No more roll backs!

It's offical--- The countdown is OVA and there will be no resets!  The clock is at 00...(for the third time)

Ha- we would be scheduled to move on the HOTTEST day of the year but trust and believe, I’m moving even if I’m butt naked hanging out the side of a U-haul with a bag of ice for bra and panties!  It's so hot in the Washington DC Metropolitan area that the devil is even stark naked suckin on an ice cube. Even still, this heat will not roll us back un momento!  This is going to make for an unforgettable move.  I'm sure I'll be telling stories about this move for a long time. Well let me just say that I have enjoyed each of you so much.  Thank you for helping me get through this and keep my sanity! Through all the drive-bys, go-ins, chicken bones, no power, no power again, closing delays you all have been right there to cheer me up, listen and laugh with me.

THANK YOU!

I'll check in with you all later to dish about closing. Hope all goes well!  *Fingers Crossed*

Today is NOT the day.

This has truly been a beautiful experience. It was so rich and valuable.  I couldn't recommend a better experience for a couple, family, or even an individual.  This process has brought my partner and I so much closer which I didn't think was possible. Thinking back over these past 5 months, there are a few things that I have gained.

1. An appreciation of family. I moved back home during the building process.  It was rough at first, but once I got the pillow top for the wiry pull out bed, things jelled soon thereafter. It's not often when you get to move back home on a good note. Usually it's either to take care of sick parents, or other reasons that may bring you back to the nest.  I was able to come back TEMPORARILY and be more of an asset to my parents. It felt good to have flash backs of the "good old days" in the house they bought to make memories for me.

2. Patience. I got this by force.  No matter how much I stayed on top of the process,  timelines, etc., things are bound to happen that are out of my control. Just like how our settlement date has been pushed to the end of this week to Friday instead of TODAY.  You would think my potty mouth chart would be toppled over with paper toilets but all I can say is that, "It is well!". It is this reaction that demonstrates the level of patience I have gained. 

3. Flexibility and compromise. We wanted it ALL, shoot I STILL want it all. But it's a must to prioritize and to be flexible.  It's a give and take.  Having other small projects around the house will give me something to look forward to. So, it's ok that I didn't have EVERY bell and whistle, I got enough!  I'm still blowing baby!

4. Faith. We each have our own faith, beliefs etc. For me, this experience drew more of my attention to God's wonder, dominion, and power....down to the little things. I am so grateful to have been paying attention.

FINAL WALK-THRU was last Thursday.  It wasn't to bad. Our Jacuzzi was not working, the bar seemed to be off with its symmetry in some places and there was a crack in one of the kitchen cabinets. Those were the major things.  Everything else was minor but we were sure to point out EVERY TEENY TINY MINOR THING we saw: Paint touch ups, caulking cracks, grouting cracks, window smudges-- I was on it like the Brown Hornet.

Sooo- as I re-set my countdown clock to Friday, I will enjoy this last 3 days with my parents, no bills, and free food! IT IS WELL!

We've got power...PLUS GRASS!

The grass is plush like carpet. I wanted to lie down in it!

The sun was shining so brightly in the house, and it was really pretty.

Our appliances were SUPPOSED to be delivered tomorrow but the microwave is unavailable.  I think our PM knew i would lose control upon hearing the word DELAY and he immediately told us we would be getting an upgraded model to arrive Monday. OK, I'll take an upgrade all day-- any day!

I've got one thing to say........

I'VE GOT THE POWER!

#nuff-said!

Uh Oh...still NO PEPCO

So PEPCO's contractors have completed their work and all that is needed is for ONE of the THREE PEPCO Inspectors to come out and check out the work and press a button to provide the juice.  Sounds simple right? Well it would be except for the fact that ALL THREE inspectors are ON VACATION! $#!%!!!!!!

Does Pepco understand the ramifications of their lazy, uncoordinated actions?  See, I have been on this no foul language kick and doing exceptionally well.  More than three potty mouth charges in a week cost me $1 a pop and I have other things to do with my dollars!  Well, as you can see, PEPCO is responsible for FOUR potty mouth points today which cost me $1. I plan to send an invoice directly to the dumb a%% supervisor that approved ALL his inspectors to be off during the same week. IDIOT!

