OUR FIRST PURCHASE FOR THE NEW HOUSE

BUNK BEDS FOR 6! 

Craig and Melissa picked them up today from our favorite mattress factory.  We will get the bed frames in Utah.  So now we will have a spendover room with 3 sets of bunk beds!  We are counting the days until Christmas when we get to spend the week with Nick and Renee and Skye.  Rebecca and Melissa will be there a few days after Christmas.

The guys at the factory did a good job of tying down the mattresses in the back of Craig's truck and squeezing 4 twin mattresses into the back of Melisa's Expedition. 

We needed to get another queen size bed for the additional guest room.  We had planned on replacing our king size mattress but decided to wait until the move so we wouldn't have to drag another king size mattress up the stairs. 

It's Official...almost

We signed papers remotely here in Lake Elsinore.  A notary just came to our house where we signed all the papers that had been e-mailed to her, then she sent them back up to Utah overnight where they will be recorded. 

We aren't moving until Tuesday, December 3rd.  We had to push it back a day to make sure all the finishing work was completed on the basement.  (color me very annoyed about this delay). We are hoping the movers will have us all loaded up that afternoon so that we can take off and travel as far as State Line that night.  The next morning we will meet our realtor at the house for our walk through and keys.  YAY! 

It will be a busy day in Cedar City getting a feel for the house and deciding what goes where.  We are hoping the movers don't arrive with our belongings until Friday, but we will not know for sure until the day they are here to load up.  We are hoping to have time to put our shelving together for the garage and basement storage room that we took up to the storage unit in our first load. 

We are about 90% packed, and it is getting so close.  I am ready to be done with moving and saying our goodbyes. I am so sad to be leaving our sweet Lake Elsinore Ward.  Craig and I have loved serving in the primary together and he has really enjoyed serving  as Executive Secretary.  We adore our young bishopric because not only are they wonderful men, but they remind us so much of our kids.  I will really miss being Sister Friendly. 

I have decided packing and moving is right up there  with dental work on my list of fun things I never want to do again. [I always tell the dentist and his cohorts, I would much rather be in labor and delivery with no drugs, having a 10 lb baby that is 4 weeks late -  than in the dentist chair.  The good ones believe me].

The First Snowfall of the Season

When our son-in-law Mark called to say he was going to be in town for business, and wanted to help with our move, it seemed like a perfect time to rent a 26' truck and take a load up to the storage unit in Cedar City.  Greg and Melissa and Rich Gray came over on Saturday to help.  We love our kids and their friends! We packed up the entire garage and anything else that was packed and ready to go.  Craig was surprised how much we were able to get loaded and it really will make a dent in our final bill with the movers.  Of course, the day we unloaded was the first snowfall of the season, and by the time we got to the storage unit it was wet and sleety.  I will take that instead of 100 degree heat any day!

One of the perks of moving to Cedar City is reuniting with dear friends from Moreno Valley, who so kindly helped unload.  Richie Hansen has been doing an internship this fall in Cedar City.  He was one of my preschoolers and his parents are good friends.  Brian Brown has been a dear friend for over 20 years.

Craig and Tim Dulaney tackle the load.  Tim was Craig's best man.  We are so excited to live near the Brown's and Dulaney's. 

I thought I got a picture of the huge truck that was almost filled. This will have to do.  The unloading went fast with all the extra help.  We took apart the shelving in our garage in California and loaded it on the truck.  We are hoping to get the shelves up in Utah before the movers arrive to deliver the rest of our belongings.  Good times! 

The Living Room Furniture Dilemma

It seemed like a good idea to get new furniture for the living room since it is smaller in scale.  Our TV and console will fit just fine. It is similar to the one in the model but shorter.  The trick is finding a couch that's not too bulky.  I tend to like the bigger, bulkier pieces.   We thought about getting 2 smaller couches and a chair or 3 chairs and one couch. . . decisions, decisions.  I really loved the big "chair and a half" with ottoman like the one at the cabin last Thanksgiving.  We can set the couches half on the tile and half on the carpeting, so that will give us a little more room.  Any and all ideas are welcome!!!  I'm leaning dark brown with red accents and pillows to perk things ups.

The carpeted area is about 14 1/2 feet square.  I love the style of fireplace and hearth.

One side is open to the banister and tile.



The other side is open to the kitchen. It is about 9 1/2 feet from the fireplace to the edge of the carpeting.

