Barn Progress

P3 put the lag screws in the header board that will hold the trusses for the roof.

Missy and Maizy had a play-date.  What a beautiful day!

P3 and Daniel measured and divided the old pole into sections.  Paul cut them, but unfortunately the log was mostly hollow inside, so we burned it.

Much progress!!!  Feeling very blessed!

Paul sawed off the posts so we can start roof installation next. 

Pirates Home Opener

 

 

I think this is our 3rd Opening Day game.  It's something we look forward to.  We don't feel bad about splurging for descent seats.  This year it SNOWED!!!  It was stinking FREEZING!!!  But we enjoyed it!

Beautiful Morning March 30, 2013

Penny... My beautiful girl in the morning sun.  I just love her!

Cubbie

This is our newest toy.  We had set some money aside for a small tractor.  Rene'e found this one for us on Craigslist.  We went to see it with her Dad immediately.  He said it was one of the best ones he's seen.  He actually wanted to get it for himself!  We arranged to pick it up the next day.  When we left that night her Dad said it was worth twice what he was asking for it... without the mower!  What a deal! 

So the following day, despite the freezing rain, Paul helped us pick it up!  We are just tickled with it!  It's a 1965 International Lowboy Cub.  I told Keith to hurry up and name it before I come up with something like "Little Bird" or whatever.  He calls it "Cubbie."  Smart man. 

Paul II loaded it for us and Paul III helped chain it to the trailer.

Cubbie has arrived at it's new home!!!

Keith unloaded his new baby. 

I took it for a spin to show all the barn-raisers.  I love it!!

Cubbie lives in the barn... out of the weather.

More Barn Raising

Keith, Lee, and Chuck dug holes and now they are sinking the poles for the addition on the back of the barn.

Paul III carried a  bunch of those 80 pound bags of concrete.  Lee is marking where to hang the header.  I love those ladders.  They are Rene'e's.   

Keith and I nailing on the brackets that will hold the rafters! 

Keith, Chuck, Paul III, and Lee hard at work. 

Keith sunk the lag bolts holding the header up. 

Chuck made sure it was level and Paul tamped the fill around the pole.

How about that!?  It's coming together!  Lee and Chuck and Jill watch as Paul III and Keith secure an end piece. 
There will be 3 stalls across the back with dutch doors on each.  There will be an overhang over the doors.  It's going to be so cute!!!  This will surely add significant value to our property as well.

Paul III holds a piece for Lee as he drills pilot holes. 

See how hard that kid works!  He's a gem!  So are Lee and Chuck.  I would be lost on this project without them. 

We Have A Dog!

Meet Missy!  She's part beagle part lab and about 8-ish years old.  She belonged to a  young lady who works at the Hospital.  She had to move quickly and her new place did not allow dogs.  She brought her here with food, bed, and treats.  She stayed for a while with her and left in tears.  So sad.  What a horrible thing to endure.  I have been in touch with her and assure her that Missy is well and happy and that she can visit anytime.   

Wizzy... classic black cat stance... He does not think this is funny.

This is at least a week later.  The Zom's gave us a toy for her and she LOVES it!!!  The kitties are getting closer and are curious about the new squeaky toy too.

One of our barn-raising days was sunny.  She's supervising the activity.

Construction Underway Front

It was a blustery day, cold enough for sweatshirts but warm enough for MUD in abundance. 

Rene'e, Lee, and Chuck working on the front of the barn.

I nailed the 2nd and 3rd boards from the right.  This was my first endeavor using a powered nail gun.  That's Janet in the picture.  She's such a gem!  She came with two big pots of chili for the workers. 

My two favorite Pauls!

See, it's coming together!!!  Paul, Lee, and Chuck.

Chuck has just one more board to nail on finishing the front wall.  We will eventually build a sliding door for the opening.

