Whose Woods These Are

Weekend #7

2009-07-26T15:34:00.038-04:00

Friday, July 24th, 2009...House-sitting for friends again this weekend gave us lots of time to work at our house. First, here's a teaser from the front door:
That's it...that's all you get to see until you come to visit!

Another shot of the "bones" of the great room:

And some raccoon tracks I found on the south side of the house, in a dried-up puddle:

We continued work on backfilling inside the foundation walls. This window-less opening made getting stones into this area pretty easy.

J-Bird pitched right in to rake and level the stones. It's wonderful to have a strong, young man on staff...I'm getting too old for this kind of work!

The younger crew kept themselves occupied for awhile by playing hangman on the wood pile:

It was about 7:30 pm by this time...the sun was setting...shadows growing longer...

Word games sure make me thirsty!

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Friday's sunset was beautiful...

"Crossing the Bar"

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Space
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

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Saturday, July 25, 2009...Jesse arrived early this morning to work on the grading around the house and septic tanks.

Shaving some material from the bank to use as fill:

Adding fill material to the south side of the house:

Now we have some semblance of a backyard, and a flat area for the kids to play:

Jesse also backfilled around the septic and peat tanks:

The boys were fascinated by this machine...compact, powerful, maneuverable...even air conditioned! They decided we needed one of our own!

And the tanks as they are still now...waiting for us to install the connecting PVC pipe, connect to the house output, dig a small hole and install the UV light (stage 3 of our septic system), and run about 200 feet of PVC down to the stream for the effluent discharge. We'll get to that, but right now getting the house done is our priority!

Meanwhile, Hubby, J-Bird, and my Dad continued working to get the under-slab plumbing completed. Here Hubby is digging the trench for the 4" PVC that will carry all the household waste and gray water out to the septic tank. This was not an easy job. He had to position himself perpendicular to the trench, instead of parallel with it. This prolonged the process, but his persistence paid-off, and pipe installation proceeded promptly.

Here you can see his dilemma...he was only able to take small buckets of material out at a time:

And Dad had to do some hand-digging, as well:

Finally they got the pipe positioned with the correct amount of "fall"...(1" per 4', I believe), and we were able to fill in with stones to hold it in place:

And, here's the rest of the pipe install...not an exciting or glamorous shot...unless you know how much sweat and hard labor went into arriving at this very moment. I don't think I'll ever take indoor plumbing for granted again!

And...what did Sissy do while the rest of us were toiling?

Heavy rains filled the tire tracks with deliciously muddy water:

She tried unsuccessfully to coerce her brother to join her:

I'm thankful for the "well-loved" hand-me-down clothes we've been given...so I don't have to worry about how they'll ever come clean! What joy to be a child at this age...living in this moment...she loved every minute of it, and didn't mind being a bit cold and more than a bit wet! She was having a wonderful time...and I wasn't about to stop her.

Could YOU say no to a face like that?

Stay tuned,
Kris

Framing Week #7

2009-07-23T21:47:00.016-04:00

Monday, July 20, 2009...The framing crew worked one day this week, finishing up the porch railing...installing a few more windows...and raising a door opening on the ground level. They won't return until next week when work on the siding will begin.

You can see to the back of the house the windows are not yet installed. The large opening on the first floor is for a double window unit. Ray suggested we not install this window yet because the opening will make the back of the house much more accessible when the concrete floor is poured. The rectangular hole on the second floor is for the kitchen door...we purchased this door last summer, but after flipping the cabinet locations, it didn't open in the right direction. We moved it to the front of the house, next to the garage door. The third floor also needs a window, which I assume they will install (along with the house wrap) when they return next week to begin siding.

The section of porch where railing is missing will eventually have steps from the drive up to the front door. There will be a matching set on the opposite side of the house from the kitchen door down to the yard/garden area. The steps cannot be installed until the excavators return and finish the backfilling. The blue foam on the lower wall is approximately where the finished grade will be. The garage doors would've been installed by now IF I had ordered the correct size! Another oops! Providentially, Scott from Crain Lumber, the local store where we ordered all our doors and windows, had a buyer for them and called me with his name. What could've been a very costly mistake only set us back a few hundred dollars. So, new garage doors are on order, and siding is scheduled for delivery on July 28th.

Meanwhile, Hubby and J-Bird have been hard at work moving stone into the garage again. The ramp is back in place...it comes in handy but is SO unwieldy.

As the guys were moving stone, all the "stuff" we've been storing downstairs had to be moved. All the stuff in this photo...

used to be over here!

Also this week, Hubby and my Dad are making steady progress on the plumbing. It is crucial that we get all the basement drains placed correctly, so that we can move on to laying out the PEX tubing for the in-floor radiant heat. Here is the first floor bathroom so far. The tallest pipe on the right is the wet vent...the short pipe to the left is for the toilet...and the pipe in the foreground is the drain pipe that will extend under the garage floor out the front of the house and down the hill to the septic tank.

Close up of bathroom plumbing. Great care is taken to insure there is 1" fall per every 4' of length. When the proper angle is attained, stone is filled in around the PVC for stabilization.

Looking upward where the first floor and second floor plumbing meet. We thought this would be an easy job...all three bathrooms are "stacked" one on top of another. However, each floor has presented us with challenges. The first floor walls are 10" thick poured concrete. The placement of the second floor joists gave us little room to run the pipes, so the crew boxed out a place for us to work.

Then the transition from the second floor to the third floor is tricky because the exterior walls are offset. Again, a section of joist was removed to accommodate the pipes.

And...because you can never have enough...more shots from the deck.

The underneath of the porch roof will be finished off with 6" wide v-groove pine boards.

Looking towards the kitchen window. One day soon, terrific smells will waft out through that window, beckoning family and friends to come and dine. Until then...

Stay tuned,
Kris

Framing Week #6

2009-07-22T22:12:00.023-04:00

July 13 - July 17, 2009...Finally able to upload photos from this week's work. I love the look of the naked framing right now. The great room seems like it could've been part of Noah's ark. We have plans to create faux beams that will wrap around these not-so-finished-looking roof supports. We will hang a ceiling fan from the center beam, and 4 recessed lights in the ceiling on each side.

These walls at the back of the great room reach from floor to roof. I'm already imagining a quilt or two gracing these expansive spaces.

There is some unusable space here where the rooflines intersect. (Not sure what we'd store there or how we'd access it, anyway).

Looking up from the second floor to the third floor hallway skylight. Ray framed this out to carry more light down into the space. He continually goes above and beyond what we expect. He is not afraid to suggest things that will add to his work load, if he feels the finished result will please us.

J-Bird standing in his bedroom.

In each of the upstairs bedrooms, there are 2 crawlspaces between the kneewalls and the roof. The spaces aren't huge, but we'll find some things to store in there, I'm sure. The boys are already insisting on a hidden play area...

The skylight in J-Bird's bedroom. I'm really glad we didn't omit these due to budgetary concerns. They really bring in a lot of light to the upstairs bedrooms. And, so far...no leaks!

The roof is done! We're really happy with the color, and look forward to seeing the siding go on next week.

Friday, July 17, 2009...Sewer tanks were scheduled for delivery. The excavators arrived bright and early to cut-in a road for the trucks to access the tank locations, and to dig the holes for the tanks.

Here's Jesse manning the trackhoe:

The hole in the front will accommodate the septic tank...the one behind will hold our fancy-dancy peat bio-filter tank.

Don from ECOFLO, the peat bio-filter distributer, was on site most of the day to supervise the preparation for and complete the installation of the tank.

This green monstrosity is the peat bio-filter. It will process our liquid effluent after leaving the septic tank.

Jesse bringing in stone for the peat tank, while Don and Alan the excavator look on.

Several tons of stone are loaded into the tank.

Don climbs in to level the stone.

And..."Ta-Da!" The product of a hard-day's work. Our only choice for sewer on this parcel of land was to install a "small flows system." (That's not entirely true...we could've opted for a sand mound IF we brought in sand, waited for 4 YEARS, and had it tested. IF it passed, we'd be good to go). We were limited because of the steep terrrain, and because there is a stream at the bottom of our property, what gets discharged must be as pure as possible. It is a three-phase system. The gray tank in the foreground is the concrete septic tank. Plastic septic tanks are also available, and much easier to maneuver, but cost more than twice as much as concrete. Solids stay in this tank...liquids move on to the peat bio-filter...the large green tank. This tank is filled with...you guessed it...peat moss...which will filter and clean our liquid waste. The last leg in the journey is a UV light...(not installed yet) which further purifies and disinfects our effluent, which will then flow through about 200 feet of PVC pipe and discharge into our stream...as clear, pure, drinkable water. The ultimate in recycling, don't you think?

We also talked (begged...pleaded...) the excavators into using their trackhoe to position our outdoor furnace. What we struggled with for hours before with the builder's Skytrac, took a matter of minutes with this machine. So glad that is in place and ready to be hooked-up when the time comes.

Looks a little wonky here, but I know it's level! (Must be the camera angle).

Here's the loading door. We positioned it on the uphill side so we could use gravity to our advantage. Plus...c'mon...how about that view?

Stay tuned,
Kris

New photos coming soon...(hopefully!)

2009-07-21T12:37:00.002-04:00

I have a week's worth of photos to upload, but the internet here at Mom's isn't cooperating. Rich is updating his Facebook page almost daily, (not sure why Facebook accepts photos so much easier than Blogger...), so those of you on FB can catch-up on our progress there. I hope to get photos loaded here ASAP.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Sometimes Life Gets Ugly...

2009-07-14T02:22:00.003-04:00

Monday, July 13, 2009...Has anyone ever had to dial "911?" I did today. A 5-minute encounter along the road with the neighbor "lady"...(and I use the term loosely, believe-you-me)...escalated to the point of her threatening to "throw me on the ground and kick the sh-- out of me" at which point I told her I'd be calling the police, at which point she began screaming things at me that I won't even pretend to spell.

When she returned "home"...(again using the term loosely...those of you who dare to visit us after we're moved in will understand)...she was screaming further obscenities (perhaps she screamed the whole way down the road...she's got good lungs, if nothin' else), giving us the single finger salute, and proceeded to crank up her boombox as loud as possible and plop herself down in the front "yard"...(loosely, again)...on a lounge chair. I guess that's how she relaxes after a hard day of harassing the immigrants.

The first encounter was witnessed by my four children and a township worker who was trimming along the road and had to stop behind us while I was being tongue-lashed. The second encounter was witnessed by my husband and three Asplundh tree trimmers paving the way for our power lines. (They finished quickly and took off...I wonder why?)

If you've never had the experience of being hated...when someone just is disgusted by the very sight of you...well, I hope you never do. I don't think I've ever met a meaner, angrier, nastier person than this woman who will in a number of weeks be my closest neighbor.

Several years ago something like this would've been my undoing. Rocked me to the core. Made it difficult for me to function and dashed any hopes I had for a happy life there.

Not now.

Because it's not her opinion of me that defines me. It's HIS.

Romans 8:31a..."If God be for us, who can be against us?"

Romans 8:38-39..."For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So, I made the call. (I was actually talking to 911 on the phone when she came down the lane cussing and waving). About half an hour later the officer arrived. Went to her "home" first. Stayed only a few minutes, but long enough to come to some conclusions of his own. Came up the hill and took my statement. He believed we should press charges, which would result in a $400 fine and an opportunity for her to appear in court. We decided that we'd like him to give her a warning this time, but let her know that any further accosting would result in swift action on our part.

He left our property and returned to hers. A lengthy discussion ensued. Providentially, her husband returned home just as the officer was leaving, and he talked to him at length, as well. I don't know if the officer will follow up with us, but I intend to call him tomorrow if I don't hear something. He will be filing a report and I am to call him if any further incidents occur.

In other news, I got viciously flogged by a rooster Friday morning. Getting flogged is painful, and I have the bruises to prove it. But, I'd rather be flogged than receive the tongue-lashing I received today.

At least we can EAT the rooster.

Stay tuned...who knows what will happen next?
Kris

Framing Week #5

2009-07-12T12:13:00.016-04:00

July 6, 2009 to July 10, 2009...We completed adhering the rigid foam insulation to the exterior walls. Applying the adhesive in large globs rather than thin lines seemed to improve its holding power. We also weren't working in the rain, which probably helped, as well. This is a different angle...not sure if we have another shot like this one. Roof is almost ready for shingles.

