The Old Man Takes a Break

Yep, Buddy was getting tired and needed a rest.

Seriously though, I apologize for the back-to-back long disappearances. There have been quite a few personal obligations as well as relatively large snags in the overall project process that has consumed quite a bit of my time lately. Let's start with the good news though and maybe move on to some of the other junk at a later time.

As of this morning I now have carpet in the basement and the 3rd floor large room, I have TWO - count them - TWO working toilets (no sinks to go with them though), I have tile in the 2 1/2 baths, I have some more yard work done, I have rugs on order for the first floor and I have chosen the final color for the dining room and entryway (I hope). It's really been a busy couple of weeks and sometimes being mired in the details I lose sight of that.

I also have a VERY large headboard sitting in my master bedroom and we'll start there today. This headboard was built off-site for the story of the master suite. The person in charge of the project never thought it important to measure the stairs (or the window) openings in my house. Nor did the recommendation by several cabinet makers resonate to build the unit in smaller pieces and complete the final assembly in the room. Consequently we were left with a headboard that is 8" too tall and about 12" too wide to go up the stairs and roughly 1/4" too tall to go through ANY of the windows in the house. Two lift rentals later and roughly 18 man hours later, the solution was to grind the window frame down to allow for the needed size - this only after one of the window frames being busted by a large hammer and block of wood.
The SECOND lift/Lifting carpet

Carpet in the 3rd floor/Then the headboard...

Coming in Ellie's window/Carpet being yanked in the 3rd floor

Everyone wonders how it's coming in/I go and get it

Jeni helps it into place/I climb off the forks (in the rain)


We are now making great strides in the basement and the entire first floor. It's awesome to see colors other than white on my walls - even if we don't quite hit the right color out of the box. In the basement we have the carpet laid and the tile in the 1/2 bath completely installed now. There is a toilet but unfortunately no door installed as of yet ;-) We have painted the walls in all the rooms except the fitness room and the bar top has been manufactured. I am still trying to get to creating the template for the back-of-the-bar counter top and need that before installing the bar top, but that isn't too far off. I was really hung up with the flooring and plumbing of the two 1/2 baths.
Trying to get the form JUST right/bar top's gotta be right

Basement carpet looks great/So does the paint job

I install the basement tile in the 1/2 bath

VERY slowly it all gets installed


Meanwhile though, Grandpa Case, Grandma Helen, Shana, Brittany, Caryn and a few others concentrated on painting the first floor dining room, entryway and living room as well as cleaning the dining room buffet. I have to be honest, I never fully appreciated that buffet until Grandma put a lot of elbow grease behind cleaning the hardware and glass doors and Grandpa finished the varnishing. That is truly a highlight of the entire first floor. I can't wait to finish the lighting in the top of that to make it really 'pop' as Shana likes to say.
The buffet after Grandma's great work/Down to the details

It's a great piece of furniture/Hook on the front door mirror


In between all of this Ellie had her 3rd birthday and had a surprise visit from Shrek. After nearly peeing herself out of fear (and I took off the mask) she settled down and we had a great day of cake, presents and green punch! She is growing SO quickly that I am REALLY trying to push through these last stages so I can start to l-i-v-e with my little girl. More and more she 'helps' me on the projects. Just last night we went to the hardware store for a shutoff valve pressure fitting for the basement 1/2 bath and I showed her what we were looking for. As I was perusing the isle I heard 'Just wike wis one Daddy?'. I'll be darned if she didn't find the exact same thing I had/needed. She's so amazing and I praise the Lord everyday for her. So, being three has already proven to have it's 'moment's - it has already shown there will be many great moments.
The decorations were everywhere/So were the gifts

Her artwork from school was on display

Here comes Shrek/To Ellie's horror!

She doesn't like a real-life Shrek/Even when begging

And selling it.../and more selling...

Even without the hood.../still not so sure

Moving on the the cake/LOTS of candles for three years

And lots of blowing/Of course lots of frosting


The kitchen has been a huge blessing in that we are having more meals together and thankfully I'm no longer stuffing the pockets of local food chain owners;-) Hopefully that means we're eating healthier as well. With gas prices sky rocketing lately I also bought a trailer for my bike so that Ellie and I can bike to school/work everyday this summer/fall. Since I have no showers yet, this works really well in speeding up the morning routine as well. Hopefully I can shave a few sizes off my backside and Ellie can have a great time going to school in a very unique way! Things are starting to have more of a rhythm, but we have a ways to go and unfortunately this project is dragging out a bit. I have a few thoughts on that and maybe I'll save those for the next entry and stop the never ending keystrokes for a while.

We Move To... The Garage

At least the kitchen is usable now - more to come!

Where to start? How about, sorry that it's been so stinking long?! Sorry. Now, the biggest thing was the move in that I left everyone hanging on the edge of their seats with. It was a glorious Saturday morning with the soft fluffy clouds that come after a bit of rain and bring sunnier days. It was a cool 45-50 degrees and almost no wind. It was perfect weather for moving heavy boxes and breakable china.

