Checking Off The List

Oh how the list took a beating!

The past two weekends (I'll do the 6th and the 13th together to save you time and me mental stress of remembering exactly what was when ;-) have been outstanding. I've had great crews of volunteers and we've knocked out some list items, while finding out that the glass tile might push our schedules back on the master bathroom completion date. Bummer, but let's focus on that which we can control...

On the 13th I had Ron V., Shana, Gma & Gpa Vande Ree, and Steve N. all in attendance. While Grandpa got to work doing what he does best - painting/priming the master bath, closet and laundry room - Grandma go to work on pulling off the tabs from the misconceived Velcro strips in the kitchen. Turns out that wen you're hanging ceramic tiles on a wall, Velcro doesn't still too well after 4 weeks and it falls and breaks and hurts people. So we're fixing that by creating a new mural from a photo that we took of my grandparent's old farm pump house that we took on a summer vacation earlier this summer. (We O'Bannon kids spent A LOT of our childhood at this farm and we all have fond memories of riding the horses, swimming in the cool - but gross - stock pond, shooting guns, etc.) It'll be great and a fantastic piece of family history for all to enjoy. Grandma also installed the remaining outlet and switch plates for the 2nd and 3rd floor. Were now a safe place to be for everyone - no more possible 'excitement' when using appliances.
Gma Helen takes off the Velcro/Gpa starts in the master shower

Then moves to the wall/The new artwork


Shana helped Grandma for a bit with the outlets, then switched to helping Steve install three new trees in the front and side yard as well as later installing 3 bushes in the front flower bed. The big tree in the front will be a red maple (slow growing and lots of shade in the summer) and the two side trees were columnar white pines that will provide a bit more privacy to the side patio. It had rained quite a bit last week - or was just not sunny - so the ground never dried out and it made planting much easier because they BANGED IT OUT. I look forward to those trees that we've planted over the past 12 months to start filling out and giving the house a new look. Also the idea of some time down the road saying 'man those trees were so small when we first planted them...'
The corner maple tree installed/The 1st pine tree installed

The maple looks 'small' now/The 2nd & 3rd pine trees


Ron, in his usual magic style, helped me remove some cabinets that were once in the master closet (that again were a misconceived use of space organizers) and we let the dry wall guy cover up out mistakes;-) Then Ron tackled the shower controls and installed 2x4s for the shower door to hang on after the tile is installed. It was a bit challenging in the end due to the manufacturer not giving a 'shut off valve' unless the actual guts of the handle are also installed. Needless to say, Ron and I were in a wet T-shirt contest for a few minutes and Ron clearly won.
Comin' OUT!/We balance it on the roof waiting for Steve


So with the water now functional and drywall drying, we called it a day and had a beer.

Earlier in the week the drywall finishers came in to mud and tape the master closet, bathroom and laundry room. On Saturday the owner stopped in to make the final touches so that Gramps could start priming/painting. It's an amazing transformation that can happen in 7 short days.
Touching up a popped nail/Finished master closet walls

A finished bathroom (but very messy)


To back up another seven days, the previous weekend of the 6th I had another great day of progress. Again it was Ron, Kirby for a bit, Mary, Shana, Jake, Sam, Amy T, Barry and Dan J. Lots of 'little' things were accomplished that just eat away at the clock if I have to do them all by myself. With many hands it goes blazingly fast.

Dan started early and installed the 'fart sucker' in the powder room on the first floor. Now if we could just a DOOR on that bathroom... one thing at a time eh? Then Barry and Dan got started with installing the closet shelving in both the hallway and extra bedroom on the 2nd floor. Since the original built-in closet got ripped out before I could say 'whoa', there's just been an unusable hole at the top of the stairs. Thanks to these gents, I will now have a place for the extra linens and towels when rooms are complete! Barry kept on pushing after most had gone home and painted the base shoe (1/4 round) it's final coat since it only had been primed before installation - dude was a TROOPER.
Dan starts on the fan/Finished product - no more stink!

