There goes the neighborhood!

There are some really neat features about our new community. I've added a link to the sidebar on the left to the community's website. Stevens Plantation is the development, and Magnolia Green is the sub-development. Stevens Plantation boasts access to a beautiful public park, St. Cloud Elementary school, a corporate office park and (coming soon) a small shopping plaza.

But I think what might be the nicest feature of the community is the people. On Saturday my in-laws purchased the home being built 2 lots down from us! Noel and I are very excited to have her parents livnig so close! I just feel bad for the owner of the home between ours. :)

Here's a photo of the home site map. Noel and I own lot 94, and her parents have purchased lot 92.



Their house is 2,700+ sq feet and is a 3/3 with a den and a gourmet kitchen.

I know most people wouldn't be as excited as I am to have their in-laws moving in so close. But Noel and I discussed how wonderful it will be... and we also set the rule that they must call before coming over. Of course, we're the kids, so we can show up unannounced any time we want!

To give you an idea of just how close the homes are, here's a (bad) panoramic shot from my digital camera to show both homes. Ours is on the left, theirs is on the right.



And, yes, we now have roof trusses and interior wall framing. Here's a few more photos of the house Noel and I purchased and how it looks this weekend:

(Interior walls being framed. View from rear window.)

(Interior framing. View from garage.)

(Exterior shot. Day. A slow helicopter shot moves into the swamp to find a frog playing a banjo while sitting on a log...)

Stray Cat Strut

This is an update on the kitty cats. For the original post read here.

A bit more fighting between the cats last night. But fighting means that Shadow growls and swipes at Lucky. And Lucky sits there and takes it. Then tries to hide. Which he is still very bad at doing.

Last night we did not close the door and leave Lucky in his room last night. We left the door open all night. When we fell asleep, Shadow was on our bed, as usual. Lucky was sleeping in his room. When we awoke, Shadow was still with us, but I couldn't find Lucky in his room. Turns out, Lucky managed to sneak his way into our room and slept in a corner of the room.

He was still posturing that he was hiding from Shadow. But the fact that he wanted to join the rest of us in the bedroom I think is very good. Hopefully he and Shadow will soon become good friends.

I honestly think that Shadow is wanting to play with Lucky, but is just being too rough for him. Shadow LOVES to play. I'm not so sure Lucky shares that passion. Not yet anyway.

Its What's Inside That Counts

By now you've seen the renderings of what our house will look like when completed. You've seen the floorplans (and if you haven't, there's a link on the sidebar to it). What you may not have seen are the upgraded features in the house.


Because this home was being built as an inventory home for KB, Noel and I did not have the option to choose any of the features. The house was designed by the KB Design Studio. Thankfully, they did a really nice job picking out options.




This picture shows you what the cabinets in the kitchen will look like. They are the upgraded 42" cabinets, with an extra bump over the Microwave and another additional cabinet above the fridge. The black piece leaning up against the cabinet panel is the granite pattern for the kitchen counters. The color name has quickly become a favorite for Noel and I: Verde Uba Tuba. Its just fun to say!

The carpet sample is what will run through most of the house. The tile in this image (above) will be in the Kitchen/Dining area as well is in the Foyer and in front of the fireplace.





This image shows the bathroom features. You can see the tiles that will be placed in both bathrooms. The cabinets are the same as the ones in the kitchen. The diamond pattern (I believe) will be a feature through the tub/shower in the 2nd bathroom. And the small rectangle is the marble for the master bath counters. The 2nd bathroom countertop is a Hi-Definition laminate (finally in 1080p)!

Once Noel and I get out to the Design Studio and take some more pictures of other features of the house, you'll get to see those here too!