Vacation!

Over the past week, Joshua and I found ourselves riding in the car on our way to Wisconsin for our annual vacation to visit his grandparents.  Following our arrival on Friday, we had the best seven days of weather ever, low-to-mid 80s and sunny nearly every minute.  Usually we have one or two rainy days which we use for side trips to Duluth or Hayward, but not so this year.  Every day was spent on the beach and boat and visiting with family.  Here are some picture highlights.  (Yes, I did let my pregnant belly hang out with no shame.  Guess what, tan bellies are much more attractive than white ones!)  

Last Friday, we said our goodbyes and traveled to Milwaukee.  Joshua's cousin's bachelor party was scheduled for Friday and Saturday.  Trying to entertain myself for two days in a strange city wasn't appealing.  Lucky for me, Dad is always up for a road trip.  We met up and spent Friday evening and Saturday all day exploring Milwaukee.  The Harley Davidson Museum was a hit.  We stumbled upon a croquet club.  We took a trolley tour of downtown, and we explored the lakefront, taking in all of the yachts and sailboats.  What a fun weekend!    

Joshua and I made it home late Saturday night, Sunday morning, really.  After sleeping in, we got some chores done around the house.  Things are finally starting to feel settled here in Monticello.

Monday morning we were back in the car to Peoria to close on the house.  Things went smoothly at the closing table.  We received two calls from the buyers throughout the day with questions on the washing machine and hose spigot, but haven't heard from them since.  That chapter is officially closed, which is a bittersweet feeling.  What a relief to be done with that mortgage and maintenance.  How nostalgic I feel for the days when our house was the hub of fun social gatherings with family and friends.  How grateful we feel to have lived in such a lovely home for three years while coming out ahead of renting, with lots learned in the process.  

Now that the housing saga is over, with all loose ends tied up, I'm excited to be able to relax and get ready for this baby.  We had our first appointment in Champaign today.  The car seat, stroller, and mattress are ordered.  Dad has addressed the crib safety issues.  (We're using the crib that Shaun, Kati, and I were in as babies, and safety standards seem to have changed in the past 25 years.)  Mom found an adorable vintage dresser at an auction and has it painted and ready to go.  She also spent countless hours working on an alphabet letter project that will be revealed later.  I have fabric galore to work on curtains and other finishing touches, projects for this week.  Time to get this nursery done up!  

Getting Started with 4013

I'm sure you've all been wondering about the new house in Monticello.  Well, here were are.

Friday's move went fairly smoothly, despite the 97 degree weather, and as of today, all the boxes for the main floor and bedrooms are unpacked.  

I'm realizing that in all the updates about the Peoria house, the Monticello house has been quite neglected on this blog.  Right now it's a lovely 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home that fits us very well.  My favorite feature has to be the pond and woods view out the back (picture to come at some point).  No more neighbors' neglected gardens and awful wind chimes!  

Although we're settling in quite nicely, things are going to be out of place for a while.  The basement "man cave" is unfinished, which will be a project for this fall/winter.  Until then, all of the nerd stuff (and there's a lot of it!) has taken over the living room and dining room.  I'm talking about a giant sectional couch, shelves of cards and Blu rays galore, and pirate Lego ships.  Oh well, how spoiled are we that Joshua and I have become accustomed to having our own floors of a house?  We will learn to hang out together :0)

So far in our new house, we've had plenty of visitors over to check it out.  We're actually only a five minute walk from Joshua's Dad's house.  Polly and the kids were over the other day to check it out.  Mom and Dad haven't had a chance to make the trip down yet.  They've been too busy helping me clean out the house in Peoria.  They're the best!

The plan for the next two weeks?  