I'm trying to K.I.T. (Keep It Together)!!  The landscaping and touch-up paint is being done today and the cleaning crew is coming tomorrow. Friday the appliances are being delivered and installed but who knows how well they work...if THERE ISN'T ANY ELECTRICITY!!!!  

-----Wooosiiii-----

You can ring my bell...but I won't hear it!

I would love for you to RING MY BELL--ding, dong, ding....or shout over the intercom; however, WE HAVE NO POWER! 

This lack of juice has left me joltless, jammed out, jittered down, just plain on blah and has led to a  pause to all things Ryan Homes lately.

A screeching halt!  That’s what it’s been like.  PEPCO was delayed in laying the electric; as a result….the sump pump can not operate….as a result…when it rains the basement is wet…..as a result…..they can not lay carpet…..as a result…they had to push the carpet install from two weeks ago to tomorrow!  PEPCO doesn't give us power until….TUESDAY.  AS A SUPER, SUCKY RESULT, our closing date is now on the July 18, 2011. That is 10 whole days later. I don't have 10 extra days in the patience box.  I only had enough for 85. I signed up for hip-hop dance, jazz dance, hand dance-lessons...anything to get my mind off of these extra 10 days.  Now, if I could spend it in ATLANTIS like someone else I know.......that would be a different story!  Gurrr *eyes rolling*   


So, I've finally pressed the reset button to my clock but it blows me every time I look at it!

Wellst on to Guardian,

They never cease to irritate me.  They installed the inputs for the dual room entertainment center in the wrong place. Well, no biggie people make mistakes and they agreed to fix theirs. This is what is was: The Blue Indicates where the input is currently and the red arrow indicates where the input should have been placed.

These fools moved the inputs where to the correct place and the used a cover plate to camouflage the hole.  Did he think that LALADY was going to miss that?  Didn't he remember that I was the one who contacted Corporate about getting the preferred customer discount that he said did not exist?  Ah Hullloooo---I DON’T THINK SOOO! "Mr. Guardian, I suggest you get your drywall repair kit and get to fixing." *snaps finger*  

Well while on my hiatus from all things RYAN, a few more things were able to get done…shutters/door painted.

Of course they made sure we had a mail box…..we may not have power yet but they want to be CERTAIN we have a way to get the BILL for that power once they turn it on!

Wood floors were installed and the toilets and plumbing fixtures too!

I'm glad to see the plastic on the toilets.  That plastic needs to STAY on until 6/18!  Those worker-bee's butts have NO business releasing their greedy selves inside our hose.... THAT'S WHERE WE DRAW THE LINE!  I mean Chipotle is known to run right through you but it better run right through them down the street to the JIFFY-JOHN!

Uh Oh---Better get PEPCO

Time is ticking and everything with the construction of the house is on schedule.  The hardwood floors are being done today and carpet on Monday. Now everything lies in PEPCO's hands.  They were supposed to start digging trenches on yesterday but it got pushed back to Monday.  Depending on how swiftly  they work will determine if this will affect our closing day.

Our PM wants to have adequate time to test everything once the electric is on.  As much as I don't want to add ONE MORE DAY to that countdown, I want him to test, test, and retest!  I am sure it is much easier to get things done on the front end, then scheduling a time to do it after we move in...NO THANK YOU!  I want to have as little go wrong as possible!

I am not going to let the PEPCO thing stress me out because what will be, will be, and things will be fine.
One thing that is still weirding me out...You should see our street.  Homes are going up left and right.  I mean there may be 4 homes left and yet STILL have seen NOT ONE NEIGHBOR.  What the heck is going on?  I need to meet these people.  I have big plans for my street.  We've got to have a block party at the close of the summer and we need to get cracking.  I wish you all could be my r-neighbors (REAL neighbors) It would be something like this:

How fun!  You see Noey is inside...you know why don't you?? Because just like on our blogs, she got there first.  Have you gotten to a post yet that Noey didn't beat you to? NOPE NOT "NEVER" lol. Enjoy your vacation!  Trust me the Atlantis is so gorgeous you will absolutely love it there!  Take your own snacks--food is ridiculousness high. (All American Hot Dog $12)

All Locked Up.

