Still Finishing and Settling In

Still working to get the house completed so we can finish unpacking and moving things where they should be. Some quick pics...
the house.

Where I will spend a huge amount of time, the kitchen.

Biggest selling feature of the house (besides the fact that it is cute and reminds us of Washington) is the woods behind it for boy adventures and exploring. With a creek!!!-- the boys would tell me to say that. Actually there are 2 creeks if you walk back far enough to find the other one.

The big project that should be finished in the next week- fireplace with bookcases for the den.

And the landscaping should happen soon so we can stop living in a mud pit.

Have a terrific weekend!

love and hugs, B

Latest News

A bit later than I would have given it, but here it is.
We closed on the house last Friday...yes, it was over 2 weeks since we should have closed on it and a week and a half since we moved into it. Still not completed, but they are working hard to get it done (and get us off their backs).
I am deeply cleaning rooms that are complete and putting finishing touches on them if possible (think hanging pictures).
The kids are doing great in school! No really, so much better than I imagined. G's class is about in the same place and he was on top of school work anyway so he has blended right in. G's teacher sent info that let his new teacher know that they are actually using the same reading series and are in the same skill area as math. E fitting in was more questionable as he has had some struggles in the past and academics here are a bit ahead here; they have also completed a hundred or so years of Virginia history but still have a couple hundred more to go. He rocked Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech today. I think I will have to schedule some conferences with his fourth grade teachers to see if they have a feel of where he stands and where his learning gaps are. We did Sylvan tutoring last summer and will do it again this year if needed-- by the end of last summer's tutoring he actually liked it. He will never admit that.
Comcast is up and running. Hopefully for good. I got a comment from a 'comcast cares' service person on my last post where I vented about problems getting hooked up with phone and internet that worked. Dale was my miracle man today--worked hard to get the problem diagnosed. I think my frustration with this has been the same as others:
1- they are a technology company. it is a phone--the technology has been around a while. I know that is simplifying it.
2- the comcast survey department is on top of it. If they couldn't get me on my home phone they tracked me down on my cell to get the feedback on every service appt. scheduling and service appt. If they could get the problems fixed as quickly as they get the survey call to me everything would be peachy keen.
3--the service is so fractured. One tech can hook it up but not do anything with lines at the street. The next tech only does phone and the guys who work on the box at the street are not supposed to work in the house. It may create specialists who know the most about their area but after each service person leaves and the problem isn't solved it is another 2 day wait for the next specialist to show up. Today as I waited for my tech I almost went ahead and called to schedule my next appointment to make the wait shorter. Disclaimer: no part of this blog is sponsored or otherwise underwritten by Comcast (if it was they would be angry because I haven't written the best review). This was not written to attract attention of comcast or any other company but only to vent my own frustrations.

Finally, a funny. I have this great general construction guy who has been working on and off at the house on finishing projects for the past week. Today he was framing the 'fake' chimney for the vent free fire place we are installing. M was fascinated to no end with the process and was watching it like a show while he started lunch. When T took his lunch break M walked around and gave the work a good look; he then asked if after lunch T would cut the hole in the roof for Santa to come in.
Also, a terrific afternoon! After school a spontaneous neighborhood gathering happened with 5-8 parents and a giant gaggle of kids playing together and it felt like this might be OK. This all might be home someday and we will all find friends again. Doesn't mean we miss the Harbor and Cromwell bunch any less.
Looking forward to having the house settled enough to take some pics and sit back and enjoy.
love and hugs, B

