Here we are a week later.  A week during which much napping has taken place and some spinning and some more napping. There has been some knitting and then once again, napping.

But I'll start at the last time we visited.

Dec 23rd, Pk finished the wiring but three of the outlets didn't work.  He tried to troubleshoot them but to no avail.  He had shopping to finish and headed out to do that with Elanor in tow.  This left me to finish decorating and putting the final touches on our space and to bake some cookies. I had no success (the butter horns spread all over the pan instead of holding their shape which happens some years) and decided I must be too tired so I stopped and went to bed early. The pfefferneuse came out wonderfully perfect.  They have a tsp of black pepper as well as other spices in the dough and are very tasty, especially when consumed with a cup of tea.

Dec 24th we got up very early and I started the babka so it would have ample time to rise since I was not using the breadmaker to make the dough but doing it by hand (which means I let the Kitchenaid mixer do its thing which it does in a magnificent manner).  I made butter horns (and they came out) and coconut meringues and sugar cookies and a chocolate torte.  The babka rose admirably and came out picture perfect.  So, the baking got done.
 
We had quesadillas for dinner and Pk put the lights on the tree while we waited for Em and Jim to arrive.  They were at his sister's and were running late.  "Mistakes were made" (their words) and they were going to be hungry.  I whipped up some quesadillas when they got here and all was well.

I got out the punch bowl and made our traditional wine punch, and we had coquina (Puerto Rican egg nog-oh my god- the best ever) and munchies while we dressed the tree in her finery.
Dec. 25th:
And fine she looked.  The insulation kept the room at a comfy 68-70 degrees and we all sat around drinking hot cocoa and eating babka as pollyannas were revealed and presents were opened. 

Pk pulled a fast one on me by saying words like Schact and Louet within my hearing for the past two weeks, knowing that I had put a drum carder on my list (although I was pretty sure I wouldn't get one-those things are expensive).  Instead he got me technology in the form of an iPad (with a pink case and my name engraved on the back).  I was absolutely floored.  He managed to really surprise me.  I have spent the last week reading a book and putting a few of my favorite knitting reference guides on it.  I think I love it even though I would have sworn I didn't need it.

Kate and Patrick left around noon to go see Patrick's mom for breakfast and then to see his dad for dinner.  Em and Jim stayed for breakfast and then left to go home to spend time with Jim's family.  We tried to take a nap but the phone rang and kind of ruined that.  And a good thing it did, too, because my cousin and her SO came AN HOUR EARLY for dinner.  We were sitting and basking in the glow of the tree and they pulled up out front. 

They stayed over 6 hours.  I had forgotten they are known for marathon visits.  It was getting a bit much in the end but overall, I'm glad they came.(Pk kept saying "Oh, look at the time!  It's 8 o'clock already!)  I set the table with the holiday china and Christmas crackers and it was all very festive.

I think I slept for most of the next few days.  I sat in my favorite chair and did some spinning for my sweater.  I did tell you Joan sent me the roving she dyed for me and it's almost a perfect match?  It'll make the yoke of my sweater look just slightly different but like it was planned that way.  I sat in my chair next to the Christmas tree and slept on and off for almost 2 days (and still slept at night).  I figured all of the past three weeks had finally caught up to me and my body gave in. 

I didn't leave the house for almost a week.  We went out yesterday to go grocery shopping and then to see the Hobbit.  We were 50% successful.  We got food.  We bought tickets for the movie and then got in an immensely long line.  We heard the ticket seller say the movie was sold out and we were at the end of the line.  This did not bode well for our movie enjoyment.  I saw a man and his son get turned away and we decided to give them our tickets ("Merry Christmas") and we'll try to see it another day.  I think everyone had cabin fever.  The last two days had been filled with torrential rain fall (over 2 inches in 24 hours) and very high winds (a good test of our new roof-which passed with flying colors) and people needed to get out of the house. 

We compromised by going to the bookstore and consuming beverages and perusing books and then buying a new clock for the kitchen. 

Today, I am going to figure out how to fit 9 people around my table(s) and bake some Knock You Naked Brownies and do laundry.  My brother and his kids and Kate and Patrick are coming for dinner.  I'm serving Chicken of the Good Woman (chicken/bacon/potatoes) so it's easy and tasty.  I am going to work on my sock (aren't the colors great?) and spin a bit more and watch the SNOW!!! fall.  It's only supposed to be a couple of inches but it's so pretty.

