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!