Barn Apartment Update

Left for the country house last Friday. Storms rolling through the areas that we were headed & that we were going to be driving through. But, since we left a little bit later in the afternoon most of the really bad stuff had moved on. We hit a few patches but nothing like what I was dreading.

Upon arrival it was obvious that a LOT of rain had come down that day. Water was standing everywhere! I have never seen it just standing like that. Plus, it started raining about 9:00 that night & continued until around 10:00 the next morning. We had hoped to get the 1st mowing under our belt but the ground was just too wet. I think it was estimated that we got over 6" in a 24 hour period.

Also, we discovered that the drain field for the septic was flooded as well. Not surprising but left us with no way to flush toilets or take showers. We decided to come on back to the city since we couldn't really accomplish anything, or at least what we wanted to accomplish.

We had hoped that the contractor would be finished with the trim for the apartment but alas, they have just a couple of things left to do. Isn't that what they always say?

We still have a couple of things left to get done as well. Like - install the fridge, dishwasher & stove, kitchen faucet(s), bathroom vanity & faucets as well as a light fixture for the bathroom. All are already purchased except for the bathroom faucet & light. We have all the shelving for the pantry, just need to get some hardware to put it together. That was one of my big bargains last year. We also have to get a separate septic tank put in because the one for the house is too far away. It's always something.

This is in a metal building we had built in Dec. 2014. It is divided into 2 sections - an apartment in the front & my Greg's shop & office in the back. Took a few pics to show our progress so far:

Living area (bedroom door to the left)

Kitchen. Still have the island to install

Looking down hallway to the shop.

Tongue & groove boards w/metal ceiling in living/dinig area

Dining room

Greg's office

Another angle of office

That stuff on the wall in the office is slat board that someone gave Greg many many years ago. He knew he would find a use for it someday! All you do is put brackets in for shelving & will will hold a lot of stuff. psst .... He's also giving me one area in the office to eventually put my sewing table!

The contractors wife had thinned her amaryllis & daylilly beds & gifted me with about 75 amaryllis & 25 or so daylillies. Guess what I did Sunday?

I put about 40 or 50 in various pots on our patio & gave the rest to a neighbor & my MIL.

Avocado with small amaryllis

Below are some Begonia cuttings that my friend from SC gave me last November when we went to visit. I believe she was gifted some by a friend whose mother or grandmother brought them from Italy. The leaves are huge & they are just starting to bloom. I noticed the honey bees from our city neighbor, have been visiting the last few days.

I won't be going back to the country until the end of the month as I have my annual Quilt Retreat to attend in a couple of weeks. Spending most of my time these getting projects ready for that. And yes, Nelly will be going with me. She's a travelling dog.

Misc Country Post

I spent the last week of February at the Country House. Or, more appropriately, the barn apartment. This thing is going to wear me out. In January, I primed all walls & painted the bead board that was going up in the kitchen ceiling before the cabinets were to be installed. Next was to get the whole thing painted before the trim & flooring goes in. The living area has a 16 foot peak! Plus all the 9 & 12 foot walls. The sheet rock guys offered to leave their scaffolding but it was much to rickity(sp?) for my sense of balance. So I decided to stick w/my trusty painters ladder for the 9 foot walls (hallway, bedroom, bathroom, etc.). After Greg cut in the ceilings & corners I used an extension pole for the bigger & higher walls.

I have always used either BMoore or SWilliams paint & have always been pleased. But ... this time I had a gift card from one of the big box stores from Christmas & decided to buy from them. It's been almost 10 years since I did a major paint job & the girl at the store talked me into buying the top of the line - VSpar. It was guaranteed to cover in one coat, even unprimed walls! I thought, wow, paint has come a long way. So, I spent the extra $10 per can & bought 4 of them. Well ... they lied. Streaks, roller lines, etc. I did a 2nd coat & even that wasn't enough! I may not be a professional but I know how to paint. This will be my 3rd house that I've painted, 4th if you count our remodel in the city. I know to feather the brush strokes on the ceiling & corner cut ins. And, to let the roller do the work by not pressing down to hard. It just wasn't working for me.

