Moving

This morning, our quality inspector came and checked out what the workers had done. He commented on what nice color choices we had made, and how he loved the green (Ha!). A few odds and ends that aren't finished yet (one bathroom, closet doors, pocket door, kitchen cupboard, and some trim), but otherwise done and ready for moving in. Stefan, Anna, and Tobias cleaned half the night, so things looked really nice when we got there this morning. More snow, but we were able to come and go without problems today, thanks to lots of shoveling from Allan, Tobias, and Johan. After the inspection, Stefan went to pick up a big trailer and I started packing our station wagon. We packed 3 cars and 2 trailers and headed for the house. Stefan and I unloaded our trailer and car, and when he went to move our car, it wouldn't start. In fact, the motor started smoking. Apparently it is some electrical doohicky on top of the motor that has kicked the bucket, and will need to be replaced. The part alone costs over 1000 bucks. Great timing. We had to push it out of the way and leave it there at the house. The worst part is it is the good car, the one I drive, with Haylie to and from daycare.

Rikard came to work on installing the glass wall and door for the shower in our bathroom, but didn't have all the parts he needed. So I guess he will be back next week.

They have to keep the in floor heating off in the areas with tile and stone so the stuff under it (whatever that is called in English) can dry properly. That means it was freezing cold today, as we only have heat in the bedrooms. We only have the fire for heat in the main part of the house. 2 more weeks before we can really warm up the place. So I guess I am buying slippers for me and Haylie ASAP. We had dinner at Anna and Joakim's house after we unloaded everything at our house. The girls played nicely for a long time at the house, but when we got to their house they had a row over a game and then were crabby at eachother. They were tired out though, both with colds. Tomorrow morning at 9 AM we start moving the rest. It is going to be weird leaving, since we have lived here for 7.5 years.

Our freezer and fridge, Samsung.

The sink in Haylie's bathroom is installed.

Stefan in the kitchen, looking stressed.

We had some things didn't turn out quite right, including 2 cupboard doors that they ordered brown which should have been white. We have to pick some stuff up at IKEA when we head up to pick out our bedroom closets. Nothing we can't live without for a while, fortunately.

The laundry room with a couple black side pieces missing.

The plumbers started work today and hooked up our furnace to the in-floor heating instead of the temporary one that we have had since the house was put up. It has been nice to have heat inside through the whole process, unlike our poor neighbor who finally got his going recently.

I went on my lunch break and paid for our appliances. The carpenters picked up the kitchen fan and installed it, which they will finish doing tomorrow. They also put in the oven and microwave. The washer and dryer were delivered during the day, and Stefan picked up the fridge and freezer tonight after work. Tobbe helped him carry them into the house. Josefine was working on the last bits of painting in the hall and eating area.

Friday at 9 AM the guy responsible for quality is coming to inspect, and after that, we can start moving. So as soon as all the working guys are out, we will be cleaning like mad.

Sunday

Haylie and I stayed home today, while Stefan worked at the house. I worked on packing and cleaning out some stuff. He took a few pictures of the kitchen area when he was there. Above is where the oven will be and behind that the computer room. This wallpaper is called Pagoda from In Trade.

Same view, a little to the left.

Stefan and his dad did the drawers yesterday. The builders will probably have the kitchen done tomorrow and then start on the laundry room. Stefan got the lights going in the bedrooms and the main bath. Lots of stuff to be ordered tomorrow, after all the plumbing decisions we made on Saturday. It will be a 3-day work week for us, then off Thursday and Friday with Haylie at daycare so we can clean the rest of the house and finish packing, maybe start moving a little. We can't move much in until the house has been inspected, which should happen Friday.

Saturday clean-up

Haylie was with her two uncles and cousins (5 and 6 mo.) for the day, while the ladies helped clean and paint at the house. Josefin did wallpaper, Stefan's dad Allan shoveled snow, helped Stefan put together kitchen drawers, and took care of the fire, Anna and Matilda cleaned and then Matilda painted the storage room. I did a little this and that. Moving stuff, cleaning, poking at the fire outside, and filling nail holes on the trim in Haylie's room.

