Chatter Boxes

There is so much to report. It's always more interesting with pictures so let's get right to the slideshow.




We have entry tile...grouted by yours truly.


We have kitchen countertops and a cook top hood (the countertops are covered in protected cardboard and the cook top hood is covered in plastic which will eventually be installed over the island that you can't see). You get the idea. The open space you see will house the wall oven and microwave.


We have tile in the master bathroom...grouted once again by moi.


We have a real rock fireplace. The rock came from John's parent's house as you might recall. This is also our heat source for the time being. We ask a lot of this little guy but he keeps the house warm enough that I only need two layers of clothing, gloves, and ear muffs. It's do-able but Brrr!




John finally finished the vaulted ceiling after several months perched up on this scaffolding.



We have a beautiful staircase.


With a matching railing. Notice the beautiful finished vaulted ceiling?




We're working on the hardwood floors. We'll eventually have them sanded and stained. The master bedroom is complete and the work of laying floor in our vast open floorplan has begun.





And finally...the master craftsman at work. Look at that mallet action!

Phew! As you can see the lack of blog posting has not been due to lack of progress. We've also purchased light/fan fixtures, bathroom vanities/countertops and faucets. They are all sitting in their appropriate rooms waiting for installation.

We've had lots of help over the last few months. My parents continue their Wednesday night assistance. John's mom came to visit and camped out with only the fire to warm her (we did convince her to come home with us for a hot shower once...we're not heartless!). Tim, Tim, Spring, Darren, and Fred (a friend from church) have also given of their precious time to lend a hand.

So there you have it. You are now up-to-date. Thank you for your patience.

We parked our bikes on the Katy trail and hiked up to this restaurant for some lunch. I was starving and ready for some carbs.

We missed the turn to see the big oak tree so we rode farther than we needed to. We would have missed this quaint little bridge if we hadn't. It did not make the 8 miles feel any better however.

Here's John strummin' some tunes on the front porch of our B&B.

I love this man!

Happy Anniversary!

My mom just told me it was time to update the blog. She is one of my five readers and therefore makes up a good percentage of my audience. I have to do what I can to keep her coming back here. Besides, it's usually best to do what your mother tells you to do. I've recently learned that it's also a good idea to do what John Wayne tells you to do. Things do not go well for people when they don't.

Yes...I said John Wayne. Everyone makes certain compromises when they get married and this is mine. In all fairness however, I do not have to tolerate westerns as often as John has to tolerate medical dramas or real-life stories about obese babies or the girl with two heads.

Anyway, onto the latest.

It has been one week since we moved into Chateau de la Parents and so far so good. It has been quite lovely. They have graciously agreed to provide us shelter until our house is done and we have agreed to pick up the newspaper and get the mail when they are not here (which is more often than they would like).

John is a trooper, being willing to live with his in-laws. While they are reasonable people who are easy to live with...they are still his in-laws.

Sheena is adjusting well too. It took her a few days to get more than a few inches from my heels. Usually when she comes here she gets left for a few days so I can understand the anxious tendencies.

We are completely out of the apartment. Thank you to Barrett for helping us move in the torrential downpour last Wednesday. It was such a relief to get packed and moved in just a few days. Most of our stuff is out at the house now and hopefully we will not have to do that again for a very very very long time. And thank you mom and dad for the hospitality. We promise not to stay too long. How does Fall 2008 sound? Hee Hee...just kidding. (John please tell me I'm kidding!)

So there you have it. It may not be the most riveting post you've ever read. But it's a post nonetheless and I have been obedient.

Click here for round one.

To Mr. Traffic Weaver,

Your silver mustang convertible does not make you better than everyone else. Your quick jerky lane changing is annoying and you don't get there any faster than we do. Stay in one spot and commit to it.

Thank you-
Mrs. Look its Mrs Now!

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Dear Apartment,

Goodbye. You have been small and smelly but you have kept us warm in the winter and cool in the summer and I am grateful. I will not miss you except for the fact that you were our first marital abode.

Sayonara,
Nose Plugger

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Dear Delivery Man Doof,

Please do not deliver my beautiful cabinet doors and leave them in the driveway. There are several covered areas for you to choose from. Choose one of them. What about our construction site of a house makes you think we live there?

As kindly as I can,
My Husband Is Nicer Than Me

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To Mr. Hardware-Store-That-Shall-Remain-Nameless,

Install our cabinets. No, it is not okay that you push our installation back...but thank you for asking.

Sincerely,
This Is Why John Talks To These People

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Dear Friends,

Thank you for your encouraging words and for remembering us when you talk to Jesus. We are doing much better.

