Bathrooms Get Pushed Along

It seems that it's every two weeks that I can actually get 'measurable' progress anymore. For many reasons this summer has been a bit slow on progress. There's been two siblings getting married, bachelor parties, helping mom get HER house ready for sale and then just the usual summer hectic schedules that are tough to keep in line all by themselves. SO I try to push as much as possible when I can and just deal with the rest. Many evenings now are spent running around looking for details and now getting used to the new position at Meredith in a different division. AND more time spent with Ellie - but more on that later.

Two Saturdays ago Ron and Kirby showed for the morning to do some work and wouldn't you know it - I had some for them! Ron went to town on some 'smaller' projects that i'm sure when described he was thinking 'oh I'll bang this out in 1-2 hours tops.' Well as I've found out MANY times in this project - that grew to be around 4-5. He assembled a faux wall anchor for the basement bathroom pedastal sink to rest against so the plumbing will look and function better (I now need to tile that to match the floor). Then he installed a board for the data rack to go on and finally pre-drilled the bar puck lights in the back bar.
Ron measures twice and cuts once

Making a wood box is tough/Buddy supervises


Kirby meanwhile installed the remaining switch covers on the first floor that didn't need to be trimmed due to them being too close to the molding. Then moved up to the second floor and installed can light trims to as many lights as I had trim kits.
Some of the switches were stuck WAY back there


I meanwhile installed the toilet flange, the supply lines for the shower and tub and sink drain pipe for the 2nd floor hall bath in preparation for a contractor from Meredith to start on the framing and dry wall in that room! I also picked out some very nice pulls for the bar drawers and cabinet doors.
I have no idea why the pipe is so long


It was a great day weather-wise and we all got to work outside some. These kind of work days really get me along the road to really being able to use the house and finish rooms. I can't state just how important thes days are, without them I will be mired in the painfully meticulous details of this house and I'll never get to spend weekends with Ellie.

Speaking of spending time with Ellie, I have tried very hard over the past few months to really add more time with her and just 'deal' with the lack of progress on the house in favor of not missing so many important moments. To be clear, the important moments are every moment of every day. It's the skinning of the knees while climbing things she shouldn't and the squeals of laughter as her tummy gets tickled or the soft tune her voice sings as she happily plays with her dolls or draws another masterpiece that gets hung on the refrigerator.

She is a lot of the reason I pushed forward, her future, the ability to tell her of her mom in the years to come, the stories that hopefully OTHERS tell her over the years ahead - all of this because they helped me to create a home of love for Ellie. A home that started out as a dream of two people and in many ways has grown to be a dream of sorts for over 200 people. It's humbling to think of that great blessing and that love that has been shared over the past 18 months. Thank you all for helping me, for praying for us and for sharing yourselves with us. That has been an amazing thing to experience and has changed who I am and who I raise Ellie to be. The time I now share with Ellie is cherished and still not always as much as I want, but the end is nearing and you are all responsible for helping to make that happen. Thank you. I hope to see you at the house sometime soon, or the grocery store, or at church, or at work - where ever it is the smile I wear is because I now get to spend more time with my little girl and you helped me get here.

Making The Details Just Right

The tools that I thought were put away for good - guess not.

Well the past two weeks have gone 'well' and we're starting to make progress again. A lot of painting and focusing on details has gotten the ball rolling again. The summer schedule will hopefully be kind once again and allow some major progress to be made in the next 2-3 weeks, but before we worry too much about the past, here's what's been going on the last two weeks.

Due to the a/c unit not having the proper drainage, then having to install a new drain line, then having to repair the ceiling on the first floor, I finally got back to painting the ceiling and eventually got to put the living room back to some sort of order again. It was almost a month of setback, but it got finished and we're looking forward. Amazingly, it looks just as nice the second time around ;-) While finishing the living room ceiling I also finished the sun room ceiling after Brittany had already painted the walls a fantastic 'burnt sand'. We brought back the furniture to that room as well and now the entire first floor is 'usable' once again.
I prime the ceiling/Then paint it its final coat

Then finish the sun room too


I say 'usable' because the light switches and outlets still don't have covers and the light fixtures are still not installed. Shana spent the day Saturday spacing the outlets out so they are flush with the drywall and then installing the covers. She the entire first floor! It seems like and easy thing, but it takes more effort than I originally thought that's for sure. She of course totally ruined her fingernail job with a smile and a 'ready-for-more' attitude. Yep there's still the switches to go;-)
Shana works in the entry way

The before and after shots - very nice!