It took a while for Stefan to figure out the flue business, but then he got our inaugural fire started.

Josefin finished wallpapering today. Here she was doing Haylie's room.

The main bath, which is almost done. 4 tiles are missing near the door, waiting for them to come. And the grout on the floor still has to be done after that.

Lunch break - hot dogs (pasta salad for me) with Matilda and Anna, Stefan's brothers' girlfriends.

The computer area that is part of the kitchen was the last to be wallpapered. The cabinet there will be the pantry.

Haylie's cousin Cornelia turns 7 this week, and we had her birthday party today. She wanted us all to sing "Happy Burshday" to her in English, so we did.

Sunday

Here is my turquoise kitchen. Josefin did one more coat after his picture was taken, so it is all ready for the builders to put up the cabinetry.

Haylie and I were on cleaning duty while Stefan worked on the electrical and Josefin painted. Haylie helped him do some light switches, including the ones in her room. She was a good little electrician.

All our window sills look like this - the fossil-rich stone from Burgsvik. Stefan's step-dad made them, and the stone floor for the entryway and computer room off the kitchen where we will be going in and out to the future patio.

Our bedroom is full of stuff: tile, cupboard doors, tools, Haylie's coloring books and more.

Apparently Haylie's wallpaper was no fun to put up, because Josefin did two lengths and then went on to other projects. It was the kind where you put the paste on the paper, not the wall, and apparently the wallpaper got all soggy when pasted. Bummer. We will see how it turns out. It is light dusty purple with glitter everywhere. The plan is to have giant Little Mermaid stickers on it eventually.

Here is the electrician at work.

Wallpaper for the living room

I picked out this wallpaper for the wall behind the TV, towards the kitchen. It is from Borås tapeter, Linné 3315. It has the turquoise to go with the kitchen, and the green to go with the front door. I looked at it a couple months ago when I was picking out the other wallpaper, but had it in the back of my mind until yesterday. It is from the same line as the one in our bedroom, which turned out really well, so hopefully this one will look as nice when it comes up as that one does.

Here is a close-up.

Saturday

Haylie's bathroom has tile on the walls now, but not the floor yet. The tiler is saving the grout for last. Hopefully the tile will be done this week.

The sink will be where the pipes stick out.

The storage room tile is in, but not grouted yet. The laundry room will have the same floor.

Stefan's brothers Joakim and Tobias helped him put together the cabinets for the kitchen and laundry room. I was in charge of procuring food and beverages and buying paint. After lunch I worked on checking all the boxes of stuff off the delivery list.

Josefin painted. She got one coat of the turquoise that will be in the kitchen done today, and will do the second coat tomorrow. The patch on the left is what it looked like after it had dried, with 2 coats. She is looking forward to all the spackling and painting to be done.

The living room is now full of cabinetry waiting to be installed for the kitchen, and the family room is full of cabinetry for the laundry room, plus oven, microwave, and stove. The bedrooms are full of cupboard doors and such. It will be so nice next weekend when hopefully the builders have had a chance to put all of it in place so we have some space to move around again. When that is done, we can start cleaning up in order to move in.

Today I stopped by the house after work. I bought a new shade of turquoise to test for the kitchen wall and painted a patch. We'll have to look tomorrow and see after it has dried if it is the right one. The tile guy did the storage room floor, the computer room floor, and 1 bathroom wall in Haylie's bathroom. The floors are looking good. Other aspects of interior design, however, are giving me major anxiety. I'll have to take some pictures of the tile and stone on Saturday when I have some daylight. Josefin was working on priming the dining area when I got there. I painted some and then headed home at 6:30. Haylie has been home for 3 days now, but is better today. She had a little fever and cold. I was home with her the first two days, a large part of which we spent arguing, and Stefan was home today. We have been working on packing for the move, starting with stuff that we don't need day to day. One corner of our bedroom is now a mountain of packing boxes.