Shingling is in process here. I am amazed that these men will do this job...it is so dangerous! It is a learned skill, like so many others, but one slip while up on the roof could be disastrous. They have been in my prayers. Amish Ray even worked a day and a half...by himself...because one of his helpers was on vacation and another pulled a muscle. Would YOU climb out on that roof ALL BY YOURSELF to shingle a stranger's house? It's not like anyone would know if he fell! Brave, brave man.

Two of the three rectangular Velux skylights are installed in the third floor roof...these will help to illuminate the bedrooms, as they only have one window each. A third skylight will go in between to illuminate the hallway below.

Inside the third floor, 8' ceiling is taking shape...original plans called for ceiling height of 7'6, but it was no problem to raise it to 8'. We wanted to expand the spaces as much as possible, and both bedrooms will have ceiling fans, so the additional height will be an asset. Knee walls are also in the works, and the space between the knee walls and the roof will provide us with 4 crawl spaces for storage. (Not sure what we'll store there just yet...)

The third floor bath is visible on the left...it juts out from the roofline on the back side of the house. It is not a large bath, but will probably be used the least (shared by J-Bird and Sissy). Third floor still needs doorways, closets, exerior sheathing, interior skylight framing, and crawl spaces finished.

Meanwhile, at the end of the week our excavators returned to install the french drain system. The black cloth is laid over a layer of stones which covers the black perforated tubing which is supposed to carry any water away from the foundation. More stones will be placed on top of this cloth before the final backfilling is done. The finished ground level will follow the top edge of the blue foam...which is why we cut it at an angle.

Here is the stone on top of the tubing, before the cloth has been laid down.

Inside view of the Velux Sky Tunnels (on the right and left), and the opening for the woodstove vent pipe in the middle. Once the ceiling is finished and the other halves of the sky tunnels are installed, the light will be diffused throughout the room.

Dad and I started installing electrical boxes on the second floor...kitchen wall outlets here.

Master bedroom, wall on left faces the driveway...main floor bath framing visible on the right... (I'm making a few changes here now that I see how the space works).

And...our windows are here! I'm so anxious to see them in place! We have been struggling with molding choices around the windows...I keep envisioning wide brown boards setting off the white vinyl windows from the fern green siding. When we saw the windows we realized that we had ordered them with a wide white brick molding already attached, so we decided to drop the brown trim board idea. More money saved!

Next week is shaping up to be a busy one, so

Stay tuned,
Kris

Framing Week #4 (Lots of pictures!)

2009-07-04T00:16:00.009-04:00

Monday, June 29, 2009...Work continues on the third floor rafters. Daniel (on the right) and his helper (left) are installing the roof overhang supports. I don't know how they work up there...not only it it 3 stories high, but the driveway is so steep that it makes it feel more like 5.

Daniel at the peak. The weather was beautiful...as was the view, I'm sure.

Ray out back working on the third floor bath bump-out:

Continuing on the overhang supports:

Perhaps Daniel had too much roof work for now...they've traded places:

Sheathing begins on the front side of the third floor...Ray and Daniel combine strength and agility 3 stories high...not for the faint of heart!

Hubby took this week off to get started on a few of our projects. First up...constructing the box that will support the outdoor furnace. We used some of the treated lumber that was on site...hope they don't miss it!

My dad was on hand this week as well...to help out where needed and to evaluate the plumbing situation. He thinks we have a few challenges ahead...has that ever stopped us before?

Once the box was constructed, we prepared the location and set it in place. We prepared the box to accommodate corrugated conduit, which will carry the PEX tubing that carries the heated water into the house. But we realized our measurements were a bit off, so the conduit was removed and will hook into the furnace from outside the box. Here hubby is bringing in a load of 2B stone:

The box is filled, and we're placing deck blocks in the corners to support the furnace legs. Leveling the blocks is crucial...we don't want the furnace tumbling down the hill.

Ahhhh...a thing of beauty. You don't think so? Well, if you'd worked as hard as we did putting this thing in place...you WOULD think so, I'm sure.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009...Rained a lot this morning. No work at the homesite.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009...Of all the days to forget the camera...this was NOT the one. Perhaps the most excitement so far took place today...and we didn't capture it. Moving the furnace into place proved to be a huge challenge. Ray thought he could lift it into place with the Skytrak...but the combination of incline and soggy ground from the day before prevented us from completing the job. He got stuck...Hubby had to pull him out with the Magnatrac...he nearly tipped his machine over...and ended up setting the furnace down rather rapidly (though skillfully) so this is where it ended up...it's propped up and tied to a tree for now...waiting for our excavator to try his machinery next week:

Thursday, July 2, 2009...After that excitement...we were ready to attempt something a little less stressful...backfilling inside the footers. Hubby purchased this steel ramp at university salvage a year or so ago, and it really came in handy for this job.

Hubby was cautious entering and exiting the garage...there were only a few inches to spare:

The ramp allowed Hubby to bring the stones right into the basement and dump them where needed...A LOT faster than using the wheelbarrow!

As always, J-Bird jumps right in to lend a hand. He is learning to find satisfaction in hard work, and for that, we are thankful.

Hubby on his way in with another load:

Hubby maneuvered around the many obstacles with ease:

Looking from the ground floor bathroom towards the garage area...you can see the clearances are pretty tight:

J-Bird working at breaking up several chunks of excess concrete, poured out onto the ground (and basically wasted) after the footers were completed. We should've thought ahead to build some forms to capture any extra material...we paid for it...now it'll just become expensive fill.

I-Bird perched in his future bedroom window...watching his brother?

Meanwhile, the building crew is installing rafters in the great room. The rafters are cut from 2" x 12" x 22' boards...they extend from the peak of the roof out over the porch. They cut one rafter to use as a pattern and used that pattern to mark all the others. The pattern piece was the last one to be nailed in place.

Another view of the great room rafters...looks like a giant ribcage:

This is looking from the far end of the great room towards the center hall. You can see the roof line (with the black felt paper adhered) extending down into the great room. We think there will be a section of vertical wall built and installed here (so the angled roof section will be hidden).

The peak of the roof overhang on the deck. Someone...some time...will have to get up there and stain that treated roof support beam. Any volunteers?

This is the view roughly westward out of my future kitchen door. There will be a small landing here and steps down to the yard on this side of the house. The garden will be on the other side of the rock piles in the foreground.

We decided not to spend money on a dumpster. We've been sorting and stacking the scrap wood...there's quite a lot leftover so far. The boys will have lots of project fodder! We're bagging the unusable trash and will dispose of it at the local dump.

Panoramic view. The felt paper is adhered to the third floor roof, and bathroom bump-out is sheathed and ready for finishing.

We finished installing rigid foam to the back wall, but still have the sides to do. We removed 2 bracing boards to use for leveling the wood furnace, and those foam panels came loose. We're not sure what happened, but the rest of the foam seems to be sufficiently adhered.

Looking up towards great room...front porch posts and roof supports are in place...it is HIGH up there!

One day soon there will be a different vehicle parked in the garage...and we'll be able to call this place HOME. We can't wait!

Insulating the Concrete Walls

2009-07-03T22:02:00.011-04:00

June 28, 2009...With the completion of the waterproofing of the poured concrete walls, it was time to add rigid foam panels to the exterior...not only for an extra 7.5R in insulating value, but as an added barrier against moisture in the ground floor rooms. These foam panels are 24" x 8', and are tongue-and-grooved (sort of) to fit tightly together.

We realized that following the manufacturer's directions would require approximately one tube of adhesive per sheet, so we decided to try to make do with a little less, and use extra lumber from the building site to hold the panels in place until they were adhered to the walls. J-Bird was perched on the plateau behind the house and set the boards in place as we glued the panels.

It drizzled on and off all day, but besides that, working conditions were pleasant.

The younger boys were go-fers...going for the boards as J-Bird needed them. They really pitched in and helped quite a bit.

Hubby and my dad are holding a panel in place as J-Bird places the support.

And not to be left out...Sissy comes with her contribution. Because of the constant drizzle and mud, she was absolutely filthy by the time we headed home.

We're almost 3/4 finished with the back. Rafters are defining the third floor roof line.

Here's a different angle...looking up from the lower yard.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Framing Week #3

2009-06-26T22:14:00.012-04:00

June 22, 2009 - June 26, 2009...The third week of framing has come to a close, and what do we have here? Rafters, perhaps?

Ahhhhhh...rafters, indeed! Third floor bedrooms are beginning to take shape!

And, look...a small forest imp peeking up over the floor:

Looking from one end of the third floor towards the other:

View of third floor from the deck...(there's that imp again...)

Roof support posts are in place around the perimeter of the deck:

Driveway view of home...third floor rafters in progress...porch roof support posts in place:

Driveway view again...there will be a large window in each end of the third floor, a skylight in each bedroom, and a skylight in the roof above the hall.

The photos really make the house look huge...several people have told us...but, in reality, it's only about 2,000 finished square feet. Including the garage and unfinished utility/mechanicals room, it's probably closer to 2,600 total square footage. I think the setting...plus the approach to the home from below exaggerate the actual size.

We're down to the wire for choosing shingles and siding. Hubby is getting another estimate from an out-of-town supplier, then we'll have to make our final decisions. It looks like we'll be working next week on several projects...Hubby took vacation, and we have some help lined up. We are anxious to get busy and do our part to make this dream a reality!

Hope to see you soon!

Stay tuned,
Kris

A Few Deck Pictures

2009-06-26T17:39:00.006-04:00

June 23, 2009...The deck is coming along nicely...here's the approach from the front door:

Looking out the front door:

The side facing the driveway:

Same side from the opposite direction:

That's it for now...we're heading out soon to check on today's progress. We'll be updating later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Framing Week #2

2009-06-26T09:07:00.017-04:00

June 15, 2009 to June 19, 2009...Framing continues. Work begins on the deck...very exciting for us!

The great room is surrounded by deck on all three sides, with a roof overhead...so we should be able to enjoy this outdoor space 8-9 months of the year. The children are excited about sitting outside to do their schoolwork. I'm anticipating evening meals watching the sunset over the mountains. We've never had a large outdoor space like this, and it's one of the things we are most looking forward to about living in this house.

Our original plan was to have the crew build columns to support the deck and roof. Somehow that bit of information got lost in translation, and treated, 6"x6" posts were ordered instead. I was a little upset, at first...thinking they would look "puny" in comparison to the size of the deck. Now that they're installed (and I have no choice, really...HaHa!), I'm fine with the look.

Looking out the garage door on the far side of the house:

Evidence of the heavy rains we had this week. Building permit hanging on the post to the far right:

View from the kitchen window onto the deck:

Looking back the hallway from the great room towards the main floor bath:

Kitchen pantry closet. I rearranged the entire kitchen layout so that I could find a place for this. If you remember from an earlier post, it was one of my 3 "must-haves"...1)pantry closet... 2)wide windowsills... 3)fireplace. The fireplace has been reduced to a woodstove, wide windowsills are still in the works (I hope!), and pantry closet is now a reality. (YEAH!!!) In our last house, my pantry was about 30" wide...nowhere near large enough to accommodate a family our size. I buy many things in bulk, and having a convenient place to store and access my ingredients will be a daily blessing.

Standing on the third floor looking towards the great room. Once the walls are in place, this view will be gone:

Looking down from the third floor, through the second floor, into the first (ground) floor. We'll be thankful when the rough steps are in place!

View from the third floor towards the great room. You can see the puddle of water on the subfloor from this week's rain:

View from one of the third floor bedrooms, looking down the drive. We're giving J-Bird his choice of upstairs bedrooms. My aunt and uncle blessed him with the beautiful bedroom furniture that belonged to my cousin, so he'll have a wonderful space to work and study (when he's not on the porch!) He wants to wait until the walls are up to make his decision.

Thanks for stopping by...please leave a comment if you haven't already...and...

Stay tuned,
Kris

Framing Day #6

2009-06-16T00:40:00.014-04:00

June 15, 2009...Concrete was scheduled for delivery around noon. Pads were being poured for the porch/roof support posts. One problem, though...clearance between the posts' location and the edge of our man-made cliff is a bit too narrow for the concrete truck.

It doesn't look to me like he's too close to the edge...but look at that truck...leaning!

Last week, Amish Ray asked Hubby for the use of our tractor, to transport concrete where the truck couldn't...Hubby decided to be on hand and do it himself:

Dumping into the outermost corner hole:

English crewman (we need to ask his name, don't you think?) working in the hole:

Moving concrete in a wheelbarrow:

These holes were about 3' deep:

There was still some water in the holes from the rain we had at the end of last week:

AND...when Hubby arrived at the site late morning, the 2nd floor interior walls were already in place! Looking from the great room back the hallway towards the bathroom, kitchen is on the right where the yellow ladder is:

You can see the closet door framing in place on the left side of the hallway:

This is what it looked like just yesterday:

View from master bedroom looking towards great room. The master closet is just right of center...it fits snugly into the corner of the room. Can you say "downsizing?"

