9-26 update

This is actually a few days old, but new to the blog. I can't keep up with what is going on on the inside of the house--I hope to have pictures tomorrow after laundry.

A new lawn, maybe someday

The children and I started to get rid of roots in the yard to plant grass. We started with the flower bed under my bedroom window. we cleared it then planted over 100 daffodil and hyacinth bulbs. It didn't change the appearance much but it will be beautiful in the spring. Everyone helped, J found that she doesn't have a passion for growing things. She was helpful though in helping the littles get their bulbs right side up. Then we planted the herbs I brought from the other house. They haven't thrived this summer, but didn't die either. I hope they like their new home. I hope to add to my collection and line the walk with pretty smells.


The roots from the front bed.

Herbs from door to drive: lavender (I have 2 kinds but don't remember which is which), sage, lemon balm, and oregano (the last 2 are in pots as containment measures so they don't take over.)

We were also able to clear the front, garage and family room yards to plant grass. Then my back really hurt. I wish fun things didn't cause my back to hurt. Any how we still need to cover the seed with straw and pray for rain.

Swimming

Then the children had the last swim. They got warm working, but the swim didn't last long as the water is already pretty cold. They did get the little ladder out of the water--it has been floating around for a month.

Fall colors

Things are getting colorful in the house and out....

Early October is usually the peek of color, but we have a good start now.

9-20 Update

Last week we got the driveway and the top soil distributed. This week we got a garage door, the siding completed (Todd put the last piece on Friday night), gutters, outlets and temporary lights, attic insulation, the last exterior door and the furnace hooked up to the well and the electricity. I didn't get a ton done but the progress on the house was great.

New stone-crete drive, we have still had a couple people get stuck, but not to the point of needed pushed or pulled out This is where Todd has spent his evenings this week. The three older girls and I have helped when we could. Todd just came in to tell me that the ceilings in the main floor have real ceiling paint on them. We need one more gallon of primer for upstairs, then the color starts! Yeah! This is the lane back to the barn. The stone-crete isn't as deep, but makes the path drivable. It winds around the septic field and ends outside the barn.
We still have retaining walls to build, but painting takes priority so other things can get done.
Another bonus, this afternoon Fred (an old neighbor and fishing buddy) dropped off a Kerosene heater for us to barrow so crawling out from under the covers when it is 55 degrees in the barn won't be so painful.

warm fuzzy

I was hoping to have pictures up, but....

It has been slow going for me since I spent a long weekend watching it rain and dealing with little ones. T hasn't been sleeping well, it rained 4 inches while Todd was Salmon fishing on the other side of the state, and my back has been sore. We spent the weekend watching TV in the basement of the house. I did get my appliances picked out. We were all covered with drywall dust. If you have experience with this dust you know how it gets into everything. M's hair felt like it had glue in it because of the dust. Anyhow, we stayed mostly dry and ate out to warm up.

We were cleared to start painting Friday--but since Todd was away it started Monday night. Now that is our evening entertainment: paint between wondering what the younger children are up to. The first couple of nights they watched DVDs, but I told them no more movies until the basement was clean--it may be a while until we watch TV again.

Today we spent running errands. It always is exhausting to me. We did accomplish quite a bit: bought paint for all of the downstairs (6 colors that had to be custom mixed, plus some glaze for texture, ceiling paint and more primer=21 gallons and 1 quart) and brushes; made final carpet decisions; picked up a tile sample; and bought $150 in groceries.

So after this exhausting day and dinner and washing all the pots and pans because of mouse infestation in the camper and cutting in corners for Todd as he painted, supervising J as she learned to cut in corners and use a roller. As this was going on G had the littles quite entertained. I heard something about cookies and cream. I should have worried. First I thought they had gotten into the ice cream we bought today. No not so easy--Gabbi found an almost empty tub of drywall mud added water and dirt and "It looks just like cookies and cream ice cream!" It was all over T and M.

While we were at G's first riding lesson with a new teacher and horse the electric guys put in some lights in the basement and answered some questions.

So onto the warm fuzzy. I was getting things ready for bed and walked by the drive from the camper to the house and all the main level and basement windows had warm yellow light glowing from them. It looked like the house was coming alive, becoming a home!

9/9 progress

My dad wanted an update--rather he wanted to harass me about my lack of updates-- so here is where we are today.

The end is in sight and getting closer and closer. It is exciting but also means more and more work for us to do. I am going to get to do more soon than talk to the workers and be a mommy (as if that weren't enough to wear me out). We will do all the painting and master bath tiling. Todd is going to be helping put in the wood flooring also. That will be a big job. The children particularly J are making plans for their rooms and I am consulting my friends who have a knack for decor to make color choices soon.

The siding is done except for one piece above the garage door. Todd was short that one piece, so it will be finished when he gets that one piece.

This is the septic field. You can see the tanks in the bottom left of the picture below. They base tank and field size by number of bedrooms. I guess 5 bedrooms requires a big one--we have 2 tanks to total 2250 Gallons and 600 linear feet of drain tile. I have thought about how to use the space that can't be use for much, (this was the site I had originally planned for my big vegetable garden), I hope I can get a wildflower meadow to grow here.
Tomorrow the electricity is going to be hooked up to the house and then before the weekend the excavators will do the drive way (so you don't have to be afraid of getting stuck in the sand when you come to visit) and the final grading of the topsoil (or more accurately sand). So here are some before pictures.

The pond level continues to rise slowly. I don't think there will be anymore swimming this fall though.
I will not be sorry to see these dirt piles go. Then I will get a better vision for my landscaping and gardening.

I hope to get some rye planted soon to help the soil. Then in the spring we can see what kind of lawn or lawn alternative we can get to grow. I also have one flower bed already scoped out. The one under the master bed and bath windows. My mom has some lily of the Valley she is going to thin and share. If you have any thinnings I would love whatever you can spare.

Last week and this week the only thing that has been going on is drywall. They hung it all in about two days. They said that they will put on 3 coats of mud then sand and be finished by the end of the week. The children enjoy watching the guys walk on stilts--if we are lucky we can catch them singing along with the blaring radio and dancing on the stilts also.

walking into the house from the garage

view toward the back of the house from the front door

family room from the front door

From the front of the family room into the kitchen
looking out the front window. There will eventually be book shelves around the window with a window seat in front of the window. We hope to use wood from a couple of the trees we had to cut down to make these--or have dad help make these
View from dining room doors into kitchen

Our Builder had salvaged this mantle from a remodel he did. He let us have it the price couldn't have been better. It is about 82 inches wide and up to my collar bone, BIG. The tile in the picture is some granite I found on clearance that we will use for the hearth and around the opening of the fireplace.