One Step Forward

This Saturday was a good one as usual. There was a smaller crew, but a good one. I had a special visitor that really brought me back to reality of just how much has been done. Unfortunately I forgot to pull out the camera until almost the end of the day.

Brittany surprised me by showing up in the morning and she and I started in on laying the tile in the bar area in the basement. I wanted to get this moving because the carpenters are running out of things to do (amazingly enough) and I don't want to lose them as there is still plenty to do, but none is really ready. So Brit and I started laying that and boy was it more time consuming than I ever imagined. This floor was the first tiling project I've ever taken on and I have learned a ton for the next time.

Brit and I start in on the tiling...

I'm making mad progress/Brit's a tile-cuttin' fool ;-)


The designer Jeni had loaned me her tile saw and said to 'call her when you're ready and I'll walk you through it." Well anyone who knows me know that I ask a LOT of questions and those were words I'm sure she regretted ;-) I called, she gave me the run down, we hung up. Then I called 10 minutes later and asked her husband more questions, we hung up. I started with Brit and then we stopped to ask a few more questions. Eventually we got it all going pretty well until we ran out of tile - DOH! I totally relied upon the guy at The Home Depot for recommendations on tile, grout, thin set and the spacers - everyone of them were off. So we had Caryn and Russ (Leslie's parents) drop us off some more and we finished up by 7 - unfortunately we had hoped to be done by 4:00. Such is life and it turned out beautiful. Sunday, Shana D and I grouted everything and now the floor is done and I'm hoping to seal the floor tomorrow. Then the carpenters can build the bar on Tuesday - hopefully after I also do the plumbing and wiring tomorrow. It'll be fine. I gotta keep them busy. After this I think I'm actually about all done with them for quite a while.

While all of this was happening Sean and Shana D were installing the temporary toilet and sink in the 1st floor powder room. This is so that Ellie and I can HOPEFULLY quasi-move in next week with the items that we have at jim & Karen's house only. It means that we won't have a place to shower, that there won't be any laundry, the kitchen may not be complete, but we WILL have our own space and the Lynch's can have their house back after 10 1/2 months of having 'the guy in the attic'. I realize it's less than ideal, but the time has come that things need to move forward and it's only temporary. Oh yeah - Ellie's room is almost COMPLETELY done because Jeni and crew have really been busting to backs to get that ready for her to move in. That is a huge thing for me. As long as she has a safe place to play and sleep and is excited about her room, it really all is just details after that. I can't wait to see her reaction to that room. Neither of us have seen it, but from what the people have said that have been in it, I have no doubt Jeni has done sdometing magical in there. I'll let you know next week.

I had a couple of special guests last Saturday. The first were Marge and Rueben Van Hemert, Leslie's/my grandparents on the Van Hemert side. They hadn't been able to stop in to see the house yet and made a special trip to Des Moines to do so. I was honestly shocked when they came walking in. Unfortunately I was knee deep in thin set and tile, but it really made the day great. The other guest was a very good friend from small group that moved to Germany with his family and happened to be back in DSM for work at Deere - Kevin Flikkema. It was like seeing an old childhood friend after 15 years, it was really good to see and talk with him. There are a few people in your life that for whatever reason seem to be easy to connect with and feel as though you understand one another without really trying. Although we only knew each other for a brief time before they moved on the Germany, Kevin was/is one of those people for me. I probably have 5-6 of those kinds of friends and it was great to catch up with him in the brief time he was here.

All in all it was a quick, but very good weekend. This coming Saturday I have the bar wiring and plumbing, the plumbing in the newly demolished 2nd floor bath, more varnishing of the 1st floor woodwork and if there's time, securing the final 10'x10' area of subfloor in the fitness room. There are plenty of other smaller projects, but I'm trying to stay focused.

Oh there was a little incident of me stepping through the dining room ceiling, but I don't have photos of that yet and will talk more on that next week when the hole is repaired. Have a great week everyone and if you have the chance, please stop on by, I'd really like to catch up.