Life By Lindsey Rae

I bought my husband rocking chairs for Christmas. And, it was kind of a big deal for me because I spent many, many....many hours researching many, many rocking chairs before I bought them. Kind of like before I bought curtains. I thought about curtains a lot.
I have a very difficult time making decisions and as a result I often spend many hours researching things. Going to lots of stores, looking at a ton of websites...reading a lot of books (although I did not read any books about rocking chairs...a lot of things I get books from the library about). It is not easy to not be able to make a decision.

I really wanted to get what my husband wanted, which were extra wide chairs, but, I also wanted to make sure that they were somewhat modern looking and I really wanted black. Partially because I like black and it would look good with the house and partially because the neighbors across the street have white ones.
Eventually, though, all I could find in the proper size at a price that suited my cheapness (and I wanted to use my "own" money, 'cause it's more fun to buy someone a present when you don't have to ask them for money to buy it) were white ones.
I had decent expectations, since the reviews others had given these particular chairs were good, but, when they arrived on Christmas eve they were damaged! I was so upset about it! I really wanted to get a good present for J, because he always gets me such nice things. I suppose it is the thought that counts, but when you spend so long trying to find something and then it comes damaged on Christmas Eve...there is not much hope in replacing it in a timely manner.

Anyway, my husband liked the ones I got, but as they were damaged, we had to return them and decided to get something different. We recently found these at Sam's Club and thought we might try them. They are fairly wide (which was a requirement) and J thinks they are comfortable. They were twice what I paid for the others, so he sort of did have to buy his own present after all, but what can you do when you sit at home and build rock walls all day? (No, just kidding...I do other things to...sometimes...really. I also spend hours and hours trying to make small decisions. hahaha).


As you can see, these are not black. They are teak, which I think is probably the best for outdoors and will last a long time. But, I don't know if I like the color of the wood. I thought about painting or staining it a black, but, I don't know if you should stain teak.

So, now I can sit outside and watch the little lizards run by. It is actually a good spot, I think. I sat out there the other day when it was only about 35 degrees and read my mail and when the sun is out that location gets fairly warm.(To tell the truth, I think once it's summer I'll probably be scared to sit out there half of the time, because I'm too afraid of the bugs!)

I also want to get a hummingbird feeder and put it somewhere near this area. I have "my room" (my office/art space/mess) where that big window is, so I think it would be nice if I could look out the window and maybe see some hummingbirds...and bunnies. I only had one bunny in the flowerbed last year.

As I mentioned previously, I was building a dry stone wall along one side of our property. I finished it about 2 weeks ago, but I still have a few small things that I want to do to improve it.

I still need to post pictures of my work! I have some now, but Jerrod took so many for me and I still have to go through them and pick out some good ones.

So, I was getting my rocks from a lot of the nearby construction sites, but those houses are getting closer to being done, and as they get closer to landscaping, they've removed a lot of the piles of dug up rock from the surface that made them so accessible.I gathered lots of rocks for my wall piled up around here.
And, even though my wall is finished, I really wanted to get some extra rocks for repairs that might need to be done as it shifts with the seasons or maybe for an edge on a flowerbed in the future. They have huge piles one or two blocks down, at the edge of the subdivision, but when you are carrying a wheelbarrow full of a couple hundred pounds of rocks and it's 95 degrees outside, you don't want to walk any further than you have to (especially on hills). So, I've got to take advantage of the ones I've got here now before they are gone!

My neighbors across the street are a retired couple who spend a lot of time sitting on their front porch smoking their cigarettes. I believe they have quite enjoyed sitting out there day after day watching me carry 50 lb rocks around. I feel like I provide a form of entertainment or something. They always are telling me that I "work too hard" and I'm "so strong" and this sort of thing, which I think is absolutely hilarious. They make sure to mention this to Jerrod too. And my cousin, Steven, when he was over. I'm sure then both totally agree! haha.

