House planning/building is moving right along. I know there will be hiccups along the way, but might as well make hay while the sun is shinning- right? Here's what's been occupying our days as of lately-
Going to open houses and current construction with our contractor to get ideas of what we like, what we didn't know we liked, and what we never want to see in our home. There will be a lot of decisions to make and we want to be prepared. Limit the number of rash decision so to speak. Revising house plans and layout is also top priority these days. That includes random texts to our contractor, lots of google searches, and dreaming of walking through our home when I close my eyes at night. And the majority of my tv watching consists of This Old House, Design on a Dime, DIY shows, and Chicago Code- boy I love that show!
I think these details haven't found the proper place in an update yet, so I'm grouping them all together...
Did you know we are crashing with my parents while our home comes together? They have a 24 ft travel trailer for us to escape to if times become "strained" so to speak. Gives us time to steadily sock away some dough and get a few good meals in our belly. And because some are curious about the land- my family is all around remarkable and have provided us with some acreage to build on. I am grateful- I tell them that everyday.
Tim got a job and that is something to praise the Lord for-
We haven't let home building and jobs completely take over our lives. We bought ROAD BIKES! I actually do yell that when I tell people. I aiming for a 30 mile ride in the future but we'll gradually prepare for that.
The word home trumps house for me- I'm going to start using it more frequently in the blog world... just prepare yourself.
Any advice on home building? I'd love to hear it...
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
i've got a question....
Can you do me a favor and tell me what day it is? These last few days have been busy to say the least, but surprisingly and thankfully, have gone off without a hitch. phew-
We've successfully managed to pack and move our belongings 5 states away via a U-haul and into a 10x20 storage unit. Just FYI, our moving truck got a hefty 9 miles to the gallon. It ain't yo' average Prius.... ugh- I had initially convinced myself that we could stash our junk into a 10x15 unit, but luckily they didn't have any available and was relieved to have the extra space when we started unloading. If you plan on keeping your junk in storage for over 3 months (ours will be roughly 7 months while we build our house) generally you can negotiate a price. $130 a month for the bigger unit makes me happy. It breaks my heart to think of all this flooding occurring right now- and makes me thankful we crossed the Mississippi River when we did and locked in a storage unit in advance... mixed emotions no doubt.
Boxes unloaded, new lock purchased, and to top it off- lunch w/ the moving crew (aka my parents) inside the unit on our dinning room table!
We're taking it slow today and might go get our LA driver's licenses. More on living arrangements and the transition to come.
And if my parents don't already deserve the parents of a lifetime award, my mom has been leaving one extra cup of coffee in the pot for whichever spouse wakes up first. I've been victorious both days- but I did have to bribe Tim w/ the cup to wake yesterday knowing that the storage unit was waiting to be filled. Tim broke out our trusty Aeropress this morning- bout dang time!
Nostalgia hitting hard today- change... change... change....
We've successfully managed to pack and move our belongings 5 states away via a U-haul and into a 10x20 storage unit. Just FYI, our moving truck got a hefty 9 miles to the gallon. It ain't yo' average Prius.... ugh- I had initially convinced myself that we could stash our junk into a 10x15 unit, but luckily they didn't have any available and was relieved to have the extra space when we started unloading. If you plan on keeping your junk in storage for over 3 months (ours will be roughly 7 months while we build our house) generally you can negotiate a price. $130 a month for the bigger unit makes me happy. It breaks my heart to think of all this flooding occurring right now- and makes me thankful we crossed the Mississippi River when we did and locked in a storage unit in advance... mixed emotions no doubt.
Boxes unloaded, new lock purchased, and to top it off- lunch w/ the moving crew (aka my parents) inside the unit on our dinning room table!
We're taking it slow today and might go get our LA driver's licenses. More on living arrangements and the transition to come.
And if my parents don't already deserve the parents of a lifetime award, my mom has been leaving one extra cup of coffee in the pot for whichever spouse wakes up first. I've been victorious both days- but I did have to bribe Tim w/ the cup to wake yesterday knowing that the storage unit was waiting to be filled. Tim broke out our trusty Aeropress this morning- bout dang time!
Nostalgia hitting hard today- change... change... change....
Friday, May 6, 2011
packing up and moving out-
ok- so let me be the first to break it down for ya. For the past 3 years, Tim and I have been sharing our lives with the folks of Kentucky as Tim barreled through Grad School. Tim graduates this Saturday with his Masters of Social Work, so our days here in the bluegrass are slowly winding down. It's seems as if the past few months, have revolved around us moving... but its official- we'll be resting our heads in the real LA come Monday night. A few packing/moving tips from yours truly-
1. Give yourself adequate time to pack so that breakables are wrapped w/ enough
cushion and boxes are organized. I've been accruing boxes and newspapers from the nursing home for a few months. Overall, time saved in the long run peeps!
2. Moving truck companies always have wiggle room on price and it's time to put those negotiating skills to use. Just think, extra free moving pads, an extra
day w/ the truck, and even $300 less off the top. Definitely worth it.
3. If you're like us, (our "things" will be in storage till our house is complete) you'll need a storage unit. Some words you'll want in your vocabulary- climate controlled, pest sprayed, locked w/ code, video surveillance. Also, like #2, there is $$ to be saved.
And we all know while moving, it can become pricey- yuck! Pinch those pennies where ya can.
4. Have a garage sale. We made almost 1K bucks at ours. Be prepared to haggle again and price items ready to sell. We sold big items on Craigslist. And just FYI, it's just STUFF. Our motto: SELL what you're not attached to and SAVE what you can't pry your fingers off of. Speaking of saving... save your moving receipts too- you can file them w/ your taxes next year.
5. Lastly- Say your goodbyes, mend loose ends, and keep in touch. Even though we are moving 12 hrs back home, the friends I made in KY will be in my life long term. Get addresses, make sure SKYPE is working, and stack up on notecards and stamps. Be prepared to put effort into making those friendships work. All friendships require effort, but you knew that already, right?
cushion and boxes are organized. I've been accruing boxes and newspapers from the nursing home for a few months. Overall, time saved in the long run peeps!
2. Moving truck companies always have wiggle room on price and it's time to put those negotiating skills to use. Just think, extra free moving pads, an extra
day w/ the truck, and even $300 less off the top. Definitely worth it.
3. If you're like us, (our "things" will be in storage till our house is complete) you'll need a storage unit. Some words you'll want in your vocabulary- climate controlled, pest sprayed, locked w/ code, video surveillance. Also, like #2, there is $$ to be saved.
And we all know while moving, it can become pricey- yuck! Pinch those pennies where ya can.
4. Have a garage sale. We made almost 1K bucks at ours. Be prepared to haggle again and price items ready to sell. We sold big items on Craigslist. And just FYI, it's just STUFF. Our motto: SELL what you're not attached to and SAVE what you can't pry your fingers off of. Speaking of saving... save your moving receipts too- you can file them w/ your taxes next year.
5. Lastly- Say your goodbyes, mend loose ends, and keep in touch. Even though we are moving 12 hrs back home, the friends I made in KY will be in my life long term. Get addresses, make sure SKYPE is working, and stack up on notecards and stamps. Be prepared to put effort into making those friendships work. All friendships require effort, but you knew that already, right?
Off to the airport to pick up my parents. The only regret I have about the moving trip is that we weren't able to rent our moving truck from Kermit. That's right... he couldn't match our previous quote. Shoot- I just knew Kermit and I would've been pals.
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