The Dawling Daws: April 2012

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Day 24 2nd Floor Framing and Roof

After taking two and a half days off the framers really did a lot today!!

Weston's Room

Aidan's Room

Brennan's Room

Elise's Room

Above the Garage

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Month of March

Really March was just full of busy-ness. Every day I packed up four boxes---thinking that somehow at the end of the month, the whole house would be packed. And I did a pretty good job. Each box is labeled with where it goes and the jist of what is in it. Someone gave me the tip of color coding, but not to the extreme. I bought little 3x5's in different colors. Red meant "don't pack it"--it will go with us to our temporary housing. Green means "Go"--This is stuff I will need to unpack first, things I will be needing soon. Yellow meant I didn't need to get to them soon, just "wait". And Blue means "decor"--so stuff that can wait just to decorate the house. I don't know how helpful it will be when I unpack, we'll see. By the endo f the month, we had most of the house ready, but there was also just a bunch of JUNK. So that all went into boxes, thrown together, which then I am sure will sit in the basement of the new house for years, me thinking that someday I'll go through it, and then finally after 15 years I'll take the whole box and just throw it away. The next day I'll realize I needed something in the box.

When I wasn't packing I was trying to figure out the layout of my new house and everything I want it in. I am sure I will not think of everything (or have the money to provide all I want), but I do think that it will be a very efficient house and have the things I need, plus be a good plaec for the kids to grow up. Some of my favorite things in the house are the bonus room above the garage--not as big as the one we have now, but will still fit the toys and tv (we really didn't want the tv in the main/living room of the house). We have a laundry chute!!! Yippee! We extended the house in one area to fit a larger laundry room that will haev the chute, a long sewing/folding clothes area countertop, a sink, and I will fit my freezer! I am happy I won't have to have that in the garage or basement. We also extended the pantry a bit--it will not be huge, but it will be three times as big as what we have now! Scott's favorite things about the house are the huge shower (that we will somehow put a bench in...), the huge yard and the extended garage.

To get ideas, I have been lost in the world of pinterest... I wasn't going to fall into that trap, but I was sick for a few days and couldn't leave my bed, so I busied myself on the computer and fell trap to the enticings of pinning things! But an even better site for home ideas is www.houzz.com. It is really neat. Tons of fun ideas!

I also thought of how to design our yard. I took a landscaping class that gave me lots of ideas and taught me quite a bit about plants, etc. I am excited to put it into practice.

The kids are doing well with the thought of moving (the appeal of their own rooms and a little bribe of money really helped) and they played with all their friends every day! It will be hard to leave this great neighborhood. They all have great friends, but at least we are not going to be far from them. Weston and Aidan have started soccer again and we just signed Brennan up for Let's Play Music next year. They are all doing well in school and Elise is really excelling in all areas of cuteness. She is talking a lot more, but still limited. She is showing lots of interest in the potty which makes us very happy (no more diapers soon!!!).

Scott and I spoke in church (jokingly refered to as our "farewell") and I taught my last singing time. I had so much fun in that calling. I stole Ali's ideas and had kids pop balloons (it was a "party") and for our last Sunday, I had them "get the bugs out" of the songs--they had to dig plastic bugs out of slime. The kids loved it and it was so sweet when they all filed out, they stopped and gave me hugs. Scott will miss his association with the leaders in this ward. It has been a good ward and neighborhood. I am glad we made close friends so we feel comfortable coming back to visit.

Here's to our new adventure--living with in-laws!