This is what it looked like yesterday:

And here's the kitchen...pantry closet is just left of the window...also tucked snugly into a corner:

Soon the support posts for the porch and roof will be built and installed, then the wrap-around deck attached. Oh...to walk on that deck...THAT will be a happy day!

Stay tuned,
Kris

In The Thick of It

2009-06-15T22:00:00.014-04:00

June 13 & 14, 2009...The weekend's beautiful weather gave us the opportunity to work on a few projects. First, Hubby had to replace a hydraulic hose on our tractor that got ripped off a few weeks ago by a falling tree. (Oops!) Here's the repaired hose:

The rest of the weekend we spent waterproofing the poured concrete walls. This wall looks splotchy because it was badly pitted and Hubby was working really hard to get the paint into the pits. We only had one coat applied at this point. The color is called "weathered concrete," and looks taupe-ish on the brochure, which we thought would coordinate well with the moss-green siding. When we got it on the walls, however, it looked a lot more gray-ish, and not to my liking. Oh well...we can always paint over the exposed parts later.

We painted the freeze walls for continuity in case they are exposed beneath the bottom row of siding:

Here's J-Bird working on the freeze walls. He is a hard worker and a tremendous blessing to our family. We are able to accomplish so much largely because of his willingness and ability to help out. The other boys helped a lot, as well...we just didn't get any photos of them. I'm really enjoying the family time we're sharing as our home progresses. J-Bird pointed out that this was the first project we worked on that was actually part of the home construction...I hadn't even thought of that, but, he's right.

Oh, the glamorous life...I love it! Here I am, working on the back side of the house. It was nice and cool as the sun set on the front side and the breeze actually made it pleasant! We are using Quikcrete's Masonry Waterproofing Paint, which is very thick...like textured ceiling paint, for those of you who have had the pleasure to apply it. Meaning...it splatters...a lot. It ends up in your hair, on your face, arms...you get the idea.

And, here's Sissy...nimbly navigating the many ups and downs of the construction site:

And, she's not one to be left out, so we gave her a brush and let her give it a try:

Daddy had to fish her brush out of the paint bucket a few times...

But, then she decided she didn't like the paint on her fingernails:

Another productive weekend...sore muscles...dirty clothes. LIFE IS GOOD!

Sometime this coming week, we'll be adding 1 1/2" foam insulation onto the walls we just painted, for extra moisture protection and insulating benefits.

Stay tuned,
Kris

First Week of Framing Complete!

2009-06-13T12:27:00.019-04:00

June 12, 2009...We drove over to the property Friday evening to document the progress from the first week of framing:

Second floor exterior walls are complete and housewrapped. The house looks very tall on the approach from the driveway, and there is a third floor going on the back half yet:

The great room has vaulted ceilings with exposed beams. The large space between the front windows looks a bit odd, I think, but that space was meant for the fireplace. I believe we've changed our plans yet again and will be purchasing a high-efficiency woodstove for this area. Seeing the interior dimensions for what they are, we've decided that the masonry stove will take up too much space, not only in the great room, but the footings and support column required in the basement eat up a lot of room, as well. We looked at a few Vermont Castings stoves this morning at a local retailer. With the tax rebates being offered this year, and eliminating the cost of the masonry required by the masonry stove, we should come out ahead.

Side view, great room on the left, kitchen on the right:

Back corner of the kitchen looking towards the front door:

Height of the great room is apparent here:

Sissy and I waving from the master bedroom window:

J-Bird and I at the front door, waiting for house guests. Steps leading up to the wrap-around deck will provide access to our front door (which is really cool, by the way...y'all just have to come over to see it for yourselves!)

This is the little corner on the right from the front door. Roof angle is apparent here:

Looking from the master bedroom towards the sliding door in the great room. I made a mistake here...didn't give Amish Ray the right dimensions for the slider, so they will need to redo it next week.

This is the wall separating the main floor bath from the master. There will be a door here:

View from the kitchen towards the great room:

Looking from the great room towards the master...the inset on the left is the front door:

The worksite is very clean...aside from a few drink bottles that were left behind. The men have stacked all the wood scraps in a pile, they have been sweeping the sawdust as they are working, and there is not a lot of other debris laying around. I had planned on taking the children over to do some clean-up, but it really hasn't been necessary.

This is a section of the parallam beam that runs through the garage providing support for the second floor. Using this type of beam eliminates the need for support posts in the garage, maximizing the usable space:

This engineered beam is extremely heavy...our crew of 2 men had to have help to lift it into place:

Cross-section of the beam...you can clearly see the smaller sections of wood that are glued and pressurized to make a very heavy, very strong piece of lumber:

We're off to do some sealing of the first floor concrete walls. Making our final decisions about siding and roofing colors. We have narrowed siding down to 2 colors...brick red or fern green. The guys in the family seem to like the green, and I do, too...I think it will help the house to "blend in" with the landscape, where the red would definitely be more "showy." We'll probably go with the green. To find out, you'll have to...

Stay tuned,
Kris

Framing Day #4

2009-06-11T19:31:00.017-04:00

June 11, 2009...We have 2nd floor walls! The wall with the 2 window openings is where the master bedroom will be:

From the back of the house, window on the right is master bedroom, small window in the middle is the main floor bath, window on the left is the country kitchen:

Looking westward:

Yesterday the excavator dug the holes for the porch/roof supports:

This corner/side of the second floor will house the country kitchen with an exterior door (the opening is still covered with housewrap) to access the garden side of the homesite:

Inside view looking towards the master bedroom:

The front wall of the great room is assembled...ready to lift into place and secure:

View from the front door towards the country kitchen:

Looking from the great room into the master bedroom:

Here's a special feature we added...lock-up room for unruly children (or guests?)...

Looking from the master towards the country kitchen:

Looking from the master towards the great room:

Looking (roughly) eastward towards the front corner:

I'll try to keep updating daily...hopefully tomorrow the second floor will be completed!

Stay tuned,
Kris

We're Floored!

2009-06-11T00:46:00.020-04:00

June 10, 2009...It is the third day of framing, and I am really impressed with what has been accomplished so far. Floor joists and second floor sub-floor are installed:

We're getting a better sense of the interior dimensions now...no matter how many times we draw the rooms on graph paper, it's hard to visualize what the finished spaces will be like. The room to the right of the poles will be the younger boys' bedroom...I think we'll be getting them bunk beds to maximize their floor space. To the left of the poles on the left will be the utility/mechanicals/storage/laundry room. In between the poles will be the hallway and closets.

I've been looking forward to getting up to the second floor to check out the view, and, again, the room dimensions, and Amish Ray had some questions for us. I had moved a few walls to gain some storage space, but my unskilled technical drawing ability became apparent when he was transferring my measurements onto the subfloor. What looked feasible on paper didn't translate well in wood and nails. So, he suggested a solution, and it works for us.

Thinking about the positioning of a few windows and the exterior kitchen door.

He also had a question about my walk-in pantry closet. He couldn't fit our 30" door into the pantry with the dimensions I had drawn, so we decided to build one wall out a bit, actually giving me more storage...YEAH!

Here's Ray marking the subfloor for the interior walls:

Studying our plans...in a loosely Amish rendition of Rodin's "The Thinker":

The back side of the house looks rather monolithic...but it will be backfilled to within 18" of the second floor, so most of what you see here will be hidden.

What a VIEW!!!

The boys are having fun jumping from the inside of the house to the outside...

and, of course, CLIMBING!!!

Looking through the boys' window again...

Oh, look...it's Gramps - Oops! I mean Hubby - using the temporary staircase:

And here am I, showing a (really interested) J-Bird where the steps to the 3rd floor will be. (I think he's actually looking up imaging where his room is going.) Or maybe he's calling on Wisdom from Above to help us get through this whole process. Which is always a good idea.

That's it for today...more to come tomorrow, if possible.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Still Being Framed

2009-06-11T00:03:00.009-04:00

June 9, 2009...Framing continues. Crew has installed posts (not visible in this photo) to support 2nd floor, floor joists (the boards running horizontally in this photo.) Ray is living dangerously once again...acting like he's done this a time or two before:

There he goes again:

Hubby took this photo to show the huge beam that runs through the garage. It is actually 2, 4" thick engineered beams laminated together...and, boy, is it heavy! The 2-man crew had some help to get it up there.

Looking through the boys' window opening...2, 36"x60" windows will eventually fill this space:

The lumber is laid out and ready to grab as needed:

Another shot from the driveway:

Stay tuned,
Kris

We Were Framed!

2009-06-08T21:35:00.009-04:00

June 8, 2009...Framing began today. A crew of 2...yes, just 2...one Amish and one English, began framing the first floor walls. The view from the driveway, approaching the house:

Here's a closer look. You can see the large opening where the garage door will be. The first floor will have 9' ceilings.

View from the back of the house. The second floor porch will extend from the concrete walls in the back all the way around the front of the house. The entire porch is under roof, so will be somewhat usable even in inclement weather. If rain comes in one side...we'll just move to the other!

Building materials ready and waiting:

Here's Ray the Amish builder perched atop the younger boys' bedroom wall:

Another shot of Ray, and his English partner:

Ray thinks they'll have the second floor started on Wednesday...I'm really excited to get up there and check-out the view!

And, here's a bit of excitement...this poor black snake was stretched across our road on our way to the homesite...it looked like a stick and I ran right over it. But sticks don't curl up like this when you hit them! I thought he was a goner, but when we left the property about 30 minutes later, he was nowhere in sight. He was probably 5-6 feet long, maybe 1 1/2 " diameter. I know these are beneficial to keep the rodents in check, but I don't look forward to meeting one when I'm on foot (although it's likely I will at some time!)

Stay tuned,
Kris

Paradise Lost...and Found

2009-06-01T14:18:00.004-04:00

Regardless of the beauty of cloudless blue skies, the warmth of late spring sun on your face, and the heavenly cool breezes stirring the trees to ballet...you know it's not going to be a good day when you pull into your property and your neighbor starts screaming at you. Something about us driving our ATV on our (shared) right-of-way that they posted a "NO ATV" sign on provoked a reaction akin to the way I would react if someone was trying to abduct one of my children.

Wait a second...THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR PARADISE!!! (There is no screaming in paradise!!!)

(Paradise lost.)

OK...stop...take a deep breath...try to stop your hands from trembling...then, think...

What should we do now? How to react?

I could tell you what I wanted to do...but I won't. I'm sure you can imagine. In our humanness, when attacked, it's either fight-or-flight. Hubby and I both hate conflict. Loathe it. Detest it. We're pretty much live-and-let-live kind of people.

But, on this day, in this situation, flight wasn't an option. We OWN that land. We SHARE the road with them. We are going to LIVE there and make it our HOME. We are not interested in being bullied, threatened, or harassed in any way. We are NOT going to tolerate it. We will be more than happy to discuss issues like mature, rational adults...but screaming...well, no thank you.

What should we do? What would YOU do?

Here's what we did...

We approached them. Talked to them. She ranted. We listened. He stood in the background. We reassured. She ranted. We listened. She threatened. We reassured. She ranted. She called him over. He came, reluctantly. (I don't think he likes conflict, either.) He spoke about the past. We listened. We reassured. I asked her not to scream at us...it's not very neighborly. She said she didn't scream. We told them we'd like to take them out for dinner...do something nice for them. She said we didn't have to be "that kind" of neighbors. We reassured. We told them we meant no harm. We reassured. We reassured. We reassured. She calmed down. He walked away. We gave our word. We parted.

I am thankful for the truth in Psalm 15:1..."A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous (harsh) words stir up anger."

How differently the scene would've been if we had unleashed the same verbal weaponry that she had. Had we let our feelings control our actions, it could've VERY quickly escalated into an ugly mess. They are angry people. They feel that they have been wronged. Perhaps not by us, but by others in the past. Doesn't matter...to some people, once you've been wronged, the whole world exists solely to wrong you. They will take everything personally...whether it is or not. They will imagine offenses just to have something to be angry about.

In my humanness, I don't like people like that. They make me very uncomfortable. I would not choose to be around them. But, deep down, I think they're just hurting. They can't honestly hate us...they don't even know us. I think there's been much disappointment in their life and they see us as just another irritant.