Moving:The Saga Continues

So last week i believe i left you as we had taken early possession of the house in order to move our furniture in, but did not actually own the house. Sounds great until you realize homeowners insurance won't touch you with a 50 foot pole in this situation. Since last from last Thursday until this Wednesday we had no communication from our builder or anyone on his team. A bit disconcerting considering we are living in an underfinished house. Finally had contact on Wednesday morning and several items we had noted got taken care of or started at least. Bad part of me being stay at home mom living in the unfinished house is that i get to handle all the phone calls and scheduling of work people and appointments. Still not closed and hearing the promise of closing tomorrow.... i will believe it when i sign it.
The car moving was just as messed up as the rest of this move. My van should have been picked up before we ever left Gig Harbor for here. Didn't happen-- the guy claimed he was in the hospital, but never came through with alternate plans and never refunded the deposit and won't return phone calls. Hope he answers the phone when the credit card fraud department calls. Finally found someone to pick up the car. Another screw up as our super kind neighbor waited and waited and waited and waited at our old house that day for them to show up and get the car -but they did finally get it and it was on its way to us. The company said it may come in Tuesday and then called and said Wednesday and it could be delivered at our new address (originally scheduled to go to my parents house 15 minutes away). Then the van would be at our new house on Thursday at the new address. Thursday as i am at the house with my comcast guys trying to get the phone in working order (yes, this move has been as comcastic as predicted with all comcast services being messed up and each repair person passing the buck on whose problem area it is) I get a call from my parents saying they were just leaving their neighborhood and my car guy is there unloading my van. At their house. 15 minutes away. with repair people in my house so i can't leave. and M due to be picked up at preschool in 20 minutes. Yeah, this is fabulous. Luckily comcast guys think the phone issue is solved so i leap into the car, pick up M from preschool and head to my parents neighborhood. Park rental at front of neighborhood. Get van(which they are jumpstarting as I walk up). Drive van to parents house at end of neighborhood. Walk with M back to the rental and drive back to our house. At 5 pm arrange to meet D at the rental place and then go to pick up the van at parents. Throughout the next portion of our tale please remember it is dark and bitterly cold and we have hungry children in the back seat. But you know what happens next...it won't start. It's dark. We go into mom and dad's and borrow jumper cables (thanks guys-- you weren't home, but you will read in just a minute how we also borrowed tools from you. will return tools ASAP). Try for 15 minutes to jumpstart it but it. is. completely. dead. We then decide to pull the battery and go to find a new one. Borrow tools from parent's house. D pulls the battery as I fish some crushed crackers out of the bottom of my purse to feed to children (time is around 6:45). First auto place checks the battery but says it is beyond charging and needs new one. Head to the national chain where we bought the battery to have them replace it. Only bright spot of the night was finding it open and super helpful lady who replaced warrantied battery for free without any hassle about being on the other side of the country etc. Back to parents neighborhood to put in new battery( it starts YEAH!) and then home at 8 to feed monsters and get them in bed.
So this move really is just getting better and better. I almost can't wait to find out how it will get more twisted tomorrow.
B

A Timeline of the New House So Far

Dec. 23-- furniture loaded onto a truck in WA and do not expect to see it again until Jan. Nightmares begin where I imagine being in the old house and seeing one piece of furniture left behind or open a closet and see it filled and the truck is already gone.
Dec. 24 - Dec. 29 In VA with builder saying we can probably close, we may or may not have inspections done, may not get the certificate of occupancy, and on and on. Our end of things is ready. I know that is hard to believe with all the chaos and having stuff spread out all over the country, but our paperwork done and approved. We are not the holdup.
Dec. 30 am-closing scheduled for 2pm
Dec. 30 pm-closing cancelled which puts it off until after the first (thus messing up a tax incentive)
Jan. 3-- closing and then not closing again. Only step forward was getting inspections complete and certificate of occupancy.
Jan. 4 closing and then not closing, followed by a call from my truck driver saying he had arrived with the furniture and would deliver it the next day. Scrambling to figure out what we need to do to get furniture into the house. In the evening hours it is decided we will sign for an early occupancy agreement so that our things can be loaded into the house, but we still don't own it and some of our options are not finished. Sleepless night follows (one of many during this move).
Jan. 5-- furniture loaded into the house. Everything arrived unharmed and my crew was really fun to work with, a saving grace for what has been a difficult move thus far. No word on closing.
Jan. 6-- to unpack or not to unpack was the question of the day. I arranged furniture (thanks mom and dad!) and then worked to find bedding and get beds made. Also ended up unpacking a few boxes as I was searching for beddingand lamps. No word on closing again.
Tomorrow night we hope to have enough things unpacked to stay in the new house. A house we don't yet own and still needs some finishing touches. D and I are both having some issues with this since we are both rule followers and don't like risk. I guess any real estate transaction in the current market is a risk.
When will we close? Will we close at all? Tune in for the continuing saga of the WA to VA move.
love and hugs, B