Our kitchen was delivered yesterday, so now the house is full of flat IKEA boxes. Stefan's 2 brothers are going to help put it together on Saturday, and Josefin is going to keep painting. I will be doing whatever I am told to do. Haylie is going to hang out with her two cousins plus Anna and Matilda on Saturday so she won't be in the way demanding to paint and spackle and hungry every 5 minutes. We may actually be able to get something done. She is thrilled at the prospect.

Dec. 31st, Hollywood Studios

On New Year's Eve, we planned to go to Magic Kingdom again and do Tomorrowland, which we had missed. We took it easy in the morning, and by the time we were on our way, the Magic Kingdom was already closed for entry. We had to change our plans, and so we went to Hollywood Studios instead. I hadn't read up about it much, so we just kinda wandered without much of an agenda or strategy. We did the Little Mermaid show first, and then Playhouse Disney. Haylie really enjoyed them. The rest of the park wasn't much for little kids though. It was ok, but I probably wouldn't make an effort to go there again if I were presented with the opportunity.

Haylie and Grandma watching Playhouse Disney.

Little Einsteins

The "Honey, I shrunk the kids" playground was a particular favorite. In Haylie's opinion, this was the highlight of the day. There were tunnels and slides all over the place, and climbing areas. She liked the huge super-soaker that shot out water regularly, and the giant leaky hose.

It was a big job for the grown-ups to keep track of where the kids were with kid-sized tunnels everywhere.

Stefan and Haylie, who was thoroughly done with posing for pictures by this point.

The parade, with a Bug's Life characters.

They had a movie special effects tour/tram ride. Haylie liked the fire and gushing water.

Dec. 30th, Epcot Center

On Dec. 30th, we went to Epcot. We started out in Future World and did the Nemo ride and met some characters, and then headed over to Norway for the Princess Storybook Dining breakfast at Akershus, which was fabulous.

The whole gang with Mickey

Haylie and Pluto

Haylie and Minnie

Haylie and Donald

The Lundgrens and Goofy

Haylie loved the Nemo and friends ride, and the aquarium area at the exit of it.

The lake with a view of Morocco and France.

Our reservation, which I made 90 days in advance (thank goodness), was for 9:40. We were greeted by Belle, and the Disney photographer took pictures with just Haylie and with all of us, which they later came with prints of during breakfast. This character breakfast was less expensive than the one at the Cinderella castle at Magic Kingdom, and the only place where Ariel can be seen (in dress, not fins), so it was what made us decide to go to Epcot. We were glad we did, because we had a nice time with a little slower pace but still lots of stuff Haylie liked.

The rest of the princesses came out one at a time and stopped for a chat and photos at each table. Breakfast was a buffet with bagels, croissants, salmon, cream cheese, berries, yogurt, and more. It was great. After that they came out with family-style scrambled eggs, potato bake, bacon and sausage. Haylie loved the food (we all did) and was so busy eating, it took a minute for Sleeping Beauty to get her to put down her fork and stand up.

Sleeping Beauty and Haylie

Cinderella and Haylie

Haylie and Snow White

Haylie and Ariel

For lunch, my mom had made a last-minute reservation and took the only thing available, which was Teppan Edo at Japan, a teppanyaki place. It was at 14:15 which was ok since breakfast had been so late. We also got reserved seating for the fireworks, which was nice, and tickets for the candlelight processional. We didn't do that though, because choir singing and stuff isn't much for a 5 year old compared to doing rides.

Despite the look shown here, she liked the food.

The chefs made our order right at the table. Here you see him making a volcano out of an onion.

The seas was a fun area for kids, with aquarium, Nemo ride, and Turtle talk with Crush, the turtle from Nemo which was an interactive show where the kids got to talk to him and ask questions. It was some avatar kind of thing, so he was on screen answering. They mostly kept asking, "Why do you talk like that?" I don't know how much Haylie understood of all that "Dude" talk, but she liked it.

Haylie fell asleep before the fireworks, and we couldn't wake her up. She woke up (slightly) when they started to bang, and watched a little. I think Stefan was impressed. My tinnitus wasn't thrilled with 18 1/2 minutes of loud explosions.