Saturday, August 8, 2009
Internet and house update
We finally have internet! However, I am still too busy/lazy to get the pictures off of my camera to put up that shows what we have done to the house. I will get to that soon, hopefully, but I simply don't have the energy today, lol. I can tell you what we have done, though. We have finished the guest room (minus the closet, but taking a picture of that wouldn't make sense anyway) and our room (again, except for the closet, but hopefully we will finish the closet doors this weekend then nobody will ever know what it looks like inside the closet). We did a bunch of yard work today. I got a good chunk of the weeds taken out of the front flowerbed, so it looks much better. Jason took out a couple of trees that were growing next to other trees in the front yard. Jason's dad, Ken, came over this morning to help with some of the weeds in the back yard and he also helped trim some of the trees in the back yard so hopefully they will start looking more like trees and less like bushes. We are hopefully going to plant some grass very soon for poor Abby, but that is going to have to wait until we get the back yard ready for it. We have a lot to do still, as usual, but we are just taking it day by day, project by project, and know it will be done eventually. Well, like I said, pictures to come in the next couple of days! Until then, more work to be done!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
House update
We have two rooms done! Except for the closet doors our master bedroom and the guest bedroom are complete. Same goes for the office/sewing room but we still have a lot of furniture and stuff to move into the room, so I am not counting it as done yet. The livingroom is really close to being done, too. All we have to do is paint the trim and hang stuff up on the walls and then it will be done! I have a few pictures of the completed rooms, but since I don't have internet at my house yet they are going to have to wait.
We purchased some couches today, so that was exciting! We got a couch and a love seat, and with our chair that we had in the house in Lubbock that makes almost a complete livingroom set. We are still missing end tables and a coffee table, but those can wait a while. We are getting really close to being able to take a break from all the work, but it is a few days away still.
The first big project after we finish all of this will be the hall bathroom. We are going to take out one of the walls in the bathroom and make the whole room feel a little bigger. We are planning to make it really nice but are going to stick to a budget at the same time. Jason's parents said they would help us with that so we get used to doing projects on a budget, instead of just saying, "We need new ceiling fans." then going to get them.
Speaking of Jason's parents- They have been such an amazing help in all of this. They have done more than both Jason and I have done. They know what they are doing, which helps them be efficient, and I feel like I am in the way when I try to help them. They called me yesterday and actually asked if it was OK if they come work on the house while I was gone... Can you believe it? Like I would turn them down! They are so awesome, though, and I am so thankful that they have been so willing to help us, seeing as neither of us have much experience in this area.
I want to thank my parents and siblings as well. They have all helped out: even my dad who just had hernia surgery one week ago today. He was over at our house the day after that painting... crazy! That is the kind of guy he is though. My brothers moaned and complained the whole time they were helping paint and move, but they stuck it out. They even kept going after they found out I wasn't going to pay them! (I told them, "This is what families do for each other. They don't ask for payment. If you move some day I will help you, so you can help me right now." Yeah, they didn't really want to hear that, but whatever, at least they helped a little.) Even my sister, who is 7 months pregnant, was helping us move and paint and do things like that. Obviously I didn't ask her to do anything that would strain her, but she willingly did what we was able to do. So thank you, family!
Ok, enough for now. I will post pictures when I have internet at my house. My house? Still sounds weird. Can't wait to be all settled!
We purchased some couches today, so that was exciting! We got a couch and a love seat, and with our chair that we had in the house in Lubbock that makes almost a complete livingroom set. We are still missing end tables and a coffee table, but those can wait a while. We are getting really close to being able to take a break from all the work, but it is a few days away still.
The first big project after we finish all of this will be the hall bathroom. We are going to take out one of the walls in the bathroom and make the whole room feel a little bigger. We are planning to make it really nice but are going to stick to a budget at the same time. Jason's parents said they would help us with that so we get used to doing projects on a budget, instead of just saying, "We need new ceiling fans." then going to get them.
