Update on house

I can't believe it's been since August since I've last posted about the house! Okay--yes I can :) Since I last wrote the electrical and plumbing rough in has been done. Brick is completed. Tile and hardwood floors have been laid, but not finished. The sheet rock has been finished and painting has been started. Saturday the stairs and handrails were done-no pictures yet though. Michael still thinks we will be in by February 2nd(our Anniversary). I think he's wrong.


View of the back of the house

The side of the house

Guest bath-It's hard to tell the actual paint color. Soft purple.

Kitchen,dining room and breakfast area paint and tile. Again, it's hard to tell actual paint. This looks orange-real color is darker.

Master bedroom-This color is called Oklahoma Wheat




Breakfast area after trim was done around windows-This looks more like what the paint is suppose to.

Abbie's room-WOW! It's really pink!!

Tagged

I have been tagged my my friend Crystal. So this one's for her!


Tagged !! It is that time again...RULES
1- Post Rules on Your Blog
2-Answer the Six "8" Items
3-Let Each Person Know They Have Been Tagged by Leaving Them A Comment

8 Favorite Shows
1. As the World Turns
2. Guiding Light
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Brothers and Sisters
5. Big Brother
6. 90210
7. Lost
8. Chelsea Lately

8 Things I did Yesterday
1. woke up Abbie for school
2. took Abbie to school
3. went to work
4. changed sheets on the beds
5. took Abbie to the "hotdog house" for supper
6. started packing for Pigeon Forge this weekend
7. picked out paint colors for the house
8. went to bed late again

8 Thinks I look forward to
1. Thanksgiving(eating in general)
2. Christmas time
3. finally being done with the house and getting to move in in a couple of months
4. Sunday afternoon naps after church
5. Courtney's wedding
6. Tabitha's new baby being born in March/April
7. Trip to Pigeon Forge this weekend
8. The New Year

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Olive Garden
2. Chili's
3. Cook out
4. Chick-fil-a
5. TGI Friday's
6. McDonald's
7. Lineberger's
8. Texas Roadhouse

8 Things on My Wish List
1. finally starting on Abbie's scrapbooks(she's only 5 and I have yet to start)
2. new furniture for the house
3. to loose a lot of weight so that I won't be a fat Matron of Honor in October
4. to have a safe trip this weekend
5. to get and stay caught up on me blogging-even though Crystal and her Mom are the only two that read it (right?)
6. To finally make the long overdue trip to see Crystal :)
7. good health of family and friends
7. to become a more patient person
8. a massage(sounds good Crystal)

8 People to Tag (if you wanna play...)
1. Crystal-you've already done it :)
2. Courtney
3. Vanessa
4. Mom-if you can figure it out
5. Lesley
6. Keri
7. Leisa
8. Hannah

First Kindergarten Field Trip to Lazy 5 Ranch

On Friday October 10th Abbie's class went to Lazy 5 Ranch http://www.lazy5ranch.com/ in Mooresville for their 1st field trip. My friend Lesley, her mom and I left about an hour before the buses left(parents aren't allowed to ride on buses anymore-insurance reasons). The kids were suppose to be there by 9:30. They still haven't arrived by 10 and we were starting to worry. Another mom there called a parent following the bus and she said that when they got ready to leave the buses were out of gas and one had a broken window. Before they could leave the buses had to be taken to Newton to refuel. When they finally got there at 10:30 we only had 3 hours before it was time to load up to go back home. Abbie's teacher Mrs. Hayes put Abbie and her two friends Sophie and Shauna in my group. We had a great time walking around looking at the birds and riding on the hayride seeing all the other animals. My favorite animal was the baby potbellied pigs! Since the girls could ride back with us we decided to stop at Carrigan Farmshttp://www.carriganfarms.com/ to pick out pumpkins and have pics taken.

Abbie peeking out the window of the bus behind her friend Casey

My group: Abbie, Sophie and Shaunna

Feeding the giraffe-look at that tongue!Pumpkin Heads: Adalyn,Lesley, Abbie and myself

Got her a pumpkin!
Adalyn posing in the mums.

