October 27: Finally a Finish!

I got the binding finished on this scrap quilt.  It will be on one of the bunks in the new bedroom.  Love using scraps.

Life is GOOD!

October 27: Busy in the Shop

I routed these bowl innards yesterday.

 We got up a little later than normal and the headed down to the shop for a day of work. With the exception of coming up for meals, we worked in the shop until about 7:30.  Here a few things we accomplished.

Today I used the band saw to cut the outside, and then I
used the belt sander to continue shaping it.  Tomorrow I
plan to finish it all and cut the other one.

These are my next comfort crosses.  I have to still do a second
sanding, add another coat of hand-rubbed poly.  Then  each cross
will be buffed until it feels very smooth.

 While I was working on my projects, Kevin and Dad were working on their part of Dean's birthday present.  Dad does a little in the shop.  He likes to do his part, especially if it is making something for someone in the family.

When they finished, I it was my turn.  Dean specifically requested blue, red and black on this particular project.  It should be put together tomorrow for a bit of show-n-tell.
















Life is GOOD!

October 25: Fun Surprise Along with ShopTime

This sure does look like a little innocent snow, but this is where the wind blew.
We managed to get an inch out of this bit of fluff!  We take any kind of
moisture we can get. (Taken at 6:45 this morning.)

These are some of the ruler racks that we are making for our next show.  We are doing a booth at a quilt show, so we are making tools that a quilter could use.  We will have a number of quilt themed gifts, as well.  Kevin has been busy building and I have been SANDING AND SANDING!

 

 

I had to take time to run some shop errands to find some sanding belts.  It might have seemed an easy errand, but I ended up having to go to 4 different home improvement stores to them.  When I got back it was time for some supper.  Dad made the egg noodles and I made the chicken soup.  Back down in the shop I worked on making a routed bowl and sanding more on the ruler racks.

I am also making quite a few more comfort crosses.  I love transforming the simple pieces of wood into these wonderful symbols of Jesus' love.  Somehow working on these give me a sense of quiet joy and peace.  Last weekend, it really made me feel good when people were holding the crosses and smiling as they read my little card about them.  I have spent time over the last few days using a number of different sanding techniques to make each one of these comfort crosses smooth and comfortable in my hand.  Tomorrow I will put the first coat of a clear satin hand-rubbed poly finish on them.  That is another transformation that I enjoy.  It always amazes me to see the deep inner beauty in each piece drawn out with a little more gentle attention followed up with vigorous rubbing with a buffing wheel.  The MASTER creator is responsible for giving each piece of wood its own unique appearance and for guiding my hand to shape them.  It feels so good to be creating in wood.

Just so you know, I have also been stitching a couple of bindings and working on my school work - lots of papers to write in the next few weeks.  I am busy, but I love all the choices we are making!

Life is GOOD!

October 25: More Progress

This was the scene, on Monday.  Things continue to progress.

 



The next two show the first of the framing on Tuesday.  These will be the guest bedrooms- Nothing large but I am certain that my kids will be happy not to share the room with their kids when they visit.

The next photos show today's progress.  Framing should not take much longer, but we will have to wait a couple of weeks for the ceiling furnace and the windows.   We are doing the Sheetrock and finishing.  This is exciting!

This is the framing for the narrow windows on the
west side of the den.  Eventually we plan to add
a fireplace on that side of the room.

This is the storage area.  It has a window
and enough space for lots of shelves and our
second frig.  YEAH!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you see the bedrooms shaping up?  Some of the old insulation is in the closet area.

 

Life is GOOD!

October 22: Couple of Photos

Former Garage is now framed in as a wall.

New side door will let light into the entry.

Wrote two papers this weekend.  Need to proof them tonight, but first had to spend well over an hour trying to get my cell phone bill adjusted. (That stuff makes me crazy because the phone person is not the one that is really causing the irritation - hate being grumpy but it was a matter of real money and I resorted to going to a supervisor.-- Adjustment has been made.)
Life is GOOD!

October 20: Today was the day...

We did our first show.  It was an interesting experience. We did have some people talk to us about doing some custom work, but most people were looking for the less expensive Christmas tokens, etc. We learned some things and would do some things differently next time, including not displaying too many quilts because they seemed to disguise what we were truly selling - WOODEN pieces.  We did sell some items: several harps, 10 comfort crosses, some cutting boards, 5 small routed bowls, and 2 pizza peels.  We will also be making a custom harp shaped like the top of a grand piano.

Now we have to prepare for the next show - a quilt show. We are selling quilt stands, hanging wall racks, and other quilty items, not quilts.

No work on the garage because the concrete needed to set.  Monday the real work begins.

Life is GOOD!

October 15: Some More Bits of Randomness

Happy Birthday, Wayne!

