It's so close I can taste it!

Renovations are moving along pretty well now. Only two more weeks until we get to move back in, hopefully. We have a housewarming/thank you party planned for Saturday, May 24th, and my son and daughter-in-law are flying in on the 23rd. I just hope we're not scrambling to get set up on the 22nd. Let's hope not.

Yesterday the 500-gallon propane tank was delivered and buried. What fun it was to watch a very large man operate small equipment. One little backhoe looked like a Tonka truck. We wanted one so badly.

The stucco continues to be troweled on. We chose the color "mango". It figures I'd think of food when searching for a house color. Half of the house is covered now. It should be done in a couple of more days. Then the guys can come and finished adding Hardy "shake" shingles on the house peaks, then the window trim. Lastly, the outside finish trim will get painted "Fireweed", a dark

cinnamon-red color to complement our brick. It should be very pretty when finished.

Electrical fixtures are pretty much all installed now. I love the outside sconces we chose, the dining area chandelier and pendants over the kitchen sink. I'm also happy we chose neutral fixtures, because they look very classy with the wall and tile colors.

Our backsplash tile looks beautiful. The painter/stucco woman suggested we also put the same tile around our new "service" window in the kitchen. It was a great idea! The tile makes that window just pop. I love it with the "Black Pearl" granite counter tops and Hickory cabinets. Everything is coming together nicely.

All ceiling fans are now installed with switch and other plates. The rooms are looking very finished. The only electrical things left to be installed are the bathroom vents, and the connector (I can't remember the name of this) for our backup generator.

Interior trim is being painted now, and touch-up work for the walls will be required. The walls were painted before the trim guys came in with ladders against the walls.

The house now has water, and the lame plumber ran unfiltered (read that orange) water into all our new toilets and sinks and pipes. Really? We (read that, Larry) had to bleach them and figure out how to install a stop-gap measure to protect this from happening again until permanent power is installed. Our circuit breaker is in, but no temporary power has been connected yet. I don't know why. Extension cords run everywhere.

Our GC, Bill, says we may be able to get a final inspection in the next week. After that inspection, we can get permanent power connected to the house, and all the final electrical things can be installed: security system and internet. We won a $1,200 security system at the local Home and Garden Show a couple of months ago. It's the kind of system we can turn off lights remotely with our Smart Phone. Cool, huh?

We're almost done, and the end is so close now, I can actually taste it.