Countdown. . .

Oct 27

 Back in July, when we moved into our "transitional apartment" in Hafjell--a ski resort about 15 minutes north of Lillehammer--we told the landlord we'd move out on October 24th. 


October 24th has come and gone. Now we're aiming for November 24th. (We actually made that decision waaay back in August). 


But now. . . gulp. . . we have a month to go. And so much to do. 

Getting there. . . right???

The addition is nearly entirely closed in, and after this weekend, the roof should be finished. We can then begin insulating the addition, taking down the wall between Old and New on the first floor, and moving onto some of the more final steps. These include finishing ceiling paneling, installation of lights, tiling, installation of the warming cables and the wood floors. Oh, new windows through the whole house. Kitchen cabinets built. By Erik. 


We sat down a few days ago and wrote down our priorities. More specifically, we reevaluated and adjusted our priorities. For example, a few months ago we said, "Greta's room will be finished. Her Big Girl Bed built into the wall like a little captain's bed) will be finished; curtains handmade and hung; walls painted. It will be a safe, clean retreat, welcoming her to her new home. La-la-laaaa." About a month ago I said, "Greta doesn't need her Big Girl Bed finished. She can sleep on a mattress or in her crib a bit longer. " This week I said, "The upstairs can remain a workzone. All 3 of us can sleep downstairs in the guest room on mattresses on the floor. Just GET ME THE HELL OUT OF THIS APARTMENT!!!"


Other priorities, or non-priorities?

Erik: "Well. . . doors."


Me: "We don't need doors."


Erik: "I can see us keeping the living room as a workspace for painting stuff like trim."


Me: "The trim can go up a year from now. We're using that living room before we have trim up."


Us, in agreement: need washer and dryer (some Norwegians consider a dryer an indulgence), refrigerator, stove, oven, hood. Off to the store we go, on a shopping trip we will probably never again repeat.


Our kitchen "cabinets" will be boxes (not literally cardboard packing boxes)--more accurately deep cavernous spaces to stack stuff inside. Drawers, shelves, fronts will come with time. One of our three bedroom windows was misordered and will be installed in the spring. Walls will be primed, not painted. 


One month to go. Can we do it?