Supplies

I have the best husband, friends, brother, and nephews EVER!!!  Rene'e and Lee are the planners of this endeavor.  Rene'e ordered the lumber from a saw mill in New Bethlehem, past Rimersburg.  Paul lent us his trailer to haul it.  The mill cut the first order a foot too short, so we had to re-order and eat the expense of that trip.  When we went for the 2nd order we found that they had cut it a foot too long and charged us for the extra foot.  Rene'e argued with them so they took $100 off the order.  In all we ended up only $4 over what we had expected to pay for it.  

We had to make 2 trips to get it all.  We picked up Paul and Daniel on the way back with the first load so we had helpers for unloading.  I'm telling you, they are WONDERFUL boys!!!  They came dressed appropriately to work and even had work-gloves.  Unloading was a piece of cake with them helping.  I gave them each a little spending money, to which they replied in unison "No thank you."  So stinking polite, but I insisted they take it.  They worked HARD and have been such a blessing to me on many occasions. 

Fresh cut hemlock and lots of nails for the nail gun!

This is the small half of one load.  Each load was two bundles, one bigger one smaller. 

Let The Demo Begin!

Keith took the particle board down.  Seriously... windows?!!!  Who knew?!  There really isn't anything wrong with the siding either.  I thought we needed to replace it, but maybe not. 

Front corner before I took a hammer to it.

Front corner after I took a hammer to it!  I tried to pull the wood off in full pieces, but most of them split or broke.  We salvaged a good bit of it.  Many of the nail heads were rusted off.  I found rat poison and plenty of spider nests albeit COLD there were none crawling.  Whew!!!  Glad we started this while it was frigid!

Barn - Before Pictures



Look at the rays of sun shining down on this building!  I'm just now noticing it myself.  You see, God has a plan for this place.  Just wait and see.  It will be a blessing to others, not just us. 

West side.  This side takes the brunt of the weather.  What is up with the particle board? 

Back of the barn.  There is a concrete slab about 10x12 on the right side, under the trash can.  The neighbor told me that there used to be pigs in the barn.  That is consistent with what Paul suggested based on chew marks on the inside.

Randomness

Whenever we come or go, Lovey climbs up atop of a pile of things we are meaning to send to the Goodwill.  She peers out the window at us.  One might think she's says "WAIT!  Wait for me!  Where you going?!  I wanna go!!!"  or likewise "They're home!!!  Yippie!!!  They're gonna FEED me!!!  Wahoo!!!"  She is going to be sorely disappointed when those things actually GO to Goodwill.  I might need to invest in a window seat for her. 

Feet

I've noticed many footprints around home lately... kitty prints... dog prints... skunk prints... deer prints... birdie prints... and our very own footprints!  Here's some:

Replacement Light

Keith recently replaced the living room light.  The old light was on a ceiling fan, which actually blocked some view of the TV.  So I picked out a flushmount light.  Check out the before and after:

What Is For Dinner

What is for dinner this week?  Let's see... in no particular order...

1. Cube Steaks, Applesauce, cooked baby carrots
2. BBQ Meatloaf, Green beans, and potato
3. Ham slice, Risotto, and brocoli
4. Breakfast!  Pancakes and eggs
5. Pizza and salad (or just fresh crunchy veggies)
6. Hot Ham & Cheese with soup
7. Chicken & Dumplings
8. When all else fails or I run out of time... there is always Fettucini with red sauce.

Selfless Sunday

I haven't made a Selfless Sunday post in more than a year.  I kind of left the blog behind for the sake of facebook.  Every now and then I come back to the blog because it's something to keep, a record, a diary of sorts. 

