Measure for measure

Sunday is new house update day.

Today, we spent about 90 minutes at the model measuring every nook and cranny of the floor plan. Heights of windows, widths of windows, distance between windows, heights of walls, distance from windows to floors...you get the idea.

There were a few motivators this weekend. One, we visited a furniture store on Saturday that Lori found. This one resells furniture used in model homes. It is essentially a huge warehouse bursting at its seams with sofas, dining room tables, bureaus, chairs, artwork, mirrors, knick-knackery, coffee tables and everything a new home buyer could want. Since some of it sports some dings and scratches, you can get pretty insane discounts. Some of it is virtually new, including the six-drawer dresser and nightstand we bought for Emelie. (We're trying to restrain ourselves, trust me.)

Second, I built my much-anticipated Anal Retentive Notebook for Obsessive New Homeowners. In it, there are places for furniture plans, ad clippings, design ideas and, above all, my room-by-room budget spreadsheets. This stuff's getting into my blood.

And finally, not to be overlooked, we got our loan approval last Wednesday. There's some final paperwork that needs to be done, but we formally got approved. I think we lock down final rates and terms around June 1st.

This whole thing's going down as fast as oysters in castor oil. As Paris Hilton in a VIP Lounge.

We went to go take some new pictures of the construction today, but the house didn't look very different. Some additions to the living room bay window, but nothing formidable. Hence, no updates. But, in case you're interested, I put all the photo updates in one location: the OC Mehls Home Base. Check it out.

In other news...
Since I just got back on the Web site updating horse this weekend, I've been remiss in commenting on the girls' softball seasons. Both are a few months in now, and returned to action on Saturday after two weeks off for Spring Break. Both are doing very well and enjoying it even more. Sydney, in particular, has shown tremendous progress. She's started getting catcher duty and doing a phenomenal job. It's like she has glue in her glove. Now that's she's bigger than during last year's attempts at the position, wearing the gear isn't the same Kevlar-laden burden. Her attitude about it is equally as lightened.

That's about it. It's difficult to write coherent bloggage while Lori tunes into the incessant prattling of Desperate Housewives. So, I'll say adieu to you.

I've come to realize tonight that Sundays no longer feature the familiar dread of staring at an iceberg from the Titanic crow's nest. I now look forward to each week as another calendar check-off en route to August 16.

Save the carrots, just dangle keys.