the weekend, and let's just say I was shocked.  It would have cost us over $400 to get JUST THE DRAWER PULLS.  OMJesus...  Overstock had a much better price for the same product we wanted.  Whew.

I also received some information on blinds and plantation shutters.  The absolute LAST thing we are going to want to do when we start moving in is install those things.  Plus, I really want plantation shutters in the master bath, and possibly the kids' rooms...maybe the dining room as well...  For now, I'm just gathering prices and info.  I need to see what our budget will allow after this (major) week is done.

Moving on.......

We are now over 30 weeks pregnant, which is INSANE to think about.  This pregnancy has flown by compared to Ethan's.  I know that it's partly due to building the house and the holidays - my mind has been busy with so many other things.  I am just so grateful that this has been an easy, uneventful pregnancy.  My doc told me yesterday that I've only gained 9lbs so far, which is great!  We get to see Liam in two weeks when I go back for an ultrasound.  Talk about surprise when I realized I'm at the "appointment every 2 weeks" mark. o_0

I've started to think more about how we're going to do the boys' rooms.  I have some metal prints for the walls, and picked out a rug for each of them.  Now, I need to focus on Liam's furniture.  We have even talked about just getting Ethan a new set since the changing table goes with what we used for him in the other house - and we hopefully won't need that in his new room.  Honestly, it will probably all come down to what we can find and afford.

One other exciting thing we discovered (well, exciting for me!), there is a cul de sac almost right across from our neighborhood.  On this street, there is a deer farm; and in the cul de sac there is a little house farm that sells fresh eggs!  I immediately pictured going for walks with my boys to see the deer and buy fresh eggs right around the corner from our house. :)

We are just so ready to be in the house, nesting and then welcoming our little Liam home.  I hate to think or act like our lives will "settle back down" at any point soon, but we are so ready for these next phases.
I am also working on a new blog post on Ethan.  Seriously, this kid has grown so freaking much over the last 6-7 months.  Exciting and sad at the same time. :-P

Can I scream now?

Because I kinda wanna scream.

So, after not being able to get in touch with my GC since last Monday, I finally hear back from him this morning.  I figured that everyone is taking a nice little vaca with the holidays, but dammit to hell just take the 30 seconds to respond to a text or email!  The biggest question I needed an answer to was regarding whether or not I needed to push back the girl who was set up to do the antiquing on the kitchen cabinets Thursday.  All I needed was a yes or no.  We went by the house yesterday and found no paint.  I went ahead and told her it was highly doubtful that the house would be ready for Thursday.  Turns out that I was correct.

We are waiting on the trim carpenter to come back to run all of the base boards and trim up to the cabinets.  Apparently, he's been "very busy" and is supposed to be coming to do our work on Friday.  The painter is supposed to start a week from today, and that will take all week.  So, assuming all of that goes down as it should, my antiquing lady should be able to get in on Saturday, the 11th at the earliest.

At this point, I am completely exhausted with the house.  Breaking our budget has become inevitable; it seems.  We have been saving as much as possible, and at this point are praying that everything works out.  There are a few items that I am waiting on for updating the budget (i.e. lighting fixtures, possible changes from cash payment).  Plus, I've developed a super nice sinus drip and head cold.  If you run into me over the next week, watch out! ;)

But, hey.  At least our cabinets look beautiful:



Stove side of the kitchen

 

Sink/dishwasher side of kitchen

Damn you Starbucks!

I should probably just stay away - it would be for the better.  Every.single.time that I go to Starbucks and someone pays for my drink or I pay for someone else, I have a terrible day.  So, I am interested to see how today will go since the girl at the window didn't charge me for my tea since they were out of the cinnamon roll I wanted.  Maybe in some weird Twilight Zone, that means I will have the best day of my life.  A girl can dream, right?

This morning I realized how negative I have been lately.  As much as I try to not be downtrodden in front of Ethan, I know he can sense it.  Yesterday, I finally hit a wall.  This morning, I got up and decided that things just cannot stay like this for me any longer.  It's not healthy for me and Liam, Michael or Ethan.  I prayed about it on the way in to work and just asked for guidance.  At this point, that's all I can do.  God works in funny ways.  You keep trying to control things and pushing yourself to limits, and He just sits back and lets you do it until you finally collapse and realize that He is all you need.  Thankfully, I'm there now.  Yesterday, I finally collapsed and today I am asking that He point me in the right direction and lead our family.  Why is it that I get to these points?  Why can't I just continue to let Him lead us?  Because I am so stubborn - and that's the damn truth.  As things progressively get more beautiful and wonderful, I try to control them and manipulate them into better when all I should do is sit back and enjoy what God has in store for us.  I am not perfect at all, and times like this serve as a very humble reminder.