I've recently been approached and asked to volunteer as a youth leader at church.  I heard the plea for volunteers.  I felt the tug.  I prayed on it.  I was targeted specifically before I even stepped up to answer.  Yes Lord.  I have heard you calling in the night.  I will go Lord, if you lead me.  I never considered this to be my calling.  It was supposed to be my husbands.  Well, maybe it used to be or maybe in some way it still is but he's not available due to his work schedule.  Interesting how our calling can change over time.  Funny how the events of our lives can feed a need much further down the road.  I know with great certainty that I must answer this call.  I'm wrestling with the fact that I adore my restful Sundays.  Sometimes I get out to hike (when the weather is nice).  Many Sunday evenings we enjoy spending with my sister and her husband.  So for now I've agreed to help every other week.  I don't want to jump in with both feet and burn out immediately.  I start tonight.  I've been praying for vision and focus as I minister to the youth of our church. 

Ministry is selfless.  Answering a call to serve is selfless... but in so many ways feeds the heart of the servant.  I so look forward to all the sweet relationships to be made in the days ahead. 

1 Peter 4:10

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."

What Is For Dinner?

 

This week, in no particular order:

1. Pizza (duh) and salad
2. Cheeseburger (or meatloaf), baked potato, fruit
3. Baked chicken breast, green beans, sticky-rice
4. Cincinatti Chili Spaghetti
5. Grilled cheese with tomato soup
6. BBQ porkchop, carrots, chop salad

February 2013

It's a new month.  We are finally feeling settled in our new home and surroundings.  We are over the hump of emptying boxes to find basic essentials.  Don't get me wrong, there are MANY boxes left to unload, but seemingly not the essential items.  I've been thinking a lot about downsizing lately, simplifying.  I told Keith I was going to send a set of dishes to Goodwill.  He acted insulted because he had bought them for me for Christmas a couple years ago.  I like the dishes, but it's not like they were expensive china dishes.  They were a Walmart find that went well in our former dining room.  Really?  I have to store them just because they were a gift?  Ack!  I like constant change.  I like to change dishes every now and then.  The cool thing is that the dishes we were gifted for our wedding are actually kind of matchy matchy with the new place.  I'm resurrecting them.  I can see their significance... wedding gift.  That's different.  Right or wrong?

I love new beginnings.  I shall make some goals for this very fresh month of February:

• Get back to clipping coupons!  Check!  Did that and used some today!  Best finds include deodorant for 98 cents, free microwavable campbells chicken noodle soup, free chapstick, Oikos yogurts for 62 cents, full size Digiorno pizzas for $3, 100 count box of Kleenex for 49 cents, Rotel 48 cents/can, and Sargento shredded cheese $2 each.  Ok so maybe I could have found better deals or more deals, but this is just a start. 

• Make a weekly meal plan and post it on the fridge!  I pass by the local Farmers Market every evening on my way home from work.  There is no excuse for buying grocery store meat and vegetables anymore.  I'd rather support the local farmers when I can.  Plus... FRESH MEAT!!! 

These two things should help with the budget.  We are finally able to iron out a family budget, having now paid our very second mortgage payment ever.  Yay!

Compost

Now that we have our own home and a little bit of property, it's raised up within me the desire to put more effort into caring for the land.  We have weekly trash service and bi-weekly recycle service.  We are being careful to recycle as much as we can.  But let's talk about the land right here under our feet...  Keith wants a rose garden.  I want a vegetable garden.  Doesn't it seem logical to COMPOST?!  This is my newest idea.  I'm researching the topic to figure out which method will work best for us.  There are all sorts of compost bins out there for purchase.  I'm not sure that we need to buy one.  We could probably make one.   I'm not sure what kind to make either.  I'm still trying to decide where to put it, not too close to the house or the barn and not a hike away either.  Also, I'm not sure if I should keep a compost bucket in my kitchen.  I read that some people keep a container in the freezer, which keeps it from fermenting in the kitchen.  There are also biodegradable bags that could be used in a kitchen bucket.  Not sure if I should think about those or just rinse the bucket after dumping it.  Any suggestions are appreciated.  I'm hoping to get it started in the Spring.

 



I understand that the Agriculture Extension in Pennsylvania often has a composting course available where they give compost bins to participants.  I was looking for that, but now I see that most counties have discontinued it.  Bummer :(