As I was pulling up this afternoon, Guardian was finishing up.  The technician was really nice explaining some of the features of what he had installed.  When he finished we left together and he said, " Let me lock this garage so nobody can get in here" I shook my head and said, "YES, please do" <--Wellst, that's what my mouth said but my mind was saying, nobody but US...so leave the garage door unlocked because I may want to come back. He kept fiddling with the door having technical difficulties.  i watched him in my rear view mirror as I drove off hoping that he was defeated by the door but he was not giving up without a fight.  Needless to say...he WON and I'm locked out!
Check out some of what they completed today:

Just waiting on shutters now

Central Vac Unit

Fireplace lights and one of the surround sound speakers

Our kitchen TV is going in this corner...Law & Order SVU baby!

My favorite gadget--the vac pan. No more dust pan.  I was no good at that anyway!

Countdown to the Countdown

My first countdown was a stagnant 60 days..I was saying sixty days for at least 25 days.  Finally I was officially at 60. Ok 60 LONG days. Then I needed this thing to speed up to 45. 45 days is when it gets fast and real.  At 45, I would allow myself to put a countdown clock on my blog. SHOUT OUT TO NOEY for the new portrait countdown widget that fits better on my page.  The only thing that got me from 60-45 was blogger.com.  So, when I get to 45, I felt as far away from the end as I did at 60. Gee! I needed to just make it to 30.  Once I got to 30 it would be a piece of cake because then it would be only two paychecks away and you know how fast they fly by!  Now I'm at 24 and I'm counting down to 14. These countdowns within a countdown are my own little method of psyching myself out.  I wonder if this is how they "do time" in jail?? Not that I wonder enough to find out or anything!

They are coming along on schedule at the home site! Tee and I were very pleased at what we saw!  The walkway was paved and we walked right up to the front door which was LOCKED.  Say what? Who locked up without telling me first?  They know I come by a million times a day.  No worries, the garage was open.

Paca, Pueblo, and John were working it out on the stone out front!  Check out their pulley system...its more like a hand toss system. I see how the windows get broken!  I did ask them if they had chicken or Chipotle for lunch.

This week is the last of the rough trade....the electrical trim, HVAC returns, guardian, shelves, etc through Thursday and then Friday they begin on the floors...Woohoooo on my way to 20 on the countdown.

Ding Ding Ding, Formen on deck!

Well since lunch seems to be one of the most enjoyable times of the day for the Worker Bees and Assembly Ants, I decided to do a GO-IN during lunch time...looking real official too!

... Peep the hard hat!  And yes, I had on the wrong shoes but i made it through the gravel effortlessly.  I sent an email to our magnificent PM this morning praising the work that has been accomplished.  I also told him that not only are they working well but they were eating quite well also.  Then I attached a picture of the chicken bone.  When I walked up today there was no trash discarded on the ground outside the house.

So I proceeded in to look at the progress another day makes.

                                                   

LOLOL no....he's not picking up any left over chicken bones, he is laying the tiles for the Master Bath.

And the tile in the hallway bath had pretty much been completed:

It may have been lunch time but these guys left no evidence of it on the inside! 

Just an aside....I was hanging out with the President last night. He went to see a play at Ford's Theatre with the VP. Can you see our motorcade behind me. Our car is under the white tent.  I actually decided not to ride with them because of all the fan fare. i don't like a big fuss. That's why I decided to just go for ice cream at my favorite place FROZEN YO instead. lololol!!! 

Transformers----What a difference some trim makes!

It's funny because during this process things can go so slow because we are so anxious for things to happen.  At the same time, things move at the speed  of lightening and in a day you go from a sign to a hole, to some concrete, to a frame, and transformations happen so quickly. In a day the entire feel of our house was transformed!  We are just that much closer to the end which is really the beginning!  The trim added the special touch that reminded us why we fell in love with this model to begin with!  





Family Room
Dining Room

And those makeshift banisters--- Transformed!

Yes, this stair model comes with this house--lolol

While the house is being transformed from left to right....some things have stayed the same!

Yes that's a CHICKEN BONE.   I guess somebody's eating in the kitchen!!  That is just rediculuos!!  You won't believe the amount of discarded trash outside--- chiptloe bags, dressing packets, soda cans, Red Bull cans, you name it...they are eating it, drinking it...and throwing it on the ground!   Mama always told me NOT TO BE A LITTER BUG! They need to get it together out there....but inside our premises the BETTER GET IT TOGETHER seriously...a chicken bone???  And it must have been finger licking good because he knawed the gristle off of that bone.  WOW!