This sock pattern is called the SKYP sock because of the stitch in the middle of the rib.  It's a Skip, Knit, Yo, Psso.  It's one of those patterns that seems to move along rather quickly and I really like the look of it.

All in all, I've had such a low key holiday week off but it was just what I needed.  I have to go to work on Monday for half a day.  Pk is coming over to have lunch and then I'll leave for the day.  I didn't have enough time to take the day off since I had to use time when the hurricane came through (you know, when they closed off the bridges and I couldn't get in to work and I had to use my vacation time).  I don't mind too much.  We'll have a nice lunch and then come home together.

As you can see, the tree fills up the middle of the room.  I didn't pull out all of the holiday stuff since we seriously didn't have places to put it and I didn't have time to figure out alternate spots to show it off.  It all worked out ok and the room looks joyful and Christmasy.  We decorated with some live garland since it was only going to be up for a short while and Pk did get the lights up on front of the house.  It's a small display compared to our neighbor's extravaganza but I am not a fan of 5 blow up things on the front lawn......(they look like dead cartoon characters during the day!)

So, there you have it.  Christmas week 2012.  It was quiet and lovely and filled with just what we needed, sleep and rest.  For the first few days, Pk and I limped around like two ancient beings but by now our bodies have had time to recuperate somewhat.  We had a new dumpster delivered yesterday to get the rest of the debris from the front of the house.  I'm sure the neighbors will be pleased.  We'll start filling it next weekend and then get it removed.  There's still work to be done outside and inside but we have time to take it a bit easier now that we can actually live in the space safely.  It'll probably be a year until I get to replace the kitchen cabinets and such but I'm perfectly ok with that.

In case I don't see you or talk to you before the 31st, I wish everyone a Happy Healthy New Year.  I hope it's filled with joy and hope and love and friendship.

In 90 minutes Christmas Adam will be over and it will be Christmas Eve.  (I told some butchers at the meat market the joke about Christmas Adam and they groaned but I know they went home and shared it).

Usually, on Christmas Eve I have very little left to do because I am generally organized that way.  Not this year.  I was making cookies tonight but had what Kate calls an Epic Fail on the butter horns (Pk's favorite) so I will be making them tomorrow along with three other batches of cookies, the babka and a chocolate torte.

It's a good thing I like to bake.  Let me show you what we have been doing instead of baking cookies.

We have insulation!  And plastic!  And furniture in our living space with some holiday decorations. 

This is what it looks like when you walk in the front door now.  If you look at the wall, you can see how the ceiling used to slope but is now a consistent 9 feet high all the way through to the back.

Pk started to connect the electircity to this part of the house as soon as the inspector left on the 19th.  It took a long time because all DIY projects seem to. He has been steadily working on it and had it all finished by tonight.

I have light over the kitchen sink!  (and a ton of ingredients just waiting to be made into cookies)

And since we really have no budget for all of this rennovation (since it was supposed to be just the roof), Pk used the old counter to build me a "floating island".  It's coming in handy.  We'll get walls up shortly but the fixtures in the kitchen will have to be obtained slowly. 

  I washed all the china and glassware and replaced it in the china closet today.  I finally got the living space ready for Christmas. 

It turned out that three of the outlets don't have power so we'll make do without them until after the holiday.  I want Pk to have some time to do Christmasy things for a while.  Like put the wreath on the front of the house or help me bake cookies or just sit down and put his feet up for a few hours.

I have all day tomorrow to spend in the kitchen.  And I probably will.  Good thing I got the presents wrapped today as well.

It's not beautiful yet, but it's snug and warm and soon will be filled with my family.  Em and Jim and Kate and Patrick and Elanor and Pk and I will decorate the tree and eat snacky foods and drink wine punch and homemade eggnogg.  We'll read from the Christmas book and make jokes about how this year is The Best Ever, just like every year. 

And it will be. 

In case this is the last chance I have for a few days, I just wanted to say Merry Christmas, and to wish everyone a Peaceful Solstice.  I hope the end of 2012 finds you happy and healthy and surrounded by people who love you.  Because in the end, that's all we've really got that matters.

Here it is Friday the 21st of December.  Already.  I wanted to post some photos of our progress on the Space (easier to say than living/dining/kitchen room) but I was absolutely exhausted last night.  The kind of exhaustion you feel down in your gut and just didn't have the oomph to take some decent photos.  Let me just say, I am happy.