Ron stopped back in for another round of mental toture in rebuilding and installing the soffet for the air line in Ellie's Bathroom. We had kept the last one when we demolished the old tile walls and such, and reused 1/2 of it for the new one. but like most things it required a bit more thinking to fir the new space and he was a one man crew that knocked it out in no time.
Ron de-constructs the original frame/Then hangs the new


I was busy in the first floor 1/2 bath redoing the P trap on the hand sink because allegedly it won't pass code it the drain line goes straight up THEN over to the sink... it has to always come out of the wall level and the drain must drop to meet it. Ugh all the details - especially when the supply lines get in the way because the header of the adjacent floor is in the way. Needless to say it took me longer than anticipated (4 hours) and more trips the the hardware store (4). It's done and a good thing came out of it - I re-adjusted the drain so that it doesn't plug up anymore when the water is turned on all the way! (Stick with me, I need the little victories.)
I dismantle the sink drain/Then cut a hole in the base

Rehook up the drain and all is well


Have you noticed any sort of pattern to any of this? Yeah, re-doing a lot of things has put a damper on the progress. well, I hope that most of that is behind me and we can actually move FORWARD. The switch covers are small but huge. I think I mentioned starting that 3 months ago - seriously things like this sometimes just seem like mountains and I'm walking up backwards with snow shoes on to get there. I think I might end here and leave some of the other points on interest for a later post and hopefully let the summer, time and a cold beer or two take care of some of the other mountains. Before I go though, if I could please ask for your renewed efforts in prayers and thoughts as this is really dragging on (still without a shower) and I need all the patience and strength I can get. If you also find a few hours free in your schedule, be it on a Saturday or some evening, drop me a line and I'll have food and drink awaitin'.

Til then, here's to the cold brew taking off some of summer's edge. Cheers.

The Beds Take Shape

The Back Yard view - VERY NICE!

Well after a bit of a crazy start to the summer we're getting back to a bit of progress and back on track. I have huge thanks to a group of volunteers that gave up their Wednesday and really made a huge impact to the outside of the house and have kick started a re-emphasis on the exterior. Before I get too far though, I want to take a moment to apologize for a few misguided and ill-advised words I entered a few weeks ago.

For those of you that may know what I'm talking about, I apologize if I offended anyone in any way. I apologize that I let my emotions and frustrations of a very large and stressful situation spill onto what could be a very public forum. I try very hard to remain upbeat and focused on the positive portions of this project and all of the many blessings that I have received in doing this project. Unfortunately in one entry (which has since been edited to omit those words) I succumbed to frustration and disappointment on this blog. I apologize to the person I was most frustrated with and hope that we may be able to retain and continue the close friendship that we had started so many months ago. I realize in further discussions that any mention of Meredith related in any way to that blog entry could have been perceived in a negative fashion and although that was never said, it was absolutely never meant to be implied in any fashion. To be uber-clear, I am thankful and forever indebted to the many people at Meredith that have come forward over the past 18 months to help in the myriad of ways that have made this house possible and truly an amazing testament to how the Lord can do amazing things in times of great tragedy. To the Meredith Corporation both as an entity and as a group of people, thank you.

As for the group that helped out today, Kirby, Sal, Amy and Kirby's Friend (I'll get your name later!) thank you SO much. I could have never thought anyone could make such quick work of five cubic yards of mulch. It transformed many of the weed infested flower beds once again shine and a thing of beauty that frame the house and give it personality. It was amazing to come home tonight and walk the yard and actually see my plants again. That put a huge smile on my face - regardless of the fact that the mosquitoes were feasting on my flesh. As you may be able to tell in a few of the photos here, the yard is still coming in, but for it's first year after being planted from seed, it has really taken and hopefully will provide a lush carpet for many happy moments in the near future for Ellie and many of her friends.
The front flower beds

Flower beds look nice...now about the walkway...

The back Linden (Leslie's) tree got some too

That's it until I have the time to take photos of the interior of the first floor which has under gone MAJOR changes and should hopefully be live-in-ready in very short order - say 10 days (knowing that the 4th is inthe middle of that). To all, thank you once again for all that you have done for Ellie and I, every gesture large and small alike has made a world of difference.