Exciting News to share: the Home & School…

Well here we are!  For those of you who have ever heard me mention that 3 1/2 years ago we made the decision to build a house on 2 1/2 acres we bought out in the country, we are finally under way with the building!  The project officially started on April 26 with site clearing, concrete poured on May 6 and the framing this past Tuesday!!  I wanted to share the progress with y’all here and also share my husband John’s blog with you (it is not a public blog) so you can see/get updates if you’d like to watch the progress.  He posts pictures to it every trip he makes out there, including photos.  Here is the rough sketch of the floor plan, and here is a link to the outside elevations.  John would be so appreciative if you would take a few moments to leave a comment on his blog to let him know what you think about the project  and/or let him know he’s doing a great job as general contractor!  It is quite a big undertaking but it is allowing us to save quite a bit of money to manage the project ourselves (but we do have a consultant to help along the way).  We have a close date of October 15 – wow!  I have attached a few photos of progress and a video of the concrete being smoothed out!  I was able to be at the property when they poured the concrete but had to go to work so he videotaped the smoothing of it so I could see! It’s exciting!!  I’d love to hear your thoughts on our house design, which was 99% OUR OWN, a gathering of our wants and needs that we’ve pondered over the years after living in 3 other homes during our marriage!  One thing missing in this design is the outdoor shower right off the master bath (John’s idea) – which I really think will turn out to be neat idea especially when we get the hot tub in the future and have friends over who may want to shower off afterward! *snicker*  In addition to that, I wanted to share a few details you may not get from the sketch.  The fireplace in the living room will have 2 window seats with side bookshelves; I have always wanted a window seat in my home because I love to read (and envision myself sitting there and reading).  The kitchen will not have upper cabinets for several reasons.  #1 because I don’t like when doors are slammed (I know you can get quite closure doors) and #2 I wanted as much natural light and openness as possible in the house so we will have 6 windows and side open shelves on the kitchen sink side.   Another thing that you may see in the framing photos, is that the ceilings in the living/kitchen/master are 16’ and 10’ in other areas.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask!!

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Yesterday we went out to see the framing progress with DMIL & our dog Shelby.  The bigger structure on the left is the main house and the smaller structure on the right will be DMIL’s casita.  Shelby had a BALL out there being a dog, splashing in the standing water and getting her paws all muddy – it was great!  We all had to wash off our feet when we got home!  We also explored the town of Cedar Creek and I took pictures there I will save for a future post because this one is SO long already!

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In other exciting news – Spring semester is over and I made it through finals! I am happy to report I got a B in both of my classes and managed to get a 90% on my anatomy/physiology final which was a HUGE improvement from the 69% I got on the first test!  I was determined to bring that grade up and I worked HARD at it!  It’s hard to believe I made it; the past 3 1/2 months working full-time and going to school 4 nights a week in addition to my design team work was brutal and downright exhausting at times!  I am happy to report I made a decision to postpone school for now, it’s just too much to do in addition to working at a job I am really enjoying and is necessary for us!!  I am looking forward to getting my life back with weekends I can enjoy; spending time with friends and family, blurfing again, stamping when I want, instead of spending all my time studying and stamping just when I have to!  Thank you everyone for your support during this time!!