Moving takes a long time– and doing it during the holidays is quite the undertaking, but we’re managing.  We’ve done some decorating and still trying to locate the rest of our stuff buried somewhere between the garage and the attic.  This year we won’t have the house as decorated as we’d like, but we’re doing enough to make it feel a lot like Christmas.

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Mom entering her house for the first time.

Well at 10:28 this morning mom became the proud owner of her new home.  She keeps saying, “pinch me so I know I’m not dreaming”.  She absolutely loves her new home.

Now, I know there were some readers who wanted others to believe that this wasn’t her house or that I was lying… do they ever get tired of being wrong?  Do they ever get tired of spreading their lies?  Probably not.

Any way, It’s been a long and very exhausting past few days, but we’ve soldiered through it. There’s still so much to do.  So much unpacking and decorating.  Hopefully we’ll get it done by the time the new year arrives.

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So you’ve been using Echo for the weekend, how do you like it?  I know it doesn’t have everything that some of you enjoyed with Haloscan, but I think you’ll agree there are plenty of extra features that make Echo a whole lot better.

The last few days, I’ve been out shopping with my mother for her new house.  We’ve been at Macy’s, JC Penny’s, Home Good’s store, Dillards, and Belks.  We purchased towels, and curtains for the bathrooms.  Drapes for mom’s bedroom.  A beautiful carpet for the living room.  A large mirror for the dining room.  We’ve done a lot of shopping.

To be quite honest, I haven’t read many of the comments.  I’ve been really busy this weekend, but I received emails telling me that Clay has been with Reed.  Ladies, I know.  His IP address showed up on my ClayAiken411 address for Minnesota.  I’m very happy that Clay could take the time to visit his friend and family.

Any way, I’m going to relax while I watch Oprah’s special and enjoy the ranting of some of you.

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International blogger's upstairs retreat

International blogger's upstair's retreat and back room study

Future mini-kitchen area

Well, we had a walk through and there were just a final minor paint touch-ups that needed to be done.  We are still waiting on lights for my mother’s room, breakfast area, master bathroom, and dining room- those should be installed tomorrow.  The home inspector noted one faulty smoke detector, but otherwise was very impressed with the builder and the superlative job that he did.  In just a few days mom will be moved into her beautiful new home and her childhood dream of having her own house built will finally be realized– I can not express how excited I am for my mother and the shear joy it brings me to see her face every time she just stands there with a smile on her face staring at the house.

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I admit that I am biased, but I think that the house turned out beautifully.  I love all of our choices and how warm and inviting the  house came out.

Welcome Home.

Today, I purchased this set of front loaded washer and dryer for my mother for Christmas.  I’m having it delivered and installed the day of her closing.  She has no idea.  I can’t wait to see her face when she walks in the laundry room and sees them sitting there.

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Really coming together.

All that's needed are the outside lights, wrought iron railing, and front yard sod.

So I got a call from mom, who just returned from shopping at Belk’s and was standing in front of her new home- mom bought herself a new dress for this Sunday’s performance of ‘Phantom of the Opera’, and was so excited to tell me that the gutters had gone up on the house and that the landscaping in the front was done.  She sounded like an excited girl who just opened up a present.

As she was hanging up with me, she spotted her old neighbors.  They had decided to see where my mom was building and check out the house.  Unfortunately, they weren’t able to look inside, because the hardwood floors were done today.  In fact, no one can walk inside until Sunday.  Regardless, my was so excited to see her old neighbors and friends.  She so badly wants them to build next door.  Mom is always talking about how much she misses them knocking on the back door and stopping for a cup of coffee.

Any way, it looks like mom will be home for Christmas.  I’m so grateful to our builder.  He is an exceptional man, who worked exceptionally hard for me to ensure that my mom would be in her home for Christmas, and in the process, did a superlative job.  We are very fortunate and blessed to have found such a wonderful person.

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Fireplace nearly complete- designer glass tile surround.

Kitchen tile and backsplash done.

Glass tile with tumbled marble

Light fixtures almost all in. Glass tile in kitchen follows through to fireplace in family room.

Nearly all done.

Nearly 4 months and it's almost done

Mom and her grandson sit on the steps of her new home.

Mom and her grandson sit outside her new home.

Mom and I met with the builder today to go over some final details.  Next Wednesday, she and I will walk with the builder and our home inspector to develop a final punch list.  That Saturday we’ll do our final walk-through and on Monday mom will have her closing.  It’s amazing that just over 4 months ago, when I first shared pictures, there was nothing more than high grass where my mother and nephew are now sitting.  Today stands a beautiful home wanting to embrace its new owners.

Tomorrow will be a very busy day at the house.  Landscaping, gutters, outdoor lighting, installing of the remaining shutters, and staining of the hardwood floors all take place.  Sunday, I should have some beautiful pictures to show of the front yard.  Unfortunately, the wrought iron railing will not be up until next week.

