I know it has been a long, long time since I have updated (since 2016). Since my last post I have graduated College (May 2019), with a Major in Business Information Technology, and Minors in Computer Science and History. I had neck surgery for a compressed disk that had caused me to be unable to open the tailgate of our car with my left arm for 9 months. I then proceeded to get a hairline crack in my left wrist and had to first wear a Sugar Sling for 5 weeks and then a Cast for 6 weeks, during which time we were also packing up the entire house. August 1st 2019, we moved from Tennessee to Illinois (cast was removed the day before our move). We moved as David had received an offer for Tenure Track Professor in Computer Science at Elmhurst (was College, changed to University), with a start date of Mid-August.
We moved and rented a tiny house in Schaumburg. While searching for full-time work, I got a job working at Target full-time. In November, I was able to find full-time employment (contractor temp to hire). Boss put in for them to hire me full-time, but then they had a hiring freeze, and then Covid started. I went a year as a contractor and was finally hired as full-time in November 2020. March 2021, we knew the Santa Fe was going to need some major work done, we went to look at Nissan, and they offered what we wanted to get out of the Santa Fe, and the Pathfinder was only 1 year old with only 7,000 miles and 100,000 mile warranty, so we traded in for it. Saved more on the Pathfinder and trade-in than we would have spent on the much needed repairs/maintenance that was needed.
We started looking at building a New house because pre-owned houses were sky high. We ended up have to look farther out then we would have like because even new homes in the area (because of Covid, people working from home and moving away from the current locations to cheaper living areas and Supply Chain issues), of course the developer that was in our budget in May 2021, was out of our budget by October, the Supply Chain issues had caused the prices to go up over $50,000. So we started looking at other builders, even the one we had bought from in Alabama, but we didn’t like theirs. We finally found one we really liked and it was in our price range, even with the few upgrades we wanted, granted it was a Duplex/Townhouse (2 units), with a tiny yard. They broke ground at Christmas 2021.
We started looking at getting a second dog, looking at different doodle mixes. I was really falling in love with the Bernedoodle, when we went to the breeds home, they had a couple of different breeds of doodles. While there we also saw the last one of her last litter of Ttoodles (Tibetan Terrier Poodle mix), she was 3 months old, the breeder told us that if we liked her, she could reduce the cost of her since she was 3 months. We almost bought both, but thought it would be a little too costly to get both fixed at the same time. So, we picked the Ttoodle, she is Black with a little white chin and a little white chest. Named her Natasha, as in the Black Widow. On our drive home, she climbed up my arm/shoulder to lay across the back of my neck/shoulders.
About this time they poured the concrete for our basement, which is about the same size as the rest of the house (only smaller if you counted the loft area and the garage). We are getting a decent sized storage area in the basement, and Xander is getting the rest for his “Apartment”.
In August 2022, they finished the house, we closed and moved in. Now I have about an hour’s drive to work (compared to the 15 minutes before we bought). But the house is worth it. We doubled the living space just on the main level, from the house we rented in Schaumburg. It is still smaller than the house we were renting in Cookeville, but it is much nicer. We are actually just about a block from the Police station and about 4 blocks from the Fire Department.
One of the upgrades we had done, was pre-plumbing in the basement, so Xander will have his own bathroom. Since we moved in, between my MIL and FIL, sending money and our own money, we have had the framing of walls done in the basement, the water softener installed (extremely hard water), the electrical ran (Chicagoland area’s almost all require electrical wires to be ran through metal conduit to keep mice/rats etc from chewing on wires and causing fires). We already bought all the Vinyl flooring needed for his basement, but we need to level out the flooring and get the walls up before we worry about the flooring.
One of the upgrades we had done was that the entire first floor is vinyl planking (upgrade because they did it everywhere but the bedrooms). The only thing we left carpeted was the stairs to the loft and the loft itself.
November 2022, I applied for and received a “promotion” to another department. I am now a Data Analyst in our Inventory Control. My MIL & FIL came up for our first Thanksgiving in the house and loved the layout, room sizes, and the fact it was almost all 1 floor (loft upstairs is actually David’s office) and the huge basement.
With the new positions, there have been days that I was able to work from home. I took off June 1st and 2nd and set up my sewing area and actually started working on 2 different quilts and started pulling out a couple of others to start working on too. I also finished binding the last of the quilt tops I had from Grammy, and the 2 quilt tops that I had quilted shortly before our move from one house to another in Cookeville, before I started attending college.
We founds several quilt shops within a decent distance. Also during my quilting that weekend, the TV in my bedroom/sewing area decided to stop responding to powering on. It lasted 9 1/2 years, a move from one house to another in Cookevile, the move out of state to Chicago, and the move to our new home. Luckily Costco had TV’s on sale, I got the same size, if not slightly bigger, better quality, without being the latest and greatest, for about 1/3 the cost of the TV it was replacing.
Xander asked Mamaw for a new Digital Camera, because my Cannon Ti3 was too old and he needed a good (newer) one for his classes. He is going for 2 majors and like 3 or 4 minors in Digital Media/Marketing etc. at school (attending Elmhurst University), and is on the E-Sports team, he is actually one of the committee members and has had to interview possible incoming freshmen for the team. He and David are going to be taking pictures of the 2 quilts I had made and just finished binding, so I can post them to the blog. I will also be taking pictures of what I have been working on for the other 2 quilt tops that I have started working on.
Paula Brown
Crafting Along 