Oh yeah, it's the Blue House

My husband asked me why there are no photos of the outside of the house on the blog.  Huh?  There aren't?  No, lots of photos of the built-in laundry basket but nothing of the outside. 

Not everyone is a fan of the color.  I love it, Scooter says it's OK.  It makes really easy to give directions.  It's the only blue house in the neighborhood!

Here it is:

 

 

 

 

 

This is when we got our driveway:

 This is the back of the house:



 

 It will be nice when we get lawn.  That will be Spring.   

That's it.  We love it.  We have a little bit of snow right now.  It covers up the dirt!  Makes it look so clean and bright.

Berries, Berries, Berries

I have been challenging myself to find things to shoot.  The subjects I most like to shoot are flowers, barns, wildlife and birds.  Now that I live in Idaho, the seasons for these things are very short, well, except for the barns!

Once I really started seeing and not just looking, I noticed the abundance of berries here.  I was quite surprised at the variety and at the colors. 

 

  

And if you look closely, there seems to be a star at the end of most of the berries. 

Some of the stars looked like they were glued to the berry and others were like they were pressed into it.

After some research, I found out the names of most, too.  And I found out that choke cherries come in many colors.  Besides the different choke cherries, I found Oregon grape, kinnikinnick, mountain ash, American cranberry, snowberry, flowering crabapple and Virginia creeper.  I have also seen the black chokecherry and elderberry, but have not gotten a good shot yet.

I am also amazed at the colors.  How beautiful is the Virginia creeper with it's blue berry and bright red stem.  And the Oregon grape also with a blue berry, but a pretty pink stem.  The flowering crabapple has a beautiful yellow berry and red stems.

 

An unidentified berry I love is below  The dainty pink flower and the bright orange berry are so pretty.   Together they can't be bigger than a half inch.

 

  

Once the flower dies, it is a dark maroon.  The berry appears florescent orange and you really see the red stem.

 

The snowberry has always been a favorite.  Not until this last year did I even know it had a real name!  As a kid, we called them pop berries.  We would pull them off the bush, place them on a hard surface and lightly step on them.  They really make a pretty good pop!  OK, it's not a video game, but things were simpler back then!

 

 

A variety of the berries:

 



 

 

And last, when I pull out of our driveway, these blackberry canes across the street always catch my eye.  They are such a beautiful lavender.  I keep trying to get a great photo of them, but you can see the color.

 

 

I am still trying to "see" new things to shoot.  We will be on vacation soon and I should get a ton of flower photos.  Then around Christmas, the eagles come.  I am so anxious for that. 

 



Comedy of Errors

We've been in our home for 4 weeks now.  Loving it more and more each day. 

When we bought the property, the address was 6165.  Due to our not having a permanent place to live in August and three weeks in September, I wanted to plant our mailbox and get our mail at the new house.

Ah, no can do.  "We don't even put the house numbers on the house until the final inspection because the county usually changes the address."  Hmmmm, I thought, how odd.

OK, so the mail got changed to General Delivery and there was nothing I could do about it.  A couple times a week, one of us would go by the Post Office and pick up our mail.  A little bit annoying and inconvenient, but what the heck?

About a week before move, I filled out the "We've Moved" card and sent it to wherever it goes showing the 6165 address as our new one.  Oh boy...

Just before we move, one of the worker bees was putting up our house numbers and they put up 6162.  What?  Oh no, that can't be right.  Shoot!  I was trying to be efficient and I messed up!  So being the girl who hates doing anything wrong, I go to the Post Office and talk with the Post Mistress and told her what happened.  "Fill out a new card," she said.  OK, I fill out a new card with 6162.  I was so relieved I hadn't changed any addresses to 6165 anywhere else.  Whew!  Dodged a bullet there!

We get a new bank account, get the phone, get the tv, get the internet all with the 6162 address.  It was so nice to be moving in and moving on to the new stuff in our lives.

