Home sweet Dome

A blustery, sloppy day was no match for the warmth of friends yesterday. The long-awaited housewarming party filled the Dome with laughter, conversation, some pretty good food, and fun on a winter's afternoon. It was too cold & muddy to spend any time outdoors, but just wait till spring... we'll have a great lawn party then!

Lots of friends came over -- from work, from my knitting group, from town, from the kids' school -- and I loved giving the tour over & over. All homes are a work in progress, but the finished Dome turned out so beautifully, even if I've only scratched the surface of actually decorating it. Everyone raved about the colors, the hardwood floors, the spacious floor plan, and the beautiful arched windows over the entry doors (which you can see behind Nancy & Eileen here.)

The kids are thrilled to be moved in as well, of course... it's been a long wait for all of us. They were both a big help with the party, too. It's nice to finally be in a place that's large enough to have friends come over.

Of course, it didn't take long before they fired up the video games & started playing Guitar Hero. By the way, it cracks me up when the kids are amazed that I know whatever song they are playing, not realizing that it's some seminal piece of the classic-rock ouvre... "Mom, do you know this one too?" "Yes honey, that's 'Slow Ride' by Foghat." (trying hard not to say "Duh!") Does anyone else have this experience with their teens?

Of course, with the knitters representin', it wasn't too long before the needles came out & the fashion show started. Mary just finished her lovely burgundy-heather cardi, which Shari tried on... I wasn't sure she was going to give it back! All in all, a wonderful day. It's good to be home.

Home at the Dome

What: Open house at the Dome
When: January 23, 2010, from 2:00 - 6:00 pm
Where: Dome Hill (if you know me well enough to want an invite, email me & I'll send you directions)
Why: Because we are finally moved into the dome! Hurrah!

Move-In

Moving Day at the Dome! It took me nearly five years, three contractors, and a husband, but the day has finally arrived.

The move actually took place over two days -- one day to pack up the old place & load the truck, one to move the stuff into the new place. Since I recently had minor surgery & am not supposed to be lifting heavy stuff, I paid extra to have the movers come in & pack up all of the household goods (kitchen, &c.) Worth every penny. They did in one day what would have taken me a month, didn't break one dish, and I didn't have to hoist a single box.

When we moved from California to Missouri, we transitioned from a fairly large house into a much smaller (allegedly short-term, temporary) residence. We thought we had pared our belongings down pretty well when we set out, but there was still so much stuff crammed into that tiny house that it was kind of comical. The head mover told me that I won the award for having the most things in the smallest space. It'll be nice to have a little room to spread out at the dome. I am determined to not bring in a lot of new belongings there... I want to keep it comfortable without being overcrowded. There will obviously have to be some new furniture (guest bedroom, &c.) but I'm going to make do as much as possible with what I already have -- for both monetary & aesthetic reasons.

Everything was eventually packed up & moved out. Goodbye, little house. I'm thinking it will need a tiny bit of work before I get ready to sell it in the spring, but it wasn't a bad place.

The cats, naturally, were quite displeased with the whole process. We kept them crated up while the furniture was being moved. Oh, the indignity of it all.

Day 2, the day of the actual move, was bitterly cold. The poor guys were bundled up like snowmen while they were out at the truck, but if they were inside for more than a few minutes (shuttling cartons upstairs, or something,) they would shed the heavy jackets & hats as they worked up a sweat. So, all day long, it seemed like there were jackets going on & off just inside the doorway. It was actually pretty funny to watch. Now, I'm just unpacking boxes & getting settled in. More later as I get this place knocked into shape.

The Tub

Ahhhhhhhh.

(The access panel still needs to be stained. But other than that, it's done. Finally.)

Shower

I think I might have a contractor-crush on my tile guy. Look at the beautiful job he did on the shower in the master bath. Love!