9-22-12 Paint Day

Thursday night Dad & the kids put the sealer on the greatroom walls & ceiling.

Which meant that the greatroom was open Friday morning for traffic. And music .

Daddy needed help checking the dishwasher height (in preparation for tile to be laid).

Beautiful sunset Friday evening.

We were so glad A. Sarah came to help us paint Saturday. Thank you ASK!!!!!

Unlike me, A. Sarah enjoys painting. She has a special painting outfit that is quite colorful .

Littles spent time outside, in the basement, and watching us paint. Jewel took this photo of her very nice road!

Taking off baseboard – again, in preparation of tile.

Jacob was the best high painter. He made it look easy, but after I did it, I realized it wasn’t as easy as he made it look…mainly because he’s stronger than me. My arms and neck got tired!

Dad & I went to a wedding reception after supper; the kids enjoyed a fire. Thanks Kate for taking these great px!

Tired little eyes, precious little boy.

9-20-12 This Morning

Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:  Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.

Psalm 147:7-8

9-19-12 Wednesday

By Kaitlyn

Today we didn’t have any workers here so we just had school and staining. Tori has to stain around the windows. Tori is the only one that  has time and is capable of doing it because she has to make sure all of the window are taped good and she  has to be careful not to get any stain on the glass.

Jesse downloaded a new computer game. It’s a pretty lame game but the little kids like it.

Josh would rather play Jump Start Toddlers. His computer time is at 10:00, and that is Mom’s time to give a piano lesson, so he has to wear his headphones so he can hear his game. Mom just taught him to use the mouse so this is all new for him. He likes playing all by himself just like the big kids.

Tori doing all of the delicate staining. She can’t touch the white plaster either because it doesn't have a sealer on it yet. Grime from our fingers could discolor the wall so she has to be very careful.

I guess someone thought they needed to take a picture of Josh setting the table.

We had to stain 7 doors that size, both sides, and all of that trim on the left side of the picture. We did all of the trim on Saturday and have been working on doors this week.

THE END.

 

Mom’s 2c -

Things continue to fly along.

School is going extremely well – every morning I’m so thankful to live in America where we have this remarkable freedom.

Teaching Josh to use the mouse was a big step. He isn’t one that likes to play alone, and it’s been an adjustment for him to fill his time while Jewel is doing her schoolwork. He’s usually my sidekick doing laundry, kitchenwork, or whatever, but when I’m teaching piano it just doesn’t go well (I’ve tried it several times – think of teaching a piano lesson with a bouncing 30# basketball on your lap). After his computer time, he, Sarah, and Jewel have a snack downstairs while the rest of us have band - - after several months of not playing together, we’re pretty rusty.  But we’re committed to getting back in shape, and we’ve REALLY enjoyed playing in the new greatroom - - think big, empty, echo-ey, LOUD . Once it has carpet and furniture I’m sure it won’t be quite this loud, but we’ll enjoy it anyway. We’re already loving the additional space even though it’s still walled off so littles can’t dance through and check to see if the plaster’s dry (which it is, just not sealed…). Dad was at St. Louis all day today and didn’t get home until 7:00; that pretty much eliminated any work on the house (although Jesse did get the last greatroom window furred out). So the plan is to seal the plaster tomorrow night so we can think about painting on Saturday…

Because the trim is getting close (and the kids are doing a great job on it too, by the way), and we are on the trimmers’ schedule…

I can hardly believe we’re down to sealing, painting, trim, and flooring… after that is furniture which means it’s DONE!

Like I said, things continue to fly along – and I understand more now the busy-ness of building a house (which isn’t exactly what we’re doing, but kind of close to it).  So much research, so many decisions, so much to look at, so much to think about it, so much to do. Very fun, but very very busy! I’m glad the end is in sight – as we all are.

But I digress.

It’s kind of hard not to when it seems like our life is so focused on this project.

Oh well, like I said, the end is in sight.

Back to school – as of today all the kids are finally doing “full school” as we call it. Up to this point they’ve been doing almost all their subjects, but I didn’t have some of the history and science ready for them, and it took ME to get things going. Finally got ‘er done, and they’re off and running full speed now.

But I’m not right now, so

Good night.

9-17-12 Another Monday

Blink goes the week. Then the weekend. And now Monday is over. Odd as it sounds, it seems life is busier now than when I had two in diapers. I hope it’s just this house project – I don’t want to be this busy forever.

But progress is certain, and each step brings us closer to completion.

Saturday Jesse & Jacob laid underlayment in the new part and patched the old vent holes in the old part.

Girls took off carpet from the doorway which is now open

Dad dismantled the old pocket door in the living room.

And the temporary wall came down!!!!!

Of course much cleaning.

The plaster must dry for a few days yet, and then it needs to be finished off with a sealant of some sort. So while we haven’t opened it up completely yet, with the temporary walls down it’s a joy to have sun shining in the house again. I missed that!

Saturday was a busy day for littles outside. So much playing to do!

Campfire after supper. A beautiful night.

Kids did a lot of staining too.

And what did I do?  I went through winter clothes and made a nice pile of garments to mend, lengthen, shorten, or alter for the girls. I think we’re ready for winter – or almost ready, anyway.

Sunday morning sunshine was beautiful!!!

As was the view from the house.

Josh likes to pwactice his pwano wesson.

Today Pat’s plasterers were here bright and early again; the bedroom is completely done, ready for paint and underlayment. Tomorrow the bathroom will be finished, and then the plasterers are done.

Too tired to write much more,

so,

Good night.

9-15-12 Picture Post

by Tori

This week Jacob found this hummingbird in the shop trying to get out one of the windows. After cooperating nicely for a picture, away she flew, one happy hummingbird.

We see quite a few praying mantises every fall. Usually Jacob, Kate, and Ben catch a few and put them in boxes to keep. They catch them small butterflies and then watch the praying mantises catch and eat them. One year they had around six or seven at a time, but this year they haven’t caught many. I think it’s because Jacob’s too busy to bother with it and he always was the main insect guy.

Our garden’s done for the year.

Grandpa’s amazing tomatoes are still producing though.

Every year some of us kids go and pick up the corn that the combine misses on the end-rows. Now it’s Ben, Sarah, Jewel,and Josh who go out and pick it up then bring it home and shell it.

Having a piano in the shop is so much fun. It’s a great place to play in the evenings when everyone is outside. Ben and I were playing Chopsticks.

Boss is a big favorite around here. I’m not sure if he is enjoying being read to or not.

Ben picked the corn out of his garden. The stalks made a great little house.

After the boys tore out the wall between the new and old bedroom, Kate and I hauled away some of the trash.

Not sure who took this or what it’s supposed to be of.

And I’m not sure what Jewel was doing on the cupboard. Pretty sure Mom wasn’t around though.

Best friends.

Yesterday Pat’s crew finished plastering the living room. Here it’s still very wet.

Also yesterday the boardhangers finished up Dad & Mom’s new bedroom. The plastic will stay up till the plasterers are done.

This morning the plaster is looking quite a bit drier.

The dark parts are still pretty wet.

Since the plywood and foam board came down, the plastic hasn’t held up very well.

Shop-vaccing the floor. Cats aren’t usually allowed in the house due to allergies, but this morning Boss somehow found his way in. Boss has lately begun acting like his mother, Spanky. He comes to the house and walks on the ledge in front of the windows, and loves to be anywhere there are people. He is quickly learning to associate coming to the house and sitting on the window ledge with food. Josh says that Boss is his best cat and, “He (Boss) is wo nice!”

The boys started putting down the underlayment this morning too.

That’s it.