Maturity

The other day I was bending down putting dishes away in the kitchen when my shirt rode up a little bit and my tattoo poked through.  My dad who is visiting said, "You know what we old people call those?"

I knew immediately what he was going to say...so I replied "Tramp Stamp."

He said no, "Slut Stamp."

I said, "You're wrong, they are called Tramp Stamps."

"No, Slut Stamp."

Realizing the absurdity of this conversation I walked away.

He hollered after me, "Well at least yours is hidden!"

Playfully I replied, "Yes Dad, I'm a secret slut...you got me!"

Sometimes I regret getting a tattoo.  It was the ONE bad thing that you are supposed to do in College that I actually did.  Mostly I was a boring nerd.  I wanted a college memory...something to talk about.  Now mostly I tell my kids not to get one when they notice it.

And yes I'm very glad it is "hidden".

Grinding Halt

Our slab forms were put up, dirt was dumped in them and an elevation survey was taken.  We are well out of the flood zone so we submitted everything to the county for final building permits.

3 WEEKS!  So we might not have building permits for 3 weeks!

That puts us moving in the 2nd week of August...assuming everything goes on schedule!!!

So much for my plan of moving in the summer when the kids were out of school and DH wasn't working.

And here we thought when we signed a contract back in September that our house would be ready too early like March or April.

God laughs at my plans.

I just have to trust that he's answering my prayers about timing and this delay is just part of his plan. 

I just wish he'd share his plan with me.

Progress!

YES!  Forms are going to be set for the new house probably on Monday!

(Happy Dance!)

I first saw this lot back in July...so now 7 months later, we are finally going to see something in the form of an actual house go on the lot.  It's like a breath of fresh air.

But sadly, once they do that...we have to stall again because we'll need to stop and get an elevation certificate...then we have to send it to the county...then we have to wait for final permits before they can actually pour the slab.

Oy!

But...one step at a time I guess.

This is a long weekend for me.  But I've got lots of bidnezz to take care of so I need to pump myself up!  And this was just the thing to do it. 

Another happy dance for some good news at DH's job.  Wish I could disclose everything but since he works in education, we have to be all private about EVERYTHING!  Just know that God has won a battle and we have faith that he will lead us to winning the war.

So tonight I think we'll celebrate the promise of progress on the house and good news at DH's work. 

Enjoy your weekend!

What's your most hated chore?

This was a question on a radio game show yesterday in honor of Valentine's day.  The husbands were supposed to guess the wives' answers.

My most hated chore would be cleaning the kitchen.  Other than where we sleep, it is the room we spend the most time in.

It's where we drop our loads of groceries, diaper bags, school papers, coats, purses, etc.

It's where the mail gets stacked up, where things I need to do and projects get dumped.

It's where my husband unloads his pockets so we always have change, phones, pocket knives, etc in a pile on the counter.

It's where we eat, cook, and where the kids play.

It's where the art supplies are stored...for some reason at kid level...so they constantly drag everything out.

The counters are always covered.  It is only a day away from being a hoarders episode.

The table is always just a little bit sticky.

There is always a load to be unloaded in the dishwasher and a sink full to be washed.

And then there is the danged high chair....always a filthy mess.  Had I known how messy a baby could be I would have bought one that was easier to clean. (the highchair, not the baby, LOL!)

The kitchen table could use a wipe down with acid to peel back the layers of food my kids have applied to every nook and cranny.  Just running your hand down a chair leg you can feel little bits of food.  Deep cleaning the table has been on my to-do list for weeks.

The floors always need sweeping and mopping.

The stove always needs cleaning.

The appliances always have smears and fingerprints.

I'm always in the kitchen trying to stay on top of the mess.  So naturally my kids are in there and they constantly ask me for food or drinks every hour of the day.

Our kitchen is also one of the first rooms you see in the house so I feel the need to keep it clean 24/7.

I've kept that in mind when designing the floor plan for the new house.  In the new house, we come in through the mud room so I'm hoping a lot of stuff will get dumped in there.  And the kitchen isn't readily viewable from the front door for company either. 

