2 Days

Exhaustion, pure exhaustion. We are at the house trying to get everything pulled together and trying to pack this house at the same time. The thought of living in a hotel isn't sounding like such a bad idea to me anymore.

They finished installing all the cabinets today. This is the laundry room.

 This is the master.

Kitchen

Ansley's bathroom

ChaChi's bathroom

This is a little nook in Ansley's room where we are putting a desk.

This is the office 

Today we had the porches, driveways and sidewalks poured.

Back porch

 Driveway

Sidewalk

The electricians also started hanging the lighting.

Ansley's sitting room

ChaChi's bedroom 

Ryan's GA Dawg room

There is Herb again! Thank God he is back to fix everything. He is a jack of all trades. Yes, he can even lay brick. Who knew?

7 Days

The tile work continues.

This will be the tile in the bottom of the shower.

 The granite got installed in the kitchen yesterday.

 I'm so excited about the way the granite turned out! I think it really pulls the two cabinet colors together.

I have packed a total of 2 1/2 boxes. I am completely overwhelmed with trying to finish building the house and pack this one up. The house we are living in seriously looks like a bomb went off in here.

9 Days

Yesterday we got the drain in the master shower and the mud pan laid. The drain was moved for the freestanding tub. I was finally able to locate a faucet for the tub. The tub is super awesome but had I known what a headache it was going to be I may not have gotten it. Glad I didn't know...

 This is the laundry room.

 This is Ansley's bathroom

This makes me question why I spent all weekend sweeping out the house.

Counting down the days.

We have to be out of this rental house in 10 days! It's hard to believe that we will have been here one day shy of a year on the 29th. We were never planning on it taking this long! I feel like our lives have been upside down for most of the year. It's funny to me that as hectic as things seem to me, fortunately the kids don't seen too affected. Ryan and I have been married for almost 11 years and have moved ten times. Maybe they are just used to it. I never moved. I lived in the same house from the time I was six months old until I bought my first house at twenty. I hope this is my last move for a very long time.

There was a lot going on at the house today. The rest of our doors got painted. Tile is being laid. They got a good portion of the tile done today. They will come back tomorrow to grout it.

 This is Fabrique, Noir Linen in the 12 x 24 laid in a brick pattern

                          This is the master bath. We chose Daltile Fabrique the color is Noir Linen 12 x 12 also in a brick pattern

 This is Ansley's tub surround this is just white ceramic subway tile.

This is ChaChi's bathroom. I let him pick it out. Not because I'm a sweet mom but because that was one less decision that I would have to make.

There was a lot going on at the house today. The rest of our doors got painted. Tile is being laid. They got a good portion of the tile done today. They will come back tomorrow to grout it. We have most of our lighting. We have our plumbing fixtures picked except for my freestanding tub faucet. What a headache that has been.

Tomorrow our plumber is supposed to put our shower pan in and put the drain in the master bath. The tile should be mostly finished. I don't think we will be able to move in, in 10 days but we are going to try to get as much done as possible.

I have only packed one box because we spend most of our days running around doing things trying to get this house built. I really do need a sister wife. If you're interested: must be over 300 lbs, hard worker,  and only looking for short term relationship. Oh and if you have your own hand truck that is considered a bonus.

My mom is supposed to leave the hospital tomorrow. It was such a relief to find out that the antibiotics are working and another surgery will not be necessary. It is so hard to be here with her in Atlanta in the hospital. So thankful that the Lord is healing her.

Quick Update

Several months ago we got a "grown up" camera. It really does take some nice pictures. However, I don't think we were ready for the commitment. You have to take care of it because you spent so much money on it. So every time we go somewhere I never take it. Well, I take in on the vacation but I never get it out. The bag for the camera and extra lenses are very bulky. I am not good at keeping up with things, I don't even carry a purse. Anyway, literally here are all the pics from our vacation.

ChaChi's first room service.

Ansley's first room service.

The towel class

From my pictures, you would think we could have saved a lot of money and just taken the kids to the local laundromat. At least had we gone there, we would have had a teachable moment about why it's a bad idea to do drugs. 

Quick update on the house.

Some of the trim has been painted.

The built-ins are going in.

They have started the install on the cabinets.

If you read my trailer trash post, you know that things have been super hectic. I found out about my mom on the way back from our cruise. While in Atlanta we learned we would have to be out of the rental on the 29th. Now we are just trying to get things to pull together so we can get moved in. Wish us luck! We are going to need it.

TPT It ain't as easy as you might think.

Riding back from Atlanta after an impromptu visit because my mom is in the hospital. She had just had a double bypass. I am worried about her and my dad, stressed about the house we are building. We have 23 days to get it finished as there is another contract on the rental. We were just inside the Alabama State Line when we passed a trailer. It was about 9:30 at night so it was mostly dark. Had it not been for his porch light I may have never even seen a man was opening the door to go inside. It was then that I realized my fascination with trailer dwellers. I figured he was coming in from cutting his grass which probably only took ten minutes, five of which were spent getting his push mower to start. I don't know why but I imagine that their lives are somehow less complicated.  Their overhead has got to be super low, unless they have maxed out credit cards from taking elaborate vacations to Panama City. Which in my imagination is exactly what they do. I mean the freedom they must have! Honey, "I'm tired of this town." So they kick off the porch and tow the trailer somewhere else. You know, just a bit closer to the scrap metal place. I can't decide if they have large families that live on the same street or are in jail for crimes they most certainly did not commit.

I pass a trailer on the way to ChaChi's school every morning. The housewife that lives there is especially entertaining to me. Usually there is a pool out front. Last year, they got all uppity and had TWO pools! Somebody got lucky on a scratch off! In my mind one was the deep and one the shallow. Christmas is especially festive, last year she had a tree all decorated and hanging, that's right hanging out the window by a strand of lights. I guess she came up a bit too short. Did she stress out over it not sitting perfectly under the window? Hell no! She worked with what she had and I admire her for that! Don't even get me started when she's cleaning her area rug or her garden in spare tires. She drives a convertible red mustang. I just thought that was important for you to know.

Before you get the wrong idea about me, I guess I should mention that I too once lived in a trailer. I was 18 and I had just had my first son. I know what you're thinking... I must have been a late bloomer. My baby's daddy lived in a trailer. (I saw a shirt the other day that reminded me of him: I don't make bad decisions, I date them) I had gotten too big for my maternity britches and didn't want to live with my parents anymore so I was gonna move in with him and his parents, life was going to be awesome.

The "homeless man" that held up the "will work for food" sign lived in the trailer park with his mom. I oftentimes saw him cut through the wooded area from the Flying J to the trailer park. He would be carrying a case of Busch Beer and a [sackfull] of Krystals. You know, a number four. Twelve Krystals, two fries and two drinks. His mom was so proud he could provide for them. He seemed happy.

After about two weeks I went back home because I ran out of diapers because they aren't free, ya know! Besides, the corner was already taken but I bet I coulda gone out there with my baby in a stroller and completely put him out of business!

I guess now that I think about it, everybody's got their own problems. Some decide to put tinfoil over their windows while others choose blinds.