Speaking of Jason's parents- They have been such an amazing help in all of this. They have done more than both Jason and I have done. They know what they are doing, which helps them be efficient, and I feel like I am in the way when I try to help them. They called me yesterday and actually asked if it was OK if they come work on the house while I was gone... Can you believe it? Like I would turn them down! They are so awesome, though, and I am so thankful that they have been so willing to help us, seeing as neither of us have much experience in this area.
I want to thank my parents and siblings as well. They have all helped out: even my dad who just had hernia surgery one week ago today. He was over at our house the day after that painting... crazy! That is the kind of guy he is though. My brothers moaned and complained the whole time they were helping paint and move, but they stuck it out. They even kept going after they found out I wasn't going to pay them! (I told them, "This is what families do for each other. They don't ask for payment. If you move some day I will help you, so you can help me right now." Yeah, they didn't really want to hear that, but whatever, at least they helped a little.) Even my sister, who is 7 months pregnant, was helping us move and paint and do things like that. Obviously I didn't ask her to do anything that would strain her, but she willingly did what we was able to do. So thank you, family!
Ok, enough for now. I will post pictures when I have internet at my house. My house? Still sounds weird. Can't wait to be all settled!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
New home
We have, as of yesterday, officially moved into our new house. We have junk everywhere and wouldn't even think about having people over (other than those willing to help on the house, haha) in the state it is in, but we are slowly but surely making progress! We have painted every wall in the house except the bathrooms and kitchen (those are first on the remodel list so we thought it would be a waste of time and energy to paint it then rip it up). We are even painting the ceilings, trim, and doors. We have started replacing all of the switches, plugs, and faceplates in the entire house. We have new blinds throughout the house and new ceiling fans. We are all set up in the master bedroom and the kitchen, but the other two rooms are complete wrecks, and don't even get me started on the livingroom. We can see the progress already, though, and it looks like a completely different house. As soon as I paint the closet doors in our bedroom I will post the "before and after" pictures, hopefully soon. We don't have internet yet so it might be a while, but I'll do what I can.
So, that is the update. The first night in the house was horrible, but that was mostly due to the cat keeping us awake because he hated being in a strange place and he simply would not settle down. We will just go to bed early tonight, though. Hopefully I will be able to update again soon!
p.s. my parents just bought my sister a house, also, and she will move in tomorrow. It is a cute double-wide on a nice lot and pretty close to our parents' house. Everyone was ready for her to have her own space, my parents included, so this should be a good thing. We will see how it ends up and what the situation is like in 6 months, but we are all thinking good thoughts and praying that she is able to make it on her own (with some help initially, of course). I'll try to stay up-to-date on that situation as well.
So, that is the update. The first night in the house was horrible, but that was mostly due to the cat keeping us awake because he hated being in a strange place and he simply would not settle down. We will just go to bed early tonight, though. Hopefully I will be able to update again soon!
p.s. my parents just bought my sister a house, also, and she will move in tomorrow. It is a cute double-wide on a nice lot and pretty close to our parents' house. Everyone was ready for her to have her own space, my parents included, so this should be a good thing. We will see how it ends up and what the situation is like in 6 months, but we are all thinking good thoughts and praying that she is able to make it on her own (with some help initially, of course). I'll try to stay up-to-date on that situation as well.
Monday, July 20, 2009
House pictures and work to be done
So, today I decided to write down EVERYTHING that needs to be done on our house before it will be perfect. The list is pretty extensive. I thought it would make me feel better to write everything down, that way I could get it out of my head and not have to dwell on it any more. Well, I was wrong. Now I am just overwhelmed. Not necessarily about the work but about the money it is going to cost to get this house into perfect shape. I know this doesn't have to happen in a year or two years or five years, but it sure would be nice to get it done sooner rather than later. So, I am going to write everything out here for you to read about and so you can see pictures of the house (not our stuff in it, but when I get new pictures I will change them out).
This is the front of our house. Not a whole lot to look at, and in fact it is the ugliest house in the whole neighborhood. We are going to completely redo the landscaping, roof, stucco, and eventually we will make the porch a lot bigger and bump it out to give it more curb appeal. We will put a fence around it and put a wall around a new sidewalk. It sounds like a lot, but this part does not bother me.
This is the back of the house and the backyard. You will notice there is NO grass. This poses a problem because Abby will need somewhere to be while we are at school/work. Again, the stucco will change. There will a new fence all the way around the propery. We will put in grass, flowers, and trees in the back and side yards. And since the biggest part of the yard is the side we will put a new garage on it for the boat and hopefully for a workshop for Jason.
Here is the kitchen. The floors are nice, though we are going to replace them eventually. Actually, the kitchen is the first big project we are going to tackle. We are going to totally replace the cabinets and the countertops. The appliances will stay the same but move slightly. Most of the wall will come down by the stove so the kitchen will open up into the livingroom. There will be a seating area on the new counter right at the edge between the kitchen and livingroom. There will be cabinets and a countertop on the wall where the fridge is. The dishwasher will move over next to the sink and the sink will be replaced. The wall leading into the laundry room will come down (to the right of the huge cabinets in the first picture) to make a bigger dining area and the laundry room will just get a little smaller. I am so excited about the new kitchen because I think it will make it fun to cook!
Here is the livingroom. The first picture is taken from the wall that is between the livingroom and kitchen right now but will be open once we remodel. The red door is the front door right now, though that might change later on down the road. The only thing we are really going to do in here is change the floors, paint, and maybe expand it out to the left of the second picture a little bit. The second picture is from the hall looking at the kitchen.
This is the porch. The beam that comes down out of the roof a little is where the livingroom would come out to. This would add about 50 sq. ft. to the livingroom, which doesn't seem like much but it is pretty small right now, so anything would help. The porch will eventually extend out further into the backyard, once we get that far.
Here are the two bathrooms. The first picture is the hall bath, the second picture is the master. We will just start with cosmetic changes in here. New vanities, paint, flooring, cabinets. Any major changes will come much later, if at all. We just want to make them pretty and liveable. (Not our stuff in there, this is when the old owners were still living there)
Here is one of the two small bedrooms (they are practically identical, even down to the color). They are really small, so we are going to have to figure out a way to use the space appropriately (one a sewing room, one an office most likely). We will just paint and put in carpet, and leave anything else until much later on. This wall color is pretty hideous though, so that will have to change immediately.
This is the master. Again, not our bed, but this bed is huge so it makes the room feel smaller than it really is. The closet is decent, especially for our clothes, so it will work for now. Eventually we will add on a master suite, but that won't happen for a while, and until then this is where we will sleep. We will start with paint and carpet in here and leave everything else until later.
There is also a garage that will fit both of our cars, yay! We will eventually build another garage out back, as I mentioned before, but that might take a couple of years, so for now this will have to work.
Like I said, this is going to be a ton of work, but it is totally liveable right now as it is, so nothing has to be done immediately, even though a lot of the house is, well, ugly. We are hopefully going to move in this Friday! I will post more pictures once we make things the way we want it and move our furniture in. Pray for us as we start this new adventure!
This is the front of our house. Not a whole lot to look at, and in fact it is the ugliest house in the whole neighborhood. We are going to completely redo the landscaping, roof, stucco, and eventually we will make the porch a lot bigger and bump it out to give it more curb appeal. We will put a fence around it and put a wall around a new sidewalk. It sounds like a lot, but this part does not bother me.
This is the back of the house and the backyard. You will notice there is NO grass. This poses a problem because Abby will need somewhere to be while we are at school/work. Again, the stucco will change. There will a new fence all the way around the propery. We will put in grass, flowers, and trees in the back and side yards. And since the biggest part of the yard is the side we will put a new garage on it for the boat and hopefully for a workshop for Jason.
Here is the kitchen. The floors are nice, though we are going to replace them eventually. Actually, the kitchen is the first big project we are going to tackle. We are going to totally replace the cabinets and the countertops. The appliances will stay the same but move slightly. Most of the wall will come down by the stove so the kitchen will open up into the livingroom. There will be a seating area on the new counter right at the edge between the kitchen and livingroom. There will be cabinets and a countertop on the wall where the fridge is. The dishwasher will move over next to the sink and the sink will be replaced. The wall leading into the laundry room will come down (to the right of the huge cabinets in the first picture) to make a bigger dining area and the laundry room will just get a little smaller. I am so excited about the new kitchen because I think it will make it fun to cook!
Here is the livingroom. The first picture is taken from the wall that is between the livingroom and kitchen right now but will be open once we remodel. The red door is the front door right now, though that might change later on down the road. The only thing we are really going to do in here is change the floors, paint, and maybe expand it out to the left of the second picture a little bit. The second picture is from the hall looking at the kitchen.
This is the porch. The beam that comes down out of the roof a little is where the livingroom would come out to. This would add about 50 sq. ft. to the livingroom, which doesn't seem like much but it is pretty small right now, so anything would help. The porch will eventually extend out further into the backyard, once we get that far.
Here are the two bathrooms. The first picture is the hall bath, the second picture is the master. We will just start with cosmetic changes in here. New vanities, paint, flooring, cabinets. Any major changes will come much later, if at all. We just want to make them pretty and liveable. (Not our stuff in there, this is when the old owners were still living there)
Here is one of the two small bedrooms (they are practically identical, even down to the color). They are really small, so we are going to have to figure out a way to use the space appropriately (one a sewing room, one an office most likely). We will just paint and put in carpet, and leave anything else until much later on. This wall color is pretty hideous though, so that will have to change immediately.
This is the master. Again, not our bed, but this bed is huge so it makes the room feel smaller than it really is. The closet is decent, especially for our clothes, so it will work for now. Eventually we will add on a master suite, but that won't happen for a while, and until then this is where we will sleep. We will start with paint and carpet in here and leave everything else until later.There is also a garage that will fit both of our cars, yay! We will eventually build another garage out back, as I mentioned before, but that might take a couple of years, so for now this will have to work.
Like I said, this is going to be a ton of work, but it is totally liveable right now as it is, so nothing has to be done immediately, even though a lot of the house is, well, ugly. We are hopefully going to move in this Friday! I will post more pictures once we make things the way we want it and move our furniture in. Pray for us as we start this new adventure!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Life is moving so fast
Seriously, it is all of a sudden hitting me that I have to be a fully self-sufficient adult in a week. We are closing on our house in a week and it is so exciting to get to think about all the things we are going to do to it! First things first- fence, paint, landscaping, floors, kitchen, garage. After that comes an addition, but that could be a couple of years from now. Jason and I just bought a bunch of new plates and bowls (Fiestaware = awesome!) and today we went couch, cabinet, and countertop shopping. We found cabinets and countertops that we like but have not decided on a couch. It is really difficult figuring out what our budget is going to be and what all we are going to be able to afford, but I am sure we will figure it out in a month or so, once we have been in the house for a while. It is just a very exciting time for us and we are so ready to have a house and start building our lives in it! Also, kids may be closer than I thought. Not any time real soon, but hopefully not too long from now either. Another exciting thing.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Lake this weekend
The lake was so much fun this weekend! We got there around lunch time on Friday, after stopping for donuts for breakfast (a treat in itself) and dropping Jason's sister off at work. There were only one or two things wrong with the boat/trailer on the way up to Navajo, but neither of them were a big deal. Once we got there we ate lunch with my family then we all went out on the water. We were only on the water for about 2 or 3 hours and didn't do any playing, we just parked the boats and hung out to swim or whatever. Before we went on the water we set up all the tents in the most mosquito-laden campsite I have ever been in. There were so many mosquitos that I was miserable. On the water it wasn't a problem at all, though. Anyway, when we got back to the camp we just hung out until dinner, which was brats and potato salad. After dinner some people rode the kayaks down the river while the rest of us just relaxed. At about 9pm the rest of Jason's family made it here and then we all went to bed.
The next morning we woke up early, after all sleeping pretty well, and got ready to go out on the water. The bugs were just as bad in the morning as they were the rest of the day, which is unfortunate, but at least we had bug spray. A friend of ours made it to the lake that morning and we all went out on the water after he was ready. We made it on the water at about 10:20, in the middle of a whole crowd of people, and then drove and drove and drove to try to find a place to park the boats. We drove around for about an hour before finding a place. But then we parked, had lunch, and hung out for a while. We swam a bunch and sat in the sun, and even Jordan swam some, which was a surprise. The water felt awesome though. After a while we went out to the main chanel and started playing. My sister-in-law did the wakeboard, my brother skied (for the first time), and three of us tubed. We made it back to camp by about 4:30 and were able to relax for a while before dinner. The bugs were aweful so I went and hung out in my parents' RV, but everyone else was outside. (What people don't understand is that mosquitos love me more than any other human being on the planet. I don't really have any more flesh available for them to bite, and I even got bites when I was wearing bug spray. It was horrible for me.) Dinner was taco salad. We read for a while after that then went to bed.
The following morning we woke up early, again, and were greeted by 6 more of my family memebers from Arizona. Jason and I broke down all our camp stuff and loaded it up before we went out on the water so we wouldn't have so much left to do when we got done on the water. We made it out on the lake by about 9:20 and went to the same spot we were at the day before, so there was much less driving involved because we knew where we were going. My cousins were in the water almost immediately once the boats were parked. There were a lot of people interested in the jet ski, so that got used quite a bit. And it was a good thing our parents had their boat and Jason and I had our boat, because there were 18 people plus 3 dogs. After hanging out until lunch time we went to play some. My cousin and brother tried wakeboarding, after my sister-in-law showed them how. My cousin wasn't able to get up but my brother did, so that was exciting. All four cousins and I kneeboarded. While we were pulling kneeboarders, the parents' boat was pulling the tube, and I think just about everyone on that boat went in the tube. We made it back to camp to pack everything up at around 3, left at about 3:30, and were headed home. I rode with my sister and Jordan, because she wouldn't be able to drive and take care of him during the 4 hour trip. It wasn't too bad, other than Jordan being more exhausted than I have ever seen him. He didn't take a nap at all that day and didn't sleep a wink during the drive home, it was crazy.
Well, that was the trip. It was super fun and I really enjoyed myself. I will try to upload some pictures later, when I have more time. Time to go workout and get my life organized for the week.
The next morning we woke up early, after all sleeping pretty well, and got ready to go out on the water. The bugs were just as bad in the morning as they were the rest of the day, which is unfortunate, but at least we had bug spray. A friend of ours made it to the lake that morning and we all went out on the water after he was ready. We made it on the water at about 10:20, in the middle of a whole crowd of people, and then drove and drove and drove to try to find a place to park the boats. We drove around for about an hour before finding a place. But then we parked, had lunch, and hung out for a while. We swam a bunch and sat in the sun, and even Jordan swam some, which was a surprise. The water felt awesome though. After a while we went out to the main chanel and started playing. My sister-in-law did the wakeboard, my brother skied (for the first time), and three of us tubed. We made it back to camp by about 4:30 and were able to relax for a while before dinner. The bugs were aweful so I went and hung out in my parents' RV, but everyone else was outside. (What people don't understand is that mosquitos love me more than any other human being on the planet. I don't really have any more flesh available for them to bite, and I even got bites when I was wearing bug spray. It was horrible for me.) Dinner was taco salad. We read for a while after that then went to bed.
The following morning we woke up early, again, and were greeted by 6 more of my family memebers from Arizona. Jason and I broke down all our camp stuff and loaded it up before we went out on the water so we wouldn't have so much left to do when we got done on the water. We made it out on the lake by about 9:20 and went to the same spot we were at the day before, so there was much less driving involved because we knew where we were going. My cousins were in the water almost immediately once the boats were parked. There were a lot of people interested in the jet ski, so that got used quite a bit. And it was a good thing our parents had their boat and Jason and I had our boat, because there were 18 people plus 3 dogs. After hanging out until lunch time we went to play some. My cousin and brother tried wakeboarding, after my sister-in-law showed them how. My cousin wasn't able to get up but my brother did, so that was exciting. All four cousins and I kneeboarded. While we were pulling kneeboarders, the parents' boat was pulling the tube, and I think just about everyone on that boat went in the tube. We made it back to camp to pack everything up at around 3, left at about 3:30, and were headed home. I rode with my sister and Jordan, because she wouldn't be able to drive and take care of him during the 4 hour trip. It wasn't too bad, other than Jordan being more exhausted than I have ever seen him. He didn't take a nap at all that day and didn't sleep a wink during the drive home, it was crazy.