And where did this exhaustion come from?  Yesterday was our Holiday Party for the clients.  The hospital's catering dept provided lunch and we set it up and gave it out.  The very generous staff at Hall Mercer donated gifts so that everyone who came got a hot meal and a gift. 

I set up and served.  We saw 150+ people come through the line in about 45 minutes.  It was wild for a while and then settled down.  Our chorus (made up mostly of our clients with Intellectual Disabilites) sang some Christmas songs and there was music and laughter and it was amazinglywonderful.

And tiring!  Being welcoming and warm and friendly and helpful for all those folks takes a lot out of you.  I was ready to go home by 2 but I had work to finish.  Which I couldn't finish because my work computer keeps shutting itself off while I'm working.  Twice I lost work so I called the IS folks who (of course) couldn't find anything wrong.  The nice young man left and 20 minutes later, it shut down while I was in the middle of work.  I called them back.  I think I need a new power supply or fan assembly.  I'm writing on borrowed time here.  My office mate is off today so I can just turn around and use his computer which I'm going to do as soon as I eat my breakfast.

We got home and put down the rug remnant we bought and moved our furniture back into the Space.  We ate dinner in the dining area!  At a table!  It was great.  It's not nearly ready.  The electricity is still not on in the space until Pk finishes wiring the boxes which will either happen tonight or tomorrow. 

But, and this is a big BUT, it looks like a living space and not a construction zone.  The walls and ceiling are wrapped in plastic (vapor barrier on top of the insulation) and there are bare spots of plywood on the floor where there is no rug.  BUT it is warm and dry and that is nothing to sneeze at. 

I have 3 days to put some photos, knick knacks and decorations up and bake cookies and wrap the presents.  It's totally doable.  Pk stopped what he was doing and set up the cd player last night so I could finally listen to holiday music.  That made me feel special. 

I am so looking forward to having the girls here for Christmas Eve and Morning.  The last time Em and Jim were here, we were still open to the sky and backyard so this will be a surprise for them.

My computer is making a funny noise (sounds like the fan is dying a slow painful death) so I'm going to say goodbye for now before I lose all of this.  Pk and I are planning to go out with some friends tonight (we need a break) but if thaf falls through, we'll go out alone. 

Photos of the in-progress space tomorrow.  Happy Apocalypse Day! (I hope there won't be zombies)

The first salvo in the Penguinski Games has been fired by Katie.  Our tree is up in the middle of the construction zone and she came ostensibly to pick up a package she had sent here.  When she left, we found this penguin ornament hanging in the tree.  It's not bad.  It's a small globular thing painted to look like a penguin and filled with snowlike glitter.

I'd say she got a direct hit. 

Pk says "it's on.  It's so on."

In other non penguin news, I finished my knitting obligation to El by giving her this pair of socks which I finished on Thursday.

She chose the pattern.  It's the Lacy Mock Cable pattern which is one of those that moves along very quickly.  It was perfect for this yarn since it allowed parts of the colors and shades of purple to come out and be noticed.  The yarn base is smooshy and so are the socks. 

One good part is that El got 8 pairs of handknit socks and a shoulder shawl.  Another good part is that now I can knit something for someone else (or maybe myself) and not feel too guilty about it.  I am working on an absolutely gorgeous pair of socks for me.

The pattern is Skyp socks and the yarn is Zen Yarn Garden in the Vincent Van Goh Fishing Boats colorway.  It's also a smooshy base and they just feel fabulous.  The colors make me smile just to look at them and the yarn is so nice to work with.

The pattern is one I found a long time ago.  Skyp stands for Skip Knit Yo Psso.  It's basically a ribbed pattern with a Psso in the middle.  It's easy to do and looks good in the colorful yarn. 

There is some minor construction going on downstairs.  We have a loose schedule and we're pretty well on track at this point.
Today: soffit gets installed and wiring is done, hurricane clips are attached, insulation is installed
Tonight: all tools are put away,  windows get cleaned, walls get swept and washed down, floors get swept, dining room table is returned to the dining room, drapes are rehung at the front window (yay!!)
Tomorrow: carpet remnant is put in place and some furniture is brought back down, grocery shopping takes place
Monday, Tuesday-not much can happen until the inspector looks at the insulation so we'll be cleaning up outside and finish up any last minute shopping (although most has been done on line)
Wed: We pass inspection, rest of the furniture comes down and the holiday decorations go up. 
Thursday: Baking commences
Friday: Dinner with work friends to celebrate Apocalypse Day
Sat-Monday:  usual pre holiday stuff which includes last minute food pickups (like the roast at the meat market) and baking

This is totally doable.  As long as we keep moving, things will get done.  I'm getting ready to put another load of laundry in the wash and then go outside and clean up some debris. 