Tonight they told me that they are starting to worry about me now that I am still gathering yet more rocks.I pretty much broke the first wheelbarrow from putting too much weight in it. We got this new one, which works pretty well. It's still holding up! I tried to explain why I was doing this and they just insist that I am doing too much all the time, (again, haha) and that I am too tough and I am going to seriously injure myself if I keep lifting rocks. I told them I don't exercise and I am pretty scrawny, so it's a good work out for me.

I probably won't get more though, because I am running out of places to put them. I just think it's better to have them while they are available, so I'm stocking up! Searching for the best rocks for your wall becomes a bit addictive, maybe....when I see see good ones that have been dug up after the fact, it makes me want to rip parts of the built wall down and re-build it with better stones to make it more stable. After you've already gone to all that work, it's tempting not to! I had to make lots of rock piles around the house...and then get them moved quick enough that they didn't ruin the grass!
The thing is, after you put so much time and effort into something, it's hard to leave it alone when you know how to make it better. Now that I have made one wall, I think I know how to make the next one better!

Our little rose bush is looking pretty amazing right now. We just planted these about a month and a half ago. We gave them some rose food and then watered them a lot and they have almost tripled in size in the this short amount of time. I've counted at least 28 flowers on them right now. It's pretty neat. Especially since when we got them they only had about 4 blooms on them and were only about 6 inches tall. This isn't the best picture because it was so sunny out when I took it and the color didn't turn out quite accurately. They are actually more of a deep, blue-tone red.

I was actually able to wake up for church today, which in my mind, was a miracle, because I got little sleep last night and I usually need about 10 hours.

This afternoon Jerrod and I spent some time getting out house organized somewhat more, as we had a bookshelf we got over the weekend to set up in the living room. We had some boxes to moved still and we put them away to make room for the new shelf. Most of those boxes are just full of books and we are going to get another bookshelf to put up in the bonus room to actually hold them.

The shelf we got this weekend was one we have been planning on getting for awhile. We were always planning on getting it, but the furniture store never had it on sale and I, of course, refuse to pay full price for the most part. So, we were kind of waiting to get it and looking around at some other places to see if there was something we liked more for a better price. But, it turned out that this model was going to be going out of stock now and so we ended up getting a floor model at $75 off the regular price. So, it made me feel better to know it was a sale, even if it was a floor model...there is a few scratches that we will repair, but this was the last of this color too, so we didn't have much choice in that.
Anyway, it fills up the room very nicely. We have some pendant lights that we had bought a long time ago to put over top and it actually turned out looking really good over the shelf. Even better than I expected! So, I am very pleased. Now just to figure out what I want to put on it....

It's taken a few weeks, but I've finally taken a few minutes to get some pictures of the finished house. These are from December 19th, which was 2 days before closing. So, it's completely empty. Now that I've seen it with stuff in it, I'm realizing how empty it really does look in these pictures!
When I get everything put up and things looking cute, I have to post more. But, for now, here is our finished and very empty house!

Exterior


Living Room Areas


Dining Room Area

Kitchen

Guest Bath

Master Bath and Closet

Master Bedroom

Lindsey's Office

Jerrod's Office

Upstairs Bonus Room


We still have a few smaller things we will be changing, such as putting in different taps, doing some tile in the kitchen and bathrooms and maybe a little painting...planting a few more trees next year I hope.
Jerrod got a lawn mower today. He is extremely ambitious about mowing the lawn.

Ok, so this is a little late, but I since I did not have any internet and no ability to write or post any pictures about Christmas, it just so happens that it finally makes in here in January. But, I am always late with everything, so this just fits in with me, I guess. Although, this time, it really wasn't my fault I was late!