Well, that was the trip. It was super fun and I really enjoyed myself. I will try to upload some pictures later, when I have more time. Time to go workout and get my life organized for the week.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Who knew
So, I keep thinking I will have more time to blog since I am not supposed to be doing stuff this summer. Apparently that is not the case. I think it has been over a week since I have blogged. And while there is not a whole lot new in my life, it still feels good get all my thoughts out.
Over the 4th of July we went to the mountains to Jason's family's cabin. We were there for just two nights, but it was nice to be out of the crowds for the holiday. It was the most relaxing time we have had in a long time. Seriously, all I did on Friday was read my book (in Spanish) and take a short nap. It was so nice.
I feel like I have been really productive recently. I just got a new swimsuit (new style than usual, from Victoria's Secret- probably my least favorite store ever but they have a HUGE selection of swim suits, so I went there) and I needed to sew it so the strings didn't move around all weird when I am swimming. So I did that today. I went and had a meeting with the principal of the school I want to student teach at while I am here, and he said I will probably be in a 5th grade class (which will be fine, even though I like the little kids more). I had to do some stuff with health insurance and all that since Jason has a real job now. I had to finish filling out some paperwork for student teaching at the administration office. I pick Jordan up from daycare just about every day. I still find a little time to study for school. I have started reading my Bible daily again (something I have not done in a while because I got lazy... and I am so glad I am doing it again). Anywho, it feels productive.
This weekend we are going to the lake with my family and Jason's family. There are going to be a ton of us there and it is a good thing we are all bringing our boats/jet skis/etc. because there are going to be a bunch of us on Sunday (19 to be exact). Jason is taking off on Friday so we can leave early and have another half of a day on the water than we normally would when going to the lake. Hopefully the water is warmer than the other lake we went to because it was WAY too cold to swim a couple of weekends ago. And I get to try out my new swimsuit, too.
Ok, I think that is all that I have to update. I thought there was a lot more that I could write about, but apparently not. If I think of it I will write more. Take care!
Over the 4th of July we went to the mountains to Jason's family's cabin. We were there for just two nights, but it was nice to be out of the crowds for the holiday. It was the most relaxing time we have had in a long time. Seriously, all I did on Friday was read my book (in Spanish) and take a short nap. It was so nice.
I feel like I have been really productive recently. I just got a new swimsuit (new style than usual, from Victoria's Secret- probably my least favorite store ever but they have a HUGE selection of swim suits, so I went there) and I needed to sew it so the strings didn't move around all weird when I am swimming. So I did that today. I went and had a meeting with the principal of the school I want to student teach at while I am here, and he said I will probably be in a 5th grade class (which will be fine, even though I like the little kids more). I had to do some stuff with health insurance and all that since Jason has a real job now. I had to finish filling out some paperwork for student teaching at the administration office. I pick Jordan up from daycare just about every day. I still find a little time to study for school. I have started reading my Bible daily again (something I have not done in a while because I got lazy... and I am so glad I am doing it again). Anywho, it feels productive.
This weekend we are going to the lake with my family and Jason's family. There are going to be a ton of us there and it is a good thing we are all bringing our boats/jet skis/etc. because there are going to be a bunch of us on Sunday (19 to be exact). Jason is taking off on Friday so we can leave early and have another half of a day on the water than we normally would when going to the lake. Hopefully the water is warmer than the other lake we went to because it was WAY too cold to swim a couple of weekends ago. And I get to try out my new swimsuit, too.
Ok, I think that is all that I have to update. I thought there was a lot more that I could write about, but apparently not. If I think of it I will write more. Take care!
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