whistle while you work

We have an endless list of things to get done in the house and that is what keeps us busy these days.  

The biggest project is painting the whole house.  It is slow going considering it seems to be taking two coats of primer to get good coverage over the dark existing paint.  I'm hoping it will only take one coat of color but we'll have to wait and see since we haven't even gotten to that part.  I'm hoping to write a blog post in a couple weeks that says we're done painting but at the rate we're going it may be Christmas before it all gets done.

Derek's favorite new toy in the house is this beauty....

The existing water heater was rusty and leaking and needed to be replaced so we installed a tankless water heater.  The size difference is amazing - I love not having the big old cylinder water heater.  We are excited about not running out of hot water (which has already happened once while the old heater was still in) and we are anxious to see if it effects our gas bill much since it is not constantly heating up water.

The other new home gadget we are loving is this...
a keyless garage door entry.  No more keys going missing because they have been "misplaced" by Megan.  No more stress when I realize that I am still 15 minutes from home and my girls are being dropped off after an activity and have no way to get into the house.  No more calling Derek at work to ask him to come home because I've locked myself out of the house.  No worries when we are half way to Utah and we think we left the iron on but our neighbors have no way to get into our house to check.  

Beyond painting and new home gadgets we still have unpacking to do (some of it can't be done until painting is done)  We need to replace some light fixtures and see if we can't get overhead lights in the kids rooms.  There are no lights in 4 of the 5 bedrooms and it makes me crazy.  The kids are relying on little desk lamps that don't really provide much light.  We'd like to replace the carpet but have to see what the cost for that would be - we're hoping  it can be worked into our budget but if not we'll be on hold with it.

I better stop the blogging and get back to painting.  The updates here may be sporadic as we try to get everything done.  I have been taking pictures of the process and plan to post pictures here if I can ever find the camera cord needed to download pictures - oh the joys have living in boxes!

a personal thank you

Dear Brenda,

You are far too kind and thoughtful.  I can't begin to tell you how much I love the housewarming gift.  You could not have given me anything better.  I love, love, love it!

Thank you for thinking of me - you made my day!

I can't wait to get the walls painted so that I can find a place of honor for my fantastic "B"

Many, many thanks!

Denise

what a great way to capture your family

check it out!

house warming gift

As if buying me a house wasn't enough my sweet husband just bought me this.  I have been eyeing it since December but was sure I would only enjoy it's beauty through the computer screen.

Thanks Derek - I absolutely love it.  Now if I could just decide on a paint color and get the house painted I might actually have a place to hang the gift when it gets here.

finally!

We signed paperwork for the house today (well, technically yesterday since it's about 1:40am)  All I can say is finally!

this makes me happy

really? you've got to be kidding

Oh how I wish I was kidding when I say that we have yet to sign loan documents.  This whole process has been beyond frustrating.  The hold up with the bank has me pulling my hair out (and yes, it's attractive)

We are still crossing our fingers that we might be in our new home by Friday but we thought we'd be in it last week.

wild thing

October release date - can't wait!

april fools ideas

Not really feeling the Aprils Fools spirit even if it is one of my favorite days.  

For those of you that are getting into it and looking for ideas take a look at our Fools Feast from last year.

You can find lots of great ideas at Family Fun if you need more ideas.

quick update

Still no house - we no longer own our home of 12+ years (said with tears flowing) and we don't have a new house to move into as of yet (said with much bitterness and anger towards the bank) We should have been moving into the new home this week but an appraisal issue has us in limbo and has me in a state of nearly constant panic attacks.  

To help take my mind off of all the house garbage I have become a bread making maniac.  We have enjoyed nearly daily loaves of whole wheat goodness.  I have found relief in the bread making process.  Last night I even made home made hamburger buns.  Yes, you heard me - homemade hamburger buns, I'm feeling very Amish :)

I've also spent some time reading to try and help me not think about my homeless state.  I just finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  I found it very interesting.

Well there you have it...my incredibly upbeat post - yeah, right.  

Say a prayer for us that this all gets resolved soon, really soon!