concrete toilet

tis' the season

2009-12-26T18:30:00.003-06:00

some pictures of the awesome christmas gifts we received for the house!! thanks very much everyone!

eat, drink and be merry...

2009-12-16T18:14:00.001-06:00

here is our new table! we finally found what we were looking for...a counter height table with simple lines and dark wood.

a few more pictures of some of our christmas decorations. a few of the pictures are a bit dark.

big snow

2009-12-09T20:08:00.003-06:00

it's difficult to tell from the picture...but the wall of snow blocking our driveway was really high! shoveling = not fun.

"it's beginning to look a lot like christmas"

2009-12-05T11:30:00.004-06:00

the tree...obviously not decorated yet...

our little white tree above...

stockings...only penguins allowed...

quinn's new favorite spot...

xmas lights

2009-11-22T21:15:00.001-06:00

putting up christmas lights!

it's a start!

2009-11-01T21:52:00.000-06:00

GRASS...

2009-10-29T23:16:00.002-05:00

...no, not the kind you smoke. we have the beginnings of a lawn! FINALLY! we'll post a few pictures soon.

poem

2009-10-13T20:11:00.007-05:00

my friend molly sent me this poem the other night...she was reading emily dickinson and thought of us. love it! thanks molly!

1142

The Props assist the House

Until the House is built

And then the Props withdraw

And adequate, erect,

The House support itself

And cease to recollect

The Auger and the Carpenter-

Just such a retrospect

Hath the perfected Life-

A past of Plank and Nail

And slowness-then the Scaffolds drop

Affirming it a Soul

lawn

2009-10-05T21:21:00.003-05:00

we decided to try for a lawn yet this year. we are told that it is still ok to plant at the end of the season...we shall see. the weather will need to cooperate. we decided to go with hydroseeding. so strange to have a bright green yard.

the move

2009-10-04T20:46:00.000-05:00

a few pics from the move that we didn't get a chance to post until now.

mailbox...take two

2009-10-02T20:37:00.005-05:00

apparently the mailman didn't like where we had our mailbox placed. we found a little note the other day stating that we needed to move it to the other side of the house on the property line. i was wondering why we only received one piece of mail(card from jen) since we put it up...they were holding our mail at the post office until we moved the mailbox. soooo, there we were last night with a shovel(which we acquired just the weekend before...good timing) digging up the mailbox post. so...for real...now, send mail. :)

sold

2009-09-22T20:20:00.009-05:00

the move is complete...besides a few plants that are still at the apartment. we had a lot of help this past weekend which was very much appreciated!! needless to say i'm glad we won't be moving again for quite a while. between hauling boxes, furniture, putting up blinds and trying to find a place for everything, we were exhausted! i think we are just now starting to recuperate. it would have been nice if we didn't have to work this week. last night we put up our mailbox with some help from my mom & sister.

he looks worried in this picture. odd. nothing to worry about. me + big drill = perfection. ;)

we had to test it out as well. :) send mail!

official homeowners

2009-09-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

we are now homeowners! more to come.

only a few more days...

2009-09-15T22:00:00.008-05:00

close is officially scheduled for this friday. the carpet is down(you can see it in the picture although it's difficult to see the actual color because of the lighting). the appliances are hanging out waiting to be installed (the fridge is in this picture with the blue protective sticker still attached). we had a walk through today with our realtor & builder. it went well, just a few finishing touches. well, kind of...we found out that they installed an electric water heater instead of the gas water heater that we chose. they will be changing it out and venting it...more of a hiccup for them for making the mistake.

"If you go to a party, and you want to be the popular one at the party, do this: Wait until no one is looking, then kick a burning log out of the fireplace onto the carpet. Then jump on top of it with your body and yell, "Log o' fire! Log o' fire!" I've never done this, but I think it would work." ~ Jack Handy (Saturday Night Live)

finishing touches

2009-09-10T21:35:00.004-05:00

as we near our closing date, the builder is installing the final pieces of our home. i think these are the most exciting. for example, doesn't this sink faucet look great in her hand?

sleek dishwasher huh? the buttons are on top so you can't see them, so it looks really cool from the front, but will take some getting used to. just like a new t.v. remote when you aren't used to where the buttons are yet.

now it may look like someone just took a shower in here, but that's just the way the shower door looks. can't tell from the picture but it looks cool in real life. you'll just have to take my word for it i suppose.

the creme de la creme, i really shouldn't have to say anything right? a picture is worth a thousand words? it's big enough that even I can fit in it.

almost there...

2009-09-08T18:54:00.003-05:00

all of the trim is attached. the countertops & cabinet pulls are all attached as well. we have toilets, bathroom sinks & mirrors. they installed the microwave. the fireplace mantle & surround is also in place. the big tub for the master bath & the carpet will be last.

one more thing...the water softener & furnace were also installed in the basement.

tile, tile and more tile

2009-09-03T21:49:00.002-05:00

all of the floors now have grout. they just need to finish the fireplace and master tub.

moving along quickly

2009-09-02T22:12:00.006-05:00

we went back to the house tonight and no grout yet, but they did hang the lights we dropped of yesterday. they also installed more cabinets, countertops and trim. we also saw that the air tub for our master bathroom was sitting in the garage! tomorrow the appliances are being dropped off at our apartment.

vanity lights in both bathrooms...

this is the light that is in 2 of the bedrooms...

the fan looks good, but they have the blades the wrong way...we'll have to flip them around to the darker sides after we move in.

the island is in place...

lots of new updates!

