Can't sleep

Not being able to sleep is very unusual for me. I am the type of person that can sleep anywhere, anytime. I have recently started working 3p-3a shifts, which is probrably why I cannot sleep. Plus, I have a meeting at 7am. Gonna be a rough day tomorrow!!

Stephen and I had a meeting with the president of our bank today. They are merging with another bank June 1st. Problem is, the new bank does not do construction loans. So....house HAS to be done by May 31st. Stephen's first official time he told me we would move was March...then April 1st..then "hopefully May, babe". Well my Aunt Cile told me a few months ago, "tell your self June 1st, then you wont be disappointed." She said that when the projected move in date was April. So, good job on the prediction Aunt Cile.

So, Stephen is gonna be bustin' it up there now. As if he wasn't before! I picked out cabinets today, finally. That was about the hardest decision I have ever made!!! I may have put more thought into those then I did naming my own youngins.

Gonna try to sleep...I will leave you with some pictures of my kids, and will take some of the porch this week , and post another blog!!

It wont be like this for long...

Stephen and I say this to each other far too often. When we move into the house, the babies will sleep better....when we move into the house, we will be organized again....when we move into the house things will calm down...you get the picture, right? The fact of the matter is that while we have been saying this, a WHOLE year and a half has passed us by!!! I cannot believe it. Jackson was 6 weeks old when we moved in here!!! When Stephen and I had babies, we made a pact that we would raise them together as a team. Often times, the mama does most of the childcare and the daddy works. Not in this little family. We have always made it a point to see each other every day...well, except every third day when he works!

Lately, in ALL the craziness of our lives, I work full time now and he is up at the house every waking moment, we have become almost accustomed to just "passing by"one another throughout the day...handing the babies off while the other goes to work. It has been a hard adjustment this past few months. An example of how rotten I am and how dependent on the man I am...he stayed home for four straight weeks when I had Mads!! Now It seems we hardle have time to sit and talk.

A few weeks ago, we started our day with a sweet moment I'd like to share. Stephen had gotten off work from a 24 hour shift, he normally sleeps about 5 hours on a good night, and had gone straight up to the house. I had gotten up, fed babies, dressed babies, forgot to dress self, got kids in car, drove them to school, then went straight to starbucks for my daily love affair. I dropped off the dry cleaning, vaccumed the car out, and was headed back into the house to straighten up and do mounds of laundry, when I saw my good lookin husband standing outside of his new home just looking up with a smile on his face. I drove the good ole mini van up the hill and had the best conversation I have ever had.

S: Hey babe

B: Hey honey, you doin ok? Sleep last night?

S: Nope, you ?

B: Nope.

Stephen is leaning his arm in the window, and I have my head resting on his arm. We are now looking up at this massive house we have built up. ( We didn't mean to make it this big..seriously we didn't)

B: That right there is a house.

S: Yep that is a house alright babe. That is our house.

B: Mmhmm...our house.

Stephen looks at me and smiles. Then he leans into my used mini van that I swore I would never drive. And he kisses me. Kisses me like I have never been kissed. I felt like a fifteen year old again. I kinda wanted to vomit from the butterflies in my stomach. And for about 20 seconds, in my mind, I was showered, my teeth were brushed, I had on my wedding gown , and I was the most beautiful woman alive. Our house.

So, in the next few months, while we continue to say, "when we get into the house", I will remember that moment, and remind myself...It wont be like this for long.

Why I hate to blog....

As requested, I am posting new pictures of the house and babies. Of course I have already messed it up, because three of the pictures are sideways. Why is this so hard?
Babies at good ole Kroger...like a free field trip on a rainy day. They are so cute!!

Apparently it's the law to have a Port-a-potty in the yard when you renovate a house like ours. It is a great way to potty train, cause it is just so darn interesting to them.

The front porch (side ways) see the cut out above the front door? I wanna put a stained glass window that says something along the lines of "welcome to holly hill". That is what the land and home were called way back in the day before they had "real" addresses. I have to come up with a color to paint the addition. Any suggestions?? Maybe white to match my red front door??

Mads helping Jack use the facilities in the yard.

Mads went to the dentist and had three cavities!!! Apparently she chewed on her lips and gum while her mouth was numb. It was shockingly swollen and still is four days later. Thankfully , no one has called DFCAS.