I can't wait to put up some holiday things and get out the music.  I miss the holiday music.  And I will be inordinately glad not to have to listen to hammering and sawing all day. 

One more trip to Home Depot to pick up the carpet remnant tomorrow and that should do it for the moment.  I'm still not sure how many days I will be able to take around the holidays but I'm going to take every hour I can to just relax and enjoy my family's company.

Next time, The New Space.

"Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

I read this this morning and thought to myself that my life has not been full of peace lately.  Immediately I also thought that while events around me have been chaotic, I don't feel that way inside.  I am feeling peaceful and content.  I have faith that things will work out, that the chaos will come to an end and my outer environment will reflect my inner environment.

It is less than 2 weeks before Christmas and there are so many tasks to accomplish.  I am not sure why I am not feeling any urgency.  I think it's because we have long held the belief that "what gets done, is what gets done" and what doesn't?  Isn't going to ruin anything.

On the train this morning, Pk and I made a list of our favorite baked goods and it's not terribly daunting.  Having the pollyanna relieves some of the stress to find perfect gifts for everyone.  Pk is easy to please and provides me with a very explicit list (just like when we were kids with the Sears Wishbook).  We will only need one or two shopping trips and a few nights of baking and a major grocery shopping trip since I didn't go shopping amidst all the construction last weekend.

So, in the midst of all the chaos that is my life right now, I feel peaceful inside and there is a real sense of Joy at the coming of the holidays.  How are you holding up?

Mr. Building Inspector (who reminds me of the actor William Daniels right down to the glasses), came yesterday morning and passed our construction.  He did tell us we had to add something called "collar ties" (they hold the rafters together in the A frame part of the roof) and hurricane clips.  We promised to make them happen and he gave us the coveted white sticker.

Then he told us he will be back to inspect the insulation but not until the 19th since he will be on vacation.  (this was right after he told us we had to get R30 insulation which is 45 dollars a bundle.  We had R19 which was about 11 dollars a bundle.  Quite a price difference there). 

What this means is that we will not get our sheetrock up before the holiday since I need more than a day or two to put the living area back together before Christmas Eve.  We'll have insulation (covered by a plastic vapor barrier) so it will not be drafty and cold but it will look like a construction zone.  With garland and lights.

And a tree!  We went out yesterday and bought a Christmas tree.  Pk found it as soon as we walked onto the lot.  It's about 10 feet tall.  And then he walked a few steps and found a 14 foot tall tree. Now, mind you, we have 9 foot ceilings (or we will once we put the sheet rock up) so a tree that tall would be out of the question.  Except that this year, we have no ceiling and for once, Pk could get the tall tree he has always wanted.  I said "go ahead.  get it".  He hemmed and hawed and finally came to his senses and we got the 10 foot tree.  It's beautiful and with our new "open plan" we can put it anywhere so it's going right next to what we've taken to calling the totem pole.

This week, Pk will put the wiring in for the fixtures/outlets and then put in the insulation.  The roofer will put in the collar ties on Saturday and we'll attach the hurricane clips one night.  They're not hard, there are just a lot of them.  Then on Sunday, I'll clean the windows and walls and sweep the floors and we'll put down a carpet remnant and begin to move the furniture back in. 

Since we have a new space, we're trying to imagine things in different places.  It wouldn't do to put everything back where it used to be.  That would not use the space well.  It's exciting and will be nice to have the insulation in so the room is warm and we can come out of the bedrooms for a while and not have to be doing construction work.

It's hard for me to believe that there is only 2 weeks until Christmas.  It's plenty of time to get things done and I'm not feeling panicky or anything.  My mind has been so focused on getting a roof over our heads that I haven't had the brain cells to pay attention to much else.  That will change after the weekend when we reclaim some of our living space.  I have moved back partially into the kitchen.  It's so much bigger feeling without the walls.  I think I love it.

