I know I keep saying this, but life at the Dietrich campers is craziness. We are hanging in one day at a time. We are thankful for how well we have lived during this building project. We are also beyond ready to live in larger quarters with a few more conveniences. This weekend was the first time I could REALLY see my kids struggle. They are DONE with cramped camper living. They are DONE with mom being busy all the time. They are DONE with crummy meals. They just want to be HOME.
For the sake of nostalgia, here is our daily routine.
5:45 mom gets up, showers, makes breakfast and lunches, gets kids up
7:20 head out the door for school/work
7:35 drop Jay and Sierra at Horizon
7:45 drop Joshua at Montessori
7:55 drop Brenna at Northridge
8:05 mom gets to work
12:15 mom leaves work to pick up Joshua
12:35 mom and Joshua head to either the shop or my church office so mom can work some more
2:45 leave either office to pick up Brenna
3:05 Brenna in van, run a couple of errands until Sierra texts that she is done with xc practice
4:30 (ish) pick up Sierra and head home
4:50 work on a few house build tasks until Jay and Krissy get home
6:15 make supper
6:45 go back to constructing
7:30 start getting Joshua and Brenna ready for bed
8:20 go back to constructing
11:15 head into campers for a snack and bed
It is crazy, and we are all tired - BUT we are also very proud of what we have accomplished!
Almost all the flooring is in place.
We hired someone to lay carpet.
Chad and Jim and I laid all the engineered hardwood.
(Because we have a concrete main floor, engineered hardwood was our only choice since I wanted wood.)
Jamison's room is completely done.
Krissy is still waiting on baseboard, but she decided to move into her closet anyway.
Sierra followed.
Brenna too.
Truth be told, I would have moved into our closet this weekend as well except that it does not have flooring yet. It is really hard digging through our mini closets for clothes every day when just a few steps away there are roomy closets waiting for clothing!
This photo could be titled "Love in Action."
Chad did not want to lay wood in the kitchen. It is really hard cutting wood around cabinets, and he much prefers laying tile. I begged for wood - this the love in action!
The wood flooring is 100% complete.
Minus cleaning that is! New construction is so dirty. The mess is beginning to make me crazy. I have no idea how I will ever get these beautiful wood floors clean. It will happen though. In a few weeks we will have NO more construction workers tromping through the house, and momma will have it spit shined!
Krissy, Sierra, and Jamison installed door knobs today.
It sounds simple, but any task completed is a blessing!
Jamison also figured out how to install door stops.
It is SOOOOOOO good to be doing some of the small stuff!
We made a big decision last week.
Riley will become an outside/garage dog. He has not been in the campers all summer, and he is doing fine. Like it or not, his golden boy hair and big dog claws damage a home. So, since he is happy enough outside, that is where he will remain.
A doggie door and an outdoor kennel have now been added to the to do list.
After moving their clothes into the house, these two decided to move themselves as well. They set up a bed on the floor (all our furniture is still in the moving truck) and have decided to camp inside the house instead of in the campers. Once again, I am a bit jealous!
However we are praying that we will all be living inside the house by the end of the week.
Please join us?!?
The big thing that needs to happen is countertop installation.
They were supposed to arrive last week, but due to employee troubles at the granite shop, our job was delayed. We MUST have countertops for the plumbers to return. The HVAC guys need to return as well and then we will have HOT water. That sounds like a miracle people! The electricians will be back this week to complete their work as well. Chad needs to lay tile in the master bath and closet, too. (Along with a long list of other tasks - like tile in Krissy and Brenna's bathroom, concrete counter tops in there, texture, paint, windows, flooring, and trim in the family room, tape the garage, finish the storm shelter, stone on the house, install mirrors, tp holders, towel bars, and the list continues...)
BUT we should be able to LIVE INSIDE the house by the end of the week!!!!!
If things go as I am hoping the moving truck will come Thursday. I will take Friday and maybe Monday off to get the majority of the house unpacked. Chad will continue building as we need to have the rest of the list completed ASAP.
While I totally understand that countertop installation and hot water are totally non-issues compared to the very real issues of many, I ask you to pray for them all the same. I am scared to be excited about the week, because I do not want to be disappointed. Yet, we are all so ready! The house is so ready! So, I am trusting God's timing in this. I am so thankful to love and serve a God that cares about even the silliest of details. I am trusting that each event of my life is used by Him to prepare me, grow me, shape me into a woman who more closely resembles the God I am so honored to serve.
I SO hope that my next construction update has some furniture and my WASHER AND DRYER in the photos.
