Insulating the Master Bedroom
Me Insulating the Bathroom - Note the Protective Gear!
Insulating Around the Windows
Clean Up Crew
So in a matter of a few days we had the house insulated and now we begin putting the plastic over and then the drywall can begin! We are all getting excited as we get closer to the finished product. Ray is now about to finish his last job of the year and he will be on our house full time in a matter of days.
The Mess Where the Basket Ball Hoop Will Go
The Messy View Out My Front Door!
Then there were piles of logs all over the yard. There were two large piles in the back yard, two on the right side of the front yard and then one large one on the left side.
Plus, of course, all the brush that was around, under and on those logs!
The Mess (Logs and Brush) When You Drive In
The View From the Front Door to the Right
The first day we started a fire and started pulling brush out of the pile and burned it. Pretty soon we realized that it was burning it as fast as we could pull it out of the brush pile. We would stack the fire nice and high and then douse it with a bucket of pine needles and soddy grassy stuff. This method managed to get us through the dense stuff. But still we needed to burn faster, so I decided to light another fire. Now things were happening faster!
Burning Brush
Then I managed to steal Ray for a few minutes and he chainsawed up about four logs and that cleared an area, causing me to be able to totally clear what was left behind.
Chainsaw Ray
Clearing the Stumps
I raked and the boys shovelled and wheelbarrowed away about a hundred loads of old pine needles, dirt, composting forest floor and such. We now have a huge compost pile behind the garage that is going to have to rot itself into the ground!
Hauling Another Load
After a day of this we moved onto another pile of brush and completed this one. Even the little guys were helpful in hauling brush.
Little Helper
Many times we had to cut off branches before we could remove any of the logs.
Fun, Fun!
Another time I borrowed my biggest son from his job building the house. I needed his strength to carry off some logs that we had unearthed from the huge piles.
Hauling the Logs
After a hard morning it was lunch time - the kids favourite time of day!!
Lunchtime!
Cuddles With Big Brother
I then managed to borrow a guy that was working for Ray. He spent about five hours chainsawing up one of the piles of logs. We had not planned to work on the front yard until next spring, so it was great to see how big my front yard became!! And that was just working on one side.
Logs Cut Up - Area Looking Better!
Swinging!
There are so many wonderful trees on this property that we can hang swings, tire swings, rope swings and ladders from! I have also commandeered all the good thick logs so that I can build myself a real western fort for the little cowboys in our house! Fort Lafreniere.
The Messy Jobsite
Go On! You Can Do It!
Our Littlest Helper - and Help He Does!
Our yard is looking wonderful and next spring we shall continue the work. Many hands make light work!
Our little guy is so loved by his big brothers. He resembles a baby monkey. He is always attached to someone's back!
Big Brother Created a Seat to Strap Him On With!
There's No Missing Out On the Fun This Way!
All you have to do is offer him your back and he grabs hold and clings on for dear life. He learned really early to hang on tight. You can tell who is carrying him by how tightly he hangs on. One brother said he was like a baby koala.
Where We Going This Time?
He is only about 15 lb lighter than this big brother! Austin started hiking him around when he was just turned seven!
On the Run! Hanging on For Dear Life!
Oh, But It's Fun!
Me and My Big Bro.
Laying Out the Kitchen Pot Lights
Our oldest decided that he wanted to custom build his room. So he has decided to have three pot lights in his room; all placed in specific places for his needs. He is putting in a pine ceiling and hardwood floor and he still has to design his wall decor.
Our second oldest has decided that he will be designing a mural for his wall. He is an avid World War II fan. He loves airplanes and the army and so his mural will be of a topic like that. His dad has volunteered to help him paint the background. He will have special lighting, also, to enhance his mural.
Our plumber was organized and the cost sorted out and then we discovered that the water in our area is very hard and we would need a water softener. And then when we started looking at the tubs in the magazine it was very tempting to upgrade to a nice oval tub.... and then I started thinking of those long school days and cold winter days.... and soon we had ordered ourselves a real splurge... a jetted tub. The boys are thrilled at the idea. They figure they have a hot tub!!!! Silly me. I thought it was Mum's relaxation time! LOL!!
Shower In Our Room
This house is a real step up from our last house. The last one we built was wonderful, but we planned a 28x29 shaped house and fit everything into it.
This time we decided what we needed and then drew up our plans; adjusted them to what we needed; trusted the Lord for it all; and then when all was said and done we were able to add a few extra touches like the jetted tub, the fancy front door, some new furniture and at the end (next spring) a small basketball area for the boys. Little touches that make the house a little bit custom and totally special to us.
The Boys' Bathroom Tub
The Concrete Is Poured
Before we built the front verandah we went ahead and built the back deck the way I wanted it - a raised deck of treated lumber. It does look nice! I will be able to sit out there and get the sun - just steps from my kitchen door.
Then a few days before Ray was to have the front verandah concrete poured he showed me a picture of what he was talking about. Well!! Stamped concrete is really classy and I had no idea! If I had known I very likely would have had the same thing out the back. Oh well. They both have their good points.
Stamping the Pattern on the Concrete
The Pattern Showing Up
The Final Product - Very Nice!
Putting the Roof On
The Front
The day we got windows was very exciting! We had waited a couple weeks longer than they had promised us and finally they arrived. The house looks so much better now we have them in.
The Back
I actually had to wait til the fence was up to take this picture. I had never seen the house from the fence before, because the dog didn't let us get close to it. As you can see one of the windows is lower than the others. We decided to put in windows low enough that the little guys can see out and watch the snow and see what is going on outside.
View From OTHER end of kitchen - looking to schoolroom side.
View Out Dining Room Window
This view is like looking at a painting in the summer. There are all kinds of beautiful flowers. God knows that I kill anything I plant, so He was sure to put a beautiful garden just outside my window, but He made sure it was just outside of arm's length. Therefore I could not kill it!! *grin* We were sure to stop our fence on this side of the yard just shy of this garden. We fenced off the dog -not the garden!
It wasn't that he was scary (he was!), it was that I did not know if I could trust the dog not to leap over the fence and kill a child! It was hard to get a picture of him hanging on the fence cause I was shaking so much!
With Ray's schedule being so crazy - always building for another customer at the same time as building for ourselves - he was finally able to bring in the fences and take a full day to drill the holes and install them.
Salvation!
Before the Fence - Note the BEWARE OF DOG Sign Facing Into Our Yard!
Drilling Holes
Last time we built a fence Colt dug all the holes by hand. I have to tell you, this way was sure better!!
Half Done
We were finally able to put up a fence and blockade off 100 feet of his backyard from ours. Eventually we will be fencing off three sides of our yard to give ourselves a private space. Remember we are used to the privacy of no neighbours within site.
After a long day of work we had hot dogs and marshmallow smores! The boys thought it was wonderful. While hubby and two boys were building the fence, I had been working with three others clearing brush and burning it. Finally when it was almost pitch black the fence was done and the fire we had been burning all day was ready for our dinner.
Enjoying the Fire (note the fence)
Marshmallow are YUMMY and MESSY!
We felt absolutely liberated. We were able to have our fire about 10 feet from the fence and not fear the dog! We are going to build ourselves an official fire pit there next summer.
Enjoying Smores and Hotdogs
Worn Out and Half Asleep From Working Hard!
I have to say, since we built the fence (about a month ago), the dog has settled down. I guess since he can't see us he isn't going to continue throwing himself at the fence. It feels wonderful to be able to walk around the side of the house and not having him go bonkers!
