Excuses, excuses...

Will I ever catch up with everything so I can stop making excuses when I let something slip? I hope so. So I won't say how busy it's been or how I've chosen sleep over blogging. I won't mention that my family has been extra needy lately or that simplifying has meant cutting out a lot of things I usually take in stride. I won't make excuses for being lame and not keeping in touch. I'll just apologize. Sorry.


But here's what I have been doing:
1. The insulation is done.
2. The siding is done.
3. I personally fixed the leaky back doors.
4. I ordered and scheduled delivery of the drywall and hired contractors to put it up because Jeff doesn't have time.
5. I filed our federal and state taxes (so I can pay the drywall contractors).
6. I selected and ordered cabinets.
7. I wrote and mailed a writing grant for myself.
8. I caught up on laundry, but of course, I'm un-caught up again.
9. I shoveled an entire truck load of gravel by myself to keep our driveway passable until we get around to fixing it properly (I am so sore).
10. I registered for the Praxis.
11. I detailed our van to try and sell it.
12. I paid bills.
13. I packed and helped Jeff, Tyler, and Evan get on the road to attend Grandma Seegmiller's funeral.
14. I helped Trevor get ready for his band trip to Canada.
15. I helped Lindsey complete her make up homework and her GPA has nearly doubled.
16. I survived being driven home by Trevor who shouldn't drive the truck again until he gets a lot more experience; it was terrifying.
17. I let Lindsey help me highlight my hair. It's now orange. I laughed, I cried, and I'm dying it brown later today.
18. I fed everybody, said prayers with them, and gave them lots of hugs and kisses.
19. I finally remembered to re-charge my camera batteries.
20. I noticed the earthy smell in the air and felt a surge of hope. Spring is almost here.

Warm fuzzies

Here's one of the stacks of insulation delivered to our house yesterday. As the installers sealed the windows and filled the cracks, I just smiled. I think I drove the crew crazy pointing out places they missed with the expanding foam, but hey, it's my house and my dime, so it had better be done right. Right? After a winter of freezing in this old uninsulated farm house, I am so ready to move into one that will be warm. I felt warm and fuzzy today just seeing those lovely R-38 batts go into the ceiling.

The drywall will be delivered on Thursday and the siding contractor tells me he will be done on Friday, so we're moving along. The biggest problem is that we still don't have power to the house because the power company can't put it in until all the snow is melted and the mud has dried out. So if everyone could pray for an unusually warm dry spell early in March, I'd appreciate it. I still haven't figured out how to control the weather;) But maybe the Lord will bless us with a cooperative forecast.


I learned something new about garages last week. Standard eight foot garage door openings don't work for large pick up trucks (like Jeff's) or large SUV's like the Sequoia we're hoping to trade our van in for.

Surprise!

I had someone come out and give me bid to install our garage doors and after seeing me bounce up the gravel drive in Jeff's truck, he told me it wouldn't fit in the garage. So I measured, and yep, sure enough, Jeff's truck measured 7'11" from mirror to mirror and the garage door opening was 8'. So Saturday and Monday Jeff and I had the dubious pleasure of removing the header, cutting the foundation and enlarging the garage door openings. It was an absolute pain, but I figure in the long run, it will be worth it. Otherwise, we (okay, probably me) would've smashed a lot of side mirrors. But at least we found out before the siding was finished. It would've been worse to fix later.

Hoofing the Roof

Here's a shot Lindsey took of me standing on the roof while I spoke with our roofing contractor. As you can see, I wasn't wearing the most practical footwear. I was wearing a skirt too so it was really interesting climbing out of the window and back in again. But despite further snow delays, the roof is completely done. YAY!

Below the finished roof, you can see the scaffolding that was used to install the siding. The installer has moved to the south side of the house now and I hope the weather will cooperate so it can be completed soon. The insulators will come sometime between the 16th and 20th. After the insulation is inspected, we'll start the sheetrock. And when I say we, I mean that quite literally. We will hire some additional help for the vaulted ceilings, but for the most part, Jeff and Trevor will be hanging it and Jeff and I will be taping. Sounds fun huh?