I went to yoga at lunch, and it's amazing how much better I feel.  I got to release some tension and just laugh.  Laughter is such an amazing medicine.

Good news on the house: The last of the cabinets are being installed as I type!  The locks will be on the doors this weekend, and the painter is scheduled to start Monday!! WOOHOO!  The master shower is done, the tub backsplash will be completed shortly, and the kitchen backsplash has been measured for.  Check out the progress we've been making:


Loving our brick!

Back patio

Master Shower (upper half)

Master Shower (lower half)

 

Slowly, but surely

This kid must think I am some sort of pinball machine.  He could care less about what time of the day or night it is - he likes to party ALL the time.  This morning was the first time that I recall his antics waking me up, though!

Updates on the house...
- My tile guy sent me a text on Monday to see if we had picked up the tile.  W. T. F.  Nope!  Sure haven't!  Thought that was your job!  So, guess what Michael and I got to do at 8:30 Monday night after we put Ethan down (with my parents at home, of course)?  Deliver the tile that Michael had to run over to the flooring store and pick up!  Let me say that tile is heavy and a Matrix was not designed to carry it.  I was absolutely nervous the entire time we had possession of the tile.  Thankfully, we made it there and back with no issues.  The next afternoon, he got started and worked until late.  The shower should be finished by Saturday.
- Our cabinet man had installed more cabinets, which was awesome to see when we dropped the tile.  He is supposed to be installing more over the few days.  I believe we just have the island/lowers in kitchen, mantle, master closet and some doors left.  Fingers crossed that maybe we can schedule paint for next week!!
- Yesterday, I met with the lighting fixtures guy.  He gave me a couple of catalogs to go through, and last night Michael and I did just that.  We agreed on pretty much everything, so that was a breeze.  Now, I just need to schedule a walk-thru with him to make sure we get noted what we will need - and get a price.
- Speaking of prices... I had a small freak-out yesterday over the budget.  I asked our GC to meet with me at some point this week to go over the invoices with me.  According to my budget spreadsheet, I haven't paid for a few things but I know that can't be right.  I think what has happened on a few lines is that I received an invoice or two that had two or more budget items on it, and I did not separate it properly for my spreadsheet.  I need some help decoding the invoices to make sure I know who I have paid and haven't - and, where we really have busted the budget.

I'm telling you...building a house is stressful.  Staying on budget, not letting people screw you, making decisions to upgrade certain things, etc. is unbelievably stressful.  I am hoping that after I sit with Dustin and get everything straight, that we will be able to better plan for the rest of the items.  We can make some cuts on things like fixtures and landscaping - those we can always come back to later.  But, then you have the driveway yet to be poured that you are basically at their mercy on pricing.  Oh, and the remaining brick for the lip of the driveway and outdoor kitchen.  So, yeah.  Stressful.

I take my PHR test on Tuesday.  Can you sense the excitement?  I will be going through the online modules to check where I'm at over the next couple of days.  Then, I plan to brush up on my weak areas the couple of days leading up to the test.  Say a prayer for me!

1 holiday down...

So, turns out that our tile had not been ordered.  And, with the Thanksgiving holiday, it took a few days extra to arrive.  Supposedly, it was delivered yesterday afternoon and picked up this morning.  Fingers crossed that maybe we'll get our shower and tub backsplash done for the weekend - and maybe some more cabinets!  We did get a load of cabinets in last week, and I took some pictures but will wait to post when they're more complete.  We still need to decide on landscaping and light fixtures...

As far as physically, I am feeling more and more beat down every day.  I don't know what to do to make it better.  My HR class finished Tuesday night and I will test on the 17th.  My hope is that once the stress of the test is gone, I'll start to feel more upbeat.

I know that part of it is the holiday season and where we are right now.  I feel like a turd to complain, but emotionally, I feel out of place.  For the first time in our marriage, Michael and I don't have a "home" of our own for our little family.  We are so grateful and fortunate that my parents have space for us to stay during this transition time.  I just didn't realize how the holidays would affect me here at the end.  Throw in a nice serving of pregnancy hormones and you get a barrel of fun!  Michael is a trooper and more supportive than I could ever give him credit for.  I am truly blessed.

With the pregnancy, I'm still cruising along - which I am EXTREMELY grateful for.  My biggest hope for this (and any other) pregnancy is to be as uneventful as possible.  However, little Liam Edward is quite the mover and shaker!  He definitely likes to utilize all of his allotted space for activities.  And, by activities, I mean kickball and/or soccer.  Maybe we'll have two little NFL kickers!

Hopefully, I'll have more updates after the weekend. :)