Not so exciting, but ever so necessary...

 Ok, so here are more pictures of the house construction.  To the right we have plumbing for the well under way.

 We are using closed cell spray foam insulation.  It was amazing how much could be covered in just one day.  We can't wait to see if it as good as the claims are about it!

Spray foam closed cell insulation - looks like upside down snow!

     It is somewhat a shame that the water drain pipes are covered up by the walls.  They almost seem like works of art!

     We have been in the plumbing and wiring stage for awhile now.  We have made lots of progress, but there is still quite a bit left to finish before we can start the sheet rock.  Everyone tells us it just takes time.    We believe them!


Posted by Pam


   

Pet / Owner look alikes...

I just came across these pictures on the camera and couldn't resist sharing them...  You know what they say about pets looking like their owners, or is it vice versa???

Jenny and Callie

Callie looking rather stylish!

Posted by Pam

Bacon Pictures

So... Last January, as in nearly a year ago, Fine Linen Drama produced a play called, "You Can't Take It With You", affectionately known to the cast as Bacon.  It was wonderfully done with excellent casting, a phenomenal set, terrifically talented acting, outstanding costuming, cosmic comedy, and I could gush on and on.  Oh, and did I mention that Jenny was in it?  Jenny played the role of Alice Sycamore, who falls in love with her boss's son, but is afraid that their two families are too far different for a marriage between them to ever work.

Here are a few pictures...

Kholenkov greets Tony and Alice as they leave for the Monte  Carlo Ballet.

Alice admits what first attracted her to Tony ...

Donald can't seem to take the hint that three's a crowd!

The hilarious game that gets Mrs. Kirby in trouble. 

The Grand Duchess pays a visit.

The extremely talented cast.

Want to see more?  Go to Fine Linen Drama's website to browse the photo album:

Fine Linen Drama Bacon photo album


Oh, and guess what?  "Oliver! the Musical" is coming in March!

Random signs of progress...

 We are very excited about the new well being drilled.  The well from the old house works, but we have been unable to get it to pass the state test.  It keeps failing due to the presence of choloform.  So, for nearly the past 2 years we have been hauling in drinking water.  We are really looking forward to having a good well again!  Plus, we are having a geothermal system installed, and the new well will be big enough to supply both the house needs plus the geothermal system.

 This is the beginnings of the laundry room, bathroom, and mudroom in the garage.

I have been working on staining and varnishing the inside window trim.  This one is finished.

Duct work is being placed throughout the house...

Basement stairs are started

Painting the front porch posts.

Cordell and Ryan have been helping Walter measure and nail in the electrical switch and outlet boxes.  They have also been drilling holes in the 2x4's  for the wiring, and will start pulling wire soon.  They have also been helping Walter with various aspects of getting the drain pipes in for the plumbing.

All signs that progress is being made, slowly but surely!

Pouring the basement floor.

 Well, it was an exciting day for us to get our basement concrete floor poured.  This actually took place a month ago, but I am just now posting about it.  We had to wait for just the right timing when the backyard wasn't too muddy, and when our concrete crew could actually come from St. Louis to work on it.

Filling up the concrete buggy.

     Note:  I did not make up the name of concrete buggy.  I promise it is its real name!  First it had to be filled up with concrete.  Then a "road" of scrap plywood was built.   Then it is driven to where it is dumped.

Concrete Buggy 

It is coming along nicely.

Carolyn's 80th Birthday Party

Beautiful Birthday Cake!

In August we celebrated my mother's 80th birthday at Cathy & Rick's lovely new lake home.  Aunt Frieda and Aunt Barbara made the long trip from Linton to be with us.  We were blessed to have a break from the intense heat of the summer and had a lovely summer afternoon.

Lovely sisters!

Mom still looks just as pretty as her picture on her cake!

My youngest sister, Valerie, with Mom.

 There are several lakes near Cathy's house, and one is even designated as "The Swimming Pond".  A thick foam mattress provided just the base needed from playing king of the hill, and other assorted games.  Tina brought her kayak, and those that felt ambitious enjoyed turns in the kayak and canoe.

 I think the idea is to make the other person fall off, but you aren't allowed to touch them.  Looked to me like they were having lots of fun, which doesn't surprise me out of these cousins!

Yes, even the big kids played!

Chelsea gives a thumbs up.  Wisdom teeth surgery isn't going to keep her down for long!

The old folks sitting by the pond watching the young'ins playing...


I believe the general consensus was that everyone was glad Mom had another birthday, thus giving us all this chance to get together and celebrate it!

~ Pam

shingles, trim and windows!

Front porch is on, and felt paper on roof.

The roofing crew was pretty quick.

White metal trim is installed.

Windows delivered - Quaker windows made in Freeburg, less than an hour away!

Amazing how windows start changing its look!

Guess what color the house will be?  Keep checking back in to find out!

Front porch trusses and garage floor...

 Just in case there is someone who might think that Walter hasn't been helping with the house, here is a picture to prove it.  The front porch trusses are being set into place, and Walter is helping to steady them.  Brad, our builder, said that if Walter does a good job, next time he will let him use a hammer!

 We are fortunate to have a friend from the House Springs church who is  experienced with flat concrete.  He came with his crew to put in our garage floor.  First they had to level out the gravel, then stamp it down.  Next came a sheet of black plastic moisture barrier followed by the rebar.

Spreading out the concrete.

 The power gizmos were especially interesting.  This was like a jiggling squeegee that flattened the concrete.

A power trowel that gave it a polished look.

The finished result!  The blue lines are for cutting grooves in it so that it will crack along the grooves instead of just anywhere.

Fairgrounds 4-H Mural

Many hands make for light work!

 For the second year now, the Rolla Fairgrounds has asked our 4-H Club to paint a mural for them.  This year they gave them a prominent wall at the front entrance.  Desi and Jenny started out by mixing the colors for the background sunset.

We got the aid of the very talented artists, Tabitha and Zeke Gill, to help sketch out the ferris wheel.  Zeke is using a pencil tied to a string to achieve a circle effect.

Sketching begins

 Since the wall faced the west, we only had a few hours each morning to work in the shade during our 100+ degree weather.  The nice part about a mural is that there is room for many to work at the same time.

It's coming along!

The finished masterpiece!

For a first hand look, drive by the Rolla Fairgrounds anytime.  Way to go Lucky Duckies!