Needless to say I was a bit nervous about the truck being on time due to a freak snow storm, the clouds erupting with 17" of rain or even a king-size pot hole on the interstate that blows out the trailer axle. Many prayers later and a few powdered doughnuts surrendered to my belly, the truck showed up - 10 minutes early. Man I just gotta trust God and relax some. This driver was friendly, courteous and most importantly on time. The day was going to be perfect and I thought I had plenty of space for everything. In short, for once I was right on both accounts - again this trusting God thing is really something I can really get used to.

We had a great crew for the day, to list them would be long, but I'm going to anyway - they earned their stripes! My sister Mary, Bro Sean, His fiance Sarah, Uncle Tim, Caryn, Russ, Grandpa Case, Grandma Helen, Shana D., Lola K., Kirby V., Ron V., Mark S., Sam and Jake D. (Shana's boys), Sal V., Ellie, and last but definitely not least Dan J. That my friends is a good crew - and they got a ton done, not just moving stuff either.
WHOOHOO The Truck's here!/Everyone anxiously awaits...

Yeah it was full/Tim & Kirby use great care

I carry a huge headboard/Ron directs traffic on the ground

Lola thinks this is play time/The men discuss strategies of unloading

Kirby works to fill the garage/Sarah gets the heavy stuff

Mark carries a chair/So does Ron

Mary walks the cardboard runway/Sarah watches her step

Mary works while Tim..?/Oh how the garage fills quickly

Dan J is a one mane moving machine/An takes great care too

Tim & Sean unload the last few/Dan verifies the emptiness



Grandpa was so keen on lifting heavy breakables, so he starting painting the basement bar/extra living areas, now that the trim has been painted. While Gpa was sucking fumes, Grandma, Shana and Caryn were all cleaning windows, cleaning floors, and getting the house interior ready for actual living. Although nothing new came into the house during this move except a bed (I FINALLY get to sleep above the floor!) it was cleaned top to bottom by days end by these ladies and a few others as the moving ended later on.
Grandpa works his magic in the basement/Around the bar...

Up the stairs.../Grandma does her work in the kitchen

MANY Hands made the kitchen ready


We had a group of guys also retrieve the counter tops and TV and other furniture from the storage facility in DSM. All tolled, I will now be 'saving' about $250/mo. just on not having to pay storage fees! That is a good feeling. Don't worry though in later entries I'll tell you what has been taking that void. Back to the move in though...

Lunch was fantastic array of chicken salad sandwiches, mixed fruit, chips, pop and a great cake my mom brought with a VERY appropriate message. amazingly we had completed the removal of all of the items from the semi before lunch and the guys showed up soon after lunch with the first load from the storage units. I guess there was more in there than I had remembered putting in there. I suppose you can't relate to that in your own house. ;-) With the extras coming in from the storage unit, we had time to do smaller misc jobs like start to set up my bed, move the tub into the bathroom and set up the washer and dryer. Oh wait on that washer/dryer thing... we forgot to install a dryer vent before the drywall went up. Shit.
Full tummies were had by all

The girls put together the bed/Ellie inspects the work

Three ladies that have done SO much to help/Mom shows off the cake

The tub is moved into the master bathroom


You have no idea how badly I have wanted to do my own laundry. That is saying more than you realize. You know how everyone has their ONE thing that they absolutely hate to do around the house? For some doing the dishes is the worst chore, others it's cleaning the bathroom, for my it's doing laundry - BY FAR. To say that I look forward to doing my own is nuts and that's because I hate that others are being burdened with my stinky, filthy work clothes. That's nothing to say that 'the exchange' of the baskets is ever comfortable. I feel like I'm smuggling socks and slacks in the resturaunt at times. I look forward to having my life contained in one place, and for right now it's still not. We're getting closer no doubt, but there are things that just seem to continue to hang out there.

All in all it was a great day and I got one step closer to having my life back together in one place. I still don't have things IN the house, but at least they're all at the same address now and I can at least LOOK at my couches and kitchen utensils (oh which by the way were also brought into the house by Caryn, Shana and crew. They COMPLETELY set up the kitchen with my stuff so I can honestly use the kitchen like it's supposed to be used!! I almost forgot one of the biggest things - man am I glad that I can ramble on forever then I can remember more good stuff! Too bad for you though I've probably already said too much and I'm losing you. So I'll shut up for this installment and let you look at the rest of the day and enjoy.
Sal cleans with Ellie's help/LOTS of help

Ellie loves to help 'pray, pray'/Ron uses a straight blade

Russ gets a hand from Sam/The beautiful entrance into the living room

Russ readies the 3 season porch for the move/


Again, thank you all for making this happen. The first move to Pella, the destruction of every wall in my house, the slow rebuilding of the guts within the walls, the rebirth of my yard, the rebuilding of the walls and ceilings, the painting, the staining and varnishing, and now moving back to Des Moines. It's been amazing and hopefully nearing an end. You all have been with me the whole way and I can't even imagine what it'd be like without you. Lonely I guess, praise the Lord though, you never left. Thank you.