When I try to see them as God does, however, my heart softens. They are lost. Alone. Without hope. How can I be angry with them, knowing what lies ahead?

Perhaps they need to meet people who won't return evil for evil. Perhaps God's plan is bigger than us building this house. Perhaps He is giving us the privilege of being a conduit of His grace. Perhaps we can give them just a glimpse of Him...of who He is. Perhaps they need us. I KNOW they need HIM.

Yesterday was a rough day. We cut our work day short and went home just a few hours after arriving at the land. We did fell the few trees we wanted to, but didn't move and stack all the wood. Our hearts were heavy. Looking back, though, I see God's hand in it all. I'm thankful He gave us the power to remain calm. I'm glad it wasn't any worse than it was, and I'm glad the neighbors were noticeably calmer after our confrontation.

Today, I am hopeful. I don't think we'll ever be the "hi-can-I-borrow-a-cup-of-sugar" kind of neighbors, but if we can peacefully co-exist without noticeable tension, I'll be content.

A magazine article from a few years back inspired me to look for tole trays - painted floral trays. The few I found in antique stores or on Ebay were not in my budget. I finally found one at a yard sale for $5, the colors were perfect, so I snatched it up instantly, and packed it into a box where it awaits its home on the wall in our master bath.

And, today, at the thrift store...another treasure found. A $1.99 tole tray, my second, and it will live in my kitchen. "So what?" you say..."Who cares?" "Why are you talking about stupid trays and what do they have to do with this post?"

I am convinced that God places things in our path for encouragement and to demonstrate His love for us. (And I'll bet some of you reading this have experienced it in your own life.) After our altercation yesterday, I felt a bit deflated. Perhaps we had made a mistake? Who are we to think we can move out there, build a house, raise chickens? How foolish! Perhaps we are just asking for trouble?

And then...the tray. A reminder that it's OK to dream, to make plans, to set goals and work towards them. It's like God said, "Here...don't give up. Keep planning...keep working...it'll happen...and I'll be with you, all the way."

(Paradise found.)

Stay tuned,
Kris

P.S. We received some good legal counsel today and were encouraged that we are doing the right things, and have nothing to fear from a legal standpoint. We are THANKFUL!

Pour It On...PR #27

2009-05-27T21:09:00.010-04:00

May 27, 2009...Poured walls framed-up and poured today. In this first photo, taken approximately 8:00 A.M., racks of wall sections had been unloaded and assembly is well underway. Prior to hubby's arrival, workers had drilled holes into the concrete footers and inserted long sections of rebar that will extend up through the first floor walls, tying the walls and footers together.

A team of 5 men worked quickly and competently assembling the 9' high wall sections:

The back wall framed up and ready for the pour...no windows here...excavators will backfill to within 18" of the top of this wall:

A worker in the ditch where the frost footers and non-frost footers meet:

9' wall sections almost complete:

Work continuing...these guys were really hustling because the concrete was scheduled for delivery at noon.

They still have to finish assembling the forms in the ditch in the foreground...this front part of the home is the garage.

We chose to use the poured walls over block wall for a few reasons:

First, poured walls give us more strength and eliminate the need for retaining walls to "hold back" the mountain;
Second, poured walls are faster...not a huge factor, but anxious to get moving, we are;
Thirdly, COST...poured walls are comparably priced, and factoring in the extra cost of retaining walls needed with block walls, it was a wash.

Forms are scheduled for removal tomorrow.

FRAMING to begin next week, Lord willing. We are gathering the needed supplies for the first floor radiant heating...(Ebay has been a wonderful resource for us!!!)...and plan to begin work on that the second week of June.

Our carpenter is getting started on the kitchen cabinets. I am quite excited to see the finished product! As the process progresses, we're looking ahead to what needs to be done next...getting supplies ordered...scheduling inspections...scheduling ourselves to do what we need to do.

As we're getting closer to having a home, we find the waiting is harder. Not sure why...other than we're realizing that it IS going to happen, and we're wanting it to happen NOW. And we're not looking forward to moving all our stuff...AGAIN. The unpacking, re-organizing, sorting...ugh. I'm setting a goal of June 2010 to have all boxes unpacked and life in good order. This upcoming school year is an important one for J-Bird...he's entering 9th grade, and he'll be working on his diploma requirements, so his academic needs will be a priority, as well. Finding a balance in it all will be key. And prayer...lots of prayer.

Stay tuned,
Kris

How Firm A Foundation... PR #26

2009-05-18T20:12:00.041-04:00

May 18, 2009...Bright and early (it was so chilly!) Monday morning our excavator and footings contractor were on site to begin the actual construction process! We arrived around 7:30 A.M. to find them measuring and setting pins. It wasn't long until the digging began. Here's the first scoop of dirt being removed for the frost footers:

The back of the house will be set into the hill, with the ground floor walls in that area being poured concrete. Because the walls will be backfilled almost up to the second floor, frost footers weren't needed in that area. These "Form-A-Drain" footer forms are set on top of the ground and will remain in place after being filled with concrete, and will channel any water away from the foundation:

The "Form-A-Drain" being assembled and set into place:

Shameless plug for our excavator:

Shameless plug for the footings contractor (you wouldn't have believed how scrupulously clean this truck was):

OK...I DID take pictures of the Amish footings contractor. I wasn't trying to be disrespectful to his beliefs, just wanted to capture the moment. He worked steadily and swiftly...assembling the forms himself. He had an "English" co-worker who drove the truck and was assisting our excavator during the digging:

Trying to hold the camera level, this is looking from the house towards the driveway...you can see the well cap in the foreground:

Looking across the homesite:

View from the south side of the house, excavator continuing to dig for the frost footers:

Assembling the (non-frost) footer forms:

Our front door will be approximately where the bucket of the backhoe is digging (but on the second floor):

"Form-A-Drain" footer forms almost complete:

Handsome onlookers...can you tell they're freezing? It was a chilly morning.

View to the west, approximately:

Looking back towards homesite...this is what it looked like when we headed for home, around 9:30 A.M. You can see the footer forms on the ground towards the back and the ditches dug for the frost footers in the foreground:

We arrived back on site just before 12:30 P.M. You can see the small square forms in place in the center. Metal posts will be set on these pads to support the second floor:

Here they've used rocks to elevate the forms to the right height, and fill in gaps to contain the concrete:

Concrete truck arrived around 12:30 P.M. The truck driver spent a few minutes in discussion with the Amish contractor:

Moving into position to begin the pour:

Pouring and working with concrete really is hard work. As the concrete flows into the forms, it must be worked a bit to fill the space...

tamped down to remove air bubbles...and smoothed and leveled:

Work continued around the south side...one man operating the concrete truck, two men working, tamping, and smoothing the concrete:

After the concrete was smoothed, they came back with a wider, long-handled tool and smoothed it again:

Pouring on the north side:

The truck driver maneuvered his rig with skill...but he was close to the "edge" a few times:

Our children perched above the activity...taking it all in...anxious to see their new home become a reality:

Filling the small forms that will support the support posts for the second floor:

Smoothing, again:

And, about an hour later...the foundation and footers COMPLETE! The kids wanted to write in the hardening concrete in the worst way...but the workers were still on site and I didn't know if we should...besides, all this will be covered up. But, garage floor...look out! We'll be leaving our mark on you, for sure!

This was a busy morning...we had to arrange for the building inspector to be on site after the forms were in place, but before the concrete was poured. He arrived sometime during the three hours we were gone, and signed off on the footers and forms, so the concrete work proceeded as scheduled. One inspection down...only 18 more to go!

The footings contractor will return May 26th to set up the forms for the first floor walls, and I believe the framing will begin the following week. The second week of June should see us on site installing the under-slab plumbing and PEX tubing for the under-slab heating...after that...electrical? We'll see...

Stay tuned,
Kris

Well...Here It Is! PR #25

2009-05-01T14:47:00.023-04:00

April 29, 2009...Well-drilling day has finally come! Here is the drilling rig being raised into position:

Almost there:

We brought the well contractor in early in the construction process because they needed a flat spot for the rig. The truck on the left is actually parked where our garage will be. Had we waited until construction had begun, our "flat spots" wouldn't be flat spots any longer.

Looks like they're adding another 25" drill shaft:

Adding another 25' section of drill shaft:

Drilling through rock...notice the red dust cloud:

Still going through rock...I'm glad we had this part done at the beginning...can you imagine the dusting I'd have to do?

Close up of the rig operator...can you say "Dirty Jobs?"

I think here they're pulling up a section of drill:

It's hard to believe this hole eventually reaches 470 feet deep:

Shoveling the mud away from the well opening:

We were momentarily excited when they began placing the first casing section. We thought they might be finished...but they were only about 75 feet down at this point:

One 20' section of casing in...here comes another one:

Applying the PVC adhesive to join the 2 sections of casing:

Back to drilling again:

The water is being pumped into the shaft...not coming up as we had hoped:

A little while after this last photo was taken, the rig overheated and work came to a stop. I think they were about at 90' at this point...no water yet. Here's one of the workers on top of the rig trying to assess the problem:

The problem was fixed a few hours later and work resumed. (Too much dust from their previous job combined with ours to clog the radiator.) By the end of the day, we had a 450' deep well, and a flow rate of .5 gal/min. Less than optimal, but our well contractor assured us it would be enough for normal household use, based on an average usage of 75 gal/person/day. Assuming the well shaft would fill to within 100' of the top, we'd have 350' of water, where each foot holds 1.5 gal, yielding 525 gal of "reserve." By his calculations, our family's usage would be approx. 450 gal/day, (although I doubt we use that much...), so we would be restricted somewhat as to outside watering, gardening, etc.

Our well contractor suggested that we allow them to drill 50 more feet, if for no other reason than to increase our reserve. We gave him our go-ahead.

Are we glad we did!!! The next morning they resumed drilling, and at 470', hit a soft spot, giving us an ample water flow rate of 8 gal/min! They also think that the water filled the well shaft to about 50' of the top, so we have about 420' of reserve at 1.5 gal/foot means 630 gallons of reserve!!! We now have no worries about watering the garden, washing cars...we just feel so blessed. That extra 20' cost us less than $200 in labor...and will definitely be worth every penny!

Tomorrow (Saturday, May 2nd) we meet with our builder to put in the perimeter stakes.

Lord willing...
Our excavator will be digging the footers next week;
We'll be closing on our loan May 7th;
And the month of May should see the completion of the foundation work and a real good start on the framing and exterior work.
Then we can jump right into summer with the school year finished and nothing to do but the inside work...hoping to have the bulk of it done by fall.

When we start to see the walls going up...I think it will finally seem real.

Thanks for stopping by...please leave us a comment...we'd like to know who's visiting!

Stay tuned,
Kris

We Have A Closing Date!!!! PR #24

2009-04-28T20:15:00.005-04:00

After what seems like an eternity of waiting and delay upon delay in trying to get our construction loan opened...we will be closing on our loan on May 7th!!! The appraisal process really held us up...what is normally a 2-week process stretched out to 8 weeks exactly from the day that we submitted our building estimates to today, when our loan officer called and said he had the letter of commitment in his hands. It seems like the appraiser our bank prefers to use had a serious surgery, then got buried under a sea of refinancing appraisals, and I think put us on the "back-burner" for a bit. Thankfully, our loan officer put some pressure on him to get our paperwork finished, or I don't know where we'd be now...still waiting, I suppose.

I dislike having to be the "squeaky wheel," so situations like these put me in a quandry. Although the waiting was difficult and even maddening, at times, God has been faithful to give us the grace to persevere.

Our well contractor called today to check on our status, and we felt comfortable to give him the go-ahead. This afternoon he moved his rig into place and may even dig the well TOMORROW!!! We'll know early tomorrow morning what his plans are. It's raining right now - don't know if that's a deterrent, or not.

As always,
Stay tuned,
Kris

Time Marches On...

2009-04-26T19:26:00.004-04:00

and it seems like our loan process is stuck in quicksand!!! Our brief glimmer of hope resulting from the completion of the appraisal has vanished into thin air as we once again are waiting for "someone"... "somewhere" to get their butt in gear and FINISH OUR PAPERWORK!!!!!!!!!!!

Adding insult to injury is the recent string of beautiful weather we've had...by our estimations we could possibly be in the framing process RIGHT NOW...instead of being...STUCK!!!

To the people sitting in their offices processing the droves of mortgage refinancings while neglecting our loan...PLEASE GET OUR PAPERWORK DONE! Those people who are refinancing already HAVE a home...we DO NOT!