This is what Christmas looks like when you are living and settled in one place (a.k.a. Our house 2005...we were in Canada in 2006, so we had no tree that year...2005 is as close as it gets):



This is a picture of what Christmas looks like when you have just moved into your house 4 days before (a.k.a. Our house in 2007):



Notice all my presents are in a black garbage bag. I just closed my eyes and Jerrod put them in my hands for the surprise. I kind-of-sort-of wrapped his, by putting them in gift bags. The only wrapped gifts we had came from my mom. After all that packing and having boxes everywhere, the last thing we felt like doing was finding wrapping paper to wrap presents. So, into the garbage bags they went!
We definitely didn't want to bother setting up a Christmas tree. Where would we have put it among all those boxes cluttering the floor? Luckily, Jerrod in all his creativity had made this little tree out of hangers and garland in past years, so we did have a tree...kind-of-sort-of.

So, that is the late breaking news of Christmas at the new house.

Our house is almost finished. Jerrod went by yesterday and it was fortunate that he did, because when he got there he saw that they had put the wrong carpet in! And they had finished it throughout the ENTIRE house! It was actually the original standard carpet we had picked, but then at the beginning of September, before anything was really started, we told them we wanted to upgrade our carpet to something different and a little bit better. Initially we had thought we didn't want to pay for the better stuff because we don't plan on living in this house really long term, but after thinking about it, we decided the upgraded carpet will probably last longer and we won't have to replace it when we move out after 5 years like we might with the cheaper stuff. We thought we'd rather enjoy the carpet rather then putting in new stuff later for only someone else to enjoy.
Anyway, for whatever reason, the design studio did not pass that information onto the builder and so they didn't know that we had paid for that upgrade and they just put in the standard stuff that comes with the house. So, now they have to rip out the entire thing and replace all of it. Sucks to be them! Good thing we go by often enough to notice these mistakes to get them taken care of ahead of time, as our closing date is going to be the last day before Christmas; its tight for time. They had also put in a track light that we had requested they not do, because we are going to install our own (that we got for $11.98 at Lowes, regular $78. Good deal!) and so we asked them to take that down and re-patch some of the holes it left on the ceiling. It's better to have them do it so we don't have to. I think that was a message that was supposed to have got to them around the same time as the carpet, so someone, somewhere, didn't pass those things along. Oops.
Oh, and when I went to my house today it had lights and heat for the first time. It was sooo nice. I actually had to take my shoes off when I went in (as opposed to usually walking on the concrete floors that sometimes had mud and dirt and dust on them.) I'm always cold and in the last little while it's been a little chilly for me. But the new heated house is much better!

Why does Sunday always come so quickly? It seems like as soon as we get home from church one week, it is almost time to go back again the next day; like the week always disappears somewhere in between.
We went over to Providence for a few hours this weekend and had a little lunch. (Cracker Barrel!! My favorite!) And then we also spend a few minutes window shopping. I went to TJMaxx/homegoods store and Jerrod ran over to Best Buy. While I was there I saw a Japanese family and heard them speaking Japanese. I decided to get brave and asked them if they spoke English, "eigo hanashimasuka?" And the Mother replied, "yes." So we ended up talking for awhile about then and me. I told her that I am a singer and she suggested she might like me help her daughter with some singing lessons. I told her that I'd also like to help her with English if she'd just speak Japanese with me. I need native speaker friends to practice with.
So, I gave her my card and will hope that she calls. It would be fun to meet to new Japanese people around here again!

Here's the all wonderful house pictures....kitchen is getting to look quite a bit like a kitchen. I really love the counter tops. They are almost my favorite thing! Kinda dirty right now, not too much to see, but anyway...

Our house is coming along further. We now have drywall and siding too and a finished ceiling too.
We stopped by today to take a look at it and take a few pictures.
This was all supposed to be done last week, but apparently there was some kind of siding shortage/delay and then, they couldn't put any drywall up until the siding was on to prevent moisture from getting in. So they said that put them eight days behind. We may now be closing in January instead of the targeted December 19th. They said they will still try to push it through, but, we'll see. We'll just have to wait until we get closer to know for sure.

