Garden House Plans Approved

It has been a little over a year now that we purchased this land. We started right away to get the plans for a house done. The process was a long one as you can see. The long wait was lack of knowledge and research that I had to do as I was trying to make my plans. With a long story short, I turned in the plans, which was a three month wait, and they were redlined. This means that the county went through the plans and marked all the errors. I then needed lots of help and thanks to family I was able to finally get these plans approved by the county. So what is next?

Next is to get this home built asap. I can’t wait. We are super excited. Hopefully within this month we can get it all worked out to get started.

I also need to clear a huge pile of trees and branches. I’ll need some help to speed things up. Once cleared that acre will be ready to go for building. Last night I was working in the moonlight separating the branches while listening to music. It was such a great time. The weather was perfect and I could not have been enjoying some good old work more than then. For sure these are times to remember.

Pile of trees that I started to cut up

A little update on life

So the holidays were great! It’s a wonderful time of year where we can all enjoy good spirits and family. Now that the new year has started I have hopes that life will continue to grow and expand and mature as the year goes on. I will go through what my plans are for this year.

First off Dana Arts will be posting a new design every month for this year. Keep an eye out for these new and exciting designs. I love designing and want to keep the flow of creativity going through the year. This means creating new design even when there are so many other things I have to take care of in life and in the business. I hope you will be as excited as I am to see each new design as the become available. I’ll try and promote each one through the month so you can have a look at it. I hope to grow Dana Arts this year as much as possible. I need your help to spread the word and continue buying rings that you love. Every bit helps when you are a small business like me with no employees.

American Flag Star ring with and eagle on the inside.

The Garden House. Well the plans were submitted on December 8th. I called today and it has gone through various steps and it’s in the actual plan review stage. They say it will now take another 30-40 business days. Really? They blame it on the holidays and being backed up. They say they are a week ahead and we should have them reviewed by the end of February. That’s a total of 3 months. Wow! I really hope there are no revisions that have to be done because each revision will take another 2 weeks for them to review and hopefully I won’t need weeks to make the changes, but it’s possible. I’m starting to have the feeling the house will not be completed before my son returns from El Salvador in November. I was trying so hard to make that happen, but it will be close. I’m so tired of waiting. Once the plans are approved I know things will move forward and wont' worry so much.

The Garden at the Garden House. Well I have finished the second strip of garden box. They are both 5ft by 15ft. The next ones will be a little longer. I need to pull weeds and then start mixing the dirt. I would like to get a few more done before spring planting. The new Home Depot just opened here in San Tan Valley so I can make shorter trips for the things I need. for building, so that is a plus.

The driveway. We need to be working on this. I have a friend that will come help me cut some 23” pipe that will hopefully go in at the front of the driveway. I need to destroy a little of the old cement of the old spot for the pipe so this new one can go in it’s place. I then would like to brick lay the end of it and then fill the top with cement. The top cement layer will be thin as this pipe is in reality too big and should be smaller, but that is what size is there and our wonderful neighbor is so kind and generous to give us that pipe. So I’m humbly thankful for their generosity. Once the driveway is fixed we can get rid of all the trash that is on the property. It will feel good to have it cleaned up a bit more. Each new stage is challenging and I am up for it. This is where I want to live and improving the land is a way to make life happier.

Broken part of the driveway.

We all need something in life that keeps us going and keeps us happy. For me it’s believing in God and Jesus Christ and all they do for me as I strive to follow the gospel that has been taught. My family and the joy they bring to me everyday. My work that to me isn’t really work, but play time. My new home where I can create a place of peace and beauty for my family and I. A place of safety where we can all grow together. This is what life is all about. With this we can also then think about serving and helping others the best we can and know how to. We are all here on this journey through life and it’s wonderful to serve and help others the best we can. It only lifts our souls and make life that much easier and joyful. I hope this year that we all can progress together on this journey of life to live it to it’s fullest.

The Garden House Plans are submitted

I’m so excited to announce that after 8 months of figuring out how to get and make plans for our future home has been submitted to the county for review. It will take 40 business days for the county to review the plans. I figure there will be some changes that will have to happen and they will red line lots of it, but I am relieved that the first step is done. I’m sure we will be able to work on what ever changes are necessary, but right now I don’t know what they would be so I’ll wait. Once all the necessary changes are made and they are approved, I’ll keep you all updated. To me this is the hardest part of the whole process. The not knowing, uncertainty, the research, the feeling of being alone in this, my lack of understanding, the pressure, and the list goes on. I know this is the right path for my family and I so I keep at it with all I’ve got.

Now that the plans are submitted I will concentrate on fixing the driveway. The tube that goes over the irrigation ditch is breaking on the sides. It’s caving in and needs repair or replacement before any large trucks can drive over it. I found out that I don’t need a permit and I can do it myself. So the planning begins. I am analyzing it right now. Only the last 3 feet of it is damaged and mainly because the metal tube on the inside is rusted out. The rest seams fine. So I may just repair the end, but maybe the whole thing too. It may depend on how much pipe I have to buy. If it comes in only long sections then I may have to buy it and instead of waste it I’ll just replace the whole tube. Ripping all that out will be quite the project too. Such fun times, but I need to get on this and have it done by the time my house plans get done being reviewed. This way I’m prepared for the next steps. The first thing after the driveway is fixed will be to get the trash hauled off the property. Can’t wait.

The pressure is on. I need this all to go as smoothly as possible because I only have one year before Lucas gets back from his mission in El Salvador. I need the house done by this time. So yes, the pressure is on to get all this done asap. I do great and even better under pressure. I just hope the builder and crews can and will do the same. :) A lot still just depends on how smooth this plan approval goes with the county. So wish us luck and if your religious, keep us in your prayers.

The front of the Garden House