Tomorrow is Monday and if I don't get some satisfaction...all I can say is..."No More Mrs. Nice Gal!"

HEADS ARE GONNA ROLL!!!!!!!!!!

(Just kidding...well, maybe not. Anyway, I feel better now. Can't vouch for tomorrow, though.)

Stay tuned,
Kris

The Appraisal is FINALLY Done!!! PR #23

2009-04-21T21:53:00.004-04:00

April 21, 2009...Our loan officer finally called today to let us know he had received our completed appraisal. Although he thought the appraised value was "conservative," it was still right on target and in line with our estimated costs to build. As soon as the settlement company has the paperwork prepared, (he thought sometime today), we should be able to set a closing date, and really start things rolling.

The next thing to be done is to have the well drilled and capped. Then our excavator will return to dig the trenches for the footers. We'll have the foundation and the ground floor walls poured, then framing can begin. Once the house is water-tight, we'll get to work installing the radiant heating system, the electrical, and the plumbing systems. We'll install the fiberglass insulation, then the framers will return to install and finish the drywall. Somewhere in there we also have to arrange for the sewer system installation and the outdoor wood furnace delivery and set-up. Oh...and in amongst it all I think we need some inspections...LOTS of those, I believe. And then we'll paint the walls, stain the doors, paint the trim, lay the flooring, install the trim...and MOVE IN!!! Woo-hoo!!!

Yes...we're crazy.

We know this.

Yes...it's a lot of work.

We know that, too.

We honestly enjoy it and are looking forward to watching the process unfold and doing all we can to make this dream a reality. And, then, RESTING.

For a long...long...time.

Stay tuned,
Kris

The Land It Is A'Changin'

2009-04-06T01:53:00.003-04:00

Thought I'd post before and after photos looking up the driveway to illustrate how much work we've done so far. Some clearing has already been done in this photo...we've cleared a path up the hill. (Use the bent tree left of center as your point of reference.)
Before...October 2008:
After...April 5, 2009:
Work has begun on the road and MUCH brush has been cut and burned. We're anxious to see just how much regrowth we have this spring.

Stay tuned,
Kris

And So It Begins...PR#22

2009-04-05T22:21:00.016-04:00

Sunday, April 5, 2009...Work begins on the driveway. A very rainy Friday and threatening Saturday postponed work until today...but what a gorgeous day it was! Hard to believe we're to get snow again this week.

At the excavators' suggestion, we are relocating the final approach of the drive. Our original plan would've made our home, well...unapproachable. (Except by sky cables!) Way too steep. Our new route will, by necessity, cut through the triangular stand of trees I had beautiful plans for...alas, now gone. I guess I should know by now not to make any plans.

Maneuvering machinery through some tight spaces.

It takes us hours to fell, cut, and move trees that this nifty machine can push over like dry grass.

We sat and watched the excavators for a few hours...I think the kids were as excited as we were to finally see some progress being made.

Camped out inside the perimeter of the future garage.

Working on the (more approachable) approach to the homesite.

Whew, it's warm today...time for a cold drink!

Our last glimpses up the hill as we leave for the day...the work will continue for a few hours, though.

We decided to leave one tree standing...does it look strange there all by itself? Perhaps I'll plant some other things there around the turn to our home.

Farther down the drive, looking up. It's been widened and smoothed out...awaiting shale.

From the same position as above, only looking down. Already the grade has been improved...still steep, but better.

Looking up from the bottom...in a few days, after 50 loads of shale...we'll be driving up there instead of walking!

Things are starting to get interesting...FINALLY!

Stay tuned,
Kris

Have You Seen Our Other Blog...?

2009-03-30T01:56:00.003-04:00

We're finally updating our other blog, Whose Woods These Are...And What Lives There...if you'd like to pop over there to see what plants and animals we've been finding on our property. We have many photos yet to be posted and identified, so stop back periodically to view our discoveries.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Was This Really February?

2009-03-29T01:25:00.010-04:00

Unseasonably amazingly warm weather in early February demanded a visit to our property. It was not a "work day," just a chance to walk the perimeter (on the old logging road) and see how (if at all) the landscape was changing. Sissy cried almost the entire time...she wanted to be carried but not on my back...have you ever tried to carry 25 lbs in your arms...uphill? Not easy...in fact, not really possible (at least for me). Here are some highlights...

Helping Sissy uphill.

Hey, boys...whatcha lookin' at?

Ohhh, I see...that platform up there..."Don't even THINK about climbing up there, boys..." I say...("at least until we nail up some new boards..." I think to myself.) Hehe.

We took plenty of time to explore the water...

Sissy wanted to get INTO the water in the worst way, and was not happy that I was holding her shoulder straps. (She wasn't happy about much, actually).

By the time we were on the way down...I think she decided to actually enjoy her ride.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #21

2009-03-28T23:35:00.012-04:00

Saturday, March 21, 2009...One of our projects this day was to pick-up the slate we purchased for the kitchen/dining room, hallway, and bathroom on the second floor, and the ceramic tile for the third floor bath. Here is the approx 2500 lbs. of slate and mortar mix that Hubby, J-Bird and I off-loaded from the truck to our storage trailer. Each box contains 10, 12x12 slate tiles, and weighs approx. 50 lbs. If we end up crippled in our old age, it'll be no wonder. At least we'll have stories to tell.

Here's a peak into the storage trailer. On the right you can see the large brown boxes that contain our toilets, and the long skinny boxes behind them contain the laminate flooring we purchased last fall. The back half of the trailer is packed floor to ceiling, the front half isn't as tight. I do not look forward to moving all our stuff, AGAIN...but, Lord willing, it will be the last time. And we'll be moving it into OUR NEW HOME.

Once we unloaded the flooring, it was time to get the fire started and get to work (HA!). The area you see below was, when we started clearing last year, a tangled mess of brambles and overgrowth. We have spent A LOT of time cutting and moving wood, and much work still remains to be done, but we are making progress, and once we are actually LIVING on the property, tackling projects like these will be easier.

Another gratuitous fire photo for our friends Rob & Gina, who we understand have an unnatural affection for burning wood. We're looking forward to the day when we can relax around a campfire, joined by family, friends, and good food.

And speaking of food...we thought that roasting hot dogs might be a fun idea and something we hadn't done, yet...and the kids really enjoyed it. Only trouble was the fire was almost too hot, we had a hard time not roasting ourselves while cooking the dogs...needed longer sticks, I guess.

Sunday, March 21, 2009...Heading over to the land in the afternoon. Looking back towards State College from Ardery Hollow...the "dip" in the far mountain range (towards the right) is the cut out for I-99 at Skytop. This is a particularly pretty view on the way to our land. Gorgeous in the fall!

Back at the land...we decide to pull some logs out of this area and drag them up out of the way. Then we were going to move the cut wood. But...this is the only one we moved. Because...

we decided instead of moving the wood we had cut, we'd load it on the truck and deliver it to Hubby's dad, who installed an outdoor furnace last year, and was running short of wood.

Here's I-Bird on his make-shift teeter-totter. He is always looking for things to ride, climb on, or swing from. Just another great thing about living in the woods! There's always an adventure waiting to happen.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #20

2009-03-16T00:15:00.012-04:00

Pictures from our weekend work days. Two beautiful warm late winter days gave us time to do some clean-up work on the lower part of our property. Now that the snow has gone (for good, hopefully!), the mess that was left after this property was timbered is glaringly evident. Logs and brush litter the ground, intertwined with wild rose briars, making for tedious and mildly dangerous work.

This shot is taken from the driveway looking right. We have the burn pile going and are constantly feeding it with brush, briars, and the punky logs that aren't good for fuel. A lot of the logs are so soft that they fall apart when moved. Too bad so much of it has gone to waste.

Here's some of the wood we've cut to use later...right now we're cutting and clearing...next time we'll begin moving what we've cut to a large wood pile we've started above the future homesite.

To the left in this shot you can see the future driveway. Yesterday we met with our excavator to discuss the placement of the house and various aspects of driveway construction. He is ready to get started the last week in March...so in just a few weeks this dirt path will finally begin to resemble an actual driveway. He is planning to bring in A LOT of shale to build-up the lower part of the drive to ease the transition towards the uphill climb towards our home. He has put a lot of thought into our project and has access to some materials that are saving us a lot of money. Again, we see God's providence in waiting through the winter...we just learned of him a few months ago...had we started last fall, we probably would've used someone else.

This is looking to the right of the driveway...you can see the red branches of the wild rose briars. They are quite pretty in bloom, and even in winter add color to the drab landscape, but have grown so thick in places that they make enjoying this lower part of our land very difficult. We will be leaving some intact, but are removing most of them as we move through this area.

Same view moving back a bit. You can see both culverts here...in the summer the flow through the smaller pipe on the left actually dries up...the larger one on the right flows all year. We're trying to decide exactly what we'll do down here...a pond is high on everyone's list, and we think that removing the little island between the two streams might be the answer. After we get this lower area cleared, we'll have a better idea of what we have to work with. Most of the ground is quite damp, perhaps planting some ground cover will help.

Looking to the left of the driveway. The water has been flowing really well as the mountain snow melts. I imagine this will be the highest water flow of the year, but I'm not sure.

Same view as above, stepping back. There is a really pretty spot beyond these trees...and a place where you can hear the water flowing UNDER the ground...very cool. The kids would love to have a picnic place back there, but it's hard to access. Another future project, perhaps.

Looks like the hard work is starting up again! The long months of waiting and planning are soon to be a distant memory as (Lord willing!) our dreams become reality. We look forward to sharing our adventure in the coming weeks and months. I'll try to post as things progress, and keep everyone up to date. Thanks for visiting...please leave us a comment if you haven't already.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Photo Essay

2009-03-06T14:05:00.012-05:00

I took these photos at our friends' property the last time we house-sat for them...the corner of their property ALMOST touches the corner of ours, and in the winter you can ALMOST see our building site from their backyard. The boys are talking about installing a zip-line...wouldn't that be fun?

Our friends' tee-pee:

Trees silhouetted against a gray sky:

Making our way behind their home:

More silhouettes:

Our handsome teenager...he is becoming a fine young man. He's a hard worker, a great helper to his Mother around the house, and he loves his younger siblings. He is a blessing to us, and we thank God for allowing us the privilege of raising him. We love you, J-Bird!

Progress Report #19

2009-03-03T13:40:00.004-05:00

WE ARE ON OUR WAY!!!

We met with our loan officer this morning...submitted our estimates, signed the loan origination paperwork...everything appears to be in order and to his satisfaction...so now it's just a matter of time! He forsees smooth sailing from this point...the appraisal will take the longest, but once that's completed...

LOOKS LIKE WE'LL BE BREAKING GROUND THIS MONTH!!!

Praise the Lord!

We are so thankful. Blog activity should be increasing substantially. As always...

Stay tuned!
Kris

Progress Report #18

2009-01-29T00:04:00.003-05:00

As you can see, we've updated our heading photo. We took this photo on Saturday, January 24, while we were meeting with our third excavator. Our first bid was higher than we were hoping, so we got a second bid. Unbelievably, the second estimate was almost TWICE the amount of the first. I know heavy equipment is expensive to transport and operate, but, really, $30,000 just for excavation? Thankfully, our friend, Joe, thought of a local man who had some equipment and who might be interested in doing the work for us. Hubby contacted him, and we met with him last Saturday. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that he is very interested in doing the work for us, and he promised to beat our previous estimates. He actually has a source of free shale that we'll use for the first layer of our driveway, and that fact alone should save us thousands of dollars. Quite a blessing...and yet another benefit of our patience in waiting these additional months. We are anxiously awaiting his bid.

Also, our builder's father passed away last week, so he has family matters to attend to. He is getting us new prices on building materials, since we cut the additional square footage we originally added to the plans. We hope to have his bid within another week.

Still looking at windows...again, there are so many choices...and the ones I would purchase "if $$$ were no object" just are not fitting into the budget. As long as the windows tilt-in to clean, I'll be happy. Otherwise, I don't know how I'd clean those windows on the third floor?

Our supplies for the radiant heating are also coming in high. (See a pattern here?) We will probably use our present estimate for the bank's purposes, but see if we can source the materials ourselves, probably on the internet.

So...just a few more numbers to confirm, then "Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to the bank we go!" Hoping interest rates stay low for a bit longer, we can qualify for a bit more $$ that way, and keep our payments within our target range.