Well chat later....im going to make me some chicken.




Worker Bees and now Assembly Ants!

I spoke with my PM this morning and he really knew how to kick off my weekend!
So that trim package that was all in the garage......."WELLST" my PM said they will be like little ants on an assembly line to get it ALL installed TODAY.  He said it's really fascinating to watch.  I let him know that I most definitely plan to check it out today!  Yep. that's right... Cabinets, counter tops, doors, banisters, window trim, and whatever else was in those boxes will be in their rightful place. 

The siding will also go up today!

And Hallelujah PEPCO has us on the schedule for next week!  This was the only thing that could keep us from closing if PEPCO was on the "slow roll".  We are on a new street; first house, and there is no electricity. I was trying to figure out if I knew somebody, who knew somebody--- that knew SOMEBODY at PEPCO to get a move on it but all is well.

So, I will be doing a Drive-by/Go-in to see the ants working to make my colony in a day!  How about that.  Then I am going to see about sending those ants AND MY PM up north to @momoftwins!!!!!  Hey Ma...hang in there!

We've got trim and one filthy tub

Having a dirty tub is like an oxymoron. i don't quite get why they didn't keep a cover over it. I know they are going to have it shining like the top of the Crysler Building (they better) but this visual is not a good one. I hope the jets don't get clogged with debris..

On to others things....It was like Christmas in June.  Santa dropped off the trim package in the garage.
We've got trim!

As you can see its all in the garage...UNLOCKED.
But I'm not complaining because I don't have a key.

They painted today and I was wondering how they could paint it all in one day but if I had a spray gun, i could paint it in a day too!
Here is the LR all painted--love the sunlight

I'm exhausted so I'll chat tomorrow and post the rest of my pics!

It may not be our house YET but it definitely isn't......

YOUR TRASH RECEPTACLE! OK, i know the worker bees are busy building our future happiness but how hard is it to put their garbage in the trash? There is only a HUGE dumpster out front.

First it was this....

A coffee cup that has been on the floor (ground) for about two weeks now!

Then there was this...

That was there for about a week now. If that wasn't enough TRASH, this was there today

Seriously?? Maybe I'm being a bit anal but i just want them to put their GARBAGE in the trash.
OK...on to other things....



My PM did confirm that the windows will have screens but thanks to you all, I already got the 411 on that.



Here is a pic of my and my flats balancing the gravel. lol

One leg!

Go-Ins

First it was all I could do to DRIVE BY---morning, mid-morning, noon, afternoon, evening, <--my second addiction next to blogger. Anywho, it was so exciting to see any little change to the house. Then the outside was as complete as it was going to get and nothing different to see. So the drive-by was a mood point. Now Go-INS are the new Drive-Bys. I have learned to navigate the rocky gravel , which is complicated in my heels but the key is to move quickly. I was a little hesitant about my go-ins seeing as though the worker-bees were busy making honey but that hesitation was short lived and I Go-IN whenever and with whoever is in there. On today's Go-In I took a few more pics! What would you like??? That's what I'll be saying to people right here at the bar! Then after a while i will probably saying....What did you bring???

This is the media room and I am looking forward to listening to movies in surround sound. Its going to be lots of fun making memories!

LASTLY Guardian What??? HA Mr. So and So from corporate gave a long song and dance to a BLAH BLAH BLAH, talking about they have no such incentives and asked me who told me such...and you know what I said, "SEVERAL OF MY NEIGHBORS have met with Guardian representatives and have been offered a new customer incentive of some sort and I feel slighted that MY NEIGHBORS received and offer and not I"

3 month monitoring credit.Thanks NEIGHBORS!

We've Got Walls...

We may have walls by Heather & Mike have KEYS!!! so this one's for them Heather & Mike: Building Our Dream Life:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lu81z2E6pE

Now back to MOI! :-)
The drywall was up today as promised. At 5:30 this evening, they were still working faithfully. I like that.
Soon yes VERY soon this will be our bedroom!

And I will be cooking all my good recipes in here:

These makeshift banisters need to go!

