I Really Should Be Working...

But I got kicked out of the home office because they turned the power off... I am at the coffee shop and decided it would be more fun to put up pictures from the new camera!

So, here is what Maggie calls the good life. Does that really look comfortable??
Um, seriously?? Just who do these dogs think they are? I need another couch for me apparently:

And I even bought a new dog bed for the living room... Here are the two pups playing... Check out Sadie's teeth!!!
What a cute little belly on that dog!
And here is Eric and Maggie lounging around. Snuggle puggle!
And here is my new porch swing that I need to hang... It was hand made - let me know if you want the guys info that made this!

And today, Dewey was working on my closet... Here is the very beginning. I think this will turn out even better than the shelving from the Great Indoors!!

And one more piece of good luck for me!!! I was talking with a garage door guy (my doors are pretty much completely broken, I am afraid they might be stuck closed right now... And if I open them, they might get stuck open!) and he found some really cool doors for the same price as standard, generic doors! They are carraige style and will go well with the fence details. Someone else bought them and didn't like the color so they have been installed, but never used - so I get a good deal!! Here's an example from the web... Fun stuff!

So, that's the latest!! Who wants to watch the Bronco game with me??

Please Excuse the Mess!

I broke down and bought a camera yesterday! I really like it - way nicer than my old one that only took blurry pictures. I suspose sometimes we lose things for a good reason! Anyway, here are some pictures of the house. I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked over the weekend moving in, so please pardon the messy counters, floors, etc ;)
Here is the new front shot! What a difference paint and a nice fence make! Compare this to the shot in the upper right corner from 6 months ago!!
And another one with a slightly different angle:
The pups are really happy - they love sliding all over the floors. I wonder how they will feel when the rugs get here... Hopefully I will know later this week!
This is Maggie's favorite spot in the house. She loves to lay on the back of the chair or couch!
Here is my kitchen sink :) I really like the way it turned out and the backsplash adds the right amount of spunk I think!

Here is my nook that I plan to use as a breakfast area. I'm glad I decided to expose that brick - it adds a nice touch!
And here is the almost done hall bathroom! I might like this bathroom even more than my master bathroom. When I was young, like 13, I decided that I wanted my bedroom to be black and white. I used those stick down tiles inplace of my carpet and had a black and white room! Later I added a rug - it was green - and I really loved it. Well, black and white and green are back for me!! I actually chose the wall color to match the towels and shower curtain from Pottery Barn that I loved!
And here is the laundry room - fun!
Here are the lights that are in my office. They turned out well and I am looking forward to getting everything setup in here today!
Here is the view from inside my shower :)

If I am not sure where Sadie is, I can usually find her in the bathroom! I wonder if she likes the tile floor because it is cool perhaps?? Earlier today she was snoozing in the shower!!
Here is my bedroom. It's amazing how little else fits when you have a queen bed!!
Here is a shot from the front of the house! Can you find the puggle?
And here are the lights above my dining table and at the bar. They turned out really nice!

This post uses the words "like" and "love" a lot! I guess that means things are much better around here!! I don't feel settled or moved in, but I think that is mostly because I don't have a closet setup yet. My $900 of supplies from the Great Indoors were stolen out of my garage at some point during the remodel. The contrator has agreed to install shelves and rods for me, so we will get that started later today. Hopefully at the end of next weekend, I will feel like I really live here!

Please come visit if you are in the neighborhood! And mark your calendars for Halloween - I am having a paaaarty! With costume contests and all!!

2008 Bronco Football Pool

Good thing you have people fill out their picks before the season starts... Perhaps there are a few nay sayers on this list, but whatever - the rest of us are happy to take your money!

Here are the picks as I have them:

11-5 (pts TBD) Nancy I (paid)

11-5 44pts Fritz H (paid)

11-5 39pts Sarah G (paid)

11-5 38pts Monica E (paid)

10-6 (pts TBD) Gary I (paid)

10-6 52pts Tom G

10-6 38pts Chip F (paid)

9-7 49pts Rachel G (paid)

9-7 45pts Dave O

8-8 42pts Dave L

8-8 41pts John C (paid)

7-9 42pts Paul M (paid)

7-9 39pts Eric B

If there is a typo on this list, let me know before kick-off on Sunday, September 21st or I will assume I got your pick and points right.