Back to the new heading photo, you can see a lot of the wood that is down from the previous owner's timbering...we hope to clean up this lower part of the land as one of our first projects. I don't like the way it looks in the winter, and in the summer when everything is grown up, it's hard to walk through there because you can't see what you're walking on. I plan on keeping it as natural as possible, but clearing it out enough to walk through and enjoy. There is a wonderful area at the bottom of the land that is flat, with several small streams running through (the area where we put the culverts last fall). I want to clean it out (it's loaded with jewelweed in the summer), and possibly make a small pond for fish. That won't happen until 2010 at the earliest, I imagine. Oh, the possibilities!!! I'm giddy just thinking about it all!

The photo below is taken from our neighbors' property looking across to ours. We had to park at their home Saturday, because our driveway had not been plowed (because we don't live there, yet), and they were very gracious to allow us to park there. Luckily, they were also spreading ashes on Wills Hollow so their daughter could leave, or else we would've been stuck there until the spring thaw. There is a lot of ice there, several inches thick, probably, so that will be a consideration next winter. As long as we have material to spread on the road I think we'll be fine.

You can see a trailer in the right foreground. This trailer was the object of a lot of our activity and hard work from October to December. Yes, it is crooked. No, my husband has assured me, it will not fall over. I pray he's right.
On a personal note, hubby had his hernia repair on January 13th. He had a rough couple of days post-op, but went back to work this past Monday, and is getting around "almost" good as new. Our good friend, Bob, is giving him a ride to work, as he is not supposed to drive for 6 weeks! Thanks, Bob!

Stay tuned,
Kris

Something Beautiful...

2009-01-18T20:27:00.002-05:00

going on over here.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #17

2009-01-12T23:08:00.004-05:00

Thought it was time to pop in here and post an update. Although it seems like this project has come to a screeching halt, we have been hard at work "behind the scenes," as you could say. The project that took the bulk of our time since I last posted was the moving of a lot of our belongings into a less expensive storage facility. At least we THOUGHT it was going to be less expensive. The plan was to consolidate our three previously rented storage "rooms" (I never know what to call them?) into one larger facility, which would cut our rental fees in half. Because we decided to wait until spring to build, saving that much money looked appealing...appealing enough to actually move all our stuff - AGAIN!

Despite gut-wrenching dread, we began. Weekends were spent loading and unloading the truck...stacking boxes...restacking boxes that had fallen over...rearranging things to utilize every possible inch of storage...only to come to the realization that IT WOULD NOT ALL FIT!!! ACK!!!

It's times like these that in order to maintain sanity, one must just LAUGH. Because we were able to empty one of our original rental spaces, our monthly fees remain the same. But, we incurred fees to "initiate" the new storage (privacy prohibits me from explaining any better), and we did all that work for NOTHING!

It reminds me of a favorite quote:
"There is nothing that I may decently hope for that I cannot reach by patience as well as anxiety." -Wendell Berry
Perhaps, patience would've proven to truly be a virtue in this matter, instead of worrying and fretting about lost money. We have now lost both time AND money.

Because we spent time in the fall re-moving our belongings, we didn't spend the time we should've spent cutting the last of the trees that we need to before construction begins. That will be a job for early spring.

As we've had time to re-evaluate things, we've returned to our original plan of heating our home with primarily radiant floor hydronic heat, using an outdoor wood furnace, instead of solar. I recently heard that 1 acre of mature forest will produce 1 cord of firewood per year with no net loss of wood. With our 11 acres, and considering the wood that is already down from previous timberings, I don't think we'll ever run short. Solar is cost-prohibitive and not as reliable as wood.

And we are finalizing our plans with the builder and getting fresh estimates for labor and supplies. We have also made another change...scaling down the house to the original blueprint size. Originally we had wanted to add 4 feet to each end of the north- and south-facing sides to increase the total square footage by about 400. Our excavating estimate came in a lot higher than we first thought, so we needed to cut somewhere. If we don't see a large decrease in cost from the first estimate with the extra 400 sq ft, perhaps we'll keep it. I hate to loose that much space...but, it's all about the money, folks!

It's funny how our perspective has changed throughout this whole process. We began with a list of things we really wanted. Then, prioritized those things. Cut some of them out completely. I still have my list of 3 non-negotiables: walk-in kitchen pantry; fireplace; wide windowsills. Hubby wants a jacuzzi tub. No granite countertops, no central air, no pot-filler over the stove. (For $900, I can carry water 6 feet in a pitcher, thank you!) And we DID splurge on the most awesome front door...saw it at Home Depot, then found it on Ebay for half the price. The kids thought it was cool, Hubby and I thought it was cool...I have never, ever been to a home that had a door like that. It is unconventional. I have seen similar ones in "The Princess Bride" or "Lord of the Rings" to give you a clue. You'll just have to see it for yourselves...someday.

Living without 90% of our belongings for almost 6 months, with probably 6 more months to go hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. It is an odd feeling, having all our stuff in boxes... like a part of you is missing, in a way. I can imagine unpacking it all will seem a bit overwhelming. God has given us a peace about waiting and we know it is only for a season. But, we do long for a home of our own. The boys want to run around and explore. J-Bird and his best friend want to build a fort. I-Bird and T-Bird are fascinated by the creatures that live there. I can't wait to plant flowers. And start a garden. And have chickens. And enjoy the peace and quiet. And sit on the deck and watch sunsets. And go for walks. And build a firepit. And host cookouts. And grow old there with my man. So many dreams...

As a Christian, I should understand longing. Longing for Heaven, longing for completion, longing for a pure relationship with God that will not be marred by sin. I'm ashamed to admit that I've had a hard time grasping it. We long for so little in this country. We have a gross abundance of everything...longing for ANYthing is uncommon. Our present situation has helped me begin to understand what this longing should feel like. We are comfortable here, at my mom's house, my childhood home. Our needs, and most of our wants are amply supplied. But, it is not OUR home. Our stay here is a temporary one. One day we will move on...to a new life, a new future, a new home. I have vivid pictures in my mind of what that life will be like. I LONG for that life. As a Christian, this EARTH is not my home. My stay here is a temporary one. One day I will move on...to a new life, a new future, a new ETERNAL home. I have vivid pictures in my mind of what that life will be like...even so, it will be infinitely more. I LONG for THAT life. Do you?

Stay tuned,
Kris

Our new blog...

2008-10-17T00:59:00.003-04:00

OK, this blogging thing is addicting, I suppose. I've started a new blog over here to document 100 species of plant and 100 species of animals that we find living on our 11 acres. We've been photographing lots of critters as we've been working on the land, and the boys are having such a great time learning about them that I thought we could make a "project" out of it, and share it with our droves...er, um, dozens, OK, OK...handful of readers. Stop on over and learn along with us!

Whose Woods These Are...and What Lives There

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #16

2008-10-14T21:22:00.004-04:00

Change of Plans...So, here we are facing the middle of October. We aren't really where we had hoped to be by now, although I don't know how we would've gotten any farther. We have worked VERY HARD during the past 10 weeks, and as I think back and revisit my earlier blog entries, I am truly pleased with our progress. However, we have become concerned that with colder weather coming soon, starting the building process right now might put us in a bad situation later if we are unable to get the heating systems in place. We really do not have "extra" money in the budget to pay others to do the work if we run short on time, so we have decided to delay construction until early spring. In addition to our concerns about cold weather, Hubby needs to have some minor surgery, which he can have done this winter, and be completely healed when we begin building.

The delay is actually giving us a chance to re-think a few things. Our original plan was to heat our home with a radiant-floor hydronic system, relying on an outdoor wood furnace for the heat source. We chose this system because we have a lifetime of free wood on our property, and it seemed silly not to utilize it. One of the drawbacks of this furnace, however, is that it has to be fed daily, so traveling for any length of time during the colder months presents a problem. This system also requires a heat-exchanger, where the water from the furnace transfers its heat to the water that circulates throughout the house. Not a huge drawback, but it adds an extra expense and there is a slight loss in efficiency.

Months ago I came across plans for a similar hydronic system using solar panels mounted to a garden shed to heat the water. We weren't thinking solar at the time, so I didn't pursue this option. However, I was recently researching another heating idea and came upon these plans again, and this time, it "clicked." It is a much simpler, do-it-yourself system, and although the cost to build probably won't be much less than the outdoor wood furnace, we would gain the freedom from having to load the furnace daily, and get a garden shed, too. (Something we were planning to build eventually.) Before we decide, we have some on-site evaluation to do, that will, Lord willing, prove this system a viable option.

The other aspect we are reconsidering is the placement of the fireplace. But, first, a bit of background information. When we first began thinking about building a new home, I started researching "alternative" building options. One process that really fascinates me is "slip-form" construction. It is possible, with this process, minimal skill and LOTS of time, to build gorgeous stone homes that are very energy-efficient and inexpensive. If we were 10-15 years younger, I think we might have considered it.

One of the resources I purchased in the beginning of my research phase to learn more about slipform construction was a book called "Living Homes," by Thomas J. Elpel. You can see it here: www.hopspress.com. The book is a fantastic resource for home-building in general, but its real value is the comprehensive knowledge the author possesses, and shares with his readers. This is where I first learned of a masonry stove, or Russian fireplace as they are also called.

Masonry stoves are designed with a lot of mass to absorb the heat from the fire. Then, instead of a straight flue, the exhaust flows through a snake-like flue that extracts more heat as the exhaust is vented to the outside. The masonry warms up slowly, then radiates the heat outwards for hours or days afterwards. Masonry stoves burn much hotter, resulting in very little creosote buildup, and less smoke, and these stoves can approach 90% efficiency.

Our house plans included a gas fireplace on the external great room wall, so we just decided to build the masonry stove there. But, it seems that moving the stove to a central location will maximize the radiant benefits, so we are looking at that possibility. I really don't think this is a do-it-yourself project, so our Amish builder has agreed to build it for us, but I think I'll try to find a local stone mason for an additional bid or two. Here is a beautiful example of a masonry stove.

So, our heating plan will consist of a masonry stove/Russian fireplace centrally located in the great room, with solar-heated hydronic radiant-floor throughout the house for the colder, "outer" areas of the house, with an option for electric back-up during cloudy periods when needed.

Even though we've postponed construction, I will continue to post updates, hopefully with pictures! I know...I know...you're missin' the wood photos, aren't you?

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #15

2008-10-07T23:39:00.025-04:00

September 27, 2008...Our good friend, Jeff, showed up bright and early for a long day of back-breaking labor. We worked from morning until suppertime, cutting, stacking and burning...God granted us another safe and beautiful workday, with only a few mishaps. One thing we've learned is that there is never a "sure thing" when felling trees. Especially when you're working on an incline. Considering we (and by "we" I mean my hubby, of course) have very little experience doing this type of thing, we're so thankful that God has protected us and blessed our efforts.

Back to mishaps. Once in awhile, a tree just doesn't do what you think (or hope) it will do. Sometimes you think for sure it will fall in a certain direction, then it twists, or hops, or is weighted in a way that is hidden to the naked eye (and then there is the incline...) and it ends up somewhere else. Sometimes, the "somewhere else" is caught in another tree. While this can be annoying, it is these moments that I find exciting...when one must STOP...and rely on one's WIT, not BRAUN, to find a solution. (Although braun is usually employed at some point of the process!)

Below, in photo essay, is a chain of events that took about 45 minutes to free one such tree.
(Remember you can click on any photo for a full-screen view.)

You can see, after all this, the tree is still hung-up. At this point, the men just started cutting sections off the tree, until they couldn't reach up any higher. Hubby then decided to cut down the tree in which the first tree was stuck, and the problem was solved.

Thankfully, the second tree fell as desired.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #14

2008-09-29T16:46:00.006-04:00

September 25 & 26, 2008...Hubby took vacation days. We re-stacked some wood...

burned more brush...

and, (I know you'll all be shocked and amazed...), we CUT MORE WOOD!!! We found another wise old forest creature trapped in a log. This growth pattern must be more common than we thought.
Has me thinking...could this be something that would influence a pagan religious belief about animal spirits and such? If anyone knows the answer, please leave a comment. It would be an interesting topic for homeschooling discussion. If I find an answer, I'll write about it later.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #13

2008-09-29T16:30:00.004-04:00

September 25, 2008...Some time this week we got a street sign! (So much for anonymity).
I sure hope they don't send us a bill...

Progress Report #12

2008-09-29T15:45:00.008-04:00

September 13, 2008...(found some older photos on the thumb-drive)
Sung to the tune of "Singing in the Rain"

"We're working in the rain,
Just working in the rain...
What a laborious feeling,
Cutting wood again...