And I understand that not everyone knows what a pollyanna is, at least where it pertains to gift giving.  Everyone puts their name in a hat and you choose one person to buy a gift for.  It makes it easier if funds are short or there are just too many people in a family/group to get everyone an individual gift.  What it means in reality is that I only have to shop for my "pollyanna" and for Pk instead of all three girls and their SOs.  I made sure Pk and I didn't get each other so we can shop together.  There's a set limit for spending which is agreed upon ahead of time so it keeps things fair. 

I have done a small bit of knitting.  I finished Bigger on the Inside for Elanor.  There is no lovely outdoors modeled shot as it has been grey and raining for days here.  She loves it.  It's just a small shoulder shawl with sparkley bits.  It takes the place of the last four pairs of socks for this year.  When I finish the foot of the purple pair I'm making for her, I will be done and I can make some socks for me (or Pk, he's been waiting and waiting).  The woman at work who was trying to make the shawl is ready to try again after Christmas. I have a good start on the other one I was making so I can work with her on getting hers underway.

 I showed El how to block a handknit so she can block the Feb Lady Sweater I made her a few years ago.  She threw it in the washer.  Not a terrible tragedy since it's superwash wool.  But then she put it in the dryer.  I'm not sure how well it will block out if she wets it and we try to block it but it's worth a try.

I am waiting for the roving for my sweater to come in the mail.  Joan said she finished dying some roving in heathery colors to match my swatch and was going to put them in the mail this week.  It means I'll have to find time to spin some yarn so I can go back to knitting my sweater.  Probably after Christmas before we start the rest of the construction work.

So, what do you think of this fan?  The one with only two blades that looks like a propeller?  I like it a lot and think I want to put it in the dining room.  Having a fan in there really makes a difference in the summer.  It creates enough breeze so we don't feel stiflingly hot.

The fan we had stopped working and I missed it and knew I wanted to replace it and now I have an excuse to get a new one.  I really like the clean lines of this one.  Em told me it looks like an alien robot that is going to feed our brains to it's evil brain-eating overlords.

I think she watches too much television.

I'll post an update when we get the furniture back in place over the weekend.  I find I am really excited about this even though it'll be our old furniture for now (and for probably some time to come unless one of Pk's lottery tickets comes up a winner). 

Christmas is coming!

 

Here is the update shot of our new space.  This is taken from the front corner of the living room.  The kitchen is in the right corner and the dining room is to the left and we're standing in the living room.  We call the main support beam the "totem pole".  I think if we had thought about it more, we could have gotten a thicker one and carved penguins into it......
but who knew we'd be getting rid of all the walls?

The weather which has been so cooperative (even giving us positively balmy days last weekend) was not so cooperative this weekend.  It was foggy/rainy yesterday and today it out and out rained most of the day.

The roofer guys got most of the shingles up, just a few rows left, before they ran out of shingles on Saturday.  They were going to finish today but even I could see that they couldn't get up there on the wet tar paper safely so it'll have to wait until next weekend. 

It's ok.  The room is still dry.  Cold, but dry.  You can see the light through the ends of the rafters.  We can't seal that up until the inspector guy comes tomorrow and approves the work.  It should be fine.  And then Pk will put in the electric boxes for the fixtures and then the insulation. 

After that, it's sheetrock and light fixtures and then clean up and we'll be able to get ready for Christmas.

 Kate got us a plant because we "needed a bit of color".
Putting up the holiday decorations will be a challenge since most of the walls are gone but I'm looking forward to it. 

A new dumpster will be delivered this Friday and they'll take away the full one.  We'll fill the new one with all the debris that is now cluttering our yard. 

I am so looking forward to Christmas.  We're doing a pollyanna this year and I am so thankful.  Pk and I can shop together for our pollyannas and then I can get him a few things and he can shop for me.  I don't have to do all the shopping/wrapping for everyone.  I think I might like to do this every year.

Thursday and Friday Pk had a fever and was really out of it but he kicked it by the weekend by passing it off onto me.  My brain is so foggy.  I am slightly feverish but not overly so.  There's some intestinal distress involved as well.  I am considering a mental health day tomorrow. I would like to be here for the inspector and after the inspection, we can go get our tree.


And this potrack.  It has lights and will hold the pans I use the most.  It's planned to be suspended over our counter (which we don't have yet) since the ceilings are 9 feet high, it will fit nicely and I will be able to reach things.  I don't think I'd like to store bread and vegetables on it but maybe a plant?  For the moment, I'll use the old countertop resting on the sawhorses.  I can't wait to get things moved back into the kitchen area so I can find them!  We will put in new cabinets and things but not now.  We've spent enough money for the moment.