I think we had been in the house for about a week and Scooter was sitting here and the doorbell rang.  It was our mailman.  He introduced himself and then said, "Why do you have an even house number?"  Huh?  That's what the county gave us.  "Well, you are on the odd side of the street."   He went on to tell Scooter that if it said Rochon, he'd just deliver it here.  I told Scooter that will probably last until someone else builds on our side of the street!  Oh boy... 

By then, as I got a bill, I put the 6162 address as our new one and all was going well. 
Then I spent most of last Saturday trying to get addresses changed with our bills, etc.  The mortgage bank had called and asked why we were using 6162, they had 6126.  Oh no, I said, it's 6162.  He asked if I could get with our insurance because they had 6165 on their paperwork and it had to match.  I forgot Scooter had arranged all of that and started making phone calls.  Holy cow!  Our insurance was an easy change.  Everyone else, not so much.

I spent that Saturday on the phone and online trying to get addresses changed to the 6162 number.  Some I had some success.  Others it was like pulling teeth.  I found websites who like their customers and want them to a have a good experience and others that I wonder how they are in business.  All I could do was daisy chain around the site and then do it all over again. 

At any rate, I got addresses changed.  I talked to folks when it was needed.  I filled out forms and I ordered checks and all was well with the world.  Or so I thought.  Oh boy...

The one thing I kept forgetting to do was call our water company.  We had water, so what the heck, right?  A couple days ago, I started calling the number I was given.  No, you are not in our area.  I called a different one.  No, you are not in our area.  Hmmm.  I check out the web directory (I did work for the phone company.  I'm good at finding what I need).  No luck.  Then I called the builder and they gave me the correct number to call.

Success!  And no problem.  Got your name and here's how we bill.  Super, I say!  Then I make the mistake of saying, "Oh by the way, they changed our address."  What is wrong with me?  I just can't leave well enough alone.  "What do you mean?" he says.  I go through my spiel and he says he'll get the bill to us. 

Yesterday, Mimi and I go run some errands and Scooter gets a phone call from the County.  Our house has the wrong house number!!!  WHAT???  And guess what the correct number is.  Yep, 6165.  Oh boy...

I'm sure the water folks called the county and asked what the heck was going on.  And sure enough, oops, a mistake was made and the house number we had in the very beginning, last January, is correct. 

I think I'll wait a week or so and start this process all over again.  The Post Office knows us quite well by now.  The fact that we have gotten no mail in the last week concerns me, but I bank online, so that doesn't concern me too much.  I'll start by filling out the card at the Post Office and mailing it in.  Then I'll change the address as the bills come in one by one.  Oh boy...

Sunshine Award

I was honored to be nominated for a Sunshine Award for my blog by Sarah Huizenga the owner of Paisley Rain Boots.  I really enjoy reading her blog and her photos are awesome. 

Sarah posted these questions for me to answer:

Here are my 10 questions for you:

1. Favorite Movie?  "Singing in the Rain"  Even as a kid, if I saw in the TV Guide it was going to be on tv, I'd tell my mom I was sick so I could stay home so I could watch.

2. What are you reading right now? It can be a magazine :)  "Hawaii:  The Big Island Revealed"  We're going next month and I'm looking for the best things to see there!

 3. Sweet Potatoes or Russet Potatoes?  Sweet

 4. Honey or Sugar?  Although I love Honey, I have to go with Sugar.

5. Favorite Weekend Activity?  Driving and taking photos.

 6. What decade would you most liked to have lived in?  I like where I am now.  The 70's were so fun - just after the hippies of the 60's.  Great music, just out of High School & College, on my own for the 1st time.  It was great.

7. Makeup or a la natural?  Unfortunately, it's mostly a la natural most of the time now.  When I wear it now, it just melts off! 

8. Tea or Coffee?  COFFEE

9. Sweet or Salty?  Sweet, always, darn it.

10. Thing that you are most proud of accomplishing this year?  I have to say building our house.  I love it.  It was a frustrating process, but I'm so pleased with the result.


