The Sew Happy Stitcher: So much excitement!

I have much excitement to tell you about! So, first of all, I am building a house. Well, sort of. It all started when I asked Mom to think about my buying us a shed we could use as a craft studio. I knew I did not have enough money saved up to buy a house and feel comfortable doing so with school. But, having a craft studio would be awesome, and give myself, and Mom, more space. Mom thought about it for a few days, then asked why not buy a shed and convert it into a house for myself? So, long story short, I now have a deposit down on a shed kit. I was going to buy it outright, but it is currently backordered due to lumber shortages, so when I called the guy asked if I wanted to do a deposit for now so that all of the money will not be tied up while I wait. It made sense to me, so that is what we did. Right now, they are thinking that it will ship in October, but it all depends on when they can get the lumber. Hopefully, either October or earlier. This gives me time to work on the groundwork. My hope is that myself, and hopefully my Dad, can get the foundation ready, and have all of the pipes and such in place by the time it arrives. Then I won't have to figure out how to store it- assembly can begin instead!

Yesterday, Banjo, Guinea, and Peppy arrived for the groundbreaking ceremony. Banjo's orange ball was the special guest, and the puppies watched from afar.

This is what the kit is:

It has a full loft, which is ideal for me, since it will be my house!!!! My plan is to have an open floor plan downstairs, with the exception of the bathroom. Upstairs, I will probably use giant curtains or screens to block the storage/closet area. I'm hoping to do fairy lights upstairs; I think that will look really cool!

I'm thinking maybe these windows- they have... something that makes them not let heat and air escape.

A screen door something like this, but waaaaay cheaper. I think it would pop with the red behind; what do you think?

Downstairs will host the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. I am buying my own windows and doors. The windows they have are cute with the shutters, but they are single pane and I can buy shutters later. The door looks cool, but I can save a few hundred buying one elsewhere. I'll probably go with a small window in the door. While I love the idea of how much sunlight the french doors would let in, there has been a lot more violence in this general area, so something a little more solid feels better to me. My plan is to paint the door a cheerful red and do a white screen door over it. I'm going to do things in stages, so the screen door will likely wait a while, as will the shutters. Shoot, for that matter, kitchen cabinets may wait a bit. I want to be able to pay for everything in full at the time of purchase, and still have a bit tucked back for nursing school. If needed, I will do a school loan, but those things are a pain to do, and I am not a fan of paying interest. Granted, I'll run things through my credit card, but that is because the rewards points convert to gift cards, which can then be used to buy stuff I need for the house. And I'll pay the credit card off right away, which makes my credit score happy, and prevents interest from being applied. When did I start using words like "rewards points," "interest," and "credit scores" so often?!?

Anyway, when I get shutters, I would like to pain them to match the door. I'm planning on painting house a light blue or blueish gray. For the inside, I think I will do hardwood, or something that looks like hardwood. I'm not sure what will be budget-friendly, last very well, and survive Smokey's claws, especially since the turd pulls his Purrdy Paws off. I'm not sure what colors I will paint the inside yet. I'm not even sure if I will hang drywall, or use bead board for the inside. There are a lot of unknowns, and a ton of excitement!!!!!

It rained some today, and will be raining a good chunk of this coming week. I'm hoping it will make the ground soft. Getting the layer with the grass up was not hard, but under that layer is rocky (this is Missouri after all) with almost rock-hard soil. As my neighbor used to say, "If it wasn't for all of the rocks, all of the big farmers in Kansas would own this land, so I am thankful for the rocks." I have not quite reached the point of being super thankful for the rocks yet. ;) Maybe soon.

No stitchy progress for the day. I am at work, so I decided to try to take a nap, but that was a sad 45 minutes of disappointment. Should've stitched instead. Oh well, perhaps I will get some stitching in tonight; we shall see!

The baby has not been acting as peppy, and cries quite a bit. We have been letting him into the mud room to drink some kitten milk replacer. This has helped, but he still eats dirt, so I am planning on bringing him to the vet. On the upside, he loves car rides, and makes Kirst and Dad give him a short ride whenever they leave for work.

Smokey is NOT happy with allowing Jitterbug in the house.