{House Update}

Six weeks ago, my house looked like this: 

 And now today, this:

Crazy!!  And oh so exciting!!  The end is near!! =) 

Since I blogged last, the exterior was completed {for the most part} and I absolutely LOVE it!!  You never know when you pick your rock, brick & paint from a 12"x12" sample what it will look like, but I can honestly say I am 100% happy with how it turned out.

I am also loving my roof.  And that's a good thing because it was a major source of stress for me a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately, I did not read the fine print & made some assumptions as to what kind of roof I would have. Needless to say, it wasn't what I thought or wanted.  Since my roof hadn't been started yet, I asked if I could do the upgrade & surprisingly, the answer was yes.  Of course it was going to cost extra money...not as much as I thought, but certainly more than I wanted to spend.  I debated & stressed over it for a week and then finally decided to bite the bullet & go for it; I knew I wouldn't  be happy if I didn't.  No one else will probably notice a difference, but I do & I am the one who has to drive in the driveway each day & look at it right??  Besides the fact that I just like the way it looks more, this roof comes with a longer warranty, etc. so I am hoping it will help with resale in the future.

In addition to the exterior being finished, they have also completed all of the plumbing & electrical.  And, this past week, some of the insulation was added. They also put up the mailboxes (we will have one set of centralized mailboxes instead of individual ones) & look how convenient it will be for me! I now have a light pole on one side & mailboxes on the other. I am set for sure now...what more could I want or need?!? =)

 

My fingers are crossed that they will start sheetrocking it this week, but with the holiday on Monday &  flooding rains the rest of the week, I am not getting my hopes up too much.  Things have been moving REALLY fast these past few weeks & so I know there are going to be days coming up where nothing gets done.  It kinda drives impatient me crazy, but July will be here before I know it.  In the mean time - I did more shopping!  =)  I couldn't pass up the really good sales this past weekend, not to mention the no sales tax on energy star appliances.  I am now completely broke {who needs a vacation anyway}, but at least I will have a fridge, washer & dryer.  And in case you are wondering - no, I am not buying new appliances just because I want new appliances - my fridge, washer & dryer stayed with my old house as part of the agreement when I sold it. 

 

{One Year}

This month marks one year that I received a contract on my house, closed less than 3 weeks later, & moved back in with my parents.  It truly is hard to believe that was 12 months ago; it really does seem like yesterday.  When I decided to put my house on the market last spring, I fully intended to be moved into a new house by March or April of this year {at the latest}.  But I should know by now that things in my life certainly don't go according to "my" schedule.

When my house sold & people asked what I was going to do until my new house was ready and I would tell them I was moving back home with my parents - I got lots of crazy looks & lots of "good lucks".  I have to say that it has gone really well.  Yes, we argue every now & then, I don't keep the bathroom as clean as my mom would like it and my dad occasionally acts like I am 16 & still have a curfew.  But overall - it has gone way better than I anticipated. 

I have tried to stay super busy & between football road trips, a trip to NYC, the holidays, spending time with friends & my favorite kiddos, committee meetings and work - I honestly feel like I am never home...especially this past month! 

 

And while I have enjoyed my time back at home & "bonding" with my parents - I am most definitely ready for a house of my own again.  One thing I miss the most is my space.  I am a very organized, neat person {maybe even a little OCD} so having everything crammed in one little room is starting to get the best of me...especially as my piles of "new house stuff" grow.  Every corner of my room is currently piled with new curtains, bar stools, light fixtures, ceiling fans, paint samples, etc.  The UPS guy & I are on a first name basis now. =)

Ok, now on to the more fun stuff - a house update!!  There have been BIG changes going on the past 2 weeks. They have been working every day & it certainly shows - I actually have a "house" now!  Framing began about a week after the slab was poured & within a few days - that was complete and the windows & Hardiplank were going up.

  

Now that the "roof" is on & the house is fully enclosed, it feels like a real house.  You can clearly see the floor plan now & I have to say, I LOVE the layout of the inside.  My last house was very closed off {the living room was separate from the kitchen/breakfast room}.  This one has much more of an open concept which I am very excited about.  I can't wait to have people over & have everyone be "together" in one space.  There are still no interior walls, but you can kind of get an idea from this picture {this is from the kitchen looking into the living room & breakfast room}.

Last Friday, the exterior was painted {still no rock or brick up yet} & this week they have been working on the plumbing. 

 

 

As of now, everything is going as planned & it is scheduled to be completed in July.  2 more months...let the countdown begin!!  I go by daily {ok, sometimes multiple times a day} & on Tuesday, I had a little {actually BIG} surprise waiting for me.  For those of you who have been reading my blog, you know I had a little issue with the fire hydrant appearing on the first lot I picked.  Well, apparently I traded the 3' fire hydrant for a 30'+ light pole!  At first I was really upset about it because it stuck out big time.  I am hoping once all the houses are finished that it will blend in & won't be as noticeable.  In the end, it will probably be a good thing & will be added security.  And it will be easier now to give directions to my house...I can just tell people I am the one by the light pole! =)

In other news, last night was the highly anticipated NFL draft.  So, for the first time in my life, I sat down for 4 hours & watched it.  Thankfully Facebook kept me entertained because seriously - do they stretch that thing out or what?!?  Anyway, congrats to Jake Matthews, Mike Evans, & Johnny Manziel on being drafted in the first round.  Whoop!  

Although it won't be the same as watching them play in Aggieland, it will be fun to watch them play in the NFL. And no, I will not be sporting any orange in the future...brown maybe, orange no. ;)  One thing is for sure - I cannot wait for football season to return...111 days til A&M vs. South Carolina!!

{One Week Later...}

Since my new house is within a few miles from work, I go by almost every day.  I normally go extended periods of seeing the same thing day after day, but when I drove by last Tuesday afternoon - I was in for a BIG surprise...there was an actual house up!!  I didn't anticipate them to start framing until this week at the earliest so when I rounded the corner & saw boards up - I did a little happy dance. =) By 4 o'clock Tuesday afternoon - this is what I had:

 

They continued framing the rest of the week & as of today - I think it's finished.  Hopefully the roof & hardiplank will be up this week or next.  It's so fun to actually see a "real" house now with "rooms" & "walls".  My fingers are crossed that things will start moving fast now.  I cannot wait to move in!!

{Entrance will be a rock archway.}

{View from the hallway into the living room & kitchen.}

 

 

  

If you are ever in the neighborhood, stop by - I would love to give you a tour! =)

{Easter Weekend Recap}

If the past 4 months are any indication of how fast this year is going to go by - then I am fairly certain we are going to blink & it's going to be Christmas.  Which I am kinda ok with by the way.  You know my love for Christmas & since I couldn't put my tree up last year, mine very well may go up November 1st.   Or before.  And no I am not kidding. =)

I know, I know - one holiday at a time. 

I hope you all had a very Happy Easter!  I did & very much enjoyed my 3 day weekend. Friday I spent the entire day in Houston shopping by myself {definitely the way I prefer to shop}.  I didn't buy much {note my previous post about my room being completely full}, but it was fun to look!  Saturday night, my friends and I went to dinner & then decided last minute to grab a bottle of wine & head to my "house" to celebrate finally having a slab.  So, I guess you could say I hosted my first party at my new house. =)  I know things will change once there are 25+ houses on the street, but it was so peaceful out there.  It's kinda like country living in the city.  Fortunately I will have a tree line behind my house & not another house so it makes it really "cozy".  Hopefully this was just the first of many parties to come.

 

Sunday was church followed by lunch at Whataburger with my parents.  I know you are super jealous of my very exciting life.  ;)  I celebrated Easter with the family Sunday evening at my Mama's house.  We played our traditional game of baseball (it gets serious, let me tell you!), had a fish fry, played a game of pitch & finished off the evening with an Easter egg hunt.  My cousin Abby summed it up perfectly when she said "our family is pretty awesome".  I couldn't agree more.

 

  

I almost forgot...we actually finished off the evening killing this bad boy!  A copperhead was crossing the road at my aunt's house on the way home. See - way too many creepy, crawly things in the country!! =)