We've Moved!!!

Ah, we're finally in the new house!!!!

Ok, so first off, everything fell right into place.  I just know it was through lots of prayer that it all turned out so perfectly because only God could have laid this one out!

Our old home sold without a hitch (after the loss we took on the sales price and the repairs for the electrical issues and attic mold).  It transferred right when it was supposed to on Friday.

Our final walk through on the new house was Friday, 4/19.  We nit-picked at a few items and then learned all about how to live there - electrical panel, furnace/AC, what all the light switches were for.....all that good stuff.

Our movers showed up Thursday morning right on time at 8:00.  I was on my way out to take Hannah to the bus stop and Laura from next door walked out at the same time.  I instantly was in tears at the final realization that we were really moving away from our home of the last 9 years. 

Anyway, we got the movers started and told them what was going, what were were taking and they started to hustle.  We left around 8:30 to go sign our final papers and get our keys.  That went quick and was easy and then our new home was officially ours!!!  Here are the pictures from that morning.

utility room as you come in through the garage

powder room downstairs



breakfast room




great room




spare bedroom



master bath



front of master bedroom



other side of master bedroom

upstairs hallway looking over foyer



hall bath




Hannah's Room



great room from the stairs



overlooking great room




dining room





office




front hallway

 I guess I missed taking one of Nicholas' room.

We returned back to the old house and the movers were about 75% packed up.  They finished loading just before noon and took a break for lunch and we all met at the new house to unload.  The unload went well, but around 3:00, it got cold, cloudy and started to rain.  They finished around 4:15, so we got a decent day for the majority of the move.

I was able to get Hannah's room put together before she got home that evening.  I felt like that was really important so she felt comfortable there as she has been having a hard time with this ordeal.  Tony and Hannah left for the night shortly after she got home to got to the Taylor Swift Concert.  They got home late.
Nicholas and I took one trip back to the old house and then to the store for a few things and I spent the evening trying to get his room put together.  We converted his crib into a full size bed.  Problem was that when I got it assembled, the box springs didn't fit.  So he slept on the mattress on the floor that night.

Friday, I got the kids off and took a few trips to clear out the rest of the stuff at the old house and clean it.  Tony hung out at the new place and received deliveries for our new refrigerator, garage door and waited for the cable company that never showed.  The last trip from the house was tough.....leaving that last time, leaving keys for someone else and knowing that wasn't home anymore was harder than I thought it would be.  But it was all good stuff, so off I went - toward the next chapter in our life.

So the cable guy not showing was a huge debacle.  Long story, but the morale is Direct TV still has THE WORST customer service ever!!!!  AT&T/Uverse are a bunch of morons, but in the end, they win and keep our service  - they better show up tomorrow!!!  That will be almost a week with no TV or internet - these days, that's a LONG time!!!!

I found out that I installed Nicholas' side rails to his bed upside down which was why the box spring didn't fit.  Now, I'm not a complete idiot (just a little one).  There seemed to be only one logical way to install them.  There was a side rail, with about a 2" piece of wood to make an L shape.  I put the 2" piece on the bottom inside to create sort of a frame for the box spring to fit into.  Turns out you put them upside down and the box spring sits on top of that lip, not inside it.  So anyway, huge kuddos to Mattress Matters where we bought the mattress.  They sent a guy out Saturday to try to assess and help - they were very accommodating.  Thank goodness he didn't take it with him because after I called the baby furniture store yesterday to find out the mishap was my mistake, I needed that box spring.  It fits just fine now and I love his new bedding!

We're probably about 90% unpacked at this point.  I guess we need to stop, take some time to rest a bit and soak in the new place before feeling like we have to make it "finished".  Its hard becasue you want to do that, but it's exhausting and taking a toll on all of us. 

I absolutely love the house and am so very grateful that we're where we are.  I'm looking forward to spending a long time here raising our family.  It's a great place to call HOME!

Ta Da!

We are getting so very close to moving day.  I can't believe this has been 4 months in the making!  My last Friday call from Nate last week report that the house is "done".  They are doing their final inspection this week where they may get nit-picky and find any last mintue things to fix.
The mailbox is in, the front door is painted, the gutters and downspouts are in, the back yard steps are in....from the outside (which is all I can see) is DONE!  They do still need to do the final grade, but it was too wet last week to bring the equipment on, so we'll see what this week is like.  Nate is hopeful they can have it done by moving day.  The ugly green pipes have been lowered as well.  We were glad to learn that after our yard is in and the grass is up, the city will come pound them down to ground level, so they won't be so visable.  That was really good news because we were afraid we had to landscape to hide them, which wouldn't have been easy.