I'm laughing at clouds,
So dark up above...
The sun's in my heart,
And I'm ready for love... (click on photo for T-Bird's expression...hilarious!)

Let the stormy clouds chase
All the wimps from this place
Come on with the rain,
I've a smile on my face...

I walk down the lane
With a happy refrain

Just workin'...
Workin' in the rain!!!"

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #11

2008-09-23T20:47:00.002-04:00

September 21, 2008...Worked on the land for a few hours today. Joe helped load HUGE logs into the bucket of the magnatrac that Hubby drove to the side of the property and dumped...hear me...DUMPED into a pile. Those buggers aren't getting stacked ANY TIME in the near future. Joe thought that a few of them weighed in at well over 100 pounds!

My brother, Bryan, and his fiance, Mindy, were visiting from Kentucky and left today. We don't see them very often (only once a year, or so), so it was sad to see them go. We said our good-byes at the property, as we had gone there after lunch to work, and they stopped on their way out of town. Next visit, Lord willing, we'll have A HOME to show them!!!

Hubby has taken this Thursday and Friday off work, and, along with the weekend, we hope to finally finish clearing the lot. We have Mr. W. lined up to remove stumps next week, and possibly dig the footers, so framing can hopefully begin by mid-October!

Maybe then I'll have pictures of something other than WOOD to post.

Stay tuned,
Kris

New Blog Features #1

2008-09-19T11:52:00.003-04:00

September 19, 2008...I added a few new features to the blog.

First, check the sidebar on the bottom left for a list of blogs that I read on a regular basis. Maybe YOUR blog is there??? They cover a range of topics, from homeschooling to gardening to Christian living to "simple" living...I have learned something from each and every one of these authors. However, inclusion in this list does not imply that I agree with everything written on all sites. Worldviews vary. Please read with discernment.

Second, I have added a gadget for followers of THIS blog, also on the bottom left sidebar. Please sign up if you feel so inclined!

More photos coming soon...

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #10

2008-09-11T21:26:00.020-04:00

September 7, 2008...Had a lot of unexpected help today!!! What a blessing! (Photo quality is poor...we had the brush fire going and I was shooting through the smoke). Here's Bob's wife, Belinda, carrying logs. And, believe it or not, folks...she's done the "buy a chunk of land-cut down trees-build a house" thing before (with her husband, of course!)...AND lived to tell about it! I guess there's hope for us!

Left to right: Bob, Joe, and Rich in the background with the chainsaw...

The guys again with Luke, this time...back and forth to the fire...back and forth to the fire...back and forth to the fire...b a c k a n d f o r t h.... z z z z z z z z z z z z z.

Here's Joe, trying to decide where to fell his next victim:

Victim felled. On to dissection.

And, here goes another...watch the "skyline..."

A-H-H-H-H...the fruit of many hours of hard work. This wooded area is on the left as you turn right into our homesite. Our master bedroom will look out onto this small grouping of trees, and I have some ideas for landscaping this area, just below where the wood is stacked.

Looking up towards this area, you can see more of the trees in this photo. There is a "V" shape where the driveway turns to the right, and an old logging road continues up the mountain. It is in this "V"-shaped area that I intend to do some landscaping.

Perhaps we're not "getting" this whole wood-stacking thing...or maybe God just wants to keep us humble...but the pile below WAS neatly stacked...the night before I took this picture! Thankfully, it's in an out-of-the-way location...no need to re-stack it right now. (I might just save that for a "you boys are drivin' me crazy...GO STACK THAT WOOD!" type of day). (Not that I ever have any...really...I don't...but, just in case!)

And, honestly, folks...who WOULDN'T follow this guy into the woods? What a blessed gal I am!!!
Stay tuned,
Kris

Great things about living in the woods #2

2008-09-11T17:47:00.013-04:00

At first, I thought they were trying to break the tree...

So, I snuck over a little closer...camera in hand...

And just watched them working diligently...

Until I finally figured out what they were doing...

Making a SWING!!!

Thought for the day

2008-09-11T17:40:00.003-04:00

September 11, 2008...came across this quote in "Small Farmer's Journal."

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.
An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered."
G. K. Chesterton

I pray the Lord allows us to keep this perspective, even when things aren't following OUR plans!

Progress Report #9

2008-09-06T22:28:00.010-04:00

September 6, 2008...Continuing to clear the homesite...are you bored yet? We are in that phase of pushing ourselves despite what we actually "want" to be doing...but I do believe the end is in sight. We have a definite "hole" now where the house will go, just need to remove several more trees, then call Mr. W. to remove the stumps.

Some photos from today:

It rained today. Did we quit? NO WAY!...Here's proof...the back of J-Bird's head, raindrops dripping from his hair. (He was actually quite miserable during this time, and suggested many times that we go home...but character is not built by "going home!") Later the sun came out and his spirits improved!

Lest you think we're working the boys too hard...proof that we do let them sit down once in awhile. J-Bird is looking towards the homesite...watching the brush burn.

Here's a shot looking down the driveway. The house will sit off to the left...the hemlock at the left of the photo will be where the drive makes a right turn towards the house.

One good thing about all this monotonous work is that we finally have a "rhythm." When we get to the property, all tools and necessary equipment (like food & drink, of course!) are loaded into the 4-wheeler cart. J-Bird drives the 4-wheeler up the driveway, while we "old folk" hoof it up on foot, stopping half way to catch our breath. Hubby starts the brush fire, then begins cutting up brush or felling trees, depending on what needs done. J-Bird and I (and I-Bird and T-Bird if they come along...they don't, always) begin hauling brush to feed the fire. Physical activity is always hardest at the beginning, I've found. After you've been working for 20-30 minutes, you find your rhythm, and then it becomes easier. Before you know it, hours have passed, and you really want to keep going. Maybe it's just me. Here's our bonfire today...remember it was rainy, so we had difficulty starting it, but J-Bird and I fed it all afternoon and it really burned nicely. The fire is approximately where the garage will be. This photo gives you a good idea of the slope of the land in this spot. There are steeper places and flatter places. This is about the average.

At the end of the day, we were tired and dirty. J-Bird with his man-sized feet!:

Hubby...equally dirty: (and quite handsome, I might add!...sorry...you can't see his head...just take my word for it!)

And, just in case you think I just stand around, supervise, and take photos, here are my boots...wet and dirty...and the rest of me wasn't much better!

We'll be back at it tomorrow, Lord willing! Stop by...and don't forget your chainsaw. We'll provide your lunch.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #8

2008-09-03T15:20:00.007-04:00

OK, I'll admit it...this path we've chosen is NOT an easy one. Heading off into the wilderness (or just 11 acres 5 miles outside of town) to carve out oneself a life has always held a certain romantic appeal for me. Having somewhat of a rebellious nature (in a good way, really!) only fuels my belief that if someone says you can't do it...then you MUST absolutely find a way to do it, just to prove the naysayers wrong! (Just ask hubby...I can't stand being told, "That's just not possible!"...My current conundrum...isn't there a way to use the natural mountain stone on our property for kitchen flooring? Does anyone else think that's a cool idea? Or, how about lining the walls of one of the shower stalls? Wouldn't it be amazing to shower in a "mountain stone shower?")

When one tackles these types of projects, it is inevitable that at some point you realize that you've gotten yourself in a situation from which there is no turning back. Like the time I agreed to make cheerleading uniforms for a local school - over 90 separate pieces of clothing, total. It sounded like a good idea, a challenge, to be sure...and the payoff was satisfying...but when I was sitting in my sewing room surrounded by mountains of white ponte knit, I did pause once or twice to entertain the thought, "What was I thinking?"

Or the time I decided to spackle a compass rose on the ceiling of the school room in our last house. Rich made a tool that I used to texture the spackling...and after transferring my measurements onto the bare ceiling, my "vision" quickly became a reality. I didn't realize until I started to paint, however, that getting paint into all the channels made by the texturing tool required Herculean effort. Many hours, one coat of primer and two coats of paint later, I was quite pleased with the results. Admittedly, there were moments that I regretted even starting. But my stubborness (see...a good thing, really!), would not let me quit.

In the end, though, it is the satisfaction of accomplishment that numbs the memory of pain, much as the sight of a newborn baby erases much of the trauma of childbirth. And, truthfully, if we understood the effort required by many of our endeavors, we'd draw the curtains and curl up in a ball in the corner of the basement. Life is hard.

We have been cutting wood forever, it seems. And there is a lot more to cut before we can start the foundation. We have been blessed by some wonderful friends who have come "armed" with chainsaws, and left with sore arms. Thank you, Joe, Bob, Mike, Jeff, and Jacob! We appreciate you all so much!

We have a long road ahead of us. At times, it does seem overwhelming. We have never attempted anything of this magnitude before, and we're not extremely knowledgeable about much of what we're doing. There will be many long days. Physically and emotionally tiring days. But, I know we'll get there, Lord willing! See, I've been down this road before. And I've already entertained the "What-if's?" But, I also know the rewards of hard word and perserverance. I've tasted the fruit of my labor and it is sweet, indeed.

J-Bird is reading "Do Hard Things" by the Harris brothers, which was written to counter the cultural messages of laziness, aimlessness and hopelessness targeting teenagers today. It is our hope that this whole home-building experience will be a legacy to our children; a treasure-trove of life lessons that will serve them throughout their adult lives. Lord willing, that is our desire.

Enough blathering. Here's a few photos of the culverts after we moved the stone across. In the first one, you can see both culverts. Once we cleared away the weeds, we could see a second ditch, although dry, where water obviously flows in heavy rainy times, so we went ahead and installed a second pipe. Not glamorous, again, but needful. Second photo is just a bit closer.

Next photo is Bob in action:
Stay tuned!
Kris

Progress Report #7

2008-08-31T10:50:00.015-04:00

August 16, 2008...If we had WANTED this tree to fall precisely between these two other trees, displacing and disorganizing our neatly stacked wood, it never would've happened, right?

Bright side...it made the tree easier to cut, not being flat on the ground after it fell.

Here's a shot looking up the future driveway...notice the RE-STACKED wood on the left.

More wood photos...are you bored yet? I do find stacked wood a thing of beauty...I know, I'm weird.

In other news, hubby talked to Mr. W about removing stumps for us...a job that is proving to be a lot more time consuming than we envisioned. While our machine has done a fine job of digging trenches and hauling shale, stump removal has us a bit "stumped." Time to call in the reinforcements! He has assured us that 8-10 hours should be plenty to clear the driveway and building site, then we can begin digging for the footers...Lord willing the second or third week of September!

A bit of irony...Mr. W thought the turn in the driveway might be a bit sharp for the larger trucks, so he recommended...can you believe it?...removing the two trees in the photos above...hence, we will have to move all that wood, AGAIN!!! Talk about a Sisyphean task!

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #6

2008-08-22T14:51:00.003-04:00

August 18, 2008...Got stone delivered...we are finally able to cross the culvert, which will make our work a bit easier, as we can get the Magnatrac and the 4-wheeler across to do a lot of the work that we were previously doing by hand. We'll be able to cut and move lumber with much less effort, and plow down those rose bushes right as you cross the culvert.

I'm having trouble uploading photos...sorry for the "blank" post.

House-sitting is over, and we're back at Mom's. Saturday, August 23rd will find us back at the land...working hard to drop more trees and get the home-site cleared. We really hope to start the framing some time in September...time will tell.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #5

2008-08-16T23:10:00.014-04:00

August 16, 2008...Water is still flowing through the culvert pipe...WHEW! So thankful that worked out well. I had a few moments when I actually thought, "Why on earth did we think we could do all this?" Followed by the exhilaration of realizing, "Wow, we actually DID this!" Which only gets us into more trouble because then I tell my hubby, "But we were able to do THAT...(referring to some crazy past project)...we should be able to do THIS"...(referring to some crazy FUTURE project that I've dreamed up). Fortunately, I think I'm winning him over to my ways...judging by our present circumstances, I think he's given up hopes of leading an "ordinary" life, perhaps he's even embracing the excitement of it all. (Let's just let him think it's all been HIS idea, shall we? It will be our secret). On to today's update...

The photo below is looking towards the property as if you've just turned into our driveway. The mass of green in the middle of the photo is wild rose bushes that will be removed as soon as we can move the Magnatrac across the culvert...which should happen sometime after Monday, when we hope to have stone delivered.

In this photo, you can see in the middle, an area that is lighter...that is where we've cleared a lot of brush and will be laying stone down for the driveway. It will bear to the left a bit around some trees, then to the right and straight up towards the house.

