Front Elevation

Because I'm sure you've been wondering... this is what the front of our house is going to look like :-)  We picked this elevation because we liked the peaks - they make the house look a little fancier and will look awesome with Christmas lights!

Experiments in Hair, Part 2

Sundays are really the only days I have time to "experiment" with Kylee's hair... I barely have time to run a brush through Kylee's hair during the week.  So here is Kylee's hair last Sunday and today.  They were both really easy.  My brother's wedding is coming up in a couple weeks, and I'm thinking about doing Kylee's hair like the first picture below.

This is three diagonal small pony tails, brought together and finished off with a diagonal braid across the back of Kylee's head, finished off with a low side pony.  I should have gotten her hair wet to try and get rid of the cowlick... next time! 

This is an uneven braid.

A Couple of Ws

Well, my Broncos sure don't look like they've looked for the last several years.  After a sad loss in our opening game against Michigan State, we pulled out a win the last two games (against Miami Ohio and BYU)... but neither game was super pretty.  Here's to hoping our offense pulls it together for future games!

With my dad at the Miami (Ohio) game 

With Matt and Mandy at the BYU game

In Contract!

This week we signed a contract with Alturas to build our new home!  We can't wait for March when we are set to close and move in.  One of the things I appreciate about Alturas is what comes in the "base" price of the home.  So many things that would normally be considered "extras" are standard for Alturas, such as a dual zone heating and cooling with separate controls for the first and second floor, an audio system with ceiling speakers (including back patio speakers) and stereo connection, pre-plumbed for central vac, an appliance shelf in the pantry with electrical outlets, outdoor gas line to grill, Cat5 wiring throughout, etc.  I am excited to work with the guys from Alturas (most of whom I happen to have connections with from high school).

I was reading a website earlier where people contributed to a list of small things they wish they had done when building their house.  Some of them we have already discussed with our builders, such as putting in electrical outlets under the eaves of our house for Christmas lights, adding in a pull-out step in the kid's bathroom vanity, etc. but there were several other things that I hadn't thought of that I wanted to write down here so I don't forget.

• speakers in the garage (connected to the rest of the main floor speakers)
• plug-ins in some closets
• plug in master toilet closet for night light (so you don't have to turn on the light in the middle of the night)
• vac pans in bathrooms for hair (connected to the central vac)
• a pull out drawer in the bathroom with a plug-in for my Sonicare
• hose outlets and power on all sides of the house (outdoors)
• pantry light on motion sensor, and maybe in closets too
• 4-plug outlets near bed in master bedroom
• light switch near the head of the bed in master bedroom to turn off lights
• dimmer switches 
• watch for placement of air vents - don't want them blowing air right up bedroom curtains
• easy access water shut off valve
• take pictures of the plumbing/electrical before the drywall/sheetrock goes up

There are also a couple things we're planning on doing on our own, such as putting an epoxy cover on the garage floor before we move in and adding planter beds before the landscaping is complete so they don't put sod in and so we can make sure there is drip irrigation.

So, don't be surprised if I have lots of house postings over the next several months.  Our new house is always on my mind!  Here's a picture of our dirt lot.  We selected this lot because there is a one-story house behind us :-)

Happy 60th Birthday Mom!

Ten years ago, a coworker of mine told me about a surprise birthday party she threw for her mom and about how she had put together a book of cards and memories from her mom's friends.  I thought this was the coolest idea and decided then that is what I wanted to do for my mom's 60th birthday... So, this summer I contacted as many of my mom's friends as I could to start collecting submissions for a book.  I had great response and had about 50 submissions and created a beautiful, heart-warming book for my mom.  This book wasn't only a gift for my mom, but I loved reading what people shared and felt it was a gift for me to learn about my mom through their memories!

I presented the book to her at a surprise birthday dinner with friends at the Old Spaghetti Factory.  She immediately started crying (as I knew she would!)  Happy birthday to my mom - I feel so lucky to be your daughter!