Today we had the guy come out to give the estimate for the Florida room. He came in at $1,000 less than the estimate we got last year and he actually went from us getting a 17 X 12 room to a 25 X 12 room. And then added extra concrete to what we already wanted outside of the room for a larger patio area to grill on at no charge. AND he took off almost $200 because Joel works at Sprint with one of his good friends! :-) How lucky, huh? Last year they were busier with all of the hurricanes and there was a concrete shortage. They had to bring in concrete from "all over the place". I guess we chose the right time of year this time. The guy seems very down to earth. We have to go to his office to pick the color tint we want on the windows and the color for the kick plates. I'll be meeting Joel in Leesburg during the week to do that. While the guy was here he mentioned that it would be easier for everyone if we went ahead and bought the hot tub, if we were getting one, before they put up the walls and after they poured the concrete. So we went to look at hot tubs after he left. We went to Rec Warehouse out at the mall. Umm...can you say OVERPRICED!!? They were over twice the price as the ones we found online when we got home. And some of the ones online had bonuses like free shipping, free accessories, free top, free steps, etc... One of the places had ALL of the above at half the price! Needless to say we won't be going with Rec Warehouse!
So then we went to Home Depot. We picked out a swatch for the counter tops and a sample for the color of the wood laminate for the floor. We want the Dupont, glueless laminate with the backing already attached. Before we put in the wood laminate, though, we'll be putting in the new french doors. Sounds like a lot of money adding up, huh? Yep, it is. We actually might wait on the hot tub. That's an extra thing that we've been wanting. But the other stuff we need. We've also already had an estimate on getting the house painted. The guy that does our lawn work has a house exactly like ours and knew just what it cost him to paint his own house, so he said he'd do ours for $700. That includes everything. The fixing of the stucco, painting the door, etc... I actually don't know if that's a good price or not, so if any of my readers would let me know I'd appreciate it. Our house is 1600 square feet including the garage. Is that a good deal? It better be or he might make me mad enough to quit him as our yard guy, too. :-P lol Just kidding. He does a great job on our yard. AND he drives by every day, almost, since he lives in the neighborhood. He said he'd check it frequently during the week to be sure everything looks nice. So far he's living up to his end of the deal. Anyway, back on topic. We have to have the appraisal on the house soon and then have the house treated for termites before construction can begin. And before they start on the Florida room we need to have the house painted. So we're on a tight schedule. The guy talked like the Florida room could be started very soon. Yay! We'll have it up before Summer is over! :-) *Knocks wood*
Are you still reading? Have I bored you to tears yet? I'm sorry...I know this isn't as exciting for anyone else as it is for us. lol Ok...next subject so I don't completely lose the interest of anyone that has read this far. :-P
There was a blog challenge over at The DigiChick yesterday. I had already updated my blog early in the morning, as always, so I'll do it now. The challenge was to write about your favorite Summer time activity. Hmm....that's a tough one. Activity? What's that? I thought Summer time was for kicking back and relaxing? No? Ok then, I guess I'd have to say bike riding. I love hopping on the bikes with Kolby and Joel and riding around the neighborhood. It has to be late in the evening or early in the morning in the Summer, though, or you'll sweat to death. lol I also LOVE to swim. I'm a bit shy about getting into a swim suit now, though. Which is unfortunate since it's SO MUCH FUN! If only we could get our own pool. Now THAT would be nice! I think they're a bit out of our budget right now. We could get one I guess, but we don't want to be strapped for cash just so we can have some swim time. lol So what's your favorite Summer time activity? Leave me a comment, would ya? :-) I didn't get ANY comments yesterday. *sniff, sniff* Poor me.
I didn't have time for any scrapping today. I'm running low on photos, anyway. I have some on the D70 that need to be uploaded, though, so maybe there are some keepers on there.
I got a lot of compliments on my layouts I did yesterday of Emmy. Isn't she the most precious little girl in the world? I tend to think she resembles her aunt Rischa a little bit. She has the "Smith cheeks" I think. My dad has them, I have them, and now Emmy has them, too! It's really cool to see them on another girl. They fit her well. I hope she doesn't grow out of them. I still haven't. lol It'd be nice to have her keep that look like I did so there will be a little part of her aunt Rischa in her since I live so far away from her and Shelly. Gosh, I bet Shelly is almost grown. lol I have watched her grow through pictures mostly. Each time I go visit she's twice the size she was the last time I saw her. She's still a tiny little thing, though. She couldn't help but be tiny. Her mom and dad are both on the small side. I think I need to take another trip to GA now that my knee is a little better. I need to get some time in with my nieces. If I were to go, though, Kolby would want to stay, and I don't want that. But I know it's coming since school is out any day now. I think tomorrow is supposed to be his last day. I have to look at the public school's schedule. I want him to finish his math book, though, so I don't plan to tell him until he's done. He's in the middle of fractions & decimals. Actually, he's done them both before, but now he needs to know how to change one to the other. He's getting it down, so I don't want him to quit just yet.
Tired of reading yet? I bet you are. :-P I'm sure tired of writing, so I'll give it a rest now. I wish I had an image for ya. A photo, a layout, something. Oh well...I'll have to make up for it tomorrow I suppose. Have a great Hump Day!