On Saturday we went to Providence to see our house. And to our surprise there was progress- substantial progress, to see. About a week before I was so discouraged because I had driven by seen that there was once again WAY more done on all the neighbors houses rather than ours. (Even though we were supposed to be one of the first 5 finished). I was doing the math in my head and with the amount of time left until December 19th, when they said was the latest date we would close and then calculating what was actually done and how long they said it would take to complete the next steps, it was not physically possibly that it would be done. In fact, I could not figure that it would be done anytime before mid to the end of January. So, I sent and email to the builder and asked about this.
He replied back and said that it had taken longer to get the building permit for our house because we are beside an empty wooded lot, but that he still thought it would be possible to close by the 19th of December. I don't know how...the math still doesn't add up. Maybe they plan to work faster then usual.
When we went by this Saturday, the house was standing! A week before it had been only a foundation. Now it is a completely framed and even had a roof. Next time we go by, there might even be siding.
I took some pictures, and here they are.

(We are a little dressed up because we were going to a wedding after. I try not to dress like this while walking around new construction. It is surprisingly hard to climb up to the house in shoes like I wear.)


Jerrod upstairs in the (his) bonus room. I say "his" because that's one of his rooms he gets to "decorate." Decorate will include putting the TV, speakers, cables and stereo stuff...basic boy things. I think the Meerkat painting will also go there too. :) He also gets his office and the garage and I think the kitchen. haha. But I think I will put some nice things in the kitchen (when he's not looking.)



Standing in the hallway. The kitchen and dining room are to the right and a closet and bedroom are to the left...you can pretty much see everything when you don't have walls.


Me in my room: My place where I will put all my scrapbooking, art and music stuff...and attempt to keep clean....more so than I do now...that's what I'm saying.


Looking out the back door. So I guess that's what the backyard will look like...sort of...except hopefully a little better with some grass and without construction materials in it.


Living room windows. It looks so nice out them with the trees for neighbors. Very excited about that as always.


More potential walls. I know, it's just a bunch of boards and only exciting to me and Jerrod, but I'm showing it anyway, because it is exciting for me after many months of wishing to see a bunch of boards.


Hard to believe that we will be able to live here in two months. I am happy. My neighbor upstairs is not nice and I want to move! It's not so great to be stuck waiting in your apartment and having to pay an outrageous amount of money for month to month rent, especially when you have walk on egg shells around your mean neighbors.

Tonight after Jerrod got off work we went over our subdivision to take a look at an empty house, that is the same model as ours, that hasn't closed yet. It didn't have any upgrades that we wanted to look at, but it was the same floor plan and layout, so it's kind of nice to see the completed house without furniture.
Afterwards, we drove past our lot to see if any progress had been made...not much of anything, but they did have the building permits posted.So, I guess that is promising. We walked around to see what we could see...check out the neighbors foundations, look at the lumber...you know, fun stuff like that. I was able to catch Jerrod in a few pictures, which was exciting, because he will never let his picture be taken. (I've gotta sneak up on him when he's not expecting it.) Of course, most of them are from the back, but once and awhile I do get one where he shows his face, which is nice.





I also am more excited than ever about the wooded lot beside us. I went over there and looked down into it (it slopes down and is full of trees) and it just made me really happy to see it. I like having that little bit of nature there in the middle of all those houses and streets and that stuff. And actually, the house we walked through today was on a lot we had initially considered buying for a few days. Today we saw that their big living room windows open up to the side of the neighbors house and at the neighbor's bathroom window. Ours will open up to this:
Well worth the extra money for a premium lot! The other house definately does not have a good view! And this one is going to be so nice for us...and for the next person for resale. Maybe we could have got into the other house sooner, because it is in the previously opened section, but this location is much more appealing for me.

About 30 seconds down the road is the new retail area, so went over there to have some supper and then went to a movie. I haven't been to a movie in a long time. Jerrod goes more often, but I like to watch things at home, because I like to keep my hands busy while I'm watching things and I can get more done with my scrap booking stuff that way. And it's also always so cold in those theaters! I brought a sweater because I know that, but I was still freezing the whole time!!! I hate it! Not, that I'm not freezing at home too, with Jerrod blasting the air conditioning and all, but it's worse when I'm out and about. I really hate air conditioning.
Anyway, we saw 3:10 to Yuma. It was good. We liked it. We like westerns and it's not very often that you see them in theaters anymore. It will be nice to have so much of the retail, restaurants and this sort of thing so near to us when we move.