Occasionally I'll get the whole kitchen cleaned,  stare at it for about 15 seconds, turn off the light, and declare "THE KITCHEN IS CLOSED!

Then we get up the next morning and it starts all over again.

What did you get done this weekend?

I had every intention of knocking a lot of things off the to-do list this weekend.  I needed DH's help because it required a tall ladder.  He had other plans.  After a rough week at work, he needed to venture into the great outdoors.  I suggested he go hiking in our new neighborhood that has a ton of trails near the river.  Well...he ended up getting his truck stuck in a mud pit.  You know how they say don't ever drive into water because you never know how deep it is?  They are right.  He was in mud up to the bottom of the door on his truck.  He called me in a panic...he thought I was going to be so mad.  But you know what?  Sometimes things like that happen to teach him a lesson.  We have roadside assistance so it didn't cost a thing to pull him out.  And we didn't lose anything but some time.  And he was in a safe area close to home.

But anyway, after that ordeal, he was in no mood to do any work.  And half the day was gone too. 

My mom came over and watched the kids Saturday night so we could have a Valentine's date.  We saw "The Vow" which I thought was good...but a little slow.  After that we went to Pappasita's for dinner.  We almost NEVER get a date night so this was a wonderful evening without the kids.  I was amazed that our good spirits lasted well into Sunday.  I really hope that once we move we can find a good sitter and make this a semi-regular thing.

Sunday we watched our church service via the Internet instead of going because it was soooooooo cold!  Since DD2 had been sick earlier in the week we really didn't want to drag her out into the cold. The walk from the car to the church is always really windy on cold days and is a pretty long walk.  After that we went to HEB and bought some snacks and rented some movies. 

We put the kids down for a nap/quiet time and next thing I know our phone rings and my mom is driving by and wants to know if our house was on fire.  I went outside and there was a huge black smoke coming from the woods right behind our house.  I called 911 and someone on the other side of the woods had already reported it.  Next thing we know there are people driving up and down our street and emergency vehicles everywhere trying to figure out how to get to the fire.  It was at an old house in the woods behind us.  Apparently it was abandoned.  We thought the old man still lived there.  We used to hear his hound dogs all the time.  Lately we'd been hearing gun shots and figured it was target practice.  Occasionally we'd hear something walking behind our fence at night and assumed it was animals.  But, I'm not so sure anymore because the fire revealed that criminals were using it to strip stolen copper there.  Just add that to one more reason why I can't wait to move.

I was so scared while the fire was raging.  Thank God for the recent rains.  If this had been during the height of the drought then we very well could have lost our house.  There are no fire hydrants back near that old house so they had to bring water in.  DH and I were discussing what to pack if we had to quickly evacuate.  He was thinking mostly about a change of clothes.  I was thinking pictures, videos, computers, and important files.  We tried to think positively.  I even said well, if our house goes, then that will be less to pack to go to our new house!

Writer's Block

Is it just me, or does it seem like people aren't blogging much lately?  I know I sure haven't.  In an attempt to catch up, I've updated and back posted a few things.  Hope you enjoy!

http://www.memorylanememoirs.blogspot.com/2011/10/october-recap.html

http://www.memorylanememoirs.blogspot.com/2011/11/many-many-updates-dhs-job-thanksgiving.html

http://www.memorylanememoirs.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas-and-happy-new-year.html

http://memorylanememoirs.blogspot.com/2012/01/we-went-to-arbor-day-festival-this-year.html

Our Home Color Selections

First let me show you the model home pictures. 

This is the front.  Although this house is all stone in the front.

This is the master bath. 

This is the living room.

This is the kitchen.  We had them move our kitchen all the way to the front and where there is a door to the diningroom, we'll have a window.  And the room is longer so we had to add extra cabinets too.

