No pictures yet, but...

We actually have a roof and all our windows now!!! How exciting , and it is a couple of weeks before I predicted they'd be done - even better!! They are doing all the siding this week and the garage and front doors will probably also be in stalled so we will not longer be able to go inside. Still, it was kind of nice, and a little emotional, going back in there afgter all these months. Feels like de ja vous! We did notice some mildrew on the fire wall between us and our neighbor's house, so wehave to ask about them remediating that - with all the raid we had in the last two weeks it it hardly a surprise. hopefully now that is it closed off it'll dry out and go away...but it never hurts to ask. I promise there will be pictures with the next post. Maybe when we move back in we can get DSL and uploads will be lightnig fast, unlike this dial up stuff! I guess I am spoiled from the speedy service at the office!

Picture(s) - Attempt III (Success!!!)

This was the front of the house - we are the last one on the end with a magnificent view of the trees. The window with the transom was our master bedroom. The window just past it was the garden bath.
















This was the front (corner) of the house - the large windows on the corner were the living room which goes up 2 floors. The windows above the sliding doors was Katie's Room.

Yea, that's right, visual interest...

Ok, now for the pictures - I am still getting the hang of this. Let's start with something simple, like how the house looked when we closed on it (for lack of anything more fascinating). (Keep the comments kind - I am new to this after all).

I have no clue what I am doing...

Wanting to keep up with the Jones's, or in this case the Schoutens's and Naone's, I decided to start my own blog - I am sure it will serve only as my own personal source of amusement rather than anything substantive - but you can't blame me for trying! That being said, I guess we can start with what has to have been arguably the most amazing year, both good and bad! First, we closed on our new home. A week later we got married. Life was blissful and settling in when nearly everything was lost in "the fire" back in January. As if that wasn't hard enough on Katie, she found out her Dad was being stationed in Iraq a month later. After drawn out negotiations with the insurance company (which is my euphamism for hounding them relentlessly to do their jobs) we finally bgan to see a light at the end ofthe tunnel - construction finally beginning last month. Over the ensuing weeks I will start to post all the fabulous and frightening pictures up to the minute. We will also start posting stuff about the exciting goings on in Gilberts, Illinois and in our lives as a family. It can only get better in other words!!! We hope you enjoy.