Moving On Up

This week has been an incredible week of progress on our house! When we last left off we had poured the footings and were waiting for a break in the weather to pour the concrete walls for the crawl space.  Those were poured last week and here is the progress we have seen so far:



Monday, April 22, 2013
Three of the garage walls are up and the new sill plate is in place around the perimeter of the addition.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Replacing walls where the old kitchen and dining room were to add structural integrity and to support a new roof that is designed for water to run off, eliminating potential water damage!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The exterior walls are all up and the newer bigger windows have been framed and the new door opening is cut out.  The trusses are delivered and ready to be installed tomorrow morning.



The pictures don't convey the excitement and and relief we're feeling after a 10 month process of manual labor, loan rejections, and countless hours at the drawing board hand sketching our architectural plans after we realized the set we had professionally drawn up were not in our budget due to building constraints in the area we are in.  This once tangled mess is 83 years old, and we are happy to be the ones to see to it that it is still standing another 80 years from now!

A Tale of Two Fireplaces

My husband relinquishes most design decisions to me.  His motto is form follows function, so as long as I choose items that are durable, comfortable, affordable, and not tchotchke, then he is usually happy.  The one area where he has decided to insert his opinion is a point of contention.  To have or not to have a television over the fireplace... that is the question.

Designers, fellow DIYers, and anyone holding an opinion on this matter, we would like to hear your side.  To me this is another version of the over/under toilet paper roll dispute.  It seems that the line is clearly drawn and as we make our final decision next week, we would like you to weigh in.


Here are two inspiration images, one from a magazine and one from Pinterest on a real estate ad.  They show both styles that we are considering:

This one gets my vote!  Modern, minimal, and the tv to the side on a swivel mount so it can be viewed from the living room or kitchen.  I like that there are some shelves, but the audio/visual components will be housed out of sight in cabinetry.

This is J's preference, though he prefers the stone look all the way to the ceiling and a linear floating mantle.  This would also lend a modern look and the audio/visual equipment could be housed on either side on the flanking shelves (which could be enclosed behind doors).

Due to the layout of our living room the tv and fireplace need to be on the same wall.  I prefer to look at art over the fireplace and not crane my neck to see the tv mounted high on the wall.  J argues that if we're both home the tv will likely be on and he doesn't want to clutter the space with an art piece and a television.  He also likes the movie theater feel of a big screen mounted high while lounging on a comfortable leather sectional.* (*At least that was an easy sell!)

What do you think?

Welcoming Our New Addition

I hope the title did not mislead anyone!  While we do hope to welcome an addition to our family in the near future, we kind of thought having a house might be a good start.  You are viewing the new foundation forms for the garage, mudroom/laundry, master bathroom, closet, and a modest two foot bump out on the master suite.

The original part of the structure that remains intact, despite appearances, will house a great room style living, dining, and kitchen area with the entire 2nd floor as a studio space for my Kindergarten Readiness program which you can check out on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/LandOfTheLilliputians
(The name and page will be updated once we are open at this location, so stay tuned!)

The open area above the existing basement will contain two bedrooms and a bathroom, with more pictures to follow as progress is made.  In case you have never seen a poured concrete wall being erected, it begins with the footings:



The building for dummies version is that these are the feet of the house.  The bulk of the weight of the walls and roof sit on these and they help disperse the weight of the materials so the house will not sink on the ground like it's propped up on toothpick legs.

The fun part has been delayed due to rain, and that is pouring the concrete into the forms:

 



The forms are essentially temporary walls that keep the concrete sandwiched together until it can set or dry.  The rods you see running through the channel is the rebar which adds rigidity to the structure.  Think of the rebar as the bones and the concrete as the muscle.  If you tear a muscle, the bone remains intact creating a minor repair versus a major operation.

So if you happen to see me in the front yard beating on a bongo drum and chanting, please do not be alarmed.  I am likely doing an anti-rain ceremony in the hope that we can move forward into framing and our new addition will actually have walls and a roof soon.  Now if I can only figure out a way to get Ty Pennington to welcome us home...

The Importance of Following Directions

I am 30 years old, and even in my hometown I have a tendency to get completely turned around.  My car has done more donuts than Tim Horton's bakes in a day!  In college I had a good friend Matt who found my ability to get lost highly entertaining.  I do not care to count the number of times I would call him for directions, of course this was pre-navigation system days!  A typical phone exchange looked like this:

Me: Matt, I need your help, I have no idea where I am!
Matt: Where are you trying to go?
Me:  I'm (walking, driving, riding the bus).
Matt: Ok, but where I you trying to go?
Me: Home.
Matt: Where are you coming from?
Me: The (highway, mall, bar).
Matt: Audibly laughing and probably shaking his head...That doesn't help!