-Leaving for our annual Wisconsin trip this afternoon

-Closing on the house in Peoria the day after we return on the 16th

-Finally feeling settled once all of this house business is finished  

Fat Fest 2012

Last weekend we drove to Champaign for the annual Fat Fest tradition.  As I've detailed in past years, Fat Fest involves eating at 10 restaurants in one afternoon with all of Joshua's friends.  Sounds like a great idea, right?  It really is a fun time.  This year there were about 20 of us who completed the challenge.

Besides enjoying time with friends over the weekend, things have been rolling right along.  My last day at school was Thursday.  It was a great feeling to get everything wrapped up, and having met my replacement, I'm confident that my students will be in good hands in the fall.  This summer, I'm planning to work a few Fridays at Rosewood as long as we're in Peoria.  I really do like going there, and the therapy manager is always glad to have the help.  

Other cross-your-fingers good news is that our house may be sold again.  We have agreed on everything but need to wait until the couple's current house undergoes inspection.  They have a buyer lined up but won't be able to buy our house if their sale doesn't go through.  Their inspection is tomorrow, so after that, we should know more about if their sale is likely to go through.  Then there's another inspection of our home...  Lot's of hurdles to get over, so I'm trying not to get too excited.  I hate to be disappointed later.  Think good thoughts for us!

First Project

One of my favorite childhood items was a small quilt that Mom made for me while she was pregnant.  I loved that thing, and slept with it for years.  So, in thinking about my own little baby, I decided a quilt was in order.  The last quilt I pieced and actually finished was back in high school, so it's been awhile.  Here's what I came up with.

I really am happy with how it turned out, which is surprising.  Usually the longer I spend on a project, the less likely I am to like to finished product, and let me tell you, this one took a while.  Lot's of shopping for the perfect coordinating fabrics, lots of piecing, and a crazy amount of hand quilting.  It was worth it!

Besides working on a few projects, Joshua and I have been trying to slow down a little and relax about all of this house business.  The buyers we had lined up decided that maintaining an older home wasn't for them, so they backed out.  Very frustrating, but we're trying to stay optimistic.  We're excited that we have found a lovely home in Monticello to buy... keeping our fingers crossed that everything continues smoothly until we close the third week of June.  

This coming week is my last at Roosevelt Magnet School.  I'm sad to go; it really has been a good school year.  As always, change is hard for me, but I know contentment with the new will be along shortly.  I'm looking forward to it!

Rolling Right Along

Looking through the pictures on my phone reminded me that I never posted anything about Easter.  Sorry for the delay!  Joshua and I spent a lovely day at the farm with the family.  Everyone enjoyed delicious food, as always, and an afternoon in the sunshine flying kites.  How delightful!

 

Despite the strong winds and a broken kite or two, it was a beautiful day. 

In other news, house details keep trudging along.  After the initial whirlwind of finding buyers and accepting their offer, I am feeling bogged down by the slow details that now have to fall into place.  The last weeks have been spent completing inspections, and the further negotiations that happen after that.  We're also waiting on inspections for our hopeful new house in Monticello.  So much waiting for such big news!  

In the meantime, I have just under four weeks of school left, and things are going very well there.  I thought May would be extremely busy with last-minute IEP meetings, but the psychologist and social worker are so far behind that many meetings that should be held in May are being pushed back until the new school year.  I feel bad for my replacement, but it's making for an easy last month for me.  (Much appreciated given the house, move, and baby details I'm ironing out.)

As for Baby S, things are going very well; we're at 24 weeks.  I still look pretty good (small belly only, not all that noticeable), and I'm feeling great.  I've started working on a few baby-related projects, but not much.  I'd rather not buy a bunch of things just to have to move them.  So, here's to living a clutter-free life for a little longer!

Sold!

Life has been flying along at an incredible pace the past couple of weeks, I don't even know where to begin!

Last week I was on spring break, and Joshua took the week of as well. We went down to Monticello on Monday to look at houses. Our grand plan of *just looking* and *probably renting* quickly turned into, we want to buy! It's nice to have something to call your own. So, filled with that excitement, we came home and cancelled our trip to Chicago in favor of getting the house on the market a week early before Easter weekend.