Princess the Kitten

While at work on September 11th there was a loud commotion of fire trucks and an ambulances across the street at the doctor's office. Being the nosy women we are we all had to rush outside to see what was going on. After the excitement was over with and we were headed back in we heard the faintest meow coming from under the ramp at work. After much bribery with food and the "kitty, kitty, kitty Ann a lady I work with managed to pry out a very small, malnourished kitten. After talking about it---no one was offering to take the kitten home and me being the sucker that I am decided it was a sign from God telling me to take the kitten home. Abbie told me a couple of days before that she wanted a baby kitten this big showing me by cupping her hands together and wanted to name it Princess. That afternoon the kitten went home with me! Since we've never had a cat I had to go buy all the necessities to properly care for a cat. That Friday I took Princess to the vet and she weighed 10 oz. and had an extremely bad case of double eye infection. It took about two weeks of oral and topical antibiotics to finally clear up her eyes. Sr. Inscoe guessed that she was probably only 5 weeks old. We've had her for 9 weeks now! Some of the things she likes to do are bite feet(ouch!), play with a feather toy and pick up my leather couches(not intentional). Needless to say Princess will become an outside cat this spring when we move into the new house.

Abbie goes to "big girl" school

On August 26th Abbie started Kindergarten! My goodness where has the time gone? She made the cut off date by two days-this year you had to be 5 years old by October 16th to start school. Abbie is most likely the youngest out of all 4 Kindergarten classes at Maiden Elementary, but one things for sure she's one of the smartest. She has made a lot of friends in her class. I hear about Sophie, Rosie, Casey, Cheyenne and Rachel almost everyday. She has learned so much! She told me last week that an author writes book and an illustrator draws pictures for the books. Her 9 week progress report was really good and at the parent/teacher conference her teacher Mrs. Hayes and assistant teacher Mrs. Killian praised her performance. She has awesome teachers by the way!! I almost forgot-no I did not cry when Michael and I left her. I have been leaving her at daycare since she was 6 months old so I think of school as childcare with out the "car payment".

Abbie and Daddy
Abbie and Mommy Walking into school
Walking down the LONG Kindergarten hallway
Having her picture made with Mrs. Hayes
Hanging her bookbag on her hook--this is the first thing they do

every morning

Abbie's Graduation from Daycare

On Wednesday August the 20th Abbie graduated from daycare. She and her on again/off again boyfriend Berkley were the only two to graduate and go to Kindergarten. This was a bittersweet time for me since Abbie had been going there since she was about 6 months old. It was great to think that I would no longer have to pay daycare fees again! Big $$ saved each month-even though I now have to pay after school fees and for lunch. Still money saved though :)

Abbie and her class before the "ceremony" started.

Berkley and Abbie walking onto the stage.

The class singing songs they learned.

Abbie receiving her diploma

Berkley receiving his diploma while Abbie watches.

The proud graduates with their cute cupcakes.

Having a picture taken with her teacher Mrs. Tracy.

Family picture

Interior, Windows, Doors, Staircase and upstairs

I've decided to post about all of the interior/exterior windows and doors in a separate post. Mainly because there are tons of pictures to post. I must give credit to Ricky Earnhardt(Wes's little brother) our framer and his workers for the wonderful work they've done. Rick did a fabulous job with everything but I especially like the designs he did with the fireplace and staircase. It's gonna look so good!


A view of the breakfast area from the outside and inside. The windows we chose are Atrium 450 Series double-hung, Prairie style. We chose these because they were unlike most windows we've seen.

The great room (I'm calling it the living room or den) windows. These probably won't have any blinds or shades on them. One of the workers said they look like eyes.














Front door from outside and inside. It will be stained to match the brick which we've ordered from Statesville Brick. http://www.statesvillebrick.com/ The style/color is Walnut Creek.














Doors and windows in living room leading out to and overlooking the screened in porch














View of the front and the garage side














Completely dried in



















Picture of the fireplace(gas log insert). There will be a mantle and about a foot above the mantle we will have a flat screen wall mount t.v. Our 65" t.v. is perfectly brand new and fine, but there isn't a wall available in the living room to sit it on(it isn't a flat screen). We will put the big screen in the bonus room or the "man cave" as Michael so fondly refers to it. The part that goes up as if there was a chimney there will most likely be pressed on stone or some kind of tile.













The beginning of the staircase. I love the way it curves!

The foyer window-This is a cathedral ceiling. Arched doorways I wanted