So, the second level with the three windows is bare. Shutters wont fit, so I was thinking of putting up old timey casings around each window. I need a decorator, is what I need. However, I am too poor, so i am counting on friends to help :)

Stephen's other wife. The tractor.

Entrance from the living room to the kitchen....still have a ways to go.

My sister, me and Stephen...Isn't she pretty!!

Before the siding....It is coming along. I have stopped guessing when the move in date is cause it just keeps getting pushed back.

As for us, we are all great. Stephen is still with Atlanta FD, still getting furlowed, so I put on my big girl panties, and went back to work full time at Kennestone. I dont even whine about it, cause i know i wont have to work forever, (I think). Our babies are wild. Madeline is learning all sorts of good stuff at school. Takes gymnastics on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She is quite the little gymnast!!! Jackson is a wild animal. He is 19 months and thinks he is ten. Rotten as they come.

We are happy folks over here on Allgood Road. We have a great marriage, happy healthy young-ins. A big ole house to fill with more babies, eventually. Jobs, Security. Clean water. Food on the table. And our house is filled with laughter! And crying ;)

We continue to thank God everyday, and pray that we are doing what his plan is for us. I have stopped trying to "guess" what God's plan is for me. Instead I am waking up every morning with a good attitude, a smile and a willingness to listen to where He guide's us and follow as best I can.

I am seriously gonna update more. The picture may be sideways. But that is better than nothin!!

Till next time......Hugs.

Whoo hoo....looks like a house to me!!

Okay..let's see if I can do this without sweating or crying, or throwing the computer!! LOTS has been going on up the way on Holly Hill!!! I have taken pictures and plan to give a tour via blog in the coming days!! Meanwhile, here are some pics of the past months... Ooops!!! STUCK!

Yeah for a house!!!

That is not really gonna be the front door...i am gonna have a red front door!!

Cleaning up pulled ceiling...dirty, dirty work!!

Wouldn't you like to get this in your suitcase??

Jackson Fire Department....where Sarah lives.

I love him sooooo much!!

Stephen holding his new neice...she is darling!!

She loves me, already!

Hope everyone has a Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!!! I know we will!!!

A House Appears

After 2 weeks of skingraft recovery, I am mobile and able to function some. While I was recovering, a new house appeared. The framers are begining their second week and the pictures tell the story. Excitement has settled in.

There's concrete afoot

We failed our first inspection due to the foundation company's rush to get the job done. The foundation company stayed late Thursday to finish the job and did not complete it to the county's liking. Evidently, the steel re-bar that reinforces the concrete must "float" 2-3 inches above the dirt to meet code. Theirs was touching in many places according to the inspector. Not to worry though, they came back fixed the problem and we passed this morning. That means today we have a footing (the wide concrete at the bottom of the wall to hold the house up.) The kids loved watching another big truck at work. Tomorrow morning the crew will form the walls and then they will pour the walls tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow is a big day with lots of surprises. Stay tuned!

My husband....the Fireman

Hey Honey!!!
Ouch!!
President of the city council, Lisa Borders and his Lieutenant Don Cole
At home!!

As the wife of a Firefighter, one of my greatest fears is the phone call from a Captain, beginning with, "Mrs. Borders". The movies with the red chiefs car driving up in the morning while the wife is preparing for a new day is a vision that I think of often. When Stephen asked me what I thought of him transferring to a bigger and better department, (City of Atlanta), I told him as long as I never got that phone call and he always came home, I would support what ever decision he made.

Well, yesterday I got that phone call. Actually I was on the front porch with Mom and Pa watching the kids play, and didn't have my phone. But my father -in- law got the call next and came home to find me.

Stephen was in a house "pulling ceiling", (That is when the fire is in the attic and you have to pull the ceiling down to get to the fire) , when a small piece of metal get lodged between his coat and his hood. It was on fire when it got stuck, and burned through the "fireproof" hood onto the back of his neck. When he realized he was on fire, he yelled to the FF next to him with the nozzle....well you cant yell because you have on a mask...he motioned to them...to put him out.

To make a long story short. Stephen was taken by ambulance as a trauma patient to Grady hospital. When I was able to speak to him...the first thing he says is....Hey baby...I am fine. Can you bring the camera? That is my husband!

