The expected and the unexpected

We're making progress! About as much as we expected. This week they are finishing the mud and texture on the sheet rock. Next week: interior paint. Then it's up to Abram to finish the house: floors, doors, trim, shelves, cabinets, etc. About the time he has to go back to school. Nice timing, right?

We've lived in a camp trailer (borrowed from some very generous friends) for over a month now. It's been... different. I guess I should have expected all this. Cooking on a grill or in the microwave; doing laundry outside (including washing - Abram hooked up my washing machine to the garden hose and built a box to protect it. Brilliant!);

getting to live on our very own land and watch the progress on the house;

living in very, very tight quarters (the three kids share a bed, I sleep on the couch, and Abram sleeps on the floor). I guess that's all part of living in a camper. In some ways it's been fun. Definitely memorable.

But there are some things I hadn't taken into consideration. A) I wasn't expecting grilled meat to taste gross and almost unbearable after the first day or two (except for fish, I'm loving fish); B) I wasn't expecting the heat to zap me energyless, even when the "heat" only reaches 85 degrees; C) I wasn't expecting to feel car sick every day and every night, even though the trailer never moves.

The one thing I have been expecting this whole time was this:

Around March 3, 2013. Which explains A, B, and C above. :) This came as a surprise to us, but we will welcome this new little one into our family with open arms. 9 1/2 weeks into it, the little bean looks healthy and has a great heart beat. I'm thankful for this new life. And I'm thankful that we'll be in our house long before he/she is born.

Framing

I really don't have much time, but I didn't wanna leave you hanging. Am I talking to myself? Maybe. But in case anyone out there wants to see the progress on the house, here are a couple pictures.

Framing day 1: I-beams installed and subfloors started

The first wheelbarrow-full of our very own well water! Oh boy!

We love it up here!

Elijah building a desk all on his own.

Framing Day 2: Main floor (this was SO EXCITING! SO fun to walk through!!)

Our view out the front window (North). Not too shabby, eh?

My dish-washing view from the kitchen (South).
Sigh. So beautiful.

Special delivery!

This week while we (mainly Abram) were unloading our firewood at our new land,

we saw this truck driving up the highway. It was loaded with lumber - specifically trusses. Then it slowed down at our road.

It was for us!! Special delivery indeed!!

McKay couldn't take his eyes off of the trusses being delivered. But I'm glad I took my eyes away long enough to see and capture the special moment from another view.

Two days later the rest of the lumber arrived, along with the hardware for framing.

The well was also completed this week, including the pump, water tank, and electricity hooked up to it.

Shortly after, the garage floor was poured. Too bad we didn't get there soon enough to put our hand prints in it! ('Course, we may have ended up with boot prints, too, so maybe it's a good thing.)

Starting Monday the framing goes up. They said if we get the Mexican crew, it will be done in TWO DAYS! If it's the white guy crew it will take 4-5 days (which still seems awfully fast to me!).

Stay tuned.

Making progress

Well, we're making good headway! They put the footings down, then molds for the foundation.

 The power company put up a pole and strung wires across the road for us. Since then, the electrician has put a box on the pole, and tomorrow (Tuesday) it will be inspected. Upon completion (and passing) of the inspection, the power company will be returning to add a meter and charge it up. They said they will do it tomorrow.

 And look! The molds got filled in and we have a foundation! Hooray!

 And the well has been drilled. At this very moment, they are up there setting the pump and the tank. We will have water as soon as the electricity gets hooked up!

I don't have pictures yet, but they have back filled now and have dumped a load of gravel for our driveway. I will post pictures later this week.

In the meantime, we have been packing and moving boxes into a storage unit. Next week we plan to move into our friends' big camper up on our property, hooked up to septic, water, and power. We'll use propane tanks for now and get a permanent (big) propane tank later. Abram and I have also been working on some of our own projects, which I'll have to post pictures of when I don't have so much to do. Back to work!

Week 1: It's really happening!!

We really are going to have our own house! Right here in this beautiful spot. I still can't believe it.

While I've been busy doing this: 

the kids have been busy doing this:

And the "worker guys" have been busy digging a hole for the crawlspace, putting in the septic system, and bringing a water line and a power line out to the well site.Check it out:

Elijah and Dancin' McKay in front of our new home site!

McKay inside our new house

The place for "solids", as the professionals call it.

Leach field.

Site for the well.

Let the fun begin!!

For 5 1/2 months we've been trying to buy a home or some land to build on. We have spent countless hours on the phone and in person with builders, sub-contractors of all kinds, utility companies, the county planning and zoning and building departments, the Division of Water Rights, etc, etc. We have a binder FULL, FULL, FULL of notes we've taken down, business cards, contacts, contracts, forms, house plans, and more. Many, many times our plans fell through, disappointing us, and then we were blessed with an even better situation. Trust the Lord! He really does know what is best for us!

We started this journey not knowing what we were doing, or where we would raise our family. But we have been so blessed.

Yesterday we signed papers and closed on this sweet little 5 acre farm. Can you see where we had the perc test done in the back of the property (see this big dirt/rock pile?).

Here's Elijah helping Pappa measure and stake out where the house will go!!

After so many months of paper work and leg work, we get to start on the fun stuff! Here we go... Wish us luck!

Just try to not say "Awwwww." I dare ya.

It's so fun having a little girl! We all adore this little one. She's a funny girl, making us all laugh every day.

The boys often bring books over to where Heidi is sitting. Yes, just sitting. She's almost 9 months old now, and she still doesn't know she could crawl if she tried. She doesn't even put any weight on her legs if we try to stand her up. She's content to just sit. Maybe because everything she wants is brought to her by her loyal big brothers.

 

Wait, did I say she was content to just sit? I meant to sit and grab everything. Elijah nicknamed her "Grabzilla." Ha! Those big eyes and smile tell it all.

The other night we had lentil soup full of spinach. I told the boys about Popeye and his amazing ability to grow super muscles after eating spinach. After supper, the boys grew their own big muscles. But they were made out of rice heat packs instead of spinach.

Personally, I like these even better than bunny slippers.

Miscellaneous family pictures from the last few weeks:

You still here? Thanks for stopping by.