We were able to close our loan Thursday and spend our first weekend in the cabin. Despite taking so long to finish the house, the builder did a really good job and everything came together beautifully.

We rented a moving truck Friday and loaded the furniture I'd been storing for months. Cabin furniture was stashed throughout our house in Tuscaloosa -- a toy box here, a couple of chairs there, etc. It's nice to have those things out of the way here and in place as I pictured them at the cabin.

My parents helped us unload the truck and put furniture together, and stayed at the cabin with us Saturday night. Caden and Ansley liked their room and spent some time playing outside Sunday as we situated everything in the house. Eddie and Sonja visited for a few hours Sunday, and our niece, Michelle, and her friend Megan dropped by just before we left. Everyone liked the way the cabin turned out.

Here are pictures we took:

We're going to work on the yard the next few weekends.

Screened side porch and outdoor fireplace

View from master bedroom balcony

Master bathroom

We aren't going to be able close on the house today as we planned because Scott hasn't finished some big items: the propane tank isn't installed (we need that for the heating system to work), kitchen appliances aren't in the house and the stone facing on the outdoor fireplace isn't done.

There are also a lot of small things that haven't been completed -- mirrors in bathrooms, outside electrical outlets and water spigots, screen for the porch, staining a door and some railings, etc. But Scott says he can have it done by Wednesday so we can close Thursday. We're encouraged by the amount of work he did last week, so maybe he can.

Here are pictures we took yesterday:

I wanted the casings around the windows painted red, not just the wood parts of the windows and the sills. But it's such a small thing compared to everything else that has to be done that I'm not even mentioning it to Scott. I asked him to leave leftover paint and I'll paint the casings myself.

Stairs to the front porch were built last week.

Ceiling fans were installed on the side porch, which still has to be screened.

Scott ran out of rock for the outdoor fireplace and has to drive to Birmingham to pick up more. The faux stone is made by a company called Alluriam. The subcontractor installing it was at the house yesterday and said it's a good product.

Permanent underground electrical lines were not run until Thursday, and that (among other things) prevented the appraiser from filing a report last week. The green box houses electrical lines and all the lights, outlets, etc. in the house now work.

Downstairs bath

Workers installed ceiling fans last week. This one's in the downstairs bedroom.

Upstairs bedroom

A masonry subcontractor was installing the last of the stone on the fireplace while we were there.

The kitchen sink and faucett are in place.

The house from the back deck

French doors going into the upstairs bedroom

View of deck from upstairs balcony

Back of cabin. This view makes the house look bigger than it is because of the unfinished basement. Railings still need to be stained.

View from side porch

Randy stopped by the cabin this weekend and took these pictures. The house is supposed to be finished by Wednesday, when an appraiser will be inspecting it. Scott still has a lot of work to do, though, and the electric company wouldn't even tell me when permanent power will be run to the house. We won't have water until then since electricity is needed to power the well pump.

Some work was done last week: the stone facing for the fireplace is partially done, hardware is on the doors and the kitchen counters are installed.

We went to the cabin Sunday, after going to a surprise birthday party for one of Randy's old friends Friday night. I got to meet the people from Randy's stories of his reckless youth. It was interesting.

A good bit of work had been done on the cabin. And a huge trench had been dug through the woods for the underground electrical line. I wasn't happy about that. The builder had told me they would bury it under the driveway so no trees would be knocked down.

The final inspection of the house is scheduled for March 25, and Scott says he will be done by then. Here are pictures we took:

The French doors are installed, and all the exterior doors are painted.

The bathroom sinks and faucets are set.

Most of the woodwork inside the house is finished now.

View from deck

The stairs have been finished with pine boards.

Trench through the yard for underground utilities