Happy Memorial Day from our Home to Yours

The sun came out yesterday as evening approached.  It had been pretty much of a washout until then.  After working HARD all weekend long, both inside and out, we decided to celebrate the holiday with good friends.  Everyone contributed something to either eat or drink, and we basked in the excitement of showing off all the progress that has been made at the house lately.  It took a few minutes to reign in this gang for the group photo!!

Steve announced on Friday that he and his team have finished running the PEX tubing (1 mile of it, in fact!).  The last few feet were difficult because Steve had to squeeze underneath the floor of the dining room to complete the installation.  Guess he drew the short straw!  Joel made several runs out to his Dad's on Saturday with the truck and the trailer for more dirt.  After dumping and spreading it all across the front of the house, he seeded it then laid on some straw.  I mowed the entire back and side lawns.  We moved piles of wood from different parts of the property and stacked it under the side porch area.  We swept and vacuumed the entire house and removed any excess debris to get it ready for the dump.  Joel began to plan out the road he is going to build down to the lake.  He prepped and stacked most of the wood that he will be using for the forms.

Today starts another busy week.  Hopefully the plumbing will begin and the air conditioning will be completed.  Stay tuned:)

Bottle of Red, Bottle of White

My brother-in-law Tom and our friend Pam stopped up to the house last Friday evening for a quick tour and happy hour by the lake.  Other than the pesky mosquitos, we had a super fun time.  I also gave a tour one morning earlier this week to my friend Lori who experienced her first "hill" walk.  I have been climbing Mullin Hill alone and with walking buddies for just about a year now, and definitely feel the positive effects of the 4 mile trek.  I still marvel every time when the house comes into view on the descent as it seems to "pop" (a popular HGTV term!) in the landscape.

Steve says he has about 3 more days of running the Pex tubing in the floors and ceilings then the plumbers can come in and do their thing.  I have an appointment at Lowes next week to begin picking out all the bathroom fixtures.  Even though this whole process has been fun, I feel like the best is yet to come!

Spike finished repointing and shoring up the outside fireplace.  He will be tackling the 2 indoor hearths next.

Enjoying a Senior Moment!

That's what we call Joel's dad, Senior.  Joel is often referred to as A2.  Anyway, last weekend was devoted to moving more chips and dirt from Senior's property out in Blossvale to the side yard at the house.  I rode shotgun for the first load and then left Joel and my father-in-law to continue playing with the Kubota, Ford F150, and the borrowed dumping trailer.  I think they did 6 or 7 trips total...in the rain.  Still more to do.  But check out the progress so far.

The framing in the forefront of the above picture is the beginning of Joel's mock-up for the side patio and walk way.  Below is another view of the frame.

Spike finished the back steps, and they are gorgeous!!  He has now moved over to the outdoor fireplace and is shoring that up for our summertime use.

Steve and Larry got the pex into the Rustic Room floor and used up all the sheets of insulation that got delivered to the house ages ago.  They were always in the way and being moved from room to room.  Finally, a home!  Plus, they will give an extra layer of protection against the cold coming up from the ground.  Shay ran the wires for the cooling in that room as well as the room above.  These 2 back rooms are not going to have vented AC but rather stand-alone wall units.

Roommate Reunion

On Saturday we were treated to a visit from Joel's college roommate, Dan, and his son Ben.  They came up from Connecticut to check out Colgate and Hamilton and swung into Rome to see us as well.  Although we had limited time, we were able to catch up AND give them a tour of the house.  If Ben chooses either school his family will always have a place to stay!

I am so happy that the weather has been conducive to outdoor work these past few weeks because Joel and I have gotten quite a bit done.  While he continued to spread the topsoil on the east side of the house, I raked the entire back lawn and disposed of the leaves and twigs over the berm on the west side...30 or so full wheelbarrows...I have the callouses to prove it!  Then Joel disassembled the lakeside stone wall of the garden and rebuilt the upper wall with those stones and others that he moved from all parts of the property.  My job over the weekend was to tamp down the little balls of dirt in the newly spread topsoil to prepare it for seeding.  I started with a 10 pound tamper, but quickly realized that it was too heavy and cumbersome.  I switched to a garden rake, then a pointed shovel.  All too awkward.  Finally, the answer came to me and I began to shuffle over the dirt, totally ruining my sneakers but definitely getting the job done.  If anyone was watching they would have seen me do Michael Jackson's moonwalk, the Texas 2 step and my personal favorite, Riverdance!  On Sunday the dogs came to help, and ended up getting right in the middle of my performance stage.  We finished the area last night by spreading the grass seed and tossing on some straw just before the big rainstorm hit.  Perfect timing.

Steve and Larry continue to make progress with the in-floor radiant heating system.  Check out the Command Center Steve has built in our basement to manage the different zones.

Meanwhile, Spike is almost done with the back stoop, and Shay is still busy installing the vents for the AC.  I took a peek in the attic yesterday and saw the huge handler with the double drip pan to prevent overflows from condensation.  That happened in our other home forcing us to replace the soggy ceiling twice.  Never again...fingers crossed!