Here is the staged room.  The area rug is pretty but it's not a priority since we'll need runners for the tile.
 I really like the red accents

I almost think you could have another couch or two chairs with a table in between in front of the banister.   

The View from Here

One of our favorite things about the house is the gorgeous view.  I should have taken pictures yesterday, when it wasn't quite so cloudy.  It is still so beautiful.  It's been a pretty, autumny week here in southern Utah.  You can see the reds and golds up on the hills.  So pretty.  It will be fun to live where there are really four seasons.

This is the view out the windows in the kitchen and living room.

Across the street there will be no other houses built behind these.

This is just up the street. Heavy sigh!  I think this will be fun.

The Basement

The basement is unfinished, but our offer included it being finished with 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a storage closet and a family room with a fireplace.  It is 1400 square feet. They tell us it can be finished in 3 - 4 weeks.  It will be similar in style to the main floor.  Here's how it looks now:

The stairs lead to the basement.  The wood on the handrail and banister is so pretty.

This greets you when you get to the bottom of the stairs.



This is to the left.  There will be a utility room for the furnace and water heater, and a storage closet under the stairs.



This is the view to the right. Plastic sheets are hung over the insulation. There are nice, deep windows at both ends. 

.

You can see how long it is.  Even though it's not a full basement, it will be nice.  The bedrooms will go on the far end and the bathroom will be on the left just past the utility closet.  We are hoping to put a pool table and/or game table, a family room and a preschool section here.  It will be fun to watch it come together.



Iron County Festival of Homes

Walking up to the front door.

This is what you see when you open the front door: the great room, kitchen and banister for the basement stairs.

This is the entry way to the right.  The travertine tile is beautiful,but I wish the carpeting went all the way to the banister and into the hallway. For now we are on the lookout for some runners.  I have concerns about tripping over them frequently..... 

This is the "library" to the left of the entry way.  It has pretty 12' ceilings and wood look - tile flooring.  There is a closet with shelves on the right wall just outside of the picture.  I think that's where we'll put all our photo albums and genealogy.
 I want to put the piano in here where the bookshelf is and then fill it with bookshelves and a comfy chair or two.  We will need to get an area rug for this room. Craig wants this to be my sewing room, but I don't want it right next to the front door.

The kitchen is a dream come true.  It is gorgeous.  We need to get 4 new barstools. 

At first I thought it was a double oven, but rats, it's the microwave.  Our frig (frog - inside joke) died in August so it will be nice to have a new one.  The frig is included. 

This is the view of the kitchen standing next to the frig.  You can see a bit of our amazing view.

I am hoping the hutch will look okay on the wall where the picture is. 

We love the corner fireplace and hearth.  Our TV will fit in the same spot, but ours isn't quite that large.  We need to get new living room furniture but aren't loving anything quite yet. Suggestions are welcome.  Our current furniture is too bulky for this room but it will be perfect in the basement.

This is the entrance coming in from the garage.  The larger hallway area creates a mudroom for us.  The lockers are so cute.  The laundry room is lovely.  It even has a sink.  And the washer and dryer are included.  We need to find out about getting pedastals for them or seeing if they can just build up a pedestal that will match the cupboards.  I am going to use the cupboards for kitchen overflow for dishes, appliances, cake decorating stuff, serving pieces, etc. 

The master bedroom is on the other side of the laundry room.  It is wired for the TV hook up where the bed is here.  The nice thing will be looking out at the view with the bed on the opposite wall.  I think our furniture should just fit.

Our least favorite thing about the house - the dopey arch into the bathroom with no door.  Just like our house now, and we hate it.  We are going to see if the builder can change it up and give us a real door. 

Despite the dopey archway, the bathroom is lovely.  The glass isn't on the shower in this photo.  We are hoping to switch out the clear glass for something frosted so the water spots aren't quite as noticeable.  There are sinks on either side of the tub.  To the left of the shower is the toilet in it's very own room, and to the right is the closet.

This closet is quite lovely.  All the shelving is adjustable, it should be great.

This is the main bathroom.  It is beautiful and has a full linen closet behing the door, kind of like Mark and Rebecca's house.

Then there are three more bedrooms, 2 facing the front of the house and one with a window opening to the back.  Just your basic bedrooms.  The basement is unfinished, so no photos of that on this site, but I took a bunch. 

The Iron County Home Builders Association Festival of Homes was held August 30- September 2 and September 6, 2013.  Our house is #11 The Eagle's Nest