it's official!!

We are moved in. We are sleeping at the house!! The kids and I have been here about a week (?) I think. We just got internet here, so that's why it's been so long since I have posted. SAM is almost completely emptied, and there really aren't that many boxes (maybe 5??) in the garage awaiting a permanent place.

There's still so much work to be done, but it's nice to be home! Cal's room is almost completely in order (he is the only one with a finished closet at the moment!). He just needs curtains/shades. All of his boxes are unpacked.

The girls' room is a bit of a challenge; I've moved it around many times, and nothing seems to be right where it should be. I also have to keep in mind that another bed will be put in there (soon, hopefully!--for Maddie). Haven't really unpacked too much of their stuff.

The kitchen is pretty well in order, other than the cabinet doors that are missing (they are being worked on--on a couple he made the wrong size, on two others we are waiting for the glass to be put in them). We still need mirrors in every bathroom. I guess the biggest issue right now is the lack of window coverings!! It is REALLY bright in the morning--the kids are up when the sun rises. Our bedroom is the only room with curtains at the moment.

School starts tomorrow, I am certainly more nervous than the kids. At registration the other night a lot of kids questioned Kaycey's new hair. One girl in her class knows about the wig and said she was going to tell everyone. While that doesn't seem like too big a deal, it kind of is since Kaycey doesn't want people to know it's a wig. Not quite sure how to approach all of this...if it becomes a problem, we will send her to a different school. Cal and Kaycey start their sports for the season on Wednesday...why the rec dept. decides it's a good idea to have the sports on the same night is beyond me...it means lots of running around (their practices are at two different fields). I am hoping to find that one of the other teams happens to practice on a different night (coaches choose when to practice) and that they'll let me switch. I'd rather drive them 2 nights than try to to do it all in one night!! Maddie starts dance class on Friday, too. For now we didn't sign her up for any school. We figure she could always start at the semester...she's little, and I like having her at home!

I'll post recent pictures soon!!

MOVING DAY

well, moving week. Most of SAM is emptied out!! I was worried about everything smelling just awful, (we had moth balls in there to protect our goods!) but really, the only thing we had to air out for a few days on the porch was our mattress and boxspring (the kids beds are at my Dad & Maria's house so we don't have to worry about that).

It was like Christmas for the kids...so many of their toys were packed in SAM. Their rooms look like toy stores at the moment! We'll have to clean it up though, their beds are coming tonight!! I put all the toys in their rooms, because the 3rd bedroom carpeting wasn't completed (will be today though). So tonight we'll actually be able to do more arranging of the rooms with dressers and beds there. I have spent hours at the house this week getting kitchen boxes unpacked, and there isn't a whole lot left to unpack for the kitchen. As of right now, I have so many empty cabinets and drawers!! I haven't put anything in the island drawers, and there is nothing in the cabinets above the fridge, ovens, or microwave. I don't think I'll ever fill all the cabinets!

The only *bad* news to report is that the "wonderful" painter we hired to paint the woodwork is now attempting to sue us for not paying him the rest of what we owe him. He won't get far with it; I took about 50 pictures of his awful work, so there's plenty of proof, and actually if you walk around the house you can still see the evidence everywhere. Here are some "highlights" of the job he did. As you can see, he did not cover the walls or windows the way he was supposed to.

The faucet in our shower covered in paint splatter

cabinet in our bathroom sprayed with paint

Cal's bedroom walls (almost every wall in the house looked similar to this)

One of the windows with splashes of paint (any room with a window that he painted, has paint on the windows)

By the way, while the mantle has been stained, most agree it should've been white. Add that to the list of things to do : ) I knew it should've been white all along!! Mike is working on the closets so we have a place to hang our clothes!

Today the runner will be put on the stairs, and last bedroom and closet is getting carpeted (somehow they miscalculated the carpeting and had to get more)

We have the Make a Wish walk on Saturday. It's our 4th year as a team (we've been participating as a team ever since the year Kaycey was diagnosed with cancer). If you'd like to join our team please email me!!! We'd love to see you there!!!

Or go to our team site to sign up or donate!! Thank you!! https://www.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=278005&lis=1&kntae278005=A516B60E2A3D4AB8A88ED666605C3686&supId=0&team=2837278&cj=Y

More ups and downs...

So the appraisal never happened. The appraiser came and in and claimed the house isn't done (even though we have an occupancy permit). He said everything has to be finished in order for the house to be appraised. I do see how it makes sense (the closets, cabinet doors, etc) but why not appraise it at what it is right now? Without the appraisal we cannot close on the loan. So it's looking like we'll have to go elsewhere for the loan. A huge headache.

Found out that a 2 foot wide strip of carpet is missing in one of the bedrooms. And carpet was not put in one of the closets. It just keeps getting better, I swear. What is even more irritating, I called the guy we were working with TWICE to make sure they counted the closet in figuring the carpet. He obviously did not. They are also saying we gave them an old plan, one in which we had cabinetry in the great room, meaning they'd need less carpet. While that is true we gave them an old plan, we sat down and talked to our guy and "X"ed out the cabinets and explained the updated version. Besides, it shouldn't affect the upstairs; they're two different carpets. I really don't care for the first floor carpet; I thought it was more speckled, if that makes any sense. I just didn't want hard wood everywhere, but now I am thinking it would've looked nicer. Oh well, furniture will cover most of it up, right?

The mantle is stained...I really wanted white, Mike wanted stained. I let them stain it. I wish I would've fought that battle a little more; eventually I think I will paint it white. While it looks very nice stained, it just doesn't seem to go with everything else, since everything else is white (well, except for the wood floors and railings).