Back in December we had to sign off on our selections that I blogged about earlier.    I had some major anxiety about some of the things I picked.  I ended up changing a lot of things at the last minute.  Here's where we stand now. 
The exterior is hardiplank, in Aspen White.  But it is really like a creamy white...almost yellow.  The trim is a bright white that makes it pop.

This is our roof.  Exciting right?  LOL.

The front porch column bases are wrapped in stone.

The Front Door is solid wood in a dark walnut stain.  We have small windows that surround the front door so we didn't feel like we needed another window in the door.  Plus we didn't like their standard offerings or the idea that we'd have to put a curtain over the window or risk being spied on.

This was the tile on the walls in the showers.

And this was the tile on the floors throughout the whole house.  By the way, that is the cabinet color in the background for every cabinet except the girls bathroom which will be painted white.

 I hated the tile I picked so I choose the tile in front for the floor and the tile in the middle for the walls.(for everything but the girls bathroom)

The girls bathroom is small so I wanted to go lighter.  Plus their cabinets are painted white.  The first one is the wall and the 2nd one is the floor.  (I think)

  I changed the bathroom counters from saddlewood to stoney island.  I wanted to go lighter.  It doesn't seem like much of a difference here but in a big scale, it made a big difference.

I changed the kitchen counters from brown to gold.  I wanted to go lighter.  I think I was going too dark with everything.

The Heritage door below with the arch is our kitchen cabinet uppers.  This is not a raised panel door and I'm a little scared that I'll think it looks cheap.  But I was going for a country look so I chose it anyway.  It will be stained dark.

The kitchen lowers will not have the arch like the Lexington door below.

All our bathroom cabinets will be raised panel like the yorktown door below.

The family room floors are this.

Our kitchen backsplash is this travertine.

And this is the pattern they'll lay it in.

Our fireplace stone is this and will be stone up to the mantle and the mantle will be a cedar beam.

 All the light fixture and water fixtures are tuscan bronze like this fixture that we'll have over the table.

  

Our appliances are stainless.  And because my current dishwasher is almost new and I love it, I'm taking it with me.  Crazy right?!?

Our carpet is a light beige and our walls are a light neutral color too.

These are our interior doors.

 As far as the status, we finally got approval from our neighborhood to build.  To date I've gotten the lot cleared, a culvert put in, the old culvert removed, a construction road installed, and a water meter installed and closed on a construction loan.  Now it is up to the builder to build this thing.  I am so ready to see this project come to life!

Wildly Inappropriate

Two mornings ago DD1 told me that sometimes at night in her room God talks to her.  Who am I to say he doesn't?  So I told her about the time that I heard God's voice inside my head and he said, "What are you worried about?"  (I blogged about that several years ago.) She was interested in what I was worried about.  She was concerned for me.  So to make her feel better, I told her that immediately after I heard that, God put his peace in me.

Except I have a dirty mind, and my mind processed that as God put his piece in me.

And I couldn't stop smiling.  I'm glad DD1 was in the backseat of the car and couldn't see me.  And I really wished I had an adult around to laugh about it with.  I wished someone was there to say, "That's what she said."

It is so inappropriate and probably a sin.  But I'd like to think God has a sense of humor.  And anyway, I blame the medications the doctor put me on. 

So there.

Cleaning The Floor

I've been ignoring the kitchen floor for a few days.  Last night as I was staring at the dishes in the sink, food that needed to be put away, the laundry piling up, and toys everywhere I asked my dear sweet husband could he please help me out and clean the kitchen floor.

Normally I just sweep then I stand on two Lysol wipes and scrub the sticky spots with my feet.  We have a cleaning service that comes once a month to deep clean it so I just try to keep up with maintenance.

I may NEVER ask for his help again.  He did it, but he complained and found things to gripe about the entire time.

1.  "Why don't we have a push mop?" (why do men ALWAYS find a need for more tools?)
2.  "In the new house, we are NEVER, and I mean NEVER going to let anyone pile up anything in front of the shop vac in the garage." (why do men always think you need a bigger tool for the job?)
3.  "Why is there so much liquid left in the bottom of the Lysol wipes container?"
4.  "The last 4 wipes are twisted up and I can't get them out"
5.  "Why didn't we seal the grout lines a 2nd time after we moved in?"