I eventually broke down & went to the SWilliams store. They matched the color & recommended a different roller & that 3rd coat did the trick. It was nice to have someone who knows paint help me, unlike the big box store where it was a 20 something person that I never should have listened to in the first place. Live & learn. I still have the bedroom & bathroom left but feel much better with the better paint.

Here's a pic of the almost finished kitchen:

Almost done. But I made a mistake in measuring. I only measured one side & didn't take into account the wrapped steel beam on the other side. It was 4" too short & one of the cabinets is drawers so the installer couldn't cut it down to make it fit. I had to order 2 more cabinets & couldn't return the others because they were obviously already assembled. Oh well, the 2 extra cabinets will go into the pantry.

It also rained over 3" one night & our dock was under water for 2 days. It was just so much rain at one time that the pond was very slow to drain.

The birds are migrating. The geese are back.

Thought the next 2 pics were kind of neat

Here's a shot above the little barn of a bare tree

And, the same trees 2 minutes later, full of black birds. There are literally 1000's of them in all the trees along the fence line. It's something to watch when they all land & then ascend. It's like they are orchestrated.

Also, the Purple Martins are back. This will be the 8th or 9th year they have returned. These are just scouts & housekeepers getting ready for the rest that will come to live for a few months while they have their babies. This pic was taken around 7:00a. It is the stillest they will be all day.

Finally, I'll leave you with a shot of the now spoiled Nelly,sitting on the couch w/Greg.

I'll be back up there next week for some appliance deliveries & to paint trim & finish the bedroom before flooring is put down. 

I'll be glad when I can start moving stuff from the city that I've been accumulating from various Estate Sales over the past year or so. You can barely open the front door in our foyer!

Glamour Girl ... Not.

Went to the country Friday night. Ate on the way & didn't arrive until 8:30p. We had a wood rack that we needed to move in order for the power to be ran to the electrical box.

The rack on the left needed to be moved but of course we had been piling stuff all around it. At least it was the rack with less wood. To top it off it was very cold Saturday morning. It was in the mid 30's with a wind chill around 29. Don't let that blue sky fool you. The wind was howling & blowing straight where we needed to work. I found my ear muffs that I love but guess what, they were broken so I had to improvise. I put on my Boggs rubber boots, a t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt & found a thin hoodie to help cover my ears (I can't stand my ears to be cold) & also donned a fishing hat to keep it all in place. Here is the pic, before I put on the flannel lined denim jacket & fuzzy gloves covered by work gloves. Mama Pea, I can't believe I am sharing this but here goes.

Not my best look but it definitely did the trick. Husband moved the wood on the rack itself & I tackled the crap extra stuff in front of it. By the 2nd load I lost the big jacket & the fuzzy gloves & looked pretty much like I do in the pic.

As we were working, one of my cousins pulled up. He had been trying to contact my Mom & didn't realize she was at my sister's & was concerned. I'm sure he thought that I looked pretty silly but didn't say a word, just gave me a big hug. We chatted with him a bit & then he helped us push the boat out of the way (behind the wood pile) & then he helped move the wood rack itself.

We left early this morning so we could stop by my sister's to say hello to my Mom. She's doing great just having trouble deciphering her meds, but in good spirits. My sister took her to church this morning so she was happy to get 'dressed up'. My sister will continue to educate her on the meds so Mama will be straight when she's ready to live in her new place.. Please say a prayer for my sister. Although, she is much more patient than I am it can still be very stressful.

While there my BIL cut us some fresh broccoli from their garden & while we were standing around chatting, his parents new additions stopped by to say hi. They are 2 pregnant females that were given to them. I'm not sure of the breed but they have identical dark brown crosses on their backs (apparently the whole herd does). His Mom calls them Jesus donkeys. They are very protective of the cattle they have. And they are verrry loud brayers (right term?).

Next week, we should find out when the new trailer will be delivered & what our timeline is. Until then, I've got a busy week. Hope everyone is getting back in the groove after the Holidays.

So this is how 2015 begins?

Left on the Eve to head back to the Country. Greg had already gone back on Monday. Stopped by my sister's to give the news of the house to our Mom. She was very happy & appreciative. Got to the Country House by 4:00p. Has a nice dinner of steaks & baked potatoes.