But I can't wait for Tee to be in here watching Law and Order SVU while I'm in the kitchen watching the Young & The Restless on the kitchen TV.

Yesssss I watch the stories. I was raised on the Young & Restless and am tickled pink that it comes on again at 7pm.


Tomorrow they will add the joint compound to make it a seamless wall and they will paint next Thursday. So, that leaves THIS Friday, Saturday--ok I'll give Sunday and Monday to the Holiday but then Monday, and Tuesday, AND Wednesday....whats going on then? I'm just saying, no need to have idle time... Mama told me that idle time was the devil's workshop and I don't want that little bugar anywhere near my place!

Note to self --inquire about timeline.

Did I forget to mention that.....

I LOVE my blogging community! YOU ALL ARE THE BEST! Now did I also mention that..... blogger.com better get it together. I had some very important comments that I wanted to make and yet AGAIN someone fell asleep on that job...their IT department needs to be revamped because somebody pressed the wrong button SOMEWHERE and the system kept throwing me out. SO, this one is for you BLOGGER.COM

GET IT TOGETHER DOT COM!

Guess who’s back…..La Lady! I had to take a pause for the cause in order to celebrate my birthday! I didn’t realize how much of a shell I have been in. My life consists of Journey to Victoria Falls on Tall Woods Way.com and NOTHING ELSE. I’ve lost touch with everything and everyone except for by e-neighbors.

SO, I had to get a new do, new color and BAM new attititude….ok maybe not a new attitude because I liked the sass I have.

Ok so lets get on with the house stuff.

As of July 8, 2011 this is where I will be having the sweetest dreams! No more couches, pull-outs,or air mattresses!

We passed the Energy Star Inspection today and the drywall was placed in each room in order to hang it tomorrow. Its really looking more and more like a house!


Guardian--Well since our Guardian devil refused to look into an incentive, I contacted Guardian’s corporate office in our area to tattletale!! They were supposed to get back to me within 24 hours and that ended about 8 hours ago. :-/.

Light- GOT IT!
The PM installed a light in the rear of the closet so it can be nice and bright throughout so I will not confuse blue and black in the wee hours of the morning. Yay! Our PM also added the blocking over the fireplace, and in the basement where the TVs will be wall mounted.

In other news--- I have an interview tomorrow so add my name in your prayers tonight!!! This would be the cherry on top of a very big scoop of ice cream!

Interest rate decrease SIKE 4.75% = 5.01%

So we're trying to ride the wind and surf for the best rate then I find out that it’s all trickery. It is my understanding that as of April 18, 2011 the MIP (Mortgage Insurance Premium) increased so if you have an interest rate of 4.75% your total costs are the same is if your loan is 5% so all of you that locked in at 4.8-5.25% don't feel cheated by those who locked in after you for less because if this article is true......it’s pretty much all the same!

I contacted our NVR rep to provide clarity and confirmation to the accuracy of what I read. Still waiting. So I guess I’m still surfing! Check it out...

http://fha-interest-rate.com/2011/03/fha-mortgage-insurance-premium-increase-spring-2011/

Welst (in the voice of the infamous Antoine Dodson) our rep said the following:

On April 18th 2011, FHA increased their monthly mortgage insurance factor from .9 to 1.15 so it has an effect on the monthly mortgage payment.

Thankfully our application was prior to April 18th and this won't affect us but it sure is GREAT to know!

Guardian Angel....o-O #NOT

Soon yet very soon, Tee will be chillaxin watching TV in here while I am throwing DOWN in the double oven! Yep-yep!

Today we met with Guardian to discuss where everything was supposed to be....TOTALLY CONFUSING!
If any of you have a reverse floor plan from your model, I would suggest that you take a picture of each room so that when you meet with Guardian, you can refer back to the picture to determine what should go on which wall. I knew things were on opposite sides but I wasn’t prepared for it being a reverse in every since of the word. Is that would they call a mirror image? It was VERY confusing and slightly overwhelming seeing as though our Guardian Rep was trying to rush us . He barely wanted to give us time to get our bearings together before he would start to push where he would put it. I had to pump his brakes. “ Sir, I don’t care where you would put it because YOU won’t be living here.” Then, he wouldn’t even take the time to look into the Guardian Free service incentive.
The nerve of him!