They finally got the roads on our future street recently. This is very exciting because that was the big thing that needed to be done before they can start building. They also put up a sign to show our lot is "under contract." However, ours got run over...hope that's not a bad sign of things to come! Anyway, I ran up there on that pile of dirt, in my high-heels, and nailed it back into the ground with a rock. But, a few days later, it is down again. Oh well. Since then they have also put in curbs and storm drains....now they just need to get building permits from the city. So, in July it should actually get started going up. We have to make decisions now on what kinds of things we want for options....in fact, we have our design studio meeting next week. It's stressful. I am always worried about making the right choice. My tastes are somewhat artistic and I would like to do some bold things, but then at the same time, we are trying to pick things that will appeal to future buyers since we are not looking at this as a long term home. So, that means we have to try to keep things somewhat neutral. Not as fun as some of the possibilities that are running through my brain, but I guess when we plan to keep our house for awhile I can do more artistic things.

I wanted to post some pictures of our newest excitement, which is our house. This seems to be the easiest way show them to multiple people at once.
We made the decision to buy and build it about a month ago. It's in the Providence area in Mount Juliet, TN, which is about 20-25 minutes east of downtown Nashville. It's pretty close to where we live now...just 2 exit's down and about 10 minutes from Jerrod's office.
One of the good things about this area is that it is growing and there is a lot of development going into the area. (I think Mt. Juliet is supposed to be the fastest growing city in Tennessee). So, within 30 seconds we have a lot shopping, restaurants, a movie theater...pretty much anything we will need. So, it's very convenient. If I have to live in the city, I prefer it would be a convenient area. Our subdivision also has a good park, four life-guarded swimming pools, walking trails and is near good schools; which isn't such a big deal to us, but I think it's good for families, so when re go to re-sell in the future, it will be a good thing. So, hopefully building in this area will be an investment.

One thing we were really excited about was getting a premium lot. We were able to be one of the first buyers when they opened up the new section, so we got to pick where we wanted to build. We decided to invest a little extra into the corner lot we got and really like it because we are going to have a wooded tree area on one side of us. And, it's the side that most of our big windows will open up to, so it will be great to not have anyone on that side.

Jerrod on our future street, beside our lot. Below is the wooded area we are so excited to get.
The exterior.

Floor plan. 3 bedroom and bonus room, 2 bathroom, 2 car garage. 1562 square feet. Initially I wanted more room...probably always will always think I more room no matter how much I have, but the layout of the space is good and for us right now it will work good. Maybe in the future we will need more space, but we think for the 2 of us it is going to work out well for our needs.
The next pictures are of a model house from the builder's website, which obviously isn't ours, but same floor plan. So it's the basic idea, until ours actually is standing. In a few months I can put the actual house pictures up!





This floor plan is nice because it's got the vaulted ceilings and is so open. We like that, and I think it's a good selling point of the house.

So far, they have just started to work on the roads, but they aren't in yet. But, hopefully that will be done by the end of this month and then after the roads are finished then the house can be built starting in July. I'm really hoping it gets started as soon as possible. Of course, I have no patience, but not only that, our lease on our apartment is up at the end of September and so we will have to pay month to month, which means rent is incredibly high anything over the lease date. So, the sooner the better. I am just feeling so happy and blessed that we were able to make a decision and find something. We were scared to make a commitment because there is a lot to be concerned about when you buy your first house, but the morning we bought it, I had prayed to know if something was right or not. We didn't know what we wanted...we knew what we didn't want, but it's so hard to know what the best decision is and when. But after we finally made the choice, I felt OK about it and Jerrod did too. Like, even if it wasn't the most perfect thing (who ever knows what that is or if there is such a thing?) it could be OK.