Concrete Is DONE!

Regardless of how gross it was outside yesterday, I was off from work and getting stir-crazy sitting at home all by myself. I swung by my husband’s office and asked him if he would come with me to look at the lot. He was a little hesitant being that it was the middle of rush-hour and it was raining, but he eventually caved and hopped in the car.

Since we got a call from Guardian a couple of days ago to schedule our walk-through with him, I was curious to see how far they have gotten and also wanted something to compare when we go back next week. Much to my surprise, it looks like the concrete is finished! Everything has dried up nicely and I am excited to see what happens next.

The FINAL final verdict?

So my last post turned into being a depressing (yet again stressful) couple of weeks. The ‘approval’ email we received from the lady we had never heard of was actually a Sales and Settlements Administrator emailing us to tell us that our design selections were approved. In hindsight, we probably should have realized there was something off when we didn’t hear from our loan processor.

So I called our loan processor, telling him how excited I was for the loan approval and wanted to know what we needed to do next. He sounded very confused and explained to me what happened. At that point, our application was still in underwriting and they needed MORE documentation. Good grief! We sent over more letters from John’s supervisor, paid off more debts, and had to spend a couple of days on the phone with the bank so that we could get copies of every check that John had received from his employer in 2014.

I got a call yesterday to let me know that our loan officer was going to have a conference with the underwriting department over our application and make a decision. Needless to say, I was waiting by the phone all morning, and when it rang my heart sank. The actual real moment was finally here. No more stressing over what the answer would be. THANKFULLY we actually are approved this time. I had to say it like 3 or 4 times until I accepted it and called my husband. Since he played with me one too many times during this whole ordeal, I decided to hold out the conversation. I would say something and pause. He kept saying “ANNNNDDD?!?” Sorry honey, I had to get my shot in.

So. Long process. 50 days of stress and crossing fingers. But it has been worth it. We are extremely blessed to have found a great community with in-house lending will to accept John’s income.

Dreaming. Waiting. Decorating.

Thanks to the holiday season, we have not yet heard from the Underwriter. I never thought that I would be wishing the holidays away so quickly!

To help pass the time, I’ve been coming up with ways to decorate the home. I even went as far as purchasing new bedding for the master bedroom. Luckily it was on sale at Kohl’s for almost 80% off. SCORE! I’ve been Pinterest-ing and searching for color schemes so much that I now go to bed dreaming of paint. I also found a lamp shade (the lamp itself was not my thing) that I ADORED. However, the shade was not sold separately and I was not about to pay $85 on a lamp that I hated. So I walked around Hobby Lobby a little more and found that they sell plain lamp shades with a sticky adhesive so I can make one myself! I am pretty excited about that little fact.

This is what I’m thinking for our ‘formal dinning room’. Funny thing is, it is the exact same layout as our’s. Thank you Benjamin Moore models!

Although, with the color schemes I have listed for the rest of the house, would it be better to do a mid-dark shade of aqua instead?

Here are my two options. What do you think for the dining room?

 OR

So here is the color scheme that we (my husband and I) were looking into for our new home, but instead of the middle grey, we would do a shade of blue/grey like shown in the dining room design.

So the top would become the bottom:

The study I would leave just the ‘taupe’ color and accent/liven up the room with decor and simple drapes. To help tie the whole 1st floor together, I would like to make the wall with the fire place the same color as the dining room and have the rest of the walls also ‘taupe’. Depending on whether I go with the ‘Normandy’ or the darker aqua shade will determine what decorative pillows and drapes I use. I think either case will look gorgeous with dark brown leather couches. So many choices!

For the upstairs, I haven’t really thought too far from the Master bed and bath. I purchased a bedding set (as mentioned earlier) and hope to play up the room with the lighter shade of aqua.

Here is the bedding that I purchased:

Here is what I am looking to do (minus the orange pillows):

The tray ceilings in the master will help open it up more and maybe I’ll even find a paint to help make a more dramatic look.

I have too many ideas for the master bath and the theater room so I’ll save those for a time that I’m more decisive.

Off to the Underwriter we go… DUN DUN DUN

And so the plot thickens.

We received an email from our loan processor this morning stating that our application has been forwarded to the underwriter. I don’t think that I have ever been so nervous/anxious/excited all at once. So many emotions!

We also received calls from both Guardian and HD Supply to set up our appointment times! We will be meeting with them on January 5th to discuss flooring, paint, electronics, and all things exciting.

Lastly, we got ourselves a free washer and dryer! When we first had visited the Ernest Hemingway model, we were also interested in the John Steinbeck. Unfortunately the community didn’t have that one available in a model home, but offered us a free washer and dryer if we made it out to one of their other communities to tour the other model within 30 days. I had a day off, a full tank of gas, and some spare time so I said ‘what the heck, I’ll go’. The John Steinbeck is beautiful, although not much different from the Ernest Hemingway (unless you look at the price tag). I will upload pictures for comparison on that shortly!

As we anxiously wait for our loan decision, we are also packing our bags to visit family for the week. I’m crossing my fingers (and my toes) for an early Christmas present this year.