Well, our PM made up for our Guardian Rep. He is so accommodating and patient. He is thorough and listens to all my questions without raising an eyebrow. He said our drywall work will be complete next Thursday. June 6th our trim package including the cabinets will be delivered. Things are really really on the move now.

It was cool to see our options taped to the morning room window. I instantly thought...Oh so I can just walk into the other homes and check this sheet out to see their options..LOL and just my luck, my nosey behind would run right into the owners....NOT!

Now onto the last thing….I, like my other blogging friend, am a tad bit concerned about who shares my same great taste. Let's hope NO ONE ELSE! I hope people think my taste is gaudy and undesirable and lean to one of the other 6 models available. HA- FAT CHANCE RIGHT? I just hope there is an even variety and not all MY model. I will be sure to keep you posted on this because they are really putting them up.

Blogger.com Una-who, Una-what, Una-VAILABLE???

Excuse me but who fell asleep on the job yesterday? Who accidentally pressed the red button? I hope they have been prosecuted, flogged even. Do they understand what misery they put me through? Blogger.com is my sanity. You all bring peace to a chaotic world! I have 50 more days to shack up with my parents on a couch that's two feet to short and 4 feet to narrow. I have to deal with the ruckus of tweet-a-lee tree top from angry birds at 5:50 in the morning without blogger I would be a deranged lunatic until settlement.

SO ATTENTION BLOGGER DOT COM, GET IT TOGETHER!

What Kind of Neighbors Are They?

Today's drive-by revealed a busy street. Four homes are being worked on. But for whom? How come I never see them? I see everything happening on our street. I'm only ALWAYS driving by. Something must be wrong with them or something. I'm really concerned. Note to self... Check in with Sales Rep to get the skinny on our neighbors. We may have to invest in a fence sooner than we think. Modern Day Hatfield's and the McCoy's going on. LOl. No, I'm sure our neighbors will be great. But seriously---no drive by's??? What kind of people are they? They just can't be normal. I'll keep you guys posted because now I want to add neighbor scouting to my list of reasons to drive by! I may need to step up a few more run throughs. "APB: Tall Woods Way Neighbors...where you at??" Ok back to the matter at hand.

All the plumbing was completed and inspected today. They wiring begins Monday with insulation complete by next week’s end which just happens to be my birthday.

Things are progressing quickly just like you guys said it would. Woohoo! So for my birthday I get a big delivery of drywall and that's the best birthday gift ever.

Tomorrow the door will be put on and the free windows cut and placed in the side bedrooms compliments of the County's code. So you know I'll be driving by to check that out...and check for those neighbors.


Chio!

Its a "Rough" Week

My PM said this week they will be doing the rough trades; heating/AC/plumbing. We meet with Guardian next Tuesday for our pre-drywall thingy.

There's really nothing extra to see this week so I will try to NOT drive by until next Tuesday. Now the real deal is can I live life without driving by? The concept of that seems rather odd for I have been driving by for nearly a month now. What would life be like without driving by? I'm pondering the thought.... Well, maybe I can go out to lunch instead of eating in my car on the way to my home site. Perhaps I can save on gas since I would be going straight home without the daily detour to my home site... is that incentive enough?

Tee thinks I am irritating my neighbors with these frequent drive-bys. Huh? Well if they have a problem with seeing my car wiz by their already COMPLETED house on my way to see our house get completed, it’s gonna be a very contentious relationship with the neighbors.

I suspect they giggle when and if they even pay attention to my car because they probably were doing the SAME thing! Humph!

Ok B- right back....I'm going to drive by to see if the shingles and garage door are on.

We Are Under Roof!

I exercised patience yesterday and did NOT drive by....ok ok ok i admit, i didn't have a choice because I was out all day and didn't get a chance to..well whatever the reason..i didn't. So if you thought for UN MOMENTO that I could make it through TWO days....you have gotsta be kidding! It was such a welcome surprise to not only see this:

But also see a crew of faithful worker-bees working today on the Sabbath. It is the Sabbath but I did NOT contest to them working through it. "forgive me Father but you know how I am"

Seeing my progress made me think of a blogging friend who has not been able to experience the joy of this process as she has been at a stand still for the past three weeks. I feel your pain Ma! At the alter i prayed that a double team of super skilled, and committed worker-bees are sent to your sitting foundation and that they shower their attention upon your concrete so you can feel the excitement I feel!!