There will still be a lot to do after we close- the upstairs kitchen and library are to be completed, and mom is having a cabinets and buffet built for the breakfast area.  She’s also having a privacy fence installed- it’s important to keep those stalkers out.  lol

It was nice to see my mother so excited.  She really loved her lighting, the glass tile, and the way all of our design choices and changes came together.  Just 11 more days and just in time for my to enjoy her Christmas present- her new home.

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For the first time, mom uses her key to open up her new house. Appliances all in, painting done, etc. Lighting and landscaping next week.

Standing on the shores of Long Island Sound by my grandparents' house

Mom and I outside of the Capitol Building.

Mom and I on the steps of the Capitol Building. It was cold and windy!!!

I hope everyone has an enjoyable Thanksgiving.  I know that my mother and I did.  It was so wonderful being able to see my mother surprise her family for the holidays.  It was truly one of the best gifts I could have ever given to my mother.  We truly enjoyed visiting with my niece and nephew, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents…  speaking of which– surprising my grandparents and spending time with them on Thanksgiving Day and again on Friday morning was, for me, the best of all.

Mom and I left Connecticut early Friday afternoon and I took a little side trip to surprise my mother with a quick visit to Washington DC.  It was cold!!!  We snapped a few pictures and took in the beauty of the city at night before making our way back home to North Carolina.  As wonderful as it was to visit, my mother and I agreed, North Carolina truly is our home and we love living here so much.  The people, the environment, the surroundings– everything is wonderful.  We just wish we could convince the rest of the family to move.  Maybe someday.

This morning, mom and I stopped by her house.  The yard was graded and ready for sod.  Appliances were installed, painting was complete… next week the floors get stained, the backsplash and lighting go up, and the landscaping gets started.

And as a side note, I read that Adam Lambert will debut at #2 with an impressive albums sales of over 250K– beating out Lady GaGa.  WOW!!!  Good for him.  I guess controversy sells, and those writing him off were a little premature in their predictions.  Congratulations Adam!!!

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Sometimes celebrity's get special treatment.

Well, as many of you have learned Mom and I are in Connecticut.  About two months ago I suggested to my mother that she and I go to Connecticut to spend Thanksgiving with the rest of the family.

It was tradition for many years to spend Thanksgiving Day at my aunt’s, my mother’s younger sister.  For the first time in 7 seven years my mother will be having Thanksgiving with her sisters.  It’s also been over two years since my mother’s had an opportunity to visit them.  I thought it would nice to drive my mother to Connecticut so that she could surprise her sister’s and my brother and his family-  and were they ever shocked.  Mom shed some tears of joy and her grandson was excited.  Of course, this is also the first time she’s seen her granddaughter who’s now two months old.

Tomorrow will be a huge day with over 50 family members.  I’m glad that I was able to treat my mother to a very special Thanksgiving Day.

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This afternoon I stopped by my mother’s house to meet with a contractor (more on that later) and saw that all the kitchen cabinets were installed– the cabinet maker did a great job with them. The dining room had its first coat of chocolate brown– it looked beautiful.  This color brown has just a hint of red in it which will pick up beautifully the red that is in the painting my mother is planning to hang on the wall.

So I met with a contractor to discuss where we wanted to put the kitchen upstairs– it’s not a full kitchen.  It’ll have the double sink, dishwasher, microwave, and an under the counter refrigerator.  Mom wants to put a mini kitchen upstairs in the entertainment room.  It’ll really nice, cabinets on three sides with granite counter tops and bar seating.

We’re also adding an upstairs library– using about 250 square feet of the unfinished attic space.  In order for there not to be a delay in the closing, this will be completed after the closing.  This is the revised floor plan for the upstairs.

If you look at the floor plan, you can see where we added the mini-kitchen to the right with cabinets.  The cabinets on the bottom left will have a mini-bar, and on the top left, those cabinets will have a built-in microwave and cabinets for snacks.  The will be a dishwasher on one side of the sink and a min-refrigerator with a raised bar that will overlook the recreation area which we’re deciding on whether to put a card table or a pool table.  Above that we’ll have the computer nook/work station for mom’s grandchildren.  To the left of that will be the Library/Office area that can also be used as a 5th bedroom for guests.  Finally, if you go back to the Recreation room, you’ll see the lounge area.  There will be a flat screen television on that right wall, and this section set for that area.

I think mom and I did a great job with how we used the upstairs space and the arrangement.  I also love the sectional that we chose.  It’ll compliment the rest of the furniture nicely.  Hopefully, we can get all the additional changes completed by the end of February.  I put the original second floor floorplan up on my Flickr account in case anyone wanted to see the changes.

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