Our first holiday Thanksgiving

Celebrating our first holiday in our new home was a truly thankful experience and we were able to share it with a good deal of our family, and considering the travel time for them, we were truly thankful to share the day.

My daughter and grandsons had the longest trip - more than 4 hours. They were our first overnight guests, staying Wednesday and Thursday nights. Their favorite spot - the shower! Everyone had to try it out! That certainly makes for the most unusual holiday tradition!!

My son Shawn worked the morning, but made it before the turkey was gone. His favorite - the refridgerator! Just kidding, he loves the sunroom best.

Here are Tom's mom, brother Kevin with his wife Judy, and (aunt) Sister Mary. Sister Mary took more pictures of the house than I have! Coming from Albany, they made the trip in 3 hours and returned home the same day. While they were here we had a surprise visitor. A red-tail hawk perched on a tree just outside the sunroom and preened for about 5 minutes. No pic - we didn't dare move and disturb him.

I did remember to get a pic of the first fire however. I was almost glad to see the weather finally cool enough to light the fire.

December 6 - it snowed. And when I got a look at the view (out of every single window in the house!) I was thrilled to see snow for the first time since I was a little kid. I didn't even mind shoveling - well, that is because Tom did it all.

Just a dusting, maybe next one we can have a snowman...

9/26 Getting Busy

We pulled up to the house to see a big truck in the yard again. The septic system is being installed. Mike is excited to be getting to the landscaping soon. We've decided on one last upgrade. We asked Mike what we could do to make the landscaping really stunning. He said it was already going to be stunning! Then he thought a minute and suggested a cobblestone sidewalk. I've always liked flagstone and hesitated a moment, but as he talked, I began to visualize it and realized it would be a perfect compliment to the front of the house. Tom, as always, said if that is what I want, that is what we will have. I do so like that attitude!
A lot of changes inside, but not great photo opportunities, especially since the painter was covering everything up to prepare to paint.

Trim, sills, molding and frames are all completed as is the subflooring where tiles will be going. That includes the master shower, which now looks like a great gray box.

Permanent stairs are now installed in the basement and main living area. Aren't these just georgous! This bannister is stunning!

We wandered the rooms for about an hour, measuring for blinds and trying to place furniture.

A phone call from George - the kitchen guy - tells us that the cabinets have finally arrived and will begin installation next week.

Mike made a mantle for us that we really liked. Perspective here is tough, this stands about shoulder high on Tom. We started looking at glass doors for the fireplace and went into serious sticker shock! Starting at around $850, they can go up to $3-4,000!
As we were getting ready to leave, Tom noticed something we'd missed all along. There wasn't a cap on the chimney. It just hadn't occured to us sooner, but having chased critters out of the fireplace in the past, we knew it was important. The fireplace guy will now be coming back, once the deck is in place so he doesn't have to rebuild his staging, to add on a chimney cap. It is really important to read the specs as you are going along to be sure you fully understand if all your wants and needs are understood.

So now we are nearing the finish and both Tom and I have long lists of things to get done. My job is to get notices of the move out to everyone, the apartment, movers, storage company, post office, new furniture delivery and so on. Tom will arrange for all of the new services and finish up with the mortgage requirements. Busy, busy!

We've been told that things will happen really fast from this point and that every visit to the new house will be an adventure. True, but still not fast enough for us - we are so anxious to start living in the new house!

We had a conversation with Mike about the mantle for the fireplace. He's building a custom mantle for us. We shopped for the fireplace accoutrements and we have the firewood ordered, delivered and stacked out back, so we are ready for our first night!


Doors and windowsills are being installed, painting is scheduled to happen this week and the cabinets will arrive next weekend.

I've managed to overcome my shopping exhaustion and burned another $500 on the charge card "furnishing" the bathrooms. Only items left to select are the mirrors. They have to wait until I see the cabinets in place.

We had company on our Sunday tour. The tile company was working away installing the substructure for the tiles.

As usual, the shower caused a lot of discussion. The glass insert in the end of the shower causes a lot of engineering decisions. What looks simple on paper isn't so simple in execution! Isn't that always the way?

The official move in date is October 30th. The movers are on order and we've given notice. If all goes well, the housewarming party will happen the weekend after Thanksgiving, mark your calendars!

Interior Update

A very busy couple of weeks at Lot 4, outside and in! On the interior, the wiring, plumbing and ventelation have all been istalled and breezed through town inspection. Outer walls are insulated and ceilings prepared to be finished. Piles of wallboard and plaster are everywhere and start going up on Tuesday. This first photo is the kitchen and the door on the left leads through the laundry room and into the garage.

The fireplace is bricked . Just beyond you can see a bit of the sunroom (definitely our favorite room!)

And the stairs are completed into the basement, which has a floor and lights.

The last pic here is a shot of the very impressive ceiling in the great room. To the left is the kitchen and that will be the powder room to the right.

The kitchen is finalized and on order. We expect that to be ready to install around September 20th. The tiles, carpets and hardwood are all selected as well as the paint (did you ever realize just how many shades of white there are!!) Most of the lighting is purchased, although we are still deciding on the exterior lighting. Last thing on the list for this week is we need to order the hot tub, which needs to be installed in the basement within a couple of weeks so that Mike can begin the landscaping.

Progress

In spite of even more rain a lot was done at lot 4 this week. We have the beginning of ceilings and walls and the fireplace begins to take shape.