23
Oct, 13

Temporarily Without Internet

I have so much to share on the last and final week of the building process, but we won’t be able to get internet, cable or phone until Oct. 30th.  That was the soonest that Comcast could get us in.  So, I will be sharing the {Life Lately} Week 25 post next week when I can upload my photos to the blog.  Until then, I’ll be busy unpacking and trying to get settled.  I can’t wait to get my studio space in working condition.  Especially since my mom and I have a craft show coming up in about two weeks!  After I get the kitchen and our closet situated, I’ll focus on my studio so that I can get in there and work, work, work.  I have so many fun DIY projects and posts to share once most things are in order.  Have a great week and I’ll see you on Instagram, Twitter, FB and Pinterest (through my iPhone – since I’ll have no internet) until then!

16
Oct, 13

{Life Lately} Week 24

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This week Ron was in Pagosa Springs, so I took my family to see the final touches on the house before we close on Friday.  Friday night I took my mom and one of my brothers to see the inside.  Then on Sunday I took my dad and my youngest brother to see the outside (as it was locked).  It was so helpful to have my family look at it and find little things that I had over-looked.  There were a few windows and things that needed to be sealed better.  Our representative assured us that these things will be taken care of by closing.  They also plan to have our landscaping in, too.  I wasn’t able to go inside this Sunday, because they had it all locked up, but that allowed my dad to focus on the exterior details.  He’s a painter by trade, so he knows what to look for.  I’m so blessed to have such a supportive family.  Anyhoo, here are a few photos from week 24.

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Our baby tree in the front yard is in.

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Our AC unit is in and they still need to fix that window well… looks like someone ran over it with the Bob Cat.  Eep!

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My dad pointing out a few things.

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This Saturday we have so many of our family and friends that will be helping us move our things from my parents’ and from both of our storage units (which are of course at separate locations – sheesh).  Then, this Sunday will mark week 25 (the final week of this adventure) and we will officially be moved in to our new home!

 

 

09
Oct, 13

{Life Lately} Week 23

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Week 23 has brought us the most change in the shortest amount of time.  The crew is really wrapping things up, and quickly!  Monday, Ron and I met with our amazing contractor and he did the final walk-through of the house with our Realtor and us.  He explained how everything worked, from the furnace to the care of the granite countertops.  We also went through each room with red, green and blue dots to mark what needed to be touched up by the carpenters, drywallers and painters.  This step really made me very appreciative of the time and care that the contractor and his crew put into our new home.  It showed that they wanted to make it perfect for the day that we move in.

What day is that you ask?!  We close on Friday October 18th at 11am (squeal)!!!  We’re beyond excited to finally see everything in its place.  After all is said and done, this whole process will take 25 weeks to complete.  That’s a long time, but well worth the wait.  I really want to thank my parents for being so supportive in this process.  My dad opened up his home to us and our three fur babies for 25 weeks!  I don’t know how he could stand having us that long, but he made us feel welcome the whole time.  My mom was so kind to let us store a lot of our stuff in her garage and on the side of her house.  I’m sure it was in the way, but she never complained!  This process would have been very unpleasant without the both of them there to support us.  Thank you beyond words!

Below are some photos that I snapped during our final walk-through.  Enjoy!

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Moving day is coming!  I’ll be taking more photos this coming Sunday.  We hope to see the landscaping put in this week and that might be the only other change that we really see.  P.S. I love how the new iPhone 5s takes better photos when the camera is switched to face you, however this photo of me could have been fuzzier and I wouldn’t have minded… hahaha

26
Jul, 13

Big things are brewing for the Roblin’s

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For the past month now, I’ve been working on a new project for my Roblin’s.  I’ve been working so hard, that I filled up my last idea book, so I had to go to the store and buy a new one last night.  I’m really excited about this project and want to share more, but I need to wait.  I need to wait until it all comes together.  It will be wrapped up and ready to roll this Fall, so I’ll update you along the way.  Until then, I’ll keep working hard.

On another note, the house is still progressing.  I’m excited to see what’s new this Sunday, and don’t worry, I’ll be sure to share!  I’m curious what’ll be next.  Will the outside be close to done, or will they have focused their efforts inside?  The excitement is almost too much to handle!

22
Jul, 13

{Life Lately} week 12

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It’s week 12 of the build already.  Things are continuing to progress at a steady rate.  This week we were able to see the moisture barrier and siding go up, as well as the electrical casings.  So, we are able to visualize where each light switch and outlet will be.  This phase and the next are where our pictures will come in handy for future reference, because we’ll know where every stud is and where the wires are running.  It’s just a good thing to know.

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This is my view from the Kitchen nook looking towards the front entry.

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The secondary bathroom upstairs already has the tub installed, so I imagine that the plumbing will follow here in the next few weeks.  Our jacuzzi tub and shower are also installed in the master bath!  I can’t wait!

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Gotta love my braces in this photo.  That’s also a work in progress!  haha  As always, thanks for sharing in this adventure with us.

07
Jun, 13

{Life Lately} Week 5

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Well, we’re wrapping up week 5 on the home building process.  I drove by this week to find all of the framing materials out front.  How exciting!  I’m hoping when I go check it out this Sunday that the framing will have already started.  It’s pretty exciting to watch the process, but it makes me wish it was built so that we can move in already!

