Thursday, April 29, 2010
Production Day
Excitement today as we understand our exterior package has hit production at Connor Homes in Vermont! They build one house at a time, normally within a week's time. Would have loved to be there, but Gail (their director of business development) will send us a photo of our drawings being hung up in the factory. I'll post it when we receive it :)
Take Them Away!
We stayed and watched the digger finish loading up the dump truck with big old stumps and roots. From what I understand, our excavator has filled at least 17 loads!!!! So thankful that he had a place to dump them for free... truly a blessing and "gladder" than you know to see them go!!!
Stumps... Take Two
Better luck today for Shine and I. We got out to the lot just as our excavator was finishing up another load of stumps. So happy we got to see the digger in action. Better watch out! Looks like he might just get you, Shine!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Digging up Stumps
Shine and I took a ride out to see the some of the stumps being dug up today. Passed the dump truck on its way out of the subdivision taking a load away. Glad to see them go, but sorry that we missed the digger. We'll try again tomorrow to see the heavy equipment at work. Meantime, we got out and took a look at how big these stumps and roots are!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
All Work... No Camera
A cold and misty rain today made it a perfect afternoon to set a couple fires at the land. Daddy went over first and got them going while I took some clothes to the laundromat to dry (the dryer in our rental home has died and we are waiting for a new one to arrive at the end of this coming week). He had one good fire burning when we got there. I kept feeding it while he got a second one going. We burnt quite a bit of the leftovers in the few hours we spent there. Shimmer and Shine enjoyed the warmth of the fires. It was a good, old-fashioned family work day...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
On a Brighter Note...
Shine found another blossom on our trip out to the lot today to photograph the progress (or lack thereof). He has a good eye... I'm not sure where he even spied this one. I didn't see any others like it. Another reassurance to me to trust that even in disappointment, there are things for which to be thankful.
Who Likes Leftovers???
Even after all the help from my Dad and JB's dad too, we were still facing a large pile of trees and plenty of brush... not to mention stumps! Our contractor was able to find a landscaping crew through a friend of Daddy's, who agreed to chip the remainder and haul away the larger logs. Our excavator will be digging up and disposing of the stumps for us later.
Anyway, after not showing up on Friday as planned, the landscaping crew apparently came the following Monday only to set large and dangerous fires. It was not wet at all and the weather was warm. I thank God first of all that I didn't drive out that day as planned. The fires would have terrifed me... in my mind, we also owe thanks to God that they did not get out of control. To top things off they didn't finish the job as agreed (I don't think they chipped one branch), so this never ending battle to clear the lot goes on. The photos above show some of what remains.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Old Memories and Young Hopes
This afternoon also saw Shimmer and Shine's discovery of some beautiful wildflowers blooming in the midst of the fallen leaves and branches. I'll miss the flower gardens we planted at our first home, but these were a sign of hope of things to come here...
Help from Grandpa
One of the special people helping us battle the overwhelming pile of trees and brush was my Dad. He, and the father of one of Daddy's co-workers, made a big dent in the mess of downed trees. So thankful for their willingness to help! And, what a difference a little over a week made in the weather. Easter break brought a mini heat wave our way. Since Grandpa was nice enough to make another trip up to our lot today, I took Shimmer and Shine over to help. A little hard work never hurt anyone :)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Fear of the Unknown
If I'm being honest on this blog, I should share the good and the not so good, right? So, as excited as we are to build our Connor Home, you should know it is not happening without leaps of faith.
At the end of January, we sent a deposit to Connor Homes to ensure we could qualify for a "Winter Windfall" package they were offering. We only started discussions with them two or three weeks earlier, so things moved quickly. But, in order to make this project viable for us we needed to lock in the discount. This means the house will hit production and be finished no later than July. At this point though, as crazy as it may sound, we had not yet purchased our lot, nor did we have a general contractor officially lined up.
Many moments of prayer and thought did precede this decision though, and we moved forward to purchase the land. We had also been led, I believe, to the man who was meant to build this house for us. He and I first spoke in December when our family was considering modifying a house plan we had found online. He was patient with us through the literal change of "plans", and the waiting while we ironed out the design of our new home with Connor.
Once we got some preliminary floor plans, elevations, and builder specs from Connor Homes, it was time to wait for the bid from our contractor of choice. Today is the day we expect to hear from him and I sense some reservations about the project from him through a recent discussion with my husband. I know I should put my trust in God (whatever the outcome) and lean not on my own understanding... but, I'm human and not without my doubts. I have been an emotional wreck today. If his bid is too high the project could fall apart and we've already placed a sizable, non-refundable deposit on our dream. Thank God for the prayers of old friends and the loving support of new ones which have lifted me through this very, long day of waiting.
The phone call came while my husband was out riding his mountain bike with friends. I reached him on his cell on his way home sometime after 8pm and he returned the call. He pulled in the driveway in mid-discussion, and sat in his car until finished. I watched and waited from inside the house we are renting, wondering if we would be spending another year here.
The bid came in high. But... true to my impressions of this man, he told my husband his reservations were because he felt the project was coming in too high himself. There are a lot of unknowns being the first time either of us has dealt with Connor Homes. He wants to build this house for us and we want him to do it. We are all hopeful and confident that Connor Homes will deliver a quality product and save critical labor costs in the process.
I am so relieved that we are past this initial hurdle. I wish I had trusted in the Lord more for this... I rely on and am thankful for the promise found in Jeremiah 29:11 for each of us.
At the end of January, we sent a deposit to Connor Homes to ensure we could qualify for a "Winter Windfall" package they were offering. We only started discussions with them two or three weeks earlier, so things moved quickly. But, in order to make this project viable for us we needed to lock in the discount. This means the house will hit production and be finished no later than July. At this point though, as crazy as it may sound, we had not yet purchased our lot, nor did we have a general contractor officially lined up.
Many moments of prayer and thought did precede this decision though, and we moved forward to purchase the land. We had also been led, I believe, to the man who was meant to build this house for us. He and I first spoke in December when our family was considering modifying a house plan we had found online. He was patient with us through the literal change of "plans", and the waiting while we ironed out the design of our new home with Connor.
Once we got some preliminary floor plans, elevations, and builder specs from Connor Homes, it was time to wait for the bid from our contractor of choice. Today is the day we expect to hear from him and I sense some reservations about the project from him through a recent discussion with my husband. I know I should put my trust in God (whatever the outcome) and lean not on my own understanding... but, I'm human and not without my doubts. I have been an emotional wreck today. If his bid is too high the project could fall apart and we've already placed a sizable, non-refundable deposit on our dream. Thank God for the prayers of old friends and the loving support of new ones which have lifted me through this very, long day of waiting.
The phone call came while my husband was out riding his mountain bike with friends. I reached him on his cell on his way home sometime after 8pm and he returned the call. He pulled in the driveway in mid-discussion, and sat in his car until finished. I watched and waited from inside the house we are renting, wondering if we would be spending another year here.
The bid came in high. But... true to my impressions of this man, he told my husband his reservations were because he felt the project was coming in too high himself. There are a lot of unknowns being the first time either of us has dealt with Connor Homes. He wants to build this house for us and we want him to do it. We are all hopeful and confident that Connor Homes will deliver a quality product and save critical labor costs in the process.
I am so relieved that we are past this initial hurdle. I wish I had trusted in the Lord more for this... I rely on and am thankful for the promise found in Jeremiah 29:11 for each of us.
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