Because there is so little work in the construction sector, I get calls all the time from people wondering if I'm hiring. Unfortunately, labor costs have not dropped and may have actually risen since people are trying to make ends meet. I understand that problem. Really I do. But why anyone thinks we're any different is beyond me. It's only in the government and business sectors where people can write themselves huge raises, and even then, usually only the upper echelons. Well, I'd like a raise. I think it's high time that the government recognized the contribution that stay-at-home mothers give to society and offer some compensation. I mean, moms who work outside their homes get to deduct day care expenses. Why not offer a set allowance, say $6,000, for every child four and younger and then families can choose whether to offset their household expenses or pay that money to a day care provider? Ah yes, that's right, the government is too busy handing out money to greedy bank executives who don't know how they'll manage without their million dollar bonus this year.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox.

Yesterday we took the kids ice fishing at a local reservoir. The Idaho Dept of Fish and Game hosted an ice fishing tournament. We left with three fish, two ice fishing rods the kids won at raffle prizes and a bluebird box. It was fun, but I have to admit I was REALLY nervous walking out on that ice. I could see huge cracks running in the ice and the top was slushy. Then as I watched Jeff auger through a solid foot of ice, I realized that the cracks must have happened months ago and then frozen in place. The ice didn't even groan yesterday, despite a hundred kids thundering across it's surface as they ran around enjoying the sunshine, not to mention the perforations every fifteen feet or so from hopeful anglers. However, I have new appreciation for the courage it must have taken those pioneers to step onto the ice and walk across the Mississipi river without a sure knowledge of how thick the ice in that middle section might or might not be.

Trevor didn't join us yesterday because of his wrestling tournament. He injured his shoulder and needs at least a week to heal. He can't be out of commission too long because he has sheetrock to hang. However, Jeff says its just a Grade II strain so it should only take a week to heal.

Happy Birthday Tyler!

Tyler invented a new favorite cake. His instructions were, "Mom, I want a cake that tastes like a maple bar." So that's what I made. Here is the pic of his artery-clogging, incredibly rich, maple cake with chocolate trimmings. I think I gained three pounds just making it. It was a low-key birthday. He wanted a party, but mid-week birthdays are tough and we're already booked this weekend, so we'll have an unbirthday party for him some time in February.

I am finally feeling better. Whatever virus caught me, did not want to let go. Trevor has it now, and Evan is just getting over it. Now that the arctic air has blown eastward to freeze my friends in the midwest (sorry about that), I'm hoping some sun and warmer temps will aid our recovery. I know the balmy 40 degree weather predicted for the rest of this week will lift my spirits in a way that -2 just didn't. Here's hoping the gopher predicts an early spring. Sixty and seventy degree weather sounds much more appealing.

Our siding contractor recovered from pneumonia and has started on the house. Here's a pic I snapped this morning of the walk-out basement area. He already finished the front dormer windows, but I forgot to take a picture of them. So I'll do that tomorrow when I drop off a door.

The University is still in crisis mode, but for now, it appears that Jeff still has a job. Whew! That is a huge relief. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.

One step at a time

These are the doors we installed yesterday. Aren't they pretty? It was kind of tricky, because open the door and there's eleven feet of air. Watch that first step! Trevor climbed a ladder and helped from the outside while Jeff and I maneuvered the doors through the rough openings and set them in position.

A lot has happened on the house lately. The HVAC installers, electricians, and roofer are almost done and all should be complete this week. My siding contractor has pneumonia, though, so I haven't any idea when he will be well enough to start working again. If it takes too long, I'll have to find someone else so he doesn't hold up the whole project.

It will just be so wonderful to live in a house that is WARM. We've been freezing in the drafty old barn. It helps that the weather has been milder lately.


