Construction Day #26: WALLS!

Only six days ago, we had a measly little concrete slab for a garage and a gigantic pile of wood that would (no pun intended) become the framework for our house.

Now, six days later, we have a floor AND walls!!!! The builders have yet to install the second floor. So, let's take you for a tour, shall we?? Buckle up!

First, we have a new "Progress Point." Being so close to the actual house, the walls will not fit into my camera anymore, so I had to take a few steps back... or I could buy a wide-angle lens, but that's opening up a whole other bag of potato chips. So, readers, meet new Progress Point Picture. Every new addition made will include a picture from this point.

Next, let's walk to the side of the house, where we take a look at our egress window to the basement. If you look into the window, you can see the framed out stair well. No stairs yet...just a spot for them.

Moving around the house, we have our back yard. Lovely, isn't it? I can already see Bobby throwing a baseball around with our kids (which we don't have yet). Don't worry, we'll get some eventually. Actually, the plan is to make most of the back yard a deck, since...it really ain't that big, y'all! The windows here will be our family room and kitchen.

Moving around to the side of the house, we have our dining room window. The front of the house will have a covered porch and, hopefully, a door. Thank Goodness. Amen. This side is kind of boring though.

And lastly, we have the front of the house again. This big opening will be our garage (concrete slab before) and that part that kind of sticks out on the other side is where our porch will go. Enough for some sweet Adirondack Chairs and hanging flower baskets. Maybe. If I'm lucky.

So, presto! This should be a busy week for the builders as they don't like to let the wood sit for too long. I think I'm starting to weird them all out whenever I show up on my little bike and tourist-y camera around my neck. They probably think I'm crazy.

Anyway, here's our schedule update:

Day #1 - Monday, June 15, 2009: Ground broke and hole for basement has been dug out! Only after about 2.5 months of waiting for our building permit to come through.
Day #3 - Wednesday June 17, 2009: Footers poured and let to rest and set.
Day # 5 - Friday June 19, 2009: Mold for basement walls and foundation arrives on site.
Day # 7 - Monday June 22, 2009: Mold is installed and concrete is poured for foundation walls.
Day #8 - Tuesday June 23, 2009: Mold removed; black, water-repellent goodness sprayed on foundation.
Day #13 - Sunday June 28, 2009: Piping installed under house, rough-in parts for Bathroom in the basement installed.
Day #20 - Sunday July 5, 2009: Concrete is poured in Garage and Basement!! Property is leveled and sides are filled in.
Day #26 - Saturday, July 11, 2009: Lumber arrives and floor and 1st floor walls are framed and assembled.

Is it mid-September yet??

Have a great week everyone!

A Change of Scenery

Since I've been posting so much about the house, I thought I'd switch it up a bit and give you a picture of your other favorite subject...our poor Killian.

This was .34982 seconds before he swatted me in the camera lens for being "up in his face." His words, not mine.

Have a "swat-free" weekend.

Another Anniversary, Another Look

Sometimes I just need a change.

I know what you're going to tell me. "Melissa, you've changed the background pattern like 50893 times in the last week." Guilty, I know. But you just don't understand.

It's like this: You need (but mostly just want) a new pair of shoes. These shoes will make you happy. These shoes will take you to High School Reunions (more about that later). These shoes will make your Little Black Dress that much more fabulous.You search. And search. And search. You search online, you search the stores, you search everywhere for the shoes that just scream out your personality and style.

But no luck.

You find a pair at PayLess... yeah, they are cute, but they aren't "The Ones," but they're only $14.99 and they will look just OK with your LBD. You keep looking.

Then one day while you're lazily browsing through E-Bay, you find them. And they steal your heart forever. You quickly run through every article of clothing you own and immediately think, "These will go with EVERYTHING!" ...even if they are hot pink.

The day I found my perfect shoes was like the day I found out about Ellie and her blog-template-designing-genius skills. I wasted absolutely no time in contacting her because I just knew her blog template for Blogger was exactly what I was looking for to give The Barrick Times a new and fresh look AND fit my personality and our style to a "T." I just had to have it.

So, I got it. And now my bloggy-blog has a brand new (much-needed) face lift. And now, dear Readers, if your blog needs a face lift too, I think you should send her an e-mail to acquire some of her skills. She is the Blogger Doctor, after all, and...she's just plain fabulous to work with! You can see all of her delicious creations over at her website: RainyDayTemplates.com.

Now, I want to out all you Readers out there and force you, hold you at...uhh, MOUSEpoint, trick you into leaving a comment and telling me just who you are and where you are tuning in from. Why? Because this silly little blog of mine has reached 10,000 hits!!! Now, that's just crazy.

So, I demand that you out yourself and tell me who you are and where you are located. Why? Because I said so! And also, give me a shout out so you can tell Ellie how awesome she did with transforming my blog! I'm going to force her to leave a comment, too. THERE, HA.

I told you I was tricky.

Construction Progress!

Bobby and I just returned from a week-long vacation to Ocean City, Maryland. On our way out, we stopped by our house to check things out. First thing we did when we came back? Yup...visited the house. We fantasized all week about how far they might have progressed while we were gone, but much to our dismay, there wasn't TOO much that was done...less than what we had expected, at least. Regardless, here are the updates thus far!

Day #1 - Monday, June 15, 2009: Ground broke and hole for basement has been dug out! Only after about 2.5 months of waiting for our building permit to come through.
Day #3 - Wednesday June 17, 2009: Footers poured and let to rest and set.
Day # 5 - Friday June 19, 2009: Mold for basement walls and foundation arrives on site.
Day # 7 - Monday June 22, 2009: Mold is installed and concrete is poured for foundation walls.
Day #8 - Tuesday June 23, 2009: Mold removed; black, water-repellent goodness sprayed on foundation.
Day #13 - Sunday June 28, 2009: Piping installed under house, rough-in parts for Bathroom in the basement installed.
Day #20 - Sunday July 5, 2009: Concrete is poured in Garage and Basement!! Property is leveled and sides are filled in.

Day #13: June 28, 2009

(Progress Point Picture)

Day #20: July 5, 2009
(Progress Point Picture: Garage is the flat top on the right...looks like we will have a nice, long Drive Way!)

(Basement flooring. Bathroom rough-in all the way at the front and there will be a bedroom/office on the very left in this picture which is kind of cut off).

Yay! Hopefully this week they will get moving on the framing and it will actually start to look like a house! More to come shortly! Also, if you haven't seen it, scroll down for another new post!

Happy {Belated} Anniversary!

...to US!

It has been two beautiful, romantic, humorous, adventurous, silly, relaxing, crazy years since that 30th day in June. Bobby and I celebrated the best way we know how - good food, good wine and lots of sun at the beach. We had fun rambling off the things we've spent the past two years doing: new apartment, lots of experimental meals, assigning chores, long walks and bike rides, car trips, more car trips up to Baltimore, new cameras, make-shift work shop on my kitchen counter, lazy dinners out, surprise lunches at work, dancing in the kitchen, cooking out, LOTS of baseball games, iPhones, decorating the Christmas tree, getting "snowed in," and BUYING A HOUSE!



I can't wait to spend many more years with you, B. Thank you for encouraging me to document our lives through this blog to be able to look back one day when we're all old and wrinkly!