He has a full thickness burn to the center of his neck surrounded by partial and superficial burns. It is on the center of his neck, and hurts like crazy.

After 18 mg of Morphine, a debridement, visits to the ER from the President of the Atlanta City Council and The Head Honcho chiefs coming in on their days off...we were discharged from the hospital. The ride home was filled with a yellow and green faced man vomiting in his mouth and keeping it there as to not mess up the new minivan. How thoughtful!!!

Today was a fun filled trip down to Grady to the burn clinic where the follow up appt reveals a possible skin graft and AT LEAST the next to weeks at home.

I cannot imagine my life without Stephen. He is my rock. My other half. He complete's me in every way. I hope I NEVER get that phone call. Please pray for a speedy recovery. Also for Stephen, he has to hang out with us without going to work. We get on his nerves pretty bad!!!

In a percocet fog Stephen updated the blog below this one, so check it out....pics of the house!!!

Goodbye patio, Hello crawlspace!

The day has come to move some dirt and make way for the footings.
As strange as this looks to those who know the house, in a few hours it will drasticly change again.
I was able to salvage some of the black marble, but the rest was deep in some concrete.
And Presto, Crawlspace!
Luckly, no suprises other than the depth on the concrete.

It has begun!

After months of painstaking moving and planning, we have our building permit. We have also scheduled the closing on the construction loan. The mason has been working for about a week on the existing crumbling brick work. I have been taking bids from everything from the sewer, to the grading, and the materials needed to build the addition. It finally feels like progress.
With all the rapid development I have been forced to organize. I now own a day planner complete with monthly and weekly tabs to keep me from overbooking. I think there is more paperwork than sweat.





I have transitioned from Carharts, a tee shirt, and pry bar in my hands, to a pair of khakis, a polo shirt, and a stack of papers. Not to worry though, I 'm sure I will get to do my share of labor.

The slippery slope of Demolition

If I ever wrote write a book on remodeling I will apply some rules gained through my experiences with this house. The first rule would have to be, be careful what you tear down; you have to build it back. It is easy to underestimate the demolition process. While planning this project I of course planned for time and expense of demolition. Expense should be minimal and be mostly disposal fees with some crashing and smashing tools. Time on the other hand is something I greatly miscalculated. I assumed that if Extreme Home Makeover could demo a house in a day, surely I could do it in two months. Well the difference is two fold. First the residents are moved out before the project starts, something that has been a struggle for me. It's hard to evict Margy Borders from a house that she has owned for 50 years. The thing is EHM uses a track hoe and levels the house and starts from the slab. Our demolition has been more art than testosterone. As art projects go we are way behind. We have had to take everything apart piece by piece and label what is going back and dispose of the trash. It has taken a while, but we are finally at the next stage rebuilding. I will try to keep up to date with everything going on, but the pace has quickened and the work is plentiful. It is getting exciting!

Overdue update

It's time to get back to the bloggin to keep folks abreast to the goings on of the exciting and chaotic lives of the domestic Borders(not to be confused with the cultured international and much more intresting ones, you know who you are). Beth has once again bitten off more than she can chew involving herself in numerous church activities, joined a new gym, took on some crusade at work to better the world through some wellstar committee, and just raising two wild indians. She has also found that if she works till 3AM she can go in later, but has not realized how useless it makes her the next day. I stay up at the house as much as I can, but more on that in the next post. Mads and Jack are both in school at the CEE not to be confused with the former WEE center which I'm sure was not near as distinguished or proper. Mads is in heaven with some of her old classmates and some new that she is currently recruiting to the dark side. Jack is not as enthralled at school and puts on a show every morning for his mother's sake until she is out of earshod. Everyone else is still alive and maintaining some level of ambulation and is to the point that they couldn't care less for schools, gyms, or committes. The parents are however working more now than before they retired. I've included a few pictures of the kids cause it's always good to leave on a high note.

Jack in his outfit on his first day of school. He got three phone numbers!

Mads on a typical Sunday morning, picking Gran's flowers
Mads on the first day school, note the breakfast in her lap. We were late on the first day!
I don't know who taught Jack how to rock in a rocking chair, but if I had to guess I would say it was the only one who sits in a rocking chair all day long.