Mike says he is sleeping there tomorrow night. I am just happy knowing we got the permit, but quite honestly I'd rather take my time and have more finished than not, so that everything will havea place when we start bringing stuff in. I don't want to have piles of clothes on the floor until the closets are done. I'm perfectly fine knowing we are able to move stuff in.

Today is my Great-Grandma's 86th birthday. We went over there last night for snacks and dessert and I thought it was so cute how Cal was telling her all about how much he loves baseball and Cal Ripken (she's a HUGE baseball fan). It was nice to have the family together; it's not often we all get together.

Cal starts flag football in a couple weeks. He's been very obsessed with the Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers ordeal. It's funny to hear an 8 year old's take on it, and you can tell he gets some of his statements from the news or radio (or other grown ups talking about it).

Kaycey ended up getting her hairpiece yesterday. Last week it was a little too big, so they had to alter it. It is real hair, you can wash it, curl it, dry it, whatever. It's a little on the poofy side, but it tames down afterwhile. Kaycey wanted it long enough to do pony tails, and she wasn't sure she wanted bangs. The stylist had recommended bangs because of the line of the wig, but honestly, you can't tell. So we decided to leave it long all around, but the gal trimmed pieces to framer her face a little too much--they aren't long enough to pull back. It's not like it will ever grow, so I was a little bummed, but we'll just have to use barrettes I guess. I have pictures, but my battery is charging for my camera so I can't upload them yet! She seems to think its cool, though, so that's what is important. I am worried about it staying on, though. They didn't shave her real hair off, and the wigs stay on much better without hair under it. There is a special tape to use to keep it on, and it doesn't go anywhere(she had it on yesterday--Mike hung her upside down and it didn't come off!), but it doesn't feel great to take it off with the tape stuck to real hair. She really seems worried about having it at school, but she said she is going to wear it every day at school, but maybe not at home or soccer.

School starts in 17 days!!! I can't believe how this summer flew by.

Finally...

Yes, we have an occupancy permit!! We can *officially* move in!!

After an exceptionally frustrating week, we are finally able to move in. It seems pretty unreal, yet. Carpet is in, though I haven't seen in finished yet. There's still so much to do, though. Besides cleaning out all the nooks and crannies, the important things to still do (well, at least I think they are important): closet shelves/rods, mirrors in the bathrooms, put the doors back on (the interior doors had been taken off to be painted), put cabinet shelves and doors on, put the ovens, cooktop, and fridge in (they still aren't in the house), buy a microwave, buy lots of other little stuff--just miscellaneous groceries (of course), toilet paper, all that kind of stuff, and I want to buy rugs for shoes by the front and back door (no shoes allowed in the house!!), and emptying SAM into the garage so the stuff can sit and air out after being in there for 4 months!!! It is exciting, I just am exhausted mentally from it all. I am happy we'll be in before school starts, and I am really looking forward to the fun stuff--hanging up pictures & decor!! I have lots of stuff I bought with the intentions of making my own art in the kid's bath, but haven't gotten to that yet, don't know when I will!!! And there's so much to move...but it's ok. We can get in the house! Yea!!

Didn't get the chance to report last week on the running water and flushing toilets. I think that was one of the most exciting things ever!! My kitchen sink/faucet...with water!!!





The finished balcony (before carpet)

Advice

Don't build a house.

Or at least if you do, do not use the electrician, painter, or carpet place that we used . Our electric is done, says the electrician--too bad there is nothing for the ovens or cooktop to plug into. And too bad a couple lights still don't work, and we still don't have the switches we asked for. Our painter was supposed to be done Saturday night. Too bad he didn't show up Friday or Saturday, and so he was going to work all day yesterday and all night to get the baseboard and trim painted in every room that would get carpet, seeing as the carpet was to be installed today. Too bad the carpet place somehow managed to take us off the schedule and no one called to tell us, even though the appraiser is coming tomorrow--and the carpet is supposed to be in for them to do the appraisal (do not use Carpetland). This all sucks.

I spent about 5 hours yesterday cleaning all the rooms that will get carpet. Cleaning for the 2nd time in a week. The painter hasn't even begun taping off the first floor (covering up the walls/windows from getting white paint). I'd tell you not to use this guy either, but I don't know his name. So our very first painter is in jail because of a DUI. The next one got relieved of duties for doing a crap job. And now this one. What a freaking joke.

Saturday the rails & ballusters on the porch got put on; once we move in we'll take them off and paint them white.



Our inside stairs are coming along nicely, too, though not done yet...



**UPDATE**

I just got off the phone with Mike, and I can't even believe any of this. He got out to the house to find that the painter only did one coat of paint (supposed to do 2 coats). On top of the that, he missed spots, and what's worse he got white paint all over our already painted walls and some on the windows themselves. So every room he's been in needs to be repainted with color, and all before the carpet gets put in. And, he ripped down all the paper/tape covering the windows and walls (not the entire wall was covered with paper, just about a foot that was visible near the woodwork was covered) so we can't attempt to try to repaint the woodwork ourselves if we wanted to; we don't have time to retape and cover walls. There's so much else to do. The appraisal (which we need the carpet for); the inspection, and we are closing on the loan on Friday. We don't have the option of finding a new painter; it's really expensive and again we are running out of time. I want this guy fired, but no one listens to me. I've said it since the first day he came. So now we'll have late nights at the house repainting and cleaning some more, on top of everything else that needs to be done in order to get the appraisal and inspection done. If I have it my way, this painter will not get a dime from us. When he showed up yesterday, Mike and his Dad had to go buy white paint because the kind this guy showed up with was not the right kind. I just can't believe this. So now I am on my way to the paint store to rebuy gallons of paint for every room with carpeting. Who knows how the trim and baseboard will get painted in any other room, or repainted in the rooms with carpet.