2009-09-01T19:27:00.002-05:00

this evening we dropped off the lights and cabinet pulls. upon arrival all of the doors were locked so i had to crawl in through the egress window in the basement. :)

the tile is down...grout will be be added tomorrow. cabinets were dropped off and some of them are in place already. they have the basement door and trim attached. the other doors and trim are laid out in the rooms, ready to be added. the countertops were also delivered and are sitting in the garage.

show me paint the fence...

2009-08-28T23:38:00.005-05:00

...show me paint the walls. walls have been painted some shade of tan. i think the painter is lazy, he didn't bother to go around electrical chords, just painted right over them. i guess he thought it was important that they match.

Dong, Where Is My Automobile...

2009-08-26T22:52:00.007-05:00

... AUTOMOBILE??? (another fun movie quote for you all to guess).

cool garage door huh? it has a keypad like an atm so you can open the door via secret code. if you recognize the next quote regarding secret codes, your heart is true and you may enter.

"well, we can throw out birthdays immediately, that's too obvious. and no numbers for you. you're a word man, let's go deeper. what kind of man are you? well, you're weak, spineless, a man of temptations. but what tempts you? you're a portly fellow. a bit long in the waistband. so what's your pleasure? is it the salty snacks you crave? no no no no.... yours is a sweet tooth. oh you may stray, but you'll always return to your dark master... the cocoa bean! and only the purest syrup nectar can satisfy you. if you could you'd guzzle it by the gallon... ovaltine? hershey's? nestle's quick?

walls have been plastered, not really that exciting.

walls

2009-08-21T21:32:00.003-05:00

"who are you? why am i against this WALL? why won't my arms move? where's buttercup?" (name the movie this quote is from...)

the drywall is up...rooms are divided. this picture shows part of the living room. the little curved archway goes to a hall, off of which there are two bedrooms and a bathroom.

this is part of the kitchen. you can also see the half wall which encloses the stairs down to the basement. the first doorway leads to the master bedroom(as they say on mtv cribs, "where the magic happens.") just down the hall is the laundry closet and entry to the garage.

free shards of drywall in the garage! come and get em! ;)

* disclaimer - all of the pictures on this site were taken with the cameras on our phones, which is why the quality isn't always the best

the perfect summer tan

2009-08-19T23:05:00.000-05:00

the siding is finished and the shutters were added.

siding!

2009-08-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

the basement is also poured!

a home for the vehicles

2009-08-14T21:43:00.000-05:00

the concrete was poured in the garage & on the porch. other new things...electrical wiring, plumbing and insulation!

windows and free stuff

2009-08-10T21:44:00.000-05:00

windows, i am going to keep them extra clean, so birds fly into them. i'm kidding of course...timmy will keep them extra clean so birds fly into them.

if anyone needs some shingles, two shower stalls or a front door they are all sitting in the open at our house.

raise the roof

2009-08-08T19:07:00.000-05:00

we decided to drive past the house on the way to look at appliances this afternoon. we were very surprised to find a roof! especially since it rained on and off yesterday. i think both of us wanted to stay all afternoon and check out every inch of the house. we spent a little time in the basement trying to decide where to put a bar, where the rough-ins for the bathroom would be, etc. it's both exciting and frustrating to see the house "up." we just want to move in. as of right now our close date is sept. 18th. i know it will come soon, but at the moment it seems so far away.

the house is framed? what?

2009-08-06T21:30:00.000-05:00

we couldn't believe it...the framing is already well under way! we're really getting excited. it actually looks like a house. we spent quite a while walking around all the rooms. i want it done now.

the smell of construction sites always make me think back to when i was younger and my uncle built homes. my brother, sister, cousins and i would play in the big dirt piles.

June 1993...

ugh, lighting

2009-08-04T12:30:00.000-05:00

the lights...what an unexpected pain in the ass! we just finished picking out all of the lighting this evening. after numerous searches online and trips to crate & barrel 2 (chicago, il), ikea (schaumburg, il) , lowes (appleton & oshkosh), menards and home depot we are FINALLY done. we knew we were looking for brushed nickel finishes and we really like the look of modern drum shades. clean lines, contemporary, but not cold.

here are a few we picked out.

the eden pendant light from crate & barrel 2 for the dining room...

bel air double glass pendant from lowes for over the kitchen sink and the front door entry...

hampton bay waterton II fan from home depot for the living room(we're gonna flip the blades so the darker wood that's not pictured is showing)...

portfolio 2 semi flushmount from lowes for the 2 extra bedrooms(the master will have a fan, i just didn't feel like looking up the picture).

bar? home theater? oh the possibilities

2009-07-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

...and we have a basement.

concrete molds

2009-07-28T21:59:00.000-05:00

the concrete was poured two days later. this makes me think of the wax mold machines at the zoo where hot wax is poured into molds to make animal souvenirs. ahhh childhood! (i actually got one of these wax animals just a few years ago when visiting the milwaukee zoo with friends. ahhh adulthood!)

from the (under)ground up

2009-07-26T13:30:00.000-05:00

the most beautiful hole in the ground we have ever laid our eyes on...

pushing dirt

2009-07-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

oh happy day! they pushed our dirt! i never would have thought the shifting of dirt into a hill could be so exciting.