That's all our news.  Well, not ALL the news but since most people (but not me) are on Facebook, I imagine you all know.  Last weekend Jim told us he wanted to ask Em to marry him and asked if it was ok.  We (of course) said yes and today he asked her and she said yes.  So, there will be a wedding in our family in the future. 

And we couldn't be happier (and yes, Em, I cried).

I have it on good authority that this is what all the cool kids are wearing this year.

This is my first pair of work gloves.  I've owned gardening gloves before but have never owned my own work gloves.  I always put on Peter Kevin's and of course, they were way too big.

I have small hands with short fingers.  These fit me perfectly.  They have suede palms with reinforcement over the knuckles and palms. 







I wear them when I'm doing this.  Yes.  I am using a circular saw.  Also for the first time.  I have screwed down the floor boards and cut some pieces.

I don't want Peter Kevin to feel like this is all on his shoulders.  I am capable of helping somewhat and even though I know he'd probably move faster without me (kind of like when you allow children to "help") sometimes, he shows me how to use the power tools and I give them a try. 

I don't actually do much but I am doing what I can. 

We got about half of the floor covered with plywood at this point.  Elanor has been a great help, ripping up the old flooring during the day so we can come home and put down new stuff.  Tonight we decided to do some work and then eat so I'm sitting here at 9:00 at night eating a bowl of turkey soup.  It's delicious and not too heavy since I'll probably be in bed in another hour.

This has been a real learning experience for me and I am becoming intimately acquainted with parts of my house that I never gave too much thought to.  Like joists.  And studs.  We're going to buy a carpet remnant to put down for the time being so that it will be a bit more comfy for the holidays.  The room is slowly getting finished inside which is good since the inspector is slated to come out on Monday.  Cross your fingers.  It all looks good to me but what do I know?

Today we bought something called Hurricane clips.  They hold the roof onto the house in case of hurricane weather.  Not such an outlandish idea since we've had hurricanes in both of the last two seasons hit our area.  Ours are similar to this one.  We're not sure if they're required but our neighbor who is providing the know-how for all of this says that he has to use them all the time. 

So, that is where we are.  The floor will be done by tomorrow night or early Saturday morning and then the shingles will be done on Saturday.  Then we can clean up and get ready for the first inspection.  After he gets a good look at the framing and rafters, we can put up insulation and can stop heating the outdoors as my grandmother used to say.  There's space between the rafters and the walls which is open to the cold air.  We've been so lucky weatherwise.  It's been fairly warm this past two weeks.  And this Saturday should be warm as well.  Our guardian angel has been working overtime. 

I don't think there's enough Advil in the world for the soreness that is my body.  Every muscle seems to hurt. 

We had a bit of "normal" yesterday.  We got up and went to work and picked up some Chinese food for dinner and just relaxed.  No demolition of the floor, no hammering or prying or anything.  I was so tired, I fell asleep at 9:00.

When I got into work yesterday, there were 17 voice mails needing attention.  I dealt with them and then tried to get organized.  I think I was still running on adrenaline from the weekend.  We got through the day and collapsed.

I slept like a rock.  I could have slept more hours but the ones I did sleep were deep and restful.  I think that's the first night since last week that I can say that.  It felt good.  Today, however, every muscle is saying "hey, notice me!".  And I'm supposed to walk up with my group to see a traditional light show at one of the local department stores.

I love Christmas and all the kitsch that goes along with it but this light show is not part of that experience for me.  I didn't go as a child so I don't have the fond memories attached to it.  It's a light board that has accompanying music and the lights flash shapes. 

Our Social Rehab group is walking there and then touring the Dickens Village.  We do this every year and I'm not all that enthused (can you tell?).  I'm sure once I'm there, I'll enjoy it.  I'm just tired.

Pk is tired and it's starting to show.  He's a bit cranky and easily frustrated.  Unfortunately, we can't take time to just relax but have to keep going this week so we can finish up by the weekend.  We really want to have the inspector come in on Monday and then Tues/Wed to finish up so we can just clean up and take it a bit easier. 

And if we ever needed a reminder that we are no longer 18 , this is it. 

Can someone pass me that bottle of Advil?

