Meanwhile...

While we work on the exterior, our crew has been hard at work on the interior. Shimmer's paneling was installed today. Love the primitive look and the practicality of it.

It Takes Two

Two days in and my Dad has been a huge help painting the house. I don't remember if I told you but he painted houses in the summer for twenty-five years when he taught school. One coat on the back, the side, the screen porch and well on their way on the front.

Last Day of Summer Vacation...

Shimmer and Shine head back to school tomorrow. Daddy is on "vacation" this week to hopefully paint the house with help from my Dad. Forecast is VERY HOT, but thankfully dry. I'll be on window duty. So many panes... nothing to do but take them one at a time.

Shimmer had fun playing photographer while we worked today. They both wanted Grandpa to play with them. He treated them to a short walk in the woods before making the long drive home. One day down...

Blue Skies and Sunbeams

Sunday afternoon and I just thought I would share a few photos I took today. The house seems alive to me today... or maybe, I'm just more aware of the beauty God surrounds us with.

Psalm 27:4

A Gift

We found an early housewarming gift tonight... Shine brings out the best in our crew.

Generations

I took Shimmer and Shine on a roadtrip today to visit my Aunt Diane before school starts next week. She lives on Main Street in a quaint little town a few hours away. You won't meet a more wonderful hostess than her, or her late Aunt Doris. Their homes were childhood inspirations of mine... timeless, charming, warm and welcoming.

We stopped by our new home before heading out of town. Inside, drywall being hung in the foyer. Outside, one of my favorite details and something I've always dreamed of -- a beadboard porch ceiling (timeless, charming, warm and welcoming). Looks like Shimmer loves it, too. Like mother, like daughter...

Excitement in the Air

Our crew began hanging drywall upstairs yesterday, and by today they also had done most of the downstairs. After my accident, the technical difficulties, and the physical mess of the whole insulation process, I'm so happy to put that chapter behind us and behind drywall literally. Shimmer and Shine made their way into the house first tonight and were surprised to find walls in the mudroom. They came running back out to Daddy and I absolutely thrilled to report that, "it's a house... it's a house!"

HVAC work is also continuing; but, my big excitement for the night was the front porch construction. Shimmer took a picture of Shine and I hanging out there tonight (sorry it's a little blurry). With the big pile of dirt pretty much gone, as promised, I was also able to take a nice front photo. I've been waiting a long time to do that. Good things come to those who wait...

Rainy Days and Mondays

Been a pretty dry summer, but rain yesterday and this morning made it difficult to get the well drilling equipment up to the house. Our excavator came through and helped in a pinch. I brought Shimmer and Shine over this morning and we found a better view on the screen porch. A little nerve-wracking wondering how deep they will need to go, but they hit water fairly quickly. For a better reserve, I think they ended up drilling to about 300 feet. Since he was already here with his equipment our excavator worked to level out one of the big piles out front. Should make it a lot easier to get nice photos of our house, so I'm happy to see that pile go!

Family Work Day

Well... the time has come to reveal some of our color choices! Shimmer and Shine went with me yesterday to pick up our primer for the garage (which we had tinted), and a quart of our exterior paint for the house. Daddy tested an area off the back of the hearth room. Both are Benjamin Moore colors from their historic line. The house will be Abingdon Putty and the barn will be Hampshire Gray, with Abingdon Putty trim.

I've gotten rather used to seeing our gray and white house... it kind of has a "beach"-look about it! Or, maybe I am just going through withdrawal since we missed out on the beach last year to move and this year to build ;) I'm loving our color choices though... they have an earthi-ness about them that I'm drawn to and that I think suits our style and the setting for our home.

Shimmer and Shine took turns riding his bike in the cul-de-sac while Daddy and I primed the barn. They each wanted a turn though, so I gave them a paint lesson before calling it quits for the day.

Welcome Back...

Feels like things have slowed down lately, but our crew started drywalling the second floor ceilings yesterday and continued with the master bedroom today. We don't plan to put drywall up in Shimmer's or Shine's rooms. They'll have horizontal plank paneling instead.

Insulation was put up in the mudroom addition and to soundproof other areas also, before drywalling continues next week.

Deja Vu

Remember WAY back in April when we were in the middle of the never-ending lot clearing??? Our excavator was on the job again today to take away some of the remaining stumps and debris as we get ready for our well to be drilled on Monday. I think it's safe to say that he feels the same way we do... will this mess ever be gone?

Catching Up

Thought I would share a few photos I took today, after taking it easy the last several.

Made it through the weekend, with nothing more than a few advil. I know I am so lucky, just walking a little slower and sleeping on one side for now. Had my staples checked yesterday and everything is fine. Life is a gift... isn't it?

The open-cell insulation was finished on Sunday. Now just the clean-up remains. We'll work at that over the next couple days. Our construction crew is still spending their time on the house next door; but, the mason, HVAC, and electrical subs have been making progress here. I don't think I've shown you the fireplace and hearth in a while. We should be moving in at the perfect time of year to enjoy it.

Someone to Watch Over Me

You never know what the day ahead may hold; BUT, God, our Father, does...