Thank you Sarah for the nomination.  I really appreciate it.  I'm so happy you liked my blog.  I wanted to document the process and it worked well.

I don't read many blogs. I'm sorry, but I don't have anyone to nominate. 









 

Home Sweet Home!

Hi! Remember me?  I'm back with some finished photos. 

We did our final walk through with the builder on September 18th.  We got our keys, but did not move in until Thursday, September 19th.  Scooter set up the bed in one of the spare bedrooms and we slept there.  Our new bed and mattress was delivered on Friday.  And I feel like I've been unpacking non-stop.  I thought packing was a pain, but unpacking is worse.  Now I have to find a spot for everything.  I still have a ways to go, but it's starting to feel like home!

Here we go:

Our foyer.  This was taken from the family room looking toward the front door.  My office is on the right and the guest bedrooms are on the left.  Next, the guest bedrooms. 

 



 

 

We call this Mimi's room.  She likes to look out back, so this is perfect for her (or you if you come when she's not here!).



 

This guest room is in the front of the house.  The trundle bed makes into a king bed - lots  of room for company (hint, hint).

 

This bath is off the back bedroom.

 

This is off the front bedroom.  We have not oiled the soapstone in these bathrooms yet, so they are still gray.  We will get them done - sooner or later.



Here's the shower between the two. 

 

The family room from the foyer.  Looks like I need to vacuum!

This view is from the dining room looking into the family room.

The dining area is in the background.

The following are photos of the kitchen: 

The backsplash got finished on Thursday.  I love it!  And I really love the soapstone!  The cabinets look like they have a red tone, but they really don't.

And the laundry room:

The hamper.  The laundry room side of the hamper, then the master closet side.

The master bedroom:

We did get a new bed & mattress.  I found my bedside tables on craigslist for $50 each!  Score!

 

The master bathroom: 

 



 

The shower door got installed last week.

Linen closet:



 

Our master closet:

 



 

The built in dresser has four drawers & there are two rows for hanging clothes.  Next to Scooter's hanging clothes are shelves for folded clothes.  My side also has a small section for long hanging clothes, but I don't have a photo.  And I love the two shelves above for storage.

 



 

 

OK, I think that's it.  I hope you've enjoyed going through the process of building of our house.  I'm sure there will be more later! 

 

No grass in the yard or flowers yet.  I may take some photos and add them later.  Maybe if I ever get done with my unpacking.

 

Thanks for indulging me!  I love your comments.

 



The little things

These next photos show the little things that have been finished.  It's getting pretty close now.  Still shooting for Wed, 9/18.  Yippee!

I'll save what I feel is the best for last!  Here are some kitchen photos.

For cookie sheets

 

Pull out shelf under cooktop

 

Spot for the microwave over the oven

 

Silverware drawer

 

Paper towel holder, next to the sink - paper towels on top dowel, towels on bottom

 

The rods are now in the master closet.

Now the piece I'm most proud to have in our house!  Proud?  Maybe excited is the right word.

THE HAMPER!!!  lol

The laundry room side

 

Open the door and pull the hamper toward the laundry room to get the dirty clothes

The closet side

 

Open the door, pull out the drawer and put the dirty clothes in

 

I didn't show the top where the shelves are.  Put the clean clothes in on the laundry room side and put them away on the closet side!

I really am happy with how the "little" things we added were done.  I may add a "handle" of some sort to the hamper itself; we'll see. 

There aren't many other things to show.  Just tiny things to finish/fix.  Maybe after the final walk through, I'll take photos of everything before we start moving our things.

Thanks for following all of my ramblings.  I can hardly wait for Spring now to get the outside going - planting flowers and all.  We have a few shrubs to plant and will probably put in a few trees.  I want some paperbark birch trees!  And I'd love to have a contorted hazelnut or willow tree.  Geez, am I never happy?  I am, really I am!