Forever grateful,
Me

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To the cast of Grey's Anatomy,

Can you all please pick a person and stick with them?

Just a thought,
Stuck

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To the makers of the new Garmin Nuvi,

It's awesome! Great job! I love the traffic alert. I have named her Helga. While you haven't figured out how to make the traffic go away, you have at least made the experience more colorful.

Good work,
Slightly Partial

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To people who make pants,

Put pockets on the back of pants. Very few people look good in pants without back pockets. It will help those of us who buy them and those of us who look at them. Everyone wins!

Appreciative,
Girl on a quest for the perfect black pant

Okay folks...back to house updates.

Thanks for hangin' on and waiting patiently.

Lots of things have happened with this house since the last update so let's get right to it.

We had a girl day at the lodge. Heather, Kelly, and Spring came to help knock out the painting on the first floor. They sang along to the radio...chatted all day. The boy helpers don't do that. It was fun to have some girls around for a change.




Wednesday work days have continued. One night we had my parents, John's parents, and Tim. John's parents brought the rock for the fireplace hearth. While they were here they worked on our landscaping. They were also our first house guests. With our limited apartment space, they were left to camp out at the lodge.

Here's John's dad cutting down a tree near the road. Now you can see where John gets his monkey-like tendencies.



Here's my mom priming part of the master bathroom. I don't know why both pictures have my family members stuck in closets. Sorry guys.



Our kitchen cabinets have arrived. Installation begins tomorrow.

The downstairs is completely painted and painting has started on the second floor. John's been working on the vaulted ceiling. It will be wood plank.

I think that's almost everything.

You see, the story goes like this...

Two years ago I had two tickets to see Dave. One for me and one for a nice young man. That nice young man broke up with me the day before the concert. Don't hate him...everything worked out just fine. It did leave me with a ticket to spare. I took my friend Susie. I gave her the ticket...no charge. I was happy she could go at the last minute and that she was willing to spend the evening with my sulking-self.

When tickets went on sale this year I decided to spend my summer concert budget elsewhere. Remember this? I knew he'd be excited and it was too perfect an opportunity to pass up. And it was.

So today is the day of the Dave concert. And I'm okay with it. I got up this morning without my usual sense of excitement and anticipation. I had no plans to meet up with my other Dave groupies for dinner before the show like we've done so many times before. No carpooling from the 7-Eleven to avoid the parking lot crowd. No talk of what song we think he'll open with or if he'll bring out a song from the archives. We're sick...we know...we're not sorry.

My friend Susie just called. Her date can't make it..."would you like to go? No charge...you took me and now I'll take you," she says.

I'm goin' to Dave baby!!!

And that excitement and anticipation is back. She's picking me up and we're meeting friends for dinner. We've already talked about what song we think he'll open with. We're getting seat numbers of all our other Dave groupies so we know where to find everyone else. We're sick...we know...we're not sorry!

So Happy Dave Day to Me!

Bathroom/Laundry Room Tile - The laundry room tile has been laid and the half-bath has been started. Neither of us have done this before so we can add this to our list of new skills.Vanity for the half-bath. Isn't she pretty. We won't have a green granite counter top though...see below

This isn't exactly our counter top but it's close enough.

We also selected our entry tile but I can't seem to find that either. Probably because we bought the last 7 boxes they had on clearance.

For the sake of checking things off my mental to-do list...We also primed drywall. With Tim's help, our downstairs ceilings are primed and painted. Thank you Tim!

And you are now up-to-date.

We have a chimney!!!

We headed out to Hillsdale Lake for some wave runner fun. Here's my man with a farmer's tan (it's actually a "roofing tan"). The weather was unbelievable for the end of July. Low 80's, no humidity, and a cool breeze.

With all the fun...there's still house work to do. Our drywall work begins this week so we have to clear the front field so the delivery trucks could get through. While John fiddled with the tractor...I took pictures of our foliage. We've had so much rain so everything is big, beautiful, and green.

And look what I had to mow down...that's my little head poking out through the weeds.
So there you have it. Another weekend in the books.

It's Wednesday and I'm not at work. It's my day off. Usually what that means is that we'd be working on the house. BUT NOT TODAY!!!

This is the front door.

The fridge floated onto it's back.

The counter tops were warped.

The laundry room

The washing machine...full of water. I couldn't get anyone to stick their hand down there.

These worms met their fate on the window screens.

The most striking part of this was the smell. It smelled like hot, old fish. Peooey! There were lots of people pulling carpets, furniture, clothes, toys out of their houses and marching them right to the curb for trash pick-up. It was so sad.

The city deemed the house a total loss and our insurance company covered it. Praise the Lord!