On the home front, things have been interesting - as always. Trevor will soon have his driving permit, so maybe I should take out extra life insurance. Lindsey is still struggling with so many different teachers with different expectations, but she's learning to handle it better. The younger boys are all doing well, but I can't wait for Spring when I can send them outside to play. Their raw energy is sometimes a bit much in confined spaces.

Prayers on Jeff's behalf would be appreciated though. The University is responding to the current economy by freaking out and slashing programs. Jeff's teaching position spans two departments. The one department is secure, with no cuts in the immediate future, but the athletic training program is on the chopping block. Nothing would happen right away, but if the program is cut, he could only have a job here for another two years while they teach out the recently admitted students. This is the worst-case scenario. The more likely case is that he would keep his job and just be re-assigned to teach different classes in lieu of athletic training. However, uncertainty does not make for restful sleep or easy days, and he is stressed. Of course, being in the middle of building a house doesn't help either. But we have faith that, somehow, it will all work out. We just have to take it one step at a time - but not out the back doors.

Sweet Dreams

Yes, I'm a complete sap. I heard the song Godspeed, Sweet Dreams by the Dixie Chicks and started tearing up. I love it. It captures a little of what I feel when I tuck my boys in every night. I've posted a link below. Don't look at Natalie Maynes' weird punk-rocker get up, just listen to her amazing voice singing this prayer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWaqB3Hy908

Anyhow, the snow is melting and we're supposed to have sunny skies this week. YAY! That means our roof might get finished. The electricians show up tomorrow and my new HVAC installer started last Thursday. So by the end of the week, our house should be roughed in. I'll post pics as soon as I replace my camera's batteries and keep you posted.

Happy New Year

A very belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I've been off the blogosphere and focused on my family over the holidays. It's been very low-key and restful - exactly what we needed. Of course, that's partly because we've been snowed in, but we're pretending that we meant it to be that way.

The kids alternated between playing in the snow and playing with their new toys. Nathan and Jared have enjoyed their Rescue Heroes and Power Rangers. Lindsey, Tyler and Evan have done pretty well sharing the Nintendo DS. I was feeling really bad that we couldn't buy one for each of them, but then I changed my mind. I think this will be an extremely effective way for them to learn to share. They don't want me to take it away, so they are learning to work out their differences instead of running to me every three minutes. As far as I'm concerned, this is the true gift. Wouldn't our world be a better place if everyone learned how to work out their differences with words instead of lawsuits and weapons?

Trevor plays flight simulator whenever he isn't chopping wood, straining his muscles at wrestling practice, or driving with his driver's ed teacher. His driver's ed teacher has some serious guts. He takes them out driving in the most miserable weather. Trevor said one of the girls in his group ran over a garbage can, hit a mail box, and slid off the road into a ditch - all in one day. Trevor hasn't done any of those things yet, so I'm hoping that means he'll be a good driver.

We've learned that living out in the country has its drawbacks. Especially when we don't own a snowplow or tractor. Even if the roads are clear, it's doubtful our driveway will be. And our new house? Forget it. There's a solid two feet of snow covering all nine hundred feet of driveway. We've been hiking up and sledding down when we need to do something up there. After tonight's and tomorrow's storms, we'll hire someone to plow it out. But since it'll be at least another foot of snow, it will have to be plowed out with a caterpillar bulldozer.

So basically, nothing has happened on the house lately. I fired the HVAC installers who kept giving me excuses and then told me it would be $2,000 more than what they bid. The new installers will start this week - after the driveway is cleared.

Jeff's classes start tomorrow and he is a bundle of nerves. Any prayers on his behalf are appreciated. His performance this semester will weigh heavily in his application for tenure. So that's what we've been doing. I didn't send out Christmas cards this year because I just had too much on my plate. I'll try to get my act together for next Christmas. Or maybe I'll send letters out mid-year instead. We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday and hope your New Year is off to a good start.