Now, if what I've gathering from everyone else's blog who is ahead of me in this process is accurate, our PM should be calling us to schedule our pre-contruction meeting manana.

One other thing, for any other Victoria Falls builders-- have you noticed from your models in your area how the MBR closet without the window is really dark in the rear. I should have asked for a recessed light in there but wasn't thinking. Since that will be my closet because it has the most usable hanging space, i am thinking about that NOW!

If you are still in your option phase I suggest adding a recess light in the rear and since we didn't, i am going to see if we can get our PM to agree to add a light there.....any kind but i need to see what I am looking at!!!!!!

Oh, happy mother's day all!!!

All in a few days work..

I have been trying to control the number of drive bys-- well at least reduce them to one instead of two--during lunch and after work. It requires deep breaths, meditation, relaxation techniques, and anything else I can think of. I am somewhat disappointed that the roof wasn't put on today ---due to that darn house down the street that keeps taking all the worker-bees. Tomorrow I really do anticipate our roof being put on or you will see a picture of me with a nail gun and hard hat assembling it myself!

It took three days to go to --All Wrapped Up but no roof to cover...

BEFORE

Drive-Bys!

Ok.I'm addicted to the drive-bys. It doesn't help that i work 10 minutes away either. I never thought me and the term drive-by would go hand in hand but at this point, if you look in the dictionary a picture of me in my car would be next to the term! Sad isn't it?? Oh well!

I will admit yesterday's drive-by(s) were a little disapointing. I wanted to have a little chit-chat with the two lonely soles out there with one nail gun and ask them where the rest of the crew was... i kinda felt like putting a little muscle behind my drive by...but I didn't. Today, I said, if I saw the same thing, I was gonna bring sandwiches and water tomorrow. You catch more bees with honey than vinegar is what my mom says!

Well, no need. They were on the ball today! The two, turned into about six, and they were "getting it in!" Needless to say this will not help with my drive-by addiction.

Wow all in a half day's work:

The arrows are for my folks who are unfamiliar with the Victoria Falls and have absolutely no idea what they are looking at!

In honor that hard worker to the left I'm posting today's theme song!
http://youtu.be/1TKQcWEXSKU

Options

I'm a little late joining this Ryan Homes blogging community but am super glad I found it. Now that we are in the building phase we sure tested the patience of our Sales Rep with our never-ending change orders. We knew we had a small window of time (which I personally think is to short--14days) but our Sales rep gave us all the time we needed. Thank goodness!!!

We chose Elevation B with the Stone front but opted not to get the porch. I think we would add that now if we could :-(. We love the Colonial Look of the Victoria Falls.

I love our color selections and can't wait to see them all laid out together. We chose the larger wood planks instead of the smaller ones.

We decided to go with the double oven and cook top because we entertain a lot and I wanted to have my dream kitchen. I can't wait to get that Mac n Cheese cooking in one oven and that sweet potato pie baking in the other!!! We are in the market for our Washer & Dryer what are the pro's and con's on the Steam washer/dryer?
While the dream kitchen is for me...the basement and Media Room is Tee's paradise! Here is a pic of the bar we are replicating from a model in our area.

What we were so disappointed about was how the model showed the media room to have an elevated portion. This was what we really liked about the media room. We didn't find out until much later that this was not an option or a standard just the decorator’s creativity. I suggest they tag everything in the model that’s not a standard or an option. That disappointment only lasted for about 7.5 minutes.

Needless to say I read that option list front, back, left to right, upside down and right side up. I think I may have known more about what options were available then both my sales rep’s. I could even figure out how much each option would add to the monthly payment and how much it would increase settlement costs. I never knew how much I enjoyed math until this process!

Missing our Sales Rep.

The one thing I miss about advancing from the contract phase to the building phase is the one on one time with our Sales Rep. We really lucked up with her! She is so darn thorough. She made our concerns her own. I appreciated that. It really is a special relationship you develop because you are entrusting your vision and dreams to someone else. With our sales rep, we were in good hands!

The Lumber Has Been Delivered!

Basically this is our house!

And this is our garage:

...and this is the basement where we will be chillaxin:

Tee always tells me that I am a visionary..LOL