I put the house on ForSalebyOwner.com, Craigslist, put an ad in the paper for the weekend, and signs in the yard on Wednesday around lunch. We had our first showing that evening around 5:30 (with a few more showings in the next few days), and tonight we signed the contract with the buyers, also the first people to look at the house! Oh my! I sold my house in nine days! We like the couple who are buying it, are happy with the price, and are thrilled to not have to worry about paying two mortgages! (Lots of exclamation points, I know!) The funny thing is, of all my expensive advertising, the couple found the house on Craigslist - completely free.

(Our sign at the corner of War Memorial)

We'll close on July 16, so here's hoping inspections and financing go smoothly between now and then. Also hoping Joshua and I can make a decision on where we're going to live :0)

Fun Week!

As I've mentioned before, birthdays in our family last for an entire week. Mom and Dad got my week started with a beautiful flower arrangement on Monday. Mom usually thinks of this, but for some reason I was completely surprised. Fun!

Wednesday was my actual birthday, so after work Mom, Dad, Shaun, Bill, Joshua, and I went to Mexican. What can I say, queso fundido is a guaranteed way to make sure I have a happy birthday. There also were some delightful gifts: Old Maid cards and an adorable birdie platter from Shaun (hoping this can find a spot on a wall wherever we live next), Gushers and car decals from Bill (I LOVE GUSHERS), a very pretty summer shirt from Dad and Mom (not sure how that was left out of the picture, sorry! I will have to model it another day.), and Downton Abbey and cherry lime gum from Joshua. (Downton Abbey is a British soap opera set during World War I that I'm into right now.) I have such thoughtful family members.I'm hoping to find my final birthday gift today. Shaun and Bill are coming to pick me up to go to Good's Furniture in Kewanee. Bill is looking for a couch, and I'm looking for the canopy bed of my dreams. Ever since I saw one in the JC Penney's catalog around 1993, I've wanted one. Well, I'm looking today, and hoping to find the perfect one to be delivered after we move. Crossing my fingers!

In other news, the house preparations continue. Mom and Grandma came last week to paint the man cave. After three coats of primer and one of neutral paint, the deep green is gone. A new furniture arrangement, and it's a totally different place. Joshua is very sad and has declared it a cave no more (he is calling it the rumpus room), but everyone else agrees that it looks fantastic.

All I can say to Mom and Grandma is THANK YOU!!! I have no idea how those ladies cranked this project out in one day and were still smiling at the end. I so appreciate it!

Ready for Spring!

Each year I look forward to the arrival of spring weather like no other season. While this year's mild winter weather has made me less... grouchy, I'm still excited for the sunshine and warmer temperatures.

Last weekend, we celebrated then end of February (my most-hated month) with a pizza party. Everyone was here, even Grandma Bev. We served Olive Garden salad, GF breadsticks, GF pizza, and deep dish pizza. Delicious! I forgot to take a few pictures during the party, but the party centerpiece has been making me smile all week.

In other news, Joshua and I had a date night on Wednesday to see South Pacific at the Civic Center. The tickets were purchased back in November as an anniversary gift, so I looked forward to it for months. We went out to dinner at Rizzi's before the show, and then went on the the theater. We had a good time, despite the late night and Joshua's tired state from being on service this month.

I think the last thing I have to report on is the status of the house. Dad made a professional flyer for me with financing options. It will be perfect to put along with a second page that describes the house in a bit more detail. Also, Mom and Grandma are coming on Thursday to paint the man cave a more neutral color. I know Joshua will be sad to see the Bond Lake green go. This morning at Wal Mart I bought two cans of Kilz primer and am crossing my fingers that it doesn't take more than that. Such a dark color, that Bond Lake green. Finally, after getting after Joshua to pack up some clutter, I decided to take some of my own advice today. I packed the first tote, ready for storage. It did make me sad to think of moving out of my beloved split level. You can see from the picture background that not much of a dent was made in the crafting supplies. Good thing felt doesn't weigh much!