We have our walk through this Friday and I CAN NOT wait to see it!  I will provide an update after the walk through if I can find a break in my packing schedule!  By the way, packing sucks!!!

Pretty much finished and locked out!

So it was a good thing that I stopped by the house earlier this week, because we are now officially locked out!  They've changed the code on the lock to the house to keep anyone out that doesn't have a work-related reason to be in the house.  I guess that's OK, but I think it's going to drive me nuts not being able to go in for the next two weeks!

When I stopped this week, they had installed the carpeting and had done a complete cleaning. 

There were only a few things I could notice that wasn't done such as door knobs on all the interior doors and the oven was still to be installed.

Then later in the week, they formed and then poured our driveway and sidewalks.

I really don't know what's left to do, but I suppose it's just final finishing touches to make it perfect.  We have our walk through on the 19th at which time we'll get to see the final finished product!  Can't wait!!!

Today, we cleaned out our attic.  There was quite a bit up there, but luckily, most of it is going in the garbage this week.  We consolidated and cleared out junk so there isn't a lot of unnecessary stuff making the move.  I've still got quite a bit of the house to pack up,  but its hard when you're still living here for another few weeks.  Probably next weekend, I'll work on getting things down to basic necessities and get everything else packed up.  I think that last week, we'll be eating out and eating with plastic utensils and paper plates.  I'm sure the next two and a half weeks will fly by, but then on one hand, it seems like forever until it gets here!

House update - getting so close!

Wow, so much has happened since my last post.
First thing is this!

Yep, we're under contract for our house with a pending sale.  The buyer had their home inspection, we did the couple of things they asked us to do (that's a long story that I'd rather leave in the past where it now resides).  They had their appraisal yesterday (don't have the results of that, but we don't anticipate any issues) and then we're pretty much set for a final sale.
That has been a huge source of stress removed.  Mostly for Tony - he really hated this process.  It's a huge relief for me as well as the worry of two mortgage payments has gone away and I no longer have to keep preparing the house for showings which was exhausting.  Now I get to spend my time packing....also no fun, but needed to make the move.

I've been off most of this week to do packing and move-related stuff.  We've hired a mover, bought a new refrigerator, and started packing (and purging).  I'm so ready to get into this new  house.
The progress with the construction is moving so quickly now.  All the finishing touches are happening which has us really getting excited to get in there!  Here's where we stand:
Painting was finished (lots of touchups remain).  Doors are hung.

Cabinets are in.

Wood and vinyl floors are in.  All of them are still covered with cardboard to protect them, so pics aren't that good... but they look nice!

Fireplace is done. 

Countertops are in - LOVE them!  I was so worried about the laminate we chose for our master bath, but I do like it.  Kitchen granite is fantastic!

All the sinks, faucets and toilets are now in.

Lighting fixtures done.

HVAC finished and outlets and switches are all done.

Appliances are there, dishwasher and microwave were installed today, range is still in the office.  They stained the banisters on the staircase and over the foyer. 

Today the first round of cleaning was being done....I was tempted to help them clean so it was done my way, but I refrained!!!

I just absolutely love how its coming together!  This is such a blessing of an experience to have been part of and I'm so grateful.

One last thing that was great was that I went to a Tastefully Simple party at one of the neighbor's  houses this past week.  I got to meet several of the neighbors and they are all great.  Lots of young families and they are all trying to do things as a community and become a unit.  It seems like it could be a little Wisteria-Lane like, but I think it's going to be great to have a close neighborhood like this that the kids can grow up in.

We are under one month until the move............so ready!  House is about 95% complete after this week.  Lots of touch up and fine-tuning left and then it'll be ready!

And the last item to report is that we decided to send Hannah back to private school next year thanks to the selfish, striking teachers of Strongsville.  I know I have some teacher friends that might not have the same views as me (or they might??), however, since this is my blog, I get to write my views and I say YAY to the school board to hold their ground for the best and final offer being the only one that will work.  Do not give into the dirty tactics of the union and put us in the red.  You have a huge responsibility to set the precedence of the entire state - don't let the tail wag the dog Strongsville Schools!!!  Teachers, perform well and you'll be compensated nicely and fairly (thanks to us taxpayers) and your jobs will be secure as they can be - come on back to reality and get back into your classrooms!!!