Wow, I need a new update~Crazy times 'round here

Here I am with Cali at the Design Center with some of our choices.

Here is our lot. Tree on the far left will by right by the fence in our backyard--I told Michael it is perfect for a fort. Unfortunately, the tree in the middle will have to go for the home to sit there. The other trees are at the back of the lot, and will probably eventually be in our backyard neighbors yards, but will still shade ours.
This is one of the many times (and surely not our last) that we took the kids to the Sales office at the model home. They came into our meeting (as they watched a DVD or ran rampant) and said, "come take a picture of us." How could I resist? I love it!

Crazy busy around here! Our house has been on the market for 22 days and we've had 14 people come through to look at it. Still no offers:( Thats ok...we have time. Everyone says our pricing is, "exact" but complaining about the road behind us, O'Connor. Not a major road, but the neighborhood entrance road that gets a good number of cars through.

We have gone to the design center twice and painstakingly decided on all the details of our home. We had a minimal budget for "upgrades" and stayed within it, which made me happy. I think it will be funny to walk around my future neighbors home (who all had the same builder) and think...."ahh, you opted to do the cap and riser stair system for $700 and even the starter step for an additional $700" or "hmmm, they upgraded from brushed nickel to brushed chrome for all of their faucets, that is a good $500." So many new terms that I learned.
This past week I was agonizing over our wood floors. We want them, budgeted for them, then realized what we budgeted through the design center wasn't very high quality wood floors. It would be a major leap to get a nice floor. We found a contracter where we could get the good stuff for a lot less than the cheap stuff through the builder.
We like the sample on the bottom left.
Problem is, we can't use our contractor until after we close on the house, and we can't close on an unfinished house.

Sooooo, since carpet is "standard" they will put it in, and we will pull it out the day we close. Painful, yes, but we will still use or sell that carpet. Also, get this, we will carpet our kitchen. Yes, you heard that right. When I told the design lady we wanted to do that, she said it was, "against code." To which I fought it and ask why. She sais because the kitchen is a "wet area." To which I persisted with "why is that against code?" She asked her bosses, and guess what??? We got approval! So the kitchen will be carpeted, because I want wood in my kitchen. I almost consented to tile in the kitchen, but realized its just not what I want, I want to go all the way, baby. I spent hours on the phone and email and asking people about what exactly comes "Standard" in our future home, so I could be fully educated.

These are our selections. Cabinet is kitchen and all bathrooms. I wanted white, but it wasn't an option. Michael wanted dark wood. We'll see how I like it after a while. Love my granite. Good Frizzay (not sure the spelling) carpet was a standard. Brick became an upgrade after we selected it, but we get to keep it at the standard price. To the left of the brick is our exterior paint.

There were already a great deal of Standard features in this home. A local custom builder, Scott Felder Homes, just recently bought out Newmark Homes here in Austin. Just in July as we were looking (the prices went up during our negotiations, but I held firm on that original price).
Cindy--our design specialist. She was nice and not pushy, I appreciated that.
As standard, we already get granite countertops in the kitchen, 5 inch baseboards throughout the house (I didn't realize this was so nice) 8 foot doors downstairs (again, didn't realize it was such a big deal), a drain in the laundry room, round edged corners on all the drywall, 42 inch kitchen cabinets, black wraught iron stairwell bars (what are those called again?), and crown moulding in 2 rooms. All the hardware (door knobs, lighting) is a silver, which we are coming from shiny gold hardware so we are thrilled about the silver. We would have loved to upgrade to a brushed silver, but decided not to.

For our kitchen, we got a Level 1 granite. Level 1 consisted of 4 choices---black, black, black, and gray. I couldn't believe they were so similar. I had my heart set on the brownish yellowish granite, so that was one of our big upgrades--we jumped to level 3 granite. We also upgraded to have them paint our ceilings white to match our baseboards instead of the same color they are painting the wall (a tan color I chose). I wasn't sure about this one, but after some research, realized I wanted the ceilings white because it makes the room seem bigger, and lightens the room, too. I like to see the edges. Another upgrade we chose was to cut down the tile for our kitchen backsplash, to "bullnose" the granite edges in our bathrooms (that was minimal, but it makes it round instead of straight/right angle at the edges), double flood lights at the soffit (DID NOT know what that meant, but it is the backyard lights at the corner, under the gutter. Also upgraded our front door just a touch so I could get the cute Texas star glass.
Close up on our granite (the small one) and cabinet.
I was glad the design lady wasn't pushy. Our sales guy just didn't understand why we would want to pay cash for our wood floors instead of rolling it into the price of our mortage. I kept telling him we were happy with the monthly payment and didn't want to go up anymore. I told this to my friends and they said, "That is why we have the housing crises that we do--pushy people trying to talk homeowners into more than they should try to afford."

We are anxious to sell our home, as we've decided--it just doesn't feel like ours anymore. We de personalized it quite a bit, and have to leave at a moments notice for people to come walk through. I do try to soak in the last bit of it, though. As I walk into the beautifully clean rooms, I have the constant thought...."I'm really going to miss this place." I'm able to drag out the goodbye, which I think will make it a tad easier in the end.

Now to share some pictures from the past month or so....

This is the Sister Missionary who helped me paint some rooms before our house went on the market. Her companion left before I could get a picture. That day, they spent 3 or 4 hours in my bedroom touching up paint on the ceiling that I should have done years ago. It was painstaking, so I had them do it:) Alyssa was in there the whole time talking their ears off. This Sister pictures was very cute with Alyssa. The other one was annoyed, it made me laugh.

We went to Russ and Kim's (in San Antonio) twice in August. Once for Kim's shower/Michael's bike race, and once because I photographed a wedding. We love to hang out with them.


On a neighborhood stroll--Alyssa got tired (no surprise at all).
Asleep on Russ' floor (soon to be Bennett's room)
Kim's Shower below...Alyssa got to help select the presents to open.

While the girls were at the shower, the boys went to the community pool with a high dive.


Back home in RR, Alyssa took this of me....

Matthew was holding Cali and walking around, then I found him reading his book, her just next to him. Tyler came to join in. Once she saw me, it was all over.



After months of drought in our area, our Stake at church held a fast for rain. About 5 days later, it flooded in some areas. We got the rain we asked for. It rained for nearly 48 hours straight...and HARD RAIN! No lightening, so they had a grand time playing in it...











Did I ever post my apple green kitchen? I loved it, but painting over it was another part of my goodbye to this home. That color just won't work with dark chocolate wood cabinets.

Kids watching tv on a summer morning. Notice the breakfast "picnic blanket" on the floor behind them.

Yesterday we took a quick day trip to San Antonio to meet my new little nephew, Bennett Isacc Hill. He was born September 16th, the day before Cali's 5 month mark. Kim and Russ will be such great parents. I took a bunch of other shots that are on my "big camera" and I'll soon post.

The cousins...
Me and my little bro and our babies (Cali, the giant).

Whew--I feel relief that I'm caught up now. Michael and I are headed on our trip in a week and a half, and I've been planning that trip amongst everything else. Now to go to bed.