Barry trims out some can lights/We carry in a very heavy box

Barry works on the shelving with Dan/Moves on to painting

... Shelving/More painting


Mary helped out all over the place, putting things here and organizing things there. Then she helped rip out the aforementioned cabinets from the master closet. i couldn't tell but I think there was a little whistling of joy coming out of the closet along side the whir of the drill but I couldn't be sure. Later she assisted me on hanging the last couple of sheets of dry wall in the master bath walls before the dry wall finisher came in on the following Wednesday.
Closet BEFORE/AFTER Mary's handiwork

Drill, whistle/Drill, whistle..

Out for good/Sam don't look so surprised


Jake and Sam got into the mix a bit and helped with dry wall. Jake learned how to use a rotozip for cutting out plumbing holes in drywall. Again I think there was a bit of happiness to his step as he learns how to 'do' more and play with power tools. I'm just helping out the next generation have a better appreciation for power tools! ;-) Jake and Shana also painted 1/4 round and door jams on the first floor and basement in the bathrooms so those are finally completely done - minus the missing doors.
Jake not so enthused/Shana cleaning the walls

Jake MORE enthused - ready for battle/Shana tapes off for drips

I show Jake the fine tips/Then they both watch

The finished work/Sam helps 'advise' Ron


Ron tore into finishing the installation of the dryer vent that I so cleverly forgot to install be for the walls went up the first time. If you're noticing a pattern here of work that is being redone, yes I have too. We gotta stop this or it's going to be 2010 before this is all done. Anyway, ron also worked on some drywall replacement in that room and got the exhaust to the crawl space on the 3rd floor, so a ton done in one day. His son Kirby removed the Durock on the Master Bath floor where the tub will go because the plumbing is not in the exactly correct place. So he pulled that up and pulled screws to the sub floor so I can get in there and redo that before the tile is set. Again the redoing of work... Thank you gents for redoing my mistakes ;-)
Kirby tears out Durock/Then removes screws

Ron's Finished work/Climbing in for the ceiling

Making sure it's square/Collateral damage


Amy took off door handles in the main entry and replaced them with other 'new' antique handles after going to Lowes to get a number of different materials that we needed for the day. Unfortunately she had to play the runner roll that day, but she was happy to do so - so she said.
Amy focusing on the details


Finally, I share with you below the progress in Ellie's bathroom by the tile guys. Although it's run into its own bit of snags, it's coming along very well and it will be beautiful when it's all complete. I'm not sure it's going to the the deadline of September 20th, but hopefully the new date won't be too far behind. It's kind of been a bit of a personal goal of mine to finish the master first, and who knows I may actually accomplish that! Whatever the date of completion I greatly appreciate Meredith coming through and finishing this bathroom as we'll be sure to get many, many years of great memories of slamming doors, missed time lines of getting out the door because the makeup 'isn't just right' or the hair needs another 10 minutes to be perfect.
The tub edge/The new shower post

Tub controls and glass tile installed



Just some shots of me - actually working

No it ain't Super Simple...


Well as the first image shows, the list has been cut down a bit in the past two weeks and I'm forever thankful to all of the great people that have helped. As I have hinted in the past few posts, I have some things rolling around in my head and if time and efforts allow, I hope to share some of those things in the near future. I'm sure though as most things have gone it may take me a bit longer than my optimistic mind likes to think. Thank you for coming back and checking this every couple of days/weeks. Hopefully I'll start to give you 'more' to come back for. Take care and I'll see you on Saturday.

Gift Of My Own

The new gift in the living room

I have meaning to write a few entries that date bcak a bit and this is one that I really need to get out there for a couple of reasons, the most important is to say thank you.

three weeks ago I came back from my brother's wedding in Minneapolis, MN and I found a huge surprise waiting for me. I drove into the drive and noticed some things hanging in the window and wondered 'what the..?'. I carried my first load of crap from the car into the house and when I walked through the door I about dropped everything on top of Ellie's head. I had had 'curtain fairies' over the weekend and to my amazement they had gone to town in hanging curtain rods, some curtains and had laid out options of fabric for other rooms for the entire first floor! Holy cow what a transformation!