We have a dear friend that was disagnosed with Leukemia last June. After her second round of in-hopsital chemo & then a bone marrow transplant she was improving daily & then  started going downhill. They made the tough decision to just let that horrible journey carry itself out & went home to be with family for the holidays. She died on New Year's Eve. Got the news on Thursday. She was a beautiful, charismatic, opinionated, classy, elegant woman. Forever known as the baby whisperer. She could make any baby quit crying by holding, cooing & just loving it. She leaves behind a very loving husband, 3 grown children & 2 beautiful grandchildren. The last one born on the 10th of December. Her memorial will be in a couple of weeks.

On Tuesday & Wednesday Greg had trenched the line for the W & E for our Garden Shed  that we had installed last year. So on Thursday, after breakfast, we went once again to Lowes (I swear I need to buy stock) to buy a few plumbing fittings & more electrical stuff. We got the water running (2 faucets at this point) ... yeah! I decided to spend the afternoon filling in the trench. Manual labor always helps me find solace. I thought about our friend all afternoon.

We then cooked our very southern rendition of New Year's dinner. But, instead of pork roast we decided on pork ribs plus white rice, black eyed peas (w/green onions sprinked on top), collard greens & cornbread. It was soooo good, especially since we hadn't eaten any lunch.

I woke at 5:00a this morning & couldn't go back to sleep. Got up & noticed phone was dead & plugged it in, turned the coffee pot on, got my blanket & curled up on the couch watching MeTV. Just before I made my first cup my text alert went off. My sister ... our Mama had called her & was having trouble breathing/catching her breath. Sister went to her house & took her to the ER in their small town. They put her on oxygen & ran a few tests then decided to transfer her to one of the larger hospitals in the City. I took a shower, packed & drove back this morning going directly to the hospital. They ruled out Pneumonia, Flu, etc. & started her on medication to remove the fluid. By noon she was doing better. My sister went home to gather a few things while I stayed w/Mama. Sister came back & will stay a while tonight & I will head over there in the morning. All her vitals are good so we are very hopeful that medication can control whatever the problem is. No Dr. sighting as of 15 mins. ago but the nurses are ALL so very nice, helpful, funny & they share whatever information they have & answer all our questions as best they can.

Please let the year go uphill from here ....

This & That

We've been busy little beavers here lately. Thanksgiving was quite nice. We spend it with my husband's family almost every year. MIL is a fantastic cook! We usually take 1 or 2 things to go along with the meal. But, like everyone else there is always a boatload of food left over. This worked out great for us, as we headed to the country on Friday & with all those leftovers didn't have to spend any time cooking up there.

Last summer we had 2 big things happen:

1. Greg bought me a mule for my birthday:

We had a golf cart that was able to pull a small trailer but nothing heavy as the batteries wouldn't last. So he decided to splurge & get something that would last. This thing is a work horse! We've since added a roof & trailer ball. The bed lifts to be able to unload all that poo that I intend to haul!

2. We had a metal building put up on the country property.

It is divided intro 2 separate sections. The front section will house a kitchen, living & dining area, plus a bedroom & bathroom. And, best of all ...... a pantry!

The back will house an office, workbenches & shelving. The 'shop' of Greg's dream.

Over Thanksgiving weekend we laid out the front section & the office. We will be talking to someone about framing it inside, we just don't have the time. We will then hang the sheet rock, run the wiring for the electricity & lay out the duct work for the air. I would have loved to have solar but it just didn't work out. But, we hope to add a wood burning stove for heat.

Over the long weekend, I did get a chance to pick up some pecans from the volunteer trees along the fence line/driveway. I have at least 2 varieties. They are small but very sweet & meaty.

Other than that, I have been very busy at work with year end deadlines. Plus, we had our Christmas party last Saturday afternoon. It was on a boat & we had beautiful weather. Afterwards, we went to a nice dinner & then went to see Jeanne Robertson, a comedian that we really like. Here's a link to one of her YouTube videos if you are so inclined.

Don't send a man to the grocery store.

I am almost finished with my Christmas shopping. Cutting back a bit this year. Taking this Friday off to finish & then it's back to the country for the weekend ... woo hoo!