Monday morning 9 AM.  This is a progress shot of the inside.  I am standing right inside my front door looking into the kitchen dining room.  That island counter is coming out today and the blue tarp on the side is coming down and the roofer is finishing up the walls.  We'll put the windows in the back and start ripping up the old flooring and putting down temporary flooring in a short while.

I just got back from the bank (oh my goodness have I been spending money this weekend), Walmart for some frozen lasagna, salad fixins and plastic plates so we can have a real meal for dinner.  I've been throwing things into the crock pot and that's been good but we need a more balanced meal.

I hear Pk and Ken (roofer guy) down there now so I have to drink the rest of my smoothie and take my medicine and head down to help.  Hopefully, by the end of today we'll have most of this stuff cleared away and we can use the kitchen. 
We're headed off to work tomorrow (for some rest!) and then maybe get the first inspection on Wednesday afternoon.  With any luck, we can get the other inspection Thursday or next Tuesday and then we can enclose the ceiling and we'll have reached our goal of things to finish before Christmas. 

It's totally doable, just keep moving forward.

Oh my goodness I am tired.  Bone weary, deep down tired.  And the thing is?  I didn't work that hard today.

This is the front of our house.Well, it was the way it looked last Thursday.  Today it looks quite different.   See the tarp on the left side?  That flat roof has to be replaced and this weekend was the one that we chose to do it. 

It was just the beginning of a rennovation adventure.  Thursday, Pk tore down the sheetrock and insulation from the inside.  What a mess!  El and I bagged it up and put it into the dumpster that is sitting in our driveway.

It was yucky and messy and hard work.  Friday was more of the same but worse.  Pk went up onto the roof to tear off the shingles and sheeting so we could have the new pitched roof put on.  Parts of the roof were soft and he had to be really careful so he didn't fall through.

He got about half of it done and on Saturday morning, the roofers came in and took the rest off.  In the process, they discovered that the back wall wasn't strong enough to support a new roof.  It seems that our siding was not installed properly and water has been getting down the back wall of the house.  The wood was rotted in places so the whole back wall had to come out. This was the view from my living room through the back of the house.  Literally.  It's such an eerie feeling to be standing next to walls without a roof or ceiling. 

Our roof was an angled roof- 9feet in the front and 7 feet in the back.  If you look at the photo, you can see where the wall on the left ends and the new ceiling will begin.  We are gaining almost 2 feet of room.  The back wall has been rebuilt and has some osb sheets on it.  It'll get wrapped with tyvek and the siding will be put back.

See how the new roof angles up?  It will make it harder for it to leak.  At this point, the roof is installed and has tar paper on it but no shingles yet.  The guy may be back tomorrow to finish it or he may not be able to come back until Saturday.  Either way, it'll be done by next weekend.

The upshot of all of this is that the ceiling has been raised by several inches and we got a chance to see which interior walls we really wanted to keep.  The answer?  None.  We got rid of the closet that Pk built when we first moved in and will replace it with an island that has storage space.  It makes for an open area with the kitchen on one end and the living/dining room on the other.

So far, I love it.  It's not nearly finished and we'll have a ton of work to do but it'll be a gorgeous room when it's done.  We started to make it nice when we moved in here 28 years ago but then the girls came along and it seemed more important to spend time with them than to work on the house so we lived with an unfinished house.  Redoing the roof has given us the incentive to make the space nice for us.

But it's exhausting to think about.  Having to tear out that wall cost more than I had planned and so the aesthetic parts will have to wait until the spring but that's ok.  We'll have a sound roof and some new space to play around with.  We'll take the opportunity to update the kitchen and make it more user friendly for us to cook together. 

At this point, we have to pass the framing inspection and then the final inspection (when the insulation is in place).  Then, if we're lucky, we'll get the sheetrock up before the holidays.  If not, the decorating theme this year will be the Pink Panther (he's the mascot for Owens Corning, the company who makes the insulation that will be showing).  It won't matter.  We'll be happy either way.

I'll take some more photos and try to get one of the space.  I don't know how I managed to forget that at the end of the day.  I think it's just exhaustion.  Four days of picking up debris and cleaning up and making trips to the store for things that are needed for the construction has worn me out.  Tomorrow, we're replacing the floor with some plywood until we decide what we want to put down (and then save up some money to do it!)  Our deal is whatever is finished by the 15th (inside) is what we'll live with for the holidays.  I want/need some time to pull out some decorations and put the furniture back and clean up so we can all get together and have a good time.

So, what's new in your world?