After our amusement park trip yesterday, we worked from 8:30pm to 10:30pm at the house last night, covering the first floor windows with plastic to protect them from impending Day Two of the open-cell spray foam insulation. I guess I should explain that WE are doing this, and NOT the subcontractor, because my husband got a really good price through a mutual friend. Hence... a little more work on our part. In the end, I believe it will be worth it; but, here and now, it's a load of stress on me to make sure that I finish getting all the windows upstairs; our bathroom tub fixtures; and, our exterior doors covered in plastic before the insulators arrive and start work again. I don't think my husband anticipated how much mess this stuff would make or we would have taken these measures sooner.

To complicate things, I promised Shimmer a sleepover with Grammie and Grampie (an hour away) and I have a meeting I need to be at from 9am - 11am. I didn't want the kids around the fumes from the insulation anyway, so at 7am I drove both Shimmer and Shine over the river and through the woods and then headed back for my meeting. I was thankful that the meeting was closed in prayer and grateful for that support since I'm definitely out of my comfort zone today at the house. Without my husband there firsthand, I feel like if something goes wrong it will be my fault. He's got enough pressure at work... so I hope I get this right!

Got to the house by 11:45am I think, and no sign of the insulators. That was actually a relief since it gave me time to get things covered and protected. I was doing pretty well on my own to start, but then God sent some rain, and as a result, the help of a few of the crew from the site next door to help me staple up the plastic. They did the third floor for me since I was afraid to climb up there, and handled the tubs for me, too. What a HUGE help and an even bigger relief to get it ALL done before the insulators arrived. Now just hoping they show up so that we stay on track for drywall on Monday.

They arrived about 3pm... but unfortunately had more equipment problems. Our GC and our HVAC contractor were kind enough to help the sprayer and his girlfriend try to fix things. Have you ever had a job to do with a customer waiting and had technical difficulties??? Then you know how these two felt. They were doing their best but had little backup. I felt for them... it was 5pm before they were able to spray. Things went well for about an hour and then more malfunctions on the second floor. I knew my husband wouldn't want them to spray anymore until it was working properly again, so they stopped and tried to figure things out.

It was getting close to 6:30pm by this point, and I needed to run home to grab some things for a board meeting at Shimmer and Shine's school. I'm heading up a new fundraiser and had a presentation to make. My husband was still 45 minutes away from home (he'd been out of town for a meeting), and I hated to leave the house but needed to get going.

Do you ever wish you could have a few seconds back??? I was about to... as I was headed down the ladder from the second to first floor to leave, I lost my footing and fell backward with about four or five rungs left to go. What an awful feeling to be falling and even worse to hit the floor full force. It was NOT the smartest thing I've ever done. I had my cell phone in one hand, I was talking to the subs above me, thinking about getting to my meeting, and trying to negotiate the rungs with the spray hose running up one side of the ladder. Not a good combination!

God is good though and thankfully my children were not there to witness their mother laying on the floor and bleeding profusely from the back of my head. Our poor subs, their day went from bad to worse thanks to me! They were wonderful. Called 9-1-1 and kept me still and calm until the ambulance arrived. Actually, I credit God with my calmness as well. Anyone that knows me also knows that since childhood I have had a debilitating fear of doctors, blood, etc... I've gotten better through prayer and the support of my husband during both of my pregnancies.

The EMTs arrived and were unable to determine the extent of my head wound, but I was very coherent so I tried not to be too concerned. They carefully placed me on a backboard and transported me to the local hospital, where my husband met me. Five staples and a tetnus shot later, I was released. No broken bones, just a lot of aches, a stiff neck, and more thankfulness than a heart could hold.

Insulation Day

House was quiet this morning, as Daddy waited for the insulation subs he hired to arrive. He took the day off of work to be on-site. I think it was after lunch before they got there. I spent yesterday afternoon "shop-vac"ing the house top-to bottom, and in between all the studs, to make sure we were ready for them.

They sprayed a good portion of the first floor today before running into equipment problems. The necessary part won't arrive until Thursday morning, so they won't be back until that afternoon. Daddy is stressed and that makes me worry in turn...

He's off work again tomorrow to spend a planned annual summer day away with us and friends at a favorite amusement park. I'll be getting up early to buy some plastic to cover our windows and doors before the insulators return on Thursday; and, since Daddy can't take a third day off work right now, he wants me to be there at the house when they return.

Meanwhile, Shimmer and Shine each took a turn helping to clean-up tonight. Our crew is also building a new house on the lot next to ours and they are busy getting it framed and under roof.

Simple Pleasures

Another new week underway... another beautiful summer day. After an unusually cold summer last year, I've been loving the good old-fashioned long, hot summer we've been blessed with this year.

Today when we stopped over to the house, father and son were putting the final piece of trim on the front. Beauty simplified...Georgian charm.

To Every Thing There is a Season

Early this spring we bought Shimmer and Shine each their own betta fish. Shimmer's became sick earlier this week and was not able to swim without spinning in a circle. We looked up the problem on the internet and followed the recommendations, but prepared for the worst which was a possibility.

Her fish, Summer, died last night. We're thankful that we had some warning. She placed some flowers in a box with Summer and we decided to bury it under a tree at our new house.

Sweet dreams, little fishy...