I had come to find out in later discussion that my mother-in-law (Caryn) had spent her entire weekend playing 'curtain fairy' with the help of every member of the family at some point during the weekend. So, Russ, Caryn, Brittany, Gma Helen and Gpa Case took their weekend and drove countless times back-and-forth to the fabric store, to Pottery Barn, to the mall, to the Home Depot to find just the right fabrics and rods to make the first floor seem a little more like home for us when we returned from MN. It was perfect! They even moved a few pieves of furniture from one room to the next to begin setting things in a closer-to-final resting place. Man the amount of time and work put it was truly humbling. I know family is 'supposed' to help, but this really knocked me over. Thank you guys, the house is becoming more and more like a home (and teh neighbors are getting to see me less in my undies and I'm sure they thank you too).
The sunroom saw great shade/And some on back order

All in all it finished off the rooms


This was also all set into motion by my girlfriend Shana, who as it turns out also did a little 'scheduling fairy' work of her own. Unbeknown to me she sent out an email to a lot of friends and family prior to my leaving saying that I really needed help as the project was starting to wear on me. Honestly that another entry to cover, but in short that too was amazing and floored me as well. I distinctly remember having the conversation with her about how I'm 'done asking family. They have done too much already and they need to get back to focusing on their own lives.' Sometimes not listening is a real blessing. Thank you Shana and thank you to my family for continuing to help. I truly hope the end is near and every time I think it is, reality sets in, but you're always there.

Since that email, Gpa has come up to paint, elisha and Mom continue to help with Ellie, Mary came and helped on a free Saturday - it's an amazing blessing to have family that through thick and thin always back you up. It was a great way to return from a long, exhausting weekend
for all involved, and have a little more 'home' waiting for me.

I'm Inspired By Another

A few weeks ago I was given a link to another blog site that has awoken 'something' in me. Don't really know what it was or what I'm really supposed to do with it, all I know is that I'm challenging myself to make a few changes in this blog.

I think part of this whole process is change, whether to me, my surrounds, or others that are in contact with me; I think that the effect that this WHOLE situation should have is to change the world we live in as well as how we live in that world. I have added the blog address to the right of a guy in CA that has recently lost his wife only after a few short hours after delivering his newest family addition, their beautiful and amazing little girl Madeline. I'll let you click over to read his story if you like and to maybe get a clearer idea of the source of this 'inspiration'. I will warn you, he does use strong language, but to each his own. I think you'll get a feeling of the man that writes the entries and get an appreciation for what he goes through everyday. The first change I hope to incorporate more of. Although I don't plan on writing daily, or give you all of the raw emotion that Matt shares, I will give you more of an inside perspective of what life is now like for Ellie and I. I know I have shared some of these things in the past, but I think I can do more and I think you may like to know. If you don't give a rip, let me know, but it is a direction I'm going and one I hope you enjoy reading about.

Second, Matt does a much better job of making his site 'interactive'. By that I mean linking to other things, whether sites of information or links to other parts of his site or to his recently released T-Shirt and paraphenalia site, he has more for the reader to do. Not that I'm going to go out and create a clothing line, but the Lord has put in me an idea that I plan on acting upon (how I'm not sure yet) and that will be part of this site as well.

That leads me to another point, making this whole thing a blessing. I have spoken mauch over the past 18 months of the many blessings that I have received, that others have received and even some things that I think I see the Lord receiving as blessings throughout this whole ordeal. I don't think that's enough. Observation, listening, praying are all good things but sometimes the Lord calls you to action and fear should not stop you from doing those things. As I have experienced in the lack of parenting skills that I possessed 18 months ago, God provided help for me to learn, to develop and to become what I hope is a great dad to a little girl that is the sunshine of my world. In the end, there is a large 'something' out there that He is calling me to do, to be that I need to start moving forward with or without clear direction, either way ignoring the fear. Thank you all for your interest, love, prayers and support, it most definitely has allowed me to accomplish all that has been written about here as well as the countless successes shared individually with all of you outside this cyber connection.
Stay tuned for further developments and changes - I look forward to sharing those with you all in the future as well!