30
May, 13

House Closing

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{Dining Room // I’m going to miss our metallic gold stripes!}

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{Backdoor // You can’t see Brutus, but all three of them had one last run in the old back yard before we left.}

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{Kitchen // Our kitchen was small, but got the job done…}

Stairs
{Stairs + Front Door // Well, not much to say about them… they did their job.  haha!}

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{Hallway // Ron’s office was to the left, my studio in the middle and the laundry room to the right.  The bathroom is out of view.  I loved how open the hall was.}

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{Master Doors // I will miss the open-feel of our old french doors.  They were the best!}

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{Master // Our master bedroom was HUGE!  We actually got pretty spoiled and found it very difficult to find one that even compared in size.}

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{Master Nook // This is probably one of the hardest things to let go.  Our cozy little nook was one of my favorite places to be.  I’m sad that I didn’t get more time there, but I do have photos to look back on.}

Front
{Front // With a freshly painted exterior.}

Monday at 10:08pm, we packed up the last of our things, loaded up the pets and drove away from our old home.  I took one last round of photos and we called it a night.  What a bittersweet feeling.  We’ve spent the last 7 years (nearly to the day) of our lives in this house and it was our home.  So many great memories were built here and each one will be with us forever.

Tuesday at 4pm, we closed on our house and it is officially sold.  I had no idea that our old home would sell so fast, but I’m relieved that it did. We met the buyer and he seems great.  I’m sure he will love it just as much as we did, if not more.

We can now check this off of our list and wait anxiously for our new one to be built.  The countdown has already begun.  But in the meantime, we are nesting with my dad and we are so grateful to have a roof over our heads for the next few months.

 

17
May, 13

{Life Lately} More Packing

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Above are the latest photos of our new home.  The foundation is in and dry!  We plan to visit the site each week to take photos of the progress.  It’s become our Sunday tradition since we signed the contract on Sunday May 5th.  It’s moving along smashingly.

Then, I just got a new wire in my braces on Wednesday and bought some moving boxes to continue packing.  I spent part of Wednesday evening calling around for free boxes.  It’s a lot harder than I had thought.  Most stores want you to come early in the morning, before they compact the boxes in the recycle bin.  My mom and her friends have been gathering boxes for us, too.  I’m so grateful, because at this point, I feel like there just aren’t enough boxes in the world to pack all of our things.  Sheesh.

Today is a bittersweet packing day.  I’m at the point were I’m packing all of the little knickknacks as well as our photos.  The walls are becoming so bare.  I’m going to miss so much about this house.  I’m going to miss watching the fireworks from our back yard every 4th of July, our raspberry bushes in the back yard, our hot tub, our HUGE master bedroom complete with a cozy little nook, among many other things, including the fact that this has been our home for the past 7 years!  This was our first home that we bought and we built so many memories here.  At the same time, I’m super excited for the new memories that we will create in our new home.  I have tons of photos from our current home to add to our new home.  I’m such a sap!

Since our new home won’t be ready for a few months, we plan on staying with my dad.  He lives super close, so it’ll make moving there easy and it’ll be an added bonus to save a bit more money before the big move.  My biggest concern right now is how I’ll be set up to continue crafting without my studio for the next few months.  Once we move in, I’ll figure it all out, but I know that I probably won’t be able to spread out like I do at home.  Ha!  I’m excited and a bit nervous to see how it will all work out.  We haven’t lived with anyone else in nearly 9 years!

15
May, 13

So Much To Do

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Oh boy, we only have two weeks to pack and move out of our house.  I can’t believe it!  Thankfully when we staged our home to sell, we packed a lot of little things.  This should make moving seem a bit easier, right?  When we packed the first half, we bought a ton of totes, which makes moving so easy.  We need to go buy more totes and possibly gather up a few freebie-boxes, too.  I haven’t been able to find any free boxes online, so it must be moving season.  Any good tips on where to look?  The thing that I’m most worried about is our furniture.  I like HUGE furniture, and it’s going to be difficult to move… and store.

It’s estimated that it will take anywhere from 4-6 months to complete the build of our new home.  This means that we will be between homes for a short time.  It’s going to be a change, that’s for sure, but it’s an adventure!  It’s really the best time to do this, because we don’t have kids in-tow… just three squirrely animals.  Ha!

Needless to say, I have a lot to do right now.  It will all get done – I just have to hold strong to that thought.  What new is going on in your life?

06
May, 13

We Made A Big Decision

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Yesterday Ron and I made the decision to buy a new home!  As you know, we’ve toggled back and forth for quite a bit and we finally decided that a new home best fit our current needs.  Now, nothing’s final until it’s final, but we did sign the contract yesterday and everything is contingent on the successful closing with the buyers of our current house, so we just have to wait and see.

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This is a photo of where our house will be in about 5-6 months.  It’s a long wait, but it will be worth it.  It’s just a hole in the ground now, but it will be exciting to see the process of it being built.  I can’t wait to share more progress photos along the way.

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It’s so crazy how different it was when we bought our first home nearly 7 years ago.  We were still in college and moving from a one-bedroom apartment in south Denver to a three-bedroom home in the suburbs, just north of Denver.  When we first saw our current home, we just knew that this was the place that we wanted to be.  It was perfect!  All of our belongings fit in one medium-sized U-Haul truck and we moved right in.  The last 7 years in this home have been amazing!  I’m really going to miss everything about it, especially being able to view the fireworks from our back yard every 4th of July.  We do plan on growing our family one day, and we’re out-growing this home, so we needed to find something larger.  This time around, finding a new home wasn’t as easy.  We had higher expectations and didn’t want to compromise too much.  We need a certain amount of space to fit our needs.  Our first house was easy – it was larger than our apartment and it had a garage and a yard – perfect!  Now, we expect to have those things, along with other things, like more bedrooms, a third floor, a third garage, a larger backyard for the pups and a formal dining room for entertaining.  It will also be nice to be able to customize this home before we move in.

Again, nothing is set in stone, but it’s an exciting start to this adventure none-the-less!