Opinions?

Two days ago I decided that the house needs to be on the market by April 11. Now that I made this deadline up, I have started my to-do list... and it's long... but doable.

My pack rat husband (love ya!) and I already discussed storing the clutter, and now I'm working on the For Sale By Owner flier. Which picture should I use? I like them both for different reasons. Any thoughts?

Other items on the to-do list, just to name a few:

Fix broken window cranks

Paint man cave and guest room more neutral colors

Put away personal photos

Move some furniture around

Move the deep freezer to Bill's

Sew new office curtains (not sure on this one)

Clean the garage

Get the water softener up and running (It's been sitting for three years, not good, I know.)

List the house!

The next few weeks are going to be busy, but I'm going to rock it out!

Fall Projects

It seems that Fall is on it it's way (cooler weather and back to school is here!), and with it has come some fun projects.

When we first moved in to our lovely home, we got right to work on several projects to bring it up to date. (I'm sure you're thinking back to all those blog posts with new paint, curtains, and organization.) After this initial push to get things done, much has stayed the same, until very recently. I got it into my head to take down the ugly scalloped wood piece over the sink that I've hated for two years. It came down in less than five minutes, and then I promptly decided that the grape-themed light fixture had to go as well. Here's what I came up with.
Yes, I installed it on my own (after Dad helped me changed it from a pendant to a semi-flush mount). Go me! And I love it!

The only problem was an adorable matching fixture for the dining room. After all, is a green clover light fixture any better than a grapes light fixture? After hem-hawing for a couple of weeks, Shaun bullied me into it yesterday (I needed the push), and the two of us got it up. Go us! Quite the handy ma'ams (anybody else watch that PBS show in the mid 90s?) Also noteworthy, my projects have come full circle. After spending an afternoon taking down many plant hooks, I installed one of my own for the light fixture. Made me smile.
I couldn't be happier with the result, although now Shaun is pushing me to buy the third matching piece in the collection for the entryway. I agree it would look fantastic, but fixing up an older home has to end somewhere. Also, the three-way switch that it's on has me flashing back to terrible memories of the ceiling fan installation nightmare that ended up costing $800. No, thanks. I'm done, unless the lighting fixture fairy stops by :0)

*********************
The project list goes on, with a very fun knitting project for my favorite soon-to-be one niece baby.

Lesson of Homeownership

Last night's lesson:

Get a battery backup for the sump pump that keeps your man cave dry before the power is out and you are bailing water out of the sump pump hole by hand, like a crazy person, for two hours.

Today with power and a fresh perspective, the $400 battery system does seem quite a bit more important than a new deck.

Now That's Handy

Due to an unfortunate Nerf sword accident at last weekend's party, our light fixture in the man cave needed to be replaced. (The combination of low ceilings and fun sword action wasn't good.) Joshua and I decided to tackle this project ourselves. It only took an hour, and now we have a new and brighter light. I'm quite impressed with Joshua. He took the lead on this project, and it looks great. Plus, our house hasn't caught on fire yet.

Snug as a Bug in a Split Level

I'm sick of snow for sure, but it's hard to feel like anything but a lucky gal when you have a warm(ish) split level to call your own. On the schedule for this snow day?

1. baking bread

2. watching judge shows

3. cleaning, a little

4. watching Reba

5. crafting

Ceiling Fan Saga

Since buying our lovely split level, I've made many changes, but I was perhaps most excited to get rid of the ugly kitchen ceiling fan. It was white with lots of gold and grapes for accents. It was atrocious, and I've hated since June.

Three weeks ago I decided a new fan was finally in order. Wes owed me a favor, thanks to my creation of a lovely Sam Adams Halloween costume. We picked out the new fan, the old fan came down, and that's when the troubles began.

