And the admin says…

Well, hello to all who are still reading our blog. And I do hope there are some of you out there. A lot has changed since our last post and I’ll be sure to get into it a little.

First, I’m sure all of you would like to know why our site has been offline for so long. Well, to put it simply, our previous hosting provider “SUCKED”! So we did a little more research this time round and found a new home for the Johnsonhousehold web site. So far I can say that I’m happy with it as well as Barbara.

Second, our new look! With the move of the web site, it also get us the opportunity to find a new site management tool. This new tool has much more to offer than the last one and we’re really excited about. We’re really looking forward to taking advange of the new features and hope that the experience that our viewers have will be a much richer and enjoyable one.

Groundhog Day

Do you remember the movie Groundhog Day? If you do, that is how Craig described our lives these past few weeks. It really was like we were living the same day over and over again. Once we closed on our new house, we had less then a week to get the house ready for us to move in. The biggest hurdle was the master bedroom and Dagny’s room, both of which was wallpapered. All I have to say is thank goodness that the rest of the house was in great condition. Those two rooms took all of our time up, this is where the Groundhog Day comes into play. For what it seemed like forever, we removed the wallpaper, cleaned the walls, patched the walls, then painted, we went home slept for 4-5 hours a night and woke up with Sonny and Cher on the radio and started all over again. But, we got it all done. We painted all three bedrooms and cleaned the house from top to bottom.

On April 12th we moved. The process took a lot longer then we thought it would, which didn’t make me too happy. I just couldn’t get Dagny’s room the way I wanted before she came home from daycare. Dagny is at the age where she definitely is aware of the world around her, but not at the level of fully understanding what and why things are happening. We tried to prep her the best we could that we were moving. We brought her to the new house a couple of times, and honestly she really seemed to enjoy herself running around and playing in her closet (she loves the door). When we picked her up and brought her home, she kept saying “No. Home. I want white house.” “Mommy, white house. Mommy, white house.” It broke our hearts to hear this. I just didn’t know how to comfort her, expect to hold her and tell her that we love her very much. To our surprise, she actually slept great the first night.

The next day, my Mom and I, went back to our old house and cleaned it from top to bottom for the new owners (it is amazing how many dust bunnies can gather up). After work Craig went over and cut the grass. We didn’t want them saying anything bad about us. We handed the house over with our heads held high.

It was so hard for Craig and I to say good-bye to our old house. We lived there for eight years, with lots of memories, good and bad. That is where I almost became a widow, that is where I saw my Dad for the last time, that is where we started our married life, and most importantly that is where we brought our little girl home. It was hard, but now when we look at our new house, we see it as our home. It feels like home more and more every single day. We love this place. It’s such a different experience. Our neighbors in our old place were nice, but it was a different type of neighborhood. Our current neighborhood is more like a community. I am serious, ever since we moved here we have seen someone on the streets walking or doing something. This is a very active neighborhood. People are so friendly here. We already met some of our neighbors and they are just lovely. I think we are going to be very happy here.

home

And, now I am sick. I guess the lack of sleep has finally caught up with me. I hate being sick, I hate being sick even more when I have to get stuff done. I still have so much I want to do, but unfortunately I can’t do a thing. My sides hurt so much from all the coughing going on. I don’t remember ever coughing as much as I am now. The doctor said, it’s probably a virus. He gave me a some heavy duty cough medicine to take at bedtime. So, heavy-duty that you’re not suppose to do anything, just go to bed and let it take you off to happy land. A few nights ago for the first time in a about three weeks, I actually slept for more then a few hours. I must admit I am looking forward to happy land tonight! Unfortunately, Dagny has caught whatever I have, so there are two cranking girls that Craig has to deal with.

This Saturday I felt better enough to go outside with Craig and Lily while Dagny was napping and did some yard work. Lily didn’t know what to do with a fenced in yard at first she just followed us around, but then she finally got into it.

After Dagny got up from her nap we went outside some more. She really seems to like her new surroundings. She introduces herself to our neighbors “Hi, I’m Dagny.” It’s so cute.

Okay, that’s all for now folks. I promise to post some more photos, when I feel all better.

Barbara

You Had Us At The Front Door

The moment we drove up to this house I got a tickling feeling in the pit of my stomach. No house has done that to me since we started the search. They say you feel it the moment you walk into a house if it’s meant to be yours, like the house talks to you or something. As we waited for our Realtor to open the lock box Craig and I looked at each other and had the biggest smiles on our face. We were on the same page before we even walked in. We knew this house was special and it was talking to us without us even saying a word to each other.

front door

Craig and I really were interested in getting a Tudor style house. We just LOVE all the beautiful wood work that those types of houses have to offer. The problem is there are not that many out there in our price range or in Brighton. We really thought we were moving into an apartment for the time being. Then the house gods offered this little gem to us. It is everything Craig and I were looking for and more. We have lots of great ideas on how to add on in the future and make it even more special, but for now we just can’t wait to move in.

Here is a photo of the house that was taken in the summer. I took this photo with my iPhone off of a photo that was left in the dining room. The quality is not the greatest. But, look how beautiful this house is!

house

In the living room there is this beautiful work of art. I can’t wait to sit and turn on the gas fireplace. We are ecstatic that it’s not a wood fireplace. Been there, done it. I won’t miss the mess, even thou the smell was awesome. We are looking forward to pushing a button and having an instant fire.

work of art

Here is the view of the street from the foyer.

our street

Um, yeah and it has a pool. When we first heard of the pool, we weren’t super excited about it. But, now we are. If last year is an inclination of how Dagny likes the water, then she is going to have a blast growing up in this house.

pool

As we get closer I will post more photos. It’s been a crazy few weeks, but it looks like we are moving on to the next phase real soon, moving!

Barbara

Happy 2010!

This past year was perhaps the best year, ever! Can you guess why? OK, I will tell you…. DAGNY! Craig and I had the best time getting to know our little girl and enjoying our new roles as parents. I love everything about 2009. With that said, I am looking forward to 2010. I personally have lots of things I would love to accomplish this year, wish me luck, I might have bitten more off then I can chew. But, I am looking forward to the challenge and hoping for the very best outcome.

We had a great New Years Eve. Our friend, Eva, is visiting with us and was here to ring in the New Year. We all had a wonderful time munching on homemade h’oeuvres.

Here is Dagny with her Daddy.

never gets old

Last year we took Dagny on a Carousal ride on New Years Day. We decided this is going to be a new tradition, until Dagny doesn’t think it’s cool any longer, which might be sooner then later. Right now thou, she loves it. She kept saying “Dagny on horsey” over and over again.

waiting our turn

loving the ride

Happy New Year’s to you all!

Barbara