And so I provided Matt with amusement due to my utter lack of direction and uncanny ability to be perpetually lost.  Now almost a full decade later, my navigational skills have improved minimally at best.  Today for example, I had to go to a sales center to pick out my windows and doors for our house. When the receptionist returned my call letting me know I could come in this afternoon she followed up by asking if I needed directions.  I told her I just needed the address and I would type it in my smartphone, but she proceeded to insist on giving me directions explaining that it was tricky to find because the sign wasn't very big.

She then gave me what I deemed to be simple directions (it was on a major road that I recognized!) so I hastily scribbled them down on an envelope I had in my purse and 20 minutes later I was headed that way.  The key point she emphasized was to look for the BIG RV dealership and slow down because it would be the next drive next to a white house.  Unfortunately not only am I bad at following directions, I also half listen at times where I assume I already know what I'm doing. 

I swung right into the drive after the RV dealership and immediately had that sinking feeling that this was one of those times I should have paid better attention.  When I first saw the abundance of No Trespassing Signs, like a regular gumshoe I quickly deduced that I was in the wrong place.  Having no choice but to drive further in to turn around I nearly soiled myself when the next sign warned that all trespassers would be shot, and survivors would be shot again!  Then the adjacent sign went on to proclaim that there is Victory in Jesus!  Apparently once they shoot you, they hold your hand and deliver the Lord's Prayer to cover all their bases and your multitude of sins.

When I pulled one of my trademark 360's I almost had a full blown panic attack when a car that had pulled in behind me was blocking my escape route and I seriously considered jumping the curb in my economical compact.  As I drove onto the shoulder and flew out of there like a bat out of hell I quickly ascertained that they probably were not intentionally blocking me in, but I couldn't bring my eyes to face the rear view mirror and find out.

If I had actually listened to the directions I would have saved myself a near heart attack and looked for an RV dealer and driveway with a white house on the LEFT, and not on the right side of the street.  To make matters worse, my not so near death experience was for naught, because the showroom sent me home with computer print outs and brochures which I could have accessed online from the comfort of  home!

I consoled myself by binging on carbs with a bagel the size of my head and a quart of cream cheese since it was too early in the day for a drink and I had to have my wits about me for a potential client interview this evening.  A definite note to self though, if going to the low rent district where most construction trades tend to have their workshops: if  I refuse to pack heat then I at least need to pack the mace!  Oh, and if I'm going to carb load to deal with the stress, I should also pack some Tums.

Facebook/Fakebook (Why Can't We All Get Along?)

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook that is comparable to Taylor Swift's love life.  The big difference is I love it, then hate it, but I don't write songs about it. Although blogging about it seems to put me precariously close to that category!

Can't we all just get along?

When I first joined  few years ago it was to see what all the buzz was about. I had rushed out of my home state after college graduation like my hair was on fire, and it seemed like a great avenue to stay in touch with the people I had left behind. What I never accounted for was the staggering amount of friend requests I received my first few weeks of being on there.  People I barely knew, hardly remembered, and had admittedly forgotten about suddenly wanted to be friends in this virtual rainbow filled world where everyone rides unicorns and the sun shines out their rear ends!

I will be the first to admit that I secretly enjoyed the cyber stalking of old classmates and acquaintances to see where they were at, what they were doing, and how their lives had turned out so far.  This short lived fascination however quickly fizzled when I realized most of us simply had similar versions of the same story.

This realization did not deter me from continuing to not only remain a member of this online organization, but I actively and willingly participated (and still do) in posting comments, pictures, even a few soapbox issues in my early days of joining.  It has served as a phenomenal platform for communication with several people I did or may have otherwise lost touch with who fall into that I really like and respect you, but we are friends of convenience, i.e. coworkers, fellow organization members, neighbors, distant relatives, old classmates, etc, and we would otherwise inevitably faded into the background of each other's past.

So why the hate you ask?  Well beyond the minor irritations of seeing how many times a day someone has plowed their nonexistent field, named that tune, or passed go without collecting their 200,000 coins, let's talk about politics, religion, and sexual preference.  Oh snap!  She just went there! 

Bottom line: I HATE READING THIS ON FACEBOOK!!!!!!  Ok, I'm done yelling.  It's just that I've gotten to the point where I block people's status updates because I'm too um.... sensitive to tell them that I don't want to read 100 posts a day about God's love for me (a little goes a long way!); I respect your stance on being pro-life, but then please at least consider the impact of your choices when having multiple children you cannot afford; stop trying to define love and live and let live; if you are not happy with the politics of this country then find ways to become more involved on a local, state or national level, or better yet: move!

Now on to safer ground...the "real life" status updates.  I don't understand how so many love birds post pics of their vacations, flower arrangements, and fun filled family weekends, then you run into them in person and find out they are splitsville?  And ladies, 1999 called and they want the MySpace pics back.  You know the ones I'm talking about, the one taken from a high angle in the bathroom mirror variety.  Photos should not be allowed in the same room where you're taking care of business if you catch my drift and if we're friends on Facebook chances are if you aren't 30 yet, you're damn close, so enough!  Oh, and you checked in at the grocery store, again to grab a cup of joe, then you went to a movie?  Watch out Frank the Tank, these people have a busier life than you do!  And finally, how many of us actually have 1,000 + friends?  I would love to get 1,000 + likes on this blog, but after this post I may be down to two (thanks J and mom!).  For real!

So until a better option comes along I will continue my rocky road with Facebook.  It's been a great tool for blogging, getting word out about my business, and keeping in touch with those who don't clutter my newsfeed with their reality show worthy rants and instead post cute photos of their kids, dogs, vacations, etc and in their updates they follow mom's advice: If you don't have anything nice (*or intelligent) to say...

To The Next Step

To most the picture below would be described as a dirt pile, a hole, or simply a muddy mess.  To me it represents progress, an all important move toward that next step.  This picture is where yesterday a paid contractor using real equipment dug out the area for the crawl space that is being poured as a foundation for the back of our house!

This may seem insane to you, but after 10 long months of living in my childhood bedroom, this hole is proof that we are finally moving forward.  No more digging with shovels, we are bringing out the big guns with bobcats and front end loaders. This is a momentous occasion worthy of a toast with a fine full bodied red (however I am too lazy to get up and pour a glass so I sit here typing and toast with my IKEA lingonberry water instead).

I am hesitant to sound like the annoying guy from the American Pie series, incessantly jabbering away about "the next step," though the success of the series seems proof that the characters lives were highly relatable.  Even so, I will tread carefully in this direction.

Having returned from a much needed vacation which I spent lounging in the sun, reading a horribly written but entertaining Stephanie Myers "adult" novel, and catching up with some amazing women I am fortunate to consider friends, the "next step" has been on my mind.  My husband and I have had almost 10 years together so the topic of parenthood has come up a time or two and pretty much every time we came home to visit!  Until very recently it was a perfunctory auto reply, "maybe in a few more years...." to which we usually were given the sad head shake, but the subject was mercifully brief and quickly dropped.

So this may be the point where you wonder if I have adult A.D.D. but I promise this will come together full circle.  It was while on my solo vacation that I came to the realization that I really am ready to move toward parenthood.  While I enjoyed uninterrupted time at the beach, I watched young families building sand castles, riding bikes, and ordering ice cream cones.  While not every moment seemed idyllic (i.e. temper tantrum over a dripping cone, or a sibling "ruining" the mote), the families seemed content and comfortable being together. Then when we went on a girls night out at that same beach days later, I witnessed hormonal spring breakers practically hooking up on the dance floor, there was a line to get into a bar, and my taxi cab reeked of smoke.  It suddenly hit me that my 20's are gone!  Like for real!  We had a great time, but in a it would be fun to do this once a year with my girlfriends sort of way, not like a let's do this again next weekend sort of way.

So while I am not about to throw my pill pack in the trash (which as a sidebar is FREE for women and more people should use!!!!!!), I am to the point where I can give a less vague answer when asked about having kids.  Now instead framing my answer in years, I will simply answer, "when we get our tanglewood home untangled!"  So as the builders continue to forge ahead, and I continue to enjoy my quiet evenings at home with a nice glass of red, the dirt pile you see before you brings a new sense of excitement and anxiety with all the possibilities it represents.

Down By the River

Relaxed and rested after a week in the Sunshine state, I returned to a five day forecast of cloudy with a 200% chance of precipitation.  This would not be so irritating if a) construction would have commenced in a timely matter (meaning last week as was expressed verbally and in writing to our builder); b) the first work scheduled this week wasn't concrete which can't set in the rain; c) I had more experience project managing and had caught the wording of our demolition contract which neglected to include the typical 30 day turnover for payment which means we have to pony up the cash since we are two weeks shy of our first loan draw.

Flipping through my checkbook I was reminded of one of my favorite SNL sketches by the late, great Matt Foley/Chris Farley.  I began worrying that by the end of this renovation process I am going to end up "35 years old, eating a steady diet of government cheese, thrice divorced, and living in a van down by the river!"

http://youtu.be/XaoM0FyLmGY

Of course this thought was followed by a quick search on YouTube for the sketch I've seen numerous times, but suddenly felt a flicker of connection too.  Watching it again cracked me up, but also made me realize that for some unfounded reason, I carry a sense of entitlement.  I often believe I can do what Matt Foley says and "get the world by the tail, wrap it around, pull it down, and put it in my pocket."  I may want my house finished yesterday, "Well, la-dee-fricken-da!"

So lesson learned that the world doesn't revolve around the completion of my house or my schedule.  My builder is entitled to take a cruise with his family; while weather may be predicted it cannot be controlled; and if I am going to take on the management of this project I need to do a more thorough job on my homework and make sure the wording covers all the bases including a timeline and percentage of completion required for payment.

Thank you Matt Foley for bestowing your words of wisdom even from the great beyond and now I think my afternoon will be more productively spent rewording contracts and searching on Craigslist for a van (just in case!).