The number of wires emerging from my ceiling was quite perplexing, nine in total of varying colors, seeming without purpose. Wes was stuck. I called my dad. He's good at this sort of thing, too. He was stuck. I called an electrician. Three weeks later, the ceiling fan saga is over, for a total cost of around $1,000 including the fan, new junction box, wiring, and installation. Ouch. I thought replacing light fixtures was supposed to be cheap and easy.

Was the new fan worth it? Hard to say. It's really nice. It's not gold with grapes. There are no pull chains for this short gal. Instead there's a fantastic button system on the wall. I love the fan, so I'm going to pretend it was worth it.

Now that it's done, I'm definitely reconsidering my plan to replace all of the 80s light fixtures in this house. Only top priorities will be changed, I guess, and not until I save up my pennies.

Guest Room

I've been waiting to post pictures of the finished guest room because, well, it's not quite finished. There's nothing hanging on the walls, but I just can't decide. The pressure is too great, so for now, they will stay bare. Here it is before. As with all rooms in my home, it started out bright white with lots of clutter from the move.

After a coat of paint and some red accents, this is easily the brightest room in the house. I especially love the red lamp; red is my favorite color. I love how the room turned out. I'm not sure why every other room in the house is so neutral. I think I got nervous to pick out bright things, as I don't want a garish home. Unfortunatley by avoiding all hints of garish colors, I think I've ended up with something much too bland. Oh well, I'll get the hang of this decorating thing. I'll slowly add some color. It was just too overwhelming to move in and have to make so many decorating decisions at once. Overall, I love the house. It's warm and comfortable. What more could a girl ask for? I think the last room to unveil is the living room, which has mostly been done for a long time. I've been holding off taking pictures until I get some new endtables. I think Santa might be bringing some on his sleigh for me in two weeks, so pictures should be posted shortly after that.

Bedroom

I finished painting the bedroom two weeks ago. I went bold, and I love it. Brown paint, fun fun. I really need to figure out something for the walls. It's still pretty plain.

Kitchen

The kitchen has been finished for awhile. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to get pictures up. Here's the before.

So here it is. Safari green paint, new hardware, a cute curtain at the window, and a new outlet on the small counter (thanks, Dad!). This room really didn't need much done to it. At some point in the next couple of years, I'm hoping for new appliances. The mismatched ones bother me for no real reason.

One of my favorites in the kitchen is this wooden tray. Grandma got it for me at an auction, and I think it's just the right amount of ugly to be fun. I love it.

Welcome, Trick-or-Treaters

Our front light and doorbell have never worked. I'm not sure what's up with the doorbell, but the light I just figured needed a new bulb. Last week I decided it was about time to replace the bulb, so we can be ready to great trick-or-treaters in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately even with a new bulb, the light still didn't work. Well, Dad came through for me today. We now have a lovely new light and are ready for Halloween. Makes me want to replace the lampost in the front yard and get a matching light for the back of the house, too.

Ping Pong

So I hate ping pong. In high school, we would play it in gym class during the same unit that we played pickle ball. The ping pong tables were on the stage, while the pickle ball courts were adjacent to the stage in the gymnasium. I always felt like I spent more time chasing the silly ping pong ball as it rolled off the stage and across the gym than playing the game.

Even though ping pong isn't my favorite, I'm growing to appreciate it because of my neighbors. They have a table in their garage, and most evenings, they open their garage door and spend some time battling. It's fun to be outside watering plants and listening to their game. It's homey and just one more reason I love my neighborhood.

Man Cave, Done!

Joshua has been pining for a man cave since middle school, and now his dream has come true. It involves horrible dark green paint, a giant sectional, and an even more giant TV. Would I pick any of these things? No. Am I a little annoyed that the basement is the most expensive room in our house? Yes. It's worth it, though. He loves it and has already started breaking it in by playing nerd games while watching comic book inspired movies.