I'm sure there were at least 5 more complaints that I've blocked from my memory. 

Arbor Day Festival

We went to the Arbor Day festival this year.  The weather was beautiful.  We were given a ton of trees that we've planted in buckets and hope to plant on our new property when we move.  We got dogwoods, redbuds and many more.

The girls had fun running around and dancing to the live music.

 DD got her face painted.

This is something we'll definitely put on our calendar for next year too.

Custom Home Building Costs

I was told to update my blog. So here’s what’s on my mind.


If you ever decide to build a house on your own land, make sure you have money. Lots of money. And when you think you have enough. Go ahead and save up about $50,000 more.

When you go to a homebuilder with a set of plans and ask them how much a house will cost, you don’t think too much about all the other stuff not included in that cost.

1) Utilities (Gas, Water, Elec.) and the cost of running a line to your home.

2) Neighborhood Architectural Committee Fees

3) Septic Systems

4) Permits

5) Driveways

6) Culverts

7) Construction Roads-temp roads so the trucks can make deliveries

8) Multiple Surveys

9) Lot Clearing

10) Soil Testing

11) Pad (dirt to build on) or extra concrete slab not included in the price of the home but necessary because of how your land slopes.

12) Construction Fencing (a requirement of our neighborhood)

At this point, we aren’t even worrying about a fence, grass, or even window coverings. (Hello Sheets thumbtacked above the windows.)

We were warned to prepare to spend 20 to 30 thousand on these “soft costs.” We are up to $34,000. We also added an additional 13,000 for upgrades to the house. So you can imagine my anxiety when I received an e-mail from the neighborhood architectural committee in charge of approving our build that said we needed to discuss a framing issue. The neighborhood requires 16 inches between all framing and they’ve had an issue in the past with our builder. I currently don’t know whether we’ve been approved or not. If we haven’t, then the builder is probably going to want more money.  Please pray.

This is just one of many little issues that have come up in the last 5 months.

I’m trying to remember that worrying about things I can’t control is useless.

Don’t ever tell someone how exciting it is to build a new house. Just give them a hug. They need it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I'm actually posting this in February in an attempt to catch up on my blogging.  But we'll pretend like I'm not. Ok?  Great.  Thanks.

DD1 and I made cookies.  We saved 3 for Santa and put them in the freezer.  This was a great way to keep from rushing cookies at the last minute.  We made these reindeer cookies with M&M's and Pretzels.

Nanna came over and did a gingerbread house with DD1

DH had a birthday.  We ate Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Cake.

We split Christmas this year into 3 days of celebrating.

On the 23rd we went to church.  They had snow for the kids.  DD2 wasn't real happy about her first snow experience.

Nanna and Paw Paw joined us at church.  We're chilling in the cafe before service.

That night they came back to our house and we ate dinner and opened our gifts to each other.

On the 24th, my nephew from Miami flew in and we picked him up.  It was so good to have him with us this year.

We ate my famous Shrimp Etouffee and then we let everyone open their presents.

DD1 gave DD2 this baby and DD2 is rocking it.

MeMaw gave DD1 this diva hat.  I think she looks just beautiful.

Dad wanted a picture of DD2 in this rocking chair that has been passed down for over 100 years.

Mom and dad opened their gift cards from us.

DD1 laid out her milk in cookies for Santa.  She was very concerned about Santa getting burned by the fire. I promised to put it out before we went to bed.

My nephew had to sleep on the couch because DD1's bed wasn't long enough. LOL!

Santa came!

On Christmas morning after we looked at what Santa brought we all enjoyed some biscuits and gravy.

After that we went to my grandparent's house to celebrate Christmas with my mom's side of the family.

Before my nephew went back to Florida, I bought some fireworks for all the kids.

From left to right.  My niece, DD2, My nephew, and DD1.

Happy New Year!