It's been a month...

since I last posted to this blog. Where has the time gone??? I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and are looking ahead to a Blessed New Year.

We have made progress on the House Project. This morning we were able to enjoy a major part of the finished project...we ate breakfast on the new back porch! OK, we were in our winter coats and the food was cooled off before we were able to finish eating but we still enjoyed it. It was 50 degrees and very foggy. So we enjoyed the scenery and the birds happily chirping.

The upstairs bathroom is now complete...at least all the fixtures are there, just no walls or door! There is a door to the room it has been built in, so there is privacy there. It works! This picture was taken before the shower was installed, you can see the pan in place but no walls. That has since been put in, and used.

The bathroom down stairs has a commode and shower. Both are working. A barrel ceiling has been constructed above the space where the whirlpool tub will go. That component of the project is located somewhere between here and Iowa, enroute...we hope. I cannot begin to tell you how anxious I am to be able to drop this aching body into that tub filled with good hot water and Epsom Salts! I CAN HARDLY WAIT!!! The east end of the kitchen where a small pantry used to be, has been de-constructed, to make way for a new cupboard pantry the full width of that wall. It's where the door to the bathroom used to be. It has a nice cove above it, like the other 2 in the eating area and kitchen. A nice place for seasonal decor. I really enjoy that little special touch.

It's really hard to tell what this is, but you can see the form of the cove above, and the framework of the pantry. The floor cleaner there on the left is occupying the space I'm hoping will be built in for that purpose. It will be good to have a home for that and the vacuum sweeper, the broom and dustpan.

I have 4 sample pieces of slate from the old roof of the house, that we intend to use on the bottom half of the bathroom walls, leaning against the ladder with linoleum samples sitting beneath them. Well, hold on a minute, let me show you. So far, something along the lines of the far right sample is taking the vote. I'm excited to see how it all comes together. Son, the Builder, has a really good idea how to use one or two of the old porch posts, as a functional, yet decorative part of the bathroom area. And has a plan to use that old porch door too. He's a creative guy, and seems to excel at making these unusual requests fit. He's doing a great job so far.

The framework for that pantry is in place. And the cupboard for the south end of the bathroom (Tom's part of the downstairs bathroom, with the shower and commode) has been started in the woodshop. The drywall work cannot be started until inspections are completed, and they won't happen until the bathroom fans are here and in place. Waiting ... seems like we do a lot of that now.

Today, with no traffic in and out of workers, and Tom busily occupied mostly in his office, I took advantage of the quiet and cleaned the kitchen/ laundry room linoleum really well and applied the much needed acrylic finish that has been missing for a very long time. That should help tremendously in keeping the floor looking a lot cleaner.

And that pretty well sums up the progress to date. With the New Year holiday this coming week I don't expect much in the line of progress this week either, but little by little it is getting finished.

In the time we are waiting for the work to need my attention...painting and decorating is a while away me thinks...I could be sewing. However, that too is a challenge in waiting. Waiting for a new sewing machine to arrive because the old old Necchi finally sewed it's last stitch and gave up the thread! I'm so sad to see it go. It was sure a workhorse. I've mourned that loss and am now anticipating it's predecessor...and it can't get here soon enough! I have projects lined up in my sewing room to get at. Last time we were in Holmes County the fabric store was having a BIG sale...I brought home 5 or 6 end bolts of fabric, none of them costing more than $.50 / yard. That's a bargain too good to pass up! It was really hard to limit my choices too. So, I have sewing to do. And no straight stitch to do it with. All in good time, I know. If nothing else this whole effort has been a study in Patience...and I have to admit I am not learning it very well!

I am getting some knitting done while all this waiting is taking place though. And that's a goodly thing. Here is a sample of what I'm working on right now. We are celebrating Christmas with our family Jan 9 and 10...it's turning into an over night extravaganza! And we are excited to make it a memorable occasion with children/their spouses, and grandchildren. It'll be interesting to see how they manage sleeping arrangements...who gets the prime locations and who ends up in the barn! LOL It's heated and pretty neatly cleaned up at the moment. At least 2 family members are in contention that there are NO prime locations, since even the upstairs bedrooms have inhabitants within the walls that hinder good sleep. The answer to that is...at least the noise makers in between the walls stay confined. In at least 2 of the homes of the kids the bats fly around unrestrained!!! So there.

Happy New Year to all.