Here, Hubby is preparing to fell his largest tree to date. He is making the wedge-shaped cut on the downhill-side of the tree...hopefully it will fall in that direction.

Another view to see the size of the tree:

TIMBER-R-R-R-R-R-R-R!!!

Success!!! Now, on to cutting and stacking...

In one of the trees we cut today, I noticed this interesting pattern. What do you think it looks like? (I'm thinking of a forest creature here, folks!)
A (very) small portion of the wood we've cut this week:

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #4

2008-08-15T22:43:00.013-04:00

August 12, 2008...Met with Amish cabinet makers. Got a very good quote - will probably get our kitchen cabinets from them. Need to make final decision on stain and countertop colors. No granite for us...Formica will do nicely, thank you!

Ran around looking for the elusive culvert pipe. The owner of our storage facility made a suggestion that turned out to be very helpful, so pipe was ordered.

August 13, 2008...Culvert pipe delivered! (Never thought I'd write a sentence like that with such enthusiasm). We also purchased a second culvert pipe to accommodate what looks like a possible second small stream at the bottom of property.

Received letter from Centre County Conservation District that our application for a GP-7 small stream crossing was approved...so we can finally begin work on that.

Received replacement cylinder from the Struck Company for our Magnatrac.

August 14, 2008...Hubby and J-Bird replaced cylinder on dipper arm of Magnatrac. Works fine now.

Felled several trees. Cutting and stacking wood as we go. Only got the chainsaw pinched once!

Began work on the culvert installation. Here's the stream that has caused us great inconvenience:
Water flows from upper left corner to lower right corner. Water is just a few inches deep and about 18-20" wide.

Following the stream:

August 15, 2008...Here we are hand-digging some of the shallow areas, after trying to place the pipe and realizing we hadn't gone deep enough:

J-Bird pulling large rocks out of creek bed. (Notice the shadows looking on from the bank...SOMEONE has to supervise, ya know!)

Okay...let's try this AGAIN...third time's a charm? Fourth time's a charm??? (We lost count). J-Bird is directing his Dad, who couldn't see in front of the pipe.

WE DID IT!!! Looks like water is flowing through...Hubby dams up the water along the sides to help it through the culvert. Success at last.

I-Bird and T-Bird looking on:

I-Bird and T-Bird on their never-ending search for new and exotic forest creatures:

Looking from the future driveway towards the property, you can see the top of the culvert pipe in the ditch. After several hours of hot, muddy exertion, it is truly a thing of beauty.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #3

2008-08-11T20:16:00.003-04:00

August 10, 2008...Hubby and J-Bird attaching grouser shoes to the crawler tracks of the Magnatrac. 36 shoes on each side equals 72 shoes times 3 nuts and bolts per shoe equals A LOT of work! Just another time I'm so grateful to be a woman!

Had a setback this week...one of the hydraulic cylinders on the dipper arm seems to be defective...a phone call to the Struck Co. in Wisconsin got excellent results...they are shipping a new cylinder today. (Just another reason to buy in the USA!) We are using the down time to do some other things...meeting with an Amish carpenter about kitchen cabinets tomorrow. And trying to locate the culvert pipe we'll need when our stream permit comes through later this week (Lord willing!)

Finally submitted building permit papers today. Should have it in 15 days. We have enough work on the land to keep us plenty busy until then!

Thanks for dropping by. If you haven't left us a comment, please do so. We'd like to know who's visiting.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Some great things about living in the woods...Part 1

2008-08-11T19:33:00.011-04:00

Parenting 3 boys definitely influenced our decision to move to the woods. Some things we've been enjoying during our brief stint as amateur house-sitters:

Who needs a car when a 4-wheeler will do? (Picture quality is poor - taken through the window on a very bumpy road)

Who needs lawn furniture when tree stumps are plentiful? (These will sit around our fire pit...we found them like this during our initial clearing. Cool, huh?)

How about one of the best tree swings in Centre County? (The red blur in the middle of the photo is T-Bird...he would live on this swing, and always wants to go higher, no matter how hard we push him! BTW, it is very hard to push AND photograph at the same time. My apologies.)

Here's I-Bird...guess where?

And, because they ALL have to have a turn...J-Bird trying a few acrobatics:

(Parenting boys is assuredly not for the faint of heart! But, they bring fun and adventure to our lives and we cherish each day with them!)

And, a few more fun shots:

The boys ready to take a trail ride: (Yes, we know that this is technically not an approved way to ride, but we're parenting boys, remember? They love danger and getting dirty...and I don't have the heart to say "No.")

Going...

Going...

GONE!!!

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #2

2008-08-09T20:24:00.003-04:00

August 5th...Rainy...no work on the land.

August 6th...went back to continue road work. I am grateful for 2 things this day: First, my hubby is no wimp!; Second, my hubby is NOT allergic to hornet stings! Apparently, hornets sometimes make their nests on the ground. (I think hubby told me this once, but it wasn't information that I needed at the time, so I relegated it to the deep recesses of my mind). Apparently, when hornets make their nests on the ground, they do not like humans who are trying to weed-whack in their peaceful hornet environment, and will defend their football-shaped nest (which can also resemble a large rock) with nasty stings on the legs of the offender. (Sorry - hubby said NO pictures!) Once the pain subsided, work continued and we got a large path cut down to the small stream where we need to install the culvert. Need to check Monday on the status of the culvert permit.

August 7th...took truck for brake work...no work on the land.

August 8th...returned to the land armed with fire power to remove hornet threat, only to find that someone had beat us to it. Was it the neighbors? Had they heard hubby's cries of pain and come (albeit the next day...) to investigate? Or an animal? It is a mystery, but I am thankful.

August 9th...we rented a dual-axle trailer to move our Magnatrac to the land. It took most of the day, needing 2 trips in total to move the machine and all the attachments, plus picking up and dropping off the trailer. I'll post pictures of the machine in a future post.

This coming week will be our big push to get as much clearing done as possible. Hubby's on vacation, so all efforts will be concentrated on road work and building site preparation. More pictures to come!

Stay tuned,
Kris

Progress Report #1

2008-08-05T23:25:00.012-04:00

August 4th, 2008...We started clearing for the road. The terrain is difficult to assess with all the summer growth that has taken place, so we're going in with weed-whackers and blazing a trail. Great news (for me) - the lower part of our land is loaded with wild blackberry brambles!!! We picked several pints just from along the path. Bad news (for hubby) - the lower part of our land is loaded with wild blackberry brambles! He was getting snagged and caught in the thorns as he made his way through. He didn't even threaten to uproot them all, but I know it crossed his mind. I love wild berries ALMOST as much as I love him, so he kept his cool. We'll be working on this trail for the rest of this week, at least. Hubby took vacation next week, so we will hopefully make some progress at clearing the home site and taking down some trees.

Some pictures of work day #1:

Who knew that this:

would lead to this:

that would lead to this:

that would lead to this:

that would finally lead to this:

All in all, a productive, and delicious, day.

Stay tuned,
Kris

Where are we?

2008-08-05T12:27:00.002-04:00

The last few weeks of July were a whirlwind of activity and hard work. We're so grateful for our friends: Jeanne, Jeff, Jacob, Mary, Bob, Joe, and Luke, for their help in moving and packing, and pushing us when we were just plain tired. These people aren't afraid of hard work and have sweat buckets on our behalf. And to our family: my Mom for taking the 6 of us into her home... also for helping us pack, sort, and organize for months prior to the move, for cooking for us when we were in the thick of moving, and for supporting and encouraging us through this whole process. We love you! And to our grandmother, Nana, who has done more laundry than should be humanly possible...central PA would be a much stinkier place if not for her. Not bad for an 88-year-old woman, huh? We love you, Nana!

We truly do not deserve such blessings...thank you all more than words can say!

Here's what we've been up to...

July 31st...closed (sold) our home in Zion.
July 31st...closed (purchased) our acreage in Port Matilda
August 1st...attended I-Bird's performance from week-long Drama camp
August 2nd...packed belongings (again) and headed over to the "G" family homestead to house-sit while they're away. They live just 2 minutes from our new property, and asked us to live there while they're gone...we can tend their chickens and cats, keep an eye on things, and be very close to work on our new parcel. It is truly amazing how God continues to orchestrate things. He IS amazing!

Stay tuned,
Kris

Death of a Dream...Birth of a Dream

2008-07-16T06:52:00.005-04:00

A blogger friend of mine, Rebecca, recently wrote here:
(you'll have to highlight, copy, & paste the link until I learn how to do it right!)
http://zeahrenaissance.blogspot.com/2008/07/mourning.html
about her struggles with major life changes. Like us, she and her family are packing up their life and starting another one. She speaks more eloquently than I can about the heartache that accompanies such decisions. That even though there are good and promising things on the horizon, there is loss and disappointment in the present. Things to let go of, ties that will be broken, in many ways...the death of a dream.

I so understand her pain. Because over the years, I've experienced that death. Hopes dashed. Efforts thwarted. Desires for a certain kind of life that would never be.

But, now I can see the hand of God at work. Even our struggles are part of His plan for us, part of the intricate web of life that He has knitted together for us before the foundation of the Earth.

About 20 years ago, He brought a young couple into our lives whose friendship would become very dear to us. And although we lost contact for several years, our families' lives have followed similar paths. God then brought this couple (now a family expecting their 4th child - just like us!) back into our lives at precisely the right time - when we were struggling with the road we were on and looking for another one. We had no idea that the "G" family would make us an offer, "You guys should buy our land!," that would provide us with the opportunity we so earnestly desired...the birth of a dream.

But, like Rebecca, I am realizing that moving on is not "easy." As much as I'm looking forward to this new phase in our lives and the rich, family time it will bring, there is pain. Some dreams must die for others to take root and thrive. Through it all, we remain thankful.

We are grateful to our friends and family members who have become such an integral part of this move. We COULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR without you...and I hope you know how appreciated you are! We still have a lot of work ahead of us (we're really just getting started), but we're looking forward with great anticipation to what God has for us. He is faithful.

Stay tuned!
Kris

Imagination

2008-07-13T08:47:00.003-04:00

The dreamer sees the finished thing before the start is made;
She sees the roses pink and red beyond the rusty spade,
And all that bleak and barren spot which is so bare to see
Is but a place where very soon the marigolds will be.

Imagination carries her across the dusty years,
And what is dull and commonplace in radiant charm appears.
The little home that she will build where willows bend and bow
Is but the dreamer's paper sketch, but she can see it now.

She sees the little winding walk that slowly finds her door,
The chimney in its ivy dress, the children on the floor;
The staircase where they'll race and romp, the windows where will gleam
The light of peace and happiness - the house that's still a dream.

You see the weeds and rubbish there, and ugliness and grime,
But she can show you where there'll be a swing in summertime.
And she can show you where there'll be a fireplace rich with cheer,
Although you stand and shake your head and think the dreamer queer.

Imagination! This it is the dreamer has today;
She sees the beauty that shall be when time has cleared the way.
She reads the blueprint of her years, and she can plainly see
Beyond life's care and ugliness - the joy that is to be.

- Edgar Albert Guest (1881 - 1959)

Where are we?

2008-07-09T14:26:00.000-04:00

Current home status:
Sales Pending. Radon mitigation scheduled for July 15th. Closing scheduled for July 31st, pending successful radon mitigation. Belongings in storage: 75%.

Land purchase:
Closing also scheduled for July 31st.

Permits:
Minor road crossing permit application needs to be turned in soon! This could take 30 days for approval, and we cannot put the culvert in to cross the stream and begin excavation until we have this permit.
Building permit request also needs completed and remitted.

Purchased for the new home:
Flooring for great room, master bedroom, J-Bird's room, and Sissy's room
Pedestal sinks for all 3 bathrooms
Beadboard paneling for 2 bathrooms
Solid wood interior doors for entire house
Exterior door for dining room
Exterior lighting for wrap-around porch
Deposit on outdoor wood furnace
Large, pine armoire for dining room to house table linens (needs to be painted)
(Thank You, Craig's List!)
Large, solid wood buffet for great room to house art and school supplies (also to be painted)
(Thank You, Centre Peace!)
Three 4x4 pedestal tables for dining room (yes...I'll paint these, too!)
(Thank You, university salvage!)
Some decorative accessories for the main bath

There are probably a few other things I've "squirreled away"...will share as I remember them!

Stay tuned!

Kris

Some pictures of our land - March 2008

2008-07-09T13:58:00.000-04:00

Pictures by J-Bird.