Wow, progress on the project is truly visible and this is really only Day 1.  Here are a couple shots of the concrete floor being poured - nothing else will happen until the 7 inches of concrete is dry in a few days.  Interesting operation.  Actually it is 7 inches thick at the garage door opening and slopes up to 2 inches, but that is a LOT of concrete and it was about an 8 hour job!  NOT US!

 

 

The next bit of randomness has to do with the fact that we are doing our first show for our woodworking business next Saturday. The tables used must be covered to the floor so I make denim coverings that can be dressed up or down as needed.  They need more pressing, but I am proud of the fact that these worked out and the pattern was of my own creation.  Not quilting or rock science, but I love it when a plan comes together.



 



 



 

 

Finally, several fun thoughts from the woodworking I did this weekend.  I used the band saw to rough cut about 15 more comfort crosses - wanted to do more, but the band saw motor disagreed and is now having a motor transplant.  I earned this is a woodworking injury this weekend - I am pretty cautious around power tools, but who would have guessed that a sander could bring tears to my eyes..  We practice safety and try very hard to think of what we are doing as we work.  I had been using the spindle sander and the belt sander for several weeks to work on my comfort crosses and have a very good relationship with it, but I got a bit distracted in my thoughts about shaping the edges and buzzed my knuckle.  Who would ever guess it could be that uncomfortable.  Remember skinned knees that did not bleed right away?  Well this one is now 3 days old and still a little damp.  Guess who wore gloves on Sunday and Monday while sanding.  Aren't you proud of me for finding a solution so I could continue working???  My hands are rejoicing even as I type!

 

Accounting test on Friday and 3 papers to write so I need these  fingers to be working!  teehee

 

Life is GOOD!



October 15: And so it begins.....

The changing of the attached garage to living space begins today.  Kevin and his dad had already torn down the ceiling tiles and removed shelving, but the official start is today.

This is what the front of the house looked like at 7:00 AM today.

This is the interior as it is now.  Even if I do not post daily, I will take photos.  I am certain the transformation will be wonderful.  We are having a contractor remove the garage door and this door.  He will be putting a new window here, and tow bedroom windows in part of the space left by the garage door.  There will be an exterior door on the left side toward the detached garage and the doorway into the kitchen will be removed and framed out with oak.  The space will have a storage room, two small bedrooms for company, and a play space for when we have company!

Life is GOOD!

October 13: Happy 237th Birthday to the Navy!

Guess who was the guest speaker at the Sioux Falls NOSC birthday ball, tonight?  No sillies!  It was Kevin.  Even in retired  status he is a good catch for a speaker.  It was a very nice evening with good company, good food, and elegant but simple decor! 

 

 

Life is GOOD!

10/11/12: Shower Is Wonderful!

First of all, please note the date.  As a lover of numbers, I consider this one to be COOL!

The shower is finished and was used this morning.  We have to do some sheetrocking, mudding and taping and then there is that fun painting, but the shower is fabulous!!!!  Since installing it was part of the 2 year plan, I will have to wait for the glass doors but the curtain works fine.  You may not have noticed but there is not much lip on the front edge of the shower base.  This did worry me a little, but the floor was bone dry after two showers.  I love a roomy shower.

As you all know, I am busy with college classes and doing things to prepare for our first woodworking booth, but I do write wonderful, chatty posts in my head.  Kevin's part time job hours have changed, so we ARE getting up even earlier.  Maybe I will have a bit more time to play.  After I adjust to all of this, I might even get better at exercising daily.  (Here is to that lofty idea!)

Life is GOOD!

October 9: What a busy week!

I can't pinpoint all the busy-ness, but I know a good deal of it centered around writing papers, accounting homework and test, accounting homework and more writing of papers.  I am taking 16 credits which seems to be translating into 60+ hours of reading and a studying.  Did I spend that long on my first degree?  What about on my second or third?  Sometimes you forget that part!

We also made a trip to Yankton to attend the wake and funeral of our best friends' mother.  It was truly  celebration of a life lived by a very special woman.  When it is my turn to leave this world, I hope that everyone will make it this kind of celebration.

Then the weekend came and so did Jamie and her family.  We had a marvelous time.  I know because my arthritis is telling me that I climbed in and out of homemade tents, played on the floor, had tickle time, and used my arms for lots of hugging and holding.  There were lots of other activities like making meatballs for spaghetti, playing trains, watching movies, and building tents.

We celebrated Henry's 3rd birthday and Zoe's 6th birthday with pancakes made by Grandpa and a birthday present hunt in the morning.  Then we went to an indoor bounce house party place with my niece Brianna and her kids, Brynn and Kale.  Obviously, everyone had a great time.  Great Grandpa just turned down his hearing aids and took in everything.  Kevin, Brianna, and Jamie went on the giant bounce slide with the kids many times.  Henry struggled getting over the obstacles on the giant slide the first couple of times because he is still rather small, but in the end, he was powering his way through without assistance. He and Grandpa just blasted their way through the cross pieces.   I have never seen Brynn so excited, