house progress with BIG surprise ending...

I've been waiting for about 6 weeks to do this blog post---or rather any real blog posting.  I keep on starting a post and then deciding "No, I need to wait..."

No more waiting!

Let's take a look at the house that has HAPPILY consumed our lives for the last several months.  This is the place we visited every day, religiously.  So, you know we're gonna have a ton of pictures to show you. 

If you get bored, go ahead and skip to the final paragraph.  Yes, it has a surprise ending.

- - - - - - - - - -

 june 18th, 2011---Looks like we have some packages in the garage!  What could they be?  

ahhh, yes! the cabinets!

Let's go take a gander on the inside! Kitchen and eating area.

pantry is right here.

view of the kitchen and family room from eat-in area.

 angelic calvin.  he's practically perfect in every way.

 More views into the family room...

 inside the master closet.

one of the bedrooms...

 family room again...

tillie got dust on her pants.  here she is super irritated...

june 21st, 2011---Let's see what they've accomplished today.  Ooooh, interior doors have been delivered.

and, looks like they have textured the walls!

CABINETS INSTALLED!!!

june 22, 2011---garage doors installed.  I'm happy we went with white!  Originally we'd chosen dark dark brown, but white seemed brighter (duh!) and happier, in the end.  Boring and predictable? Maybe, but I love them.

I was driving on the road and saw this bumper sticker.  Funny. 

 june 23rd, 2011---Our builder told me that we could design the shelving in the closets however we wanted.  I think he regretted the day he told us that, b/c we took FULL advantage of that promise.  Because we had so many requests for the closet spaces, he just told me that he'd call me when the trim guy came, and if I could run down there and tell him what I wanted, it would be less confusing.

So, I got the call and quickly grabbed the kids and ran!  The trim guy was pretty nice, but I could tell he was not too thrilled with all of my requests.

Normally, in the bulk of the closets, they do one rod, one shelf.  hA!  Little did he know that I'd have measurements and drawings all made up.  My mom and Aaron were so great to help think through all of the details with me.

Luckily, the guy mapped it all out with me on the wall (while my kids were CLINGING to me... they were both stressed with all the power tools going on everywhere).  From our meeting, I headed straight to Costco to buy a few packages of their huge muffins.  I was SO grateful.  And, I wanted to make sure they knew how much I appreciated them doing all that extra work!!  My mom suggested it, and I loved the idea. 

Here we are the next day checking out all their handy work.

 

I didn't realize they were doing baseboards, the mantel, and some crown molding (in the front part, you'll see more pictures in a minute) too!

 

pantry of my dreams!!

 

One last shot of the exterior.  A close up of the new garages.  I think in the end, they'll put some hardware on them too.  With or without the hardware, I love them. Who knew you could have such strong feelings for garage doors?

june 27th---PAINTERS come!  They sprayed everything down with a primer coat (I'm imagining that's what it is, since EVERYTHING got sprayed. 

june 30th---Looks like they've graded the front area where the driveway and side walk cement will be poured.  I was so happy to see that it didn't look like it had too much of a slope! 

Now the REAL paint is up!!  It's much creamier than I realized, but I still like it. It's so hard to envision what it will all really look like on the walls and ceiling when you are looking at one little 1/4 sheet of paper.  We chose the lightest "standard" color they had.  We figured we could paint individual rooms if we wanted to later.  For now, I'm feeling pretty good about the decision.

 I think it's funny how they wait to paint AFTER they install the shelving.  But, what do I know? It just seems like it would be better to paint before so you wouldn't have these weird big white chunks.  Again, what do I know?  :) 

july 4th, 2011---dressed in red, whites, and blues in honor of Independence day!  Look at that awesome back patio! And, do you love the secret storage room under the wood stairs?  An awesome little bonus.

July 6th---concrete poured!  So flat and smooth!!  Perfect for Aaron and me to roller-blade on (yes, we love to roller-blade) and perfect for Tillie and Cal to ride their little bikes....

are you feeling the gray glass tile?  I'm feeling it. And, loving it.  The granite we like to think that if you spilled an OREO shake on the counter, you wouldn't even know!  Awesome. 

fans on the back patio area... such a good plan to keep the air circulating....

let's look at that kitchen again... love those cabinets.

 

kid's bathroom

master bathroom

This is the master bathroom shower.  In hindsight, we probably wouldn't have chosen this dark tile for the bathroom.  We probably should have done a light tile.  But, this way, you can shower in a "cave". 

 I kept wondering how they'd do the walkway.  I'm a fan of how they sloped the cement pathway around the big oak tree.  Good work, team construction guys!

And that, my friends, is the progress that had happened before I took a trip up to Utah with the kids.

Apparently, after we left, they made some more changes to the interior, landscaped and put in grass... I guess that's what happens when you leave for 5+ weeks.

You want a visual of the backyard?  Okay.

Pretty great, right?  I know.

I would have taken more shots of the front yard, but my eyes were a little too misty.

You see, this isn't OUR new house anymore.

whaaaaaat?!

We would have closed on the place and moved in last week---had everything gone according to our plan.  

But, we got a little job offer at a great practice in the Big D.  What's the "Big D"?  

Oh, it's a clever little name someone decided upon for the city of Dallas, Texas.  

Guess we're moving in like 3 minutes.

Oh wait, more like 3 weeks.  Weeks vs. Minutes?  really, it's like the same thing.

More details to come...

oh, and you KNOW there are details.