$130 on the line!

Go BRONCOS!!

I'm IN!

After 6 months without a washer and dryer, I got to do laundry in my house on Tuesday night!! (Big thanks to Chip and Eric!)
And I bought a carton of ice cream to put in the freezer!
And I have room for a whole 12 pack of Diet Coke in the Fridge!
And I got to do dishes in a dishwasher!
And I used a glass and a real plate to eat dinner that I prepared at home!
And I laid on a couch in my own house!
And I haven't seen a spider all week!
And there is a toilet paper holder in my bathroom!
And I don't have to go up or down stairs to let the dogs out!
And I worked from home a little this week at the dining room table!!
And I stayed behind one closed door to go to bed and shower in the morning!

These may all sound like things you do every day, but for me, this list is HUGE! I haven't done any of these things in 6 months! Just a few more to knock off the list, like parking in the garage, not having strange people in my house, and getting a few more boxes unpacked, but wow - what a difference in my quality of life!

Of course I can't find my stinkin camera anywhere - I even bought new batteries for it - so no pictures in this post. Stop by if you are in the neighborhood!!

We're Getting Closer...

I can't believe I am saying this, but we are getting a lot closer! This week was very productive and I am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully the next couple of days go well and no one puts out my light!

My parents made a special request for a pic of the back door. It is basically a big window that adds a ton of light! It will be painted very soon...
And the floors are coming along nicely! This is the back bed room, which will also be my office. The paint is done and the flooring is in... It looks a lot better when it is clean ;)
Here is the flooring progress as of Friday morning. The flooring guy worked this weekend and the kitchen and living rooms are basically done. Just my bedroom left, basically! They should be done tomorrow!
My master bath is just about done! Here is a picture of the vanity. It still needs to be touched up, but at least it is in place! The only bad part is that I need to come up with a new idea for the mirrors... I was going to put a mirror above each sink but the mirrors I bought get in the way of the light switch. Now I am thinking about a big oval??

And here is my bathtub! Having a claw foot should be really nice and it adds an older touch to the room!
Moving outside, I actually have gutters now! The outside paint should be touched up this week as well!And I have a heating system and A/C installed! There is even a thermostat - just in time for a chilly fall!
We really get getting closer. Once the flooring is in, they need to put some trim up, install the appliances, install the rest of the lighting, finish painting and start doing touch ups. I told my contractor I want to "move in" this weekend and they said that should be fine! They might have a few final things to get to, but hopefully they will keep the same pace as last week and we will be DONE soon!!

Thanks for all the great comments - it really helped me get through the last week!!

Get Rid of the Gremlins??

This morning, my contractor was at my house and they told me I needed to think about doing something to get rid of the gremlins... They said that since we have had so many more problems than they usually see, there must be something in the house that is not happy with us remodeling. Whatever - I think they are the gremlins that I want to just finish and leave already!!

While I was in training in wine country last week and in NYC over the labor day weekend, some real progress was made at least:

My room is painted - Mercer blue:

The master bath shower is all tiled and painted. Just waiting for the tub and for the glass shower wall:

And it has a toilet in it! Not working yet, but soon! Can you see the wall color??

And here are some shots of the kitchen! The cabinets and countertops are in - and the backsplash just needs some grout:
Oh and maybe some appliances, like a fridge would be nice (they are in the garage!):
The back wall in the kitchen is painted the same blue as my bedroom and my back door is a big window:

And here is the shot of the whole kitchen. It's a little messy, but coming together!

And I have a nice privacy fence around the yard - really makes the outside look cleaner by covering the torn up back yard:
And the hall bath is coming along as well. I wish the painter wasn't stupid and realized that when I said white paint I didn't mean cream paint like the rest of the house... Oh well, they can redo it.
Sooo, bottom line is the house is not finished like it should have been and the flooring hasn't even started yet. There will no longer be a party for the Bronco v Raider opening game, but hopefully a Halloween party will work out... It has been so hard to post anything lately because it is all so disappointing and I don't really want to talk about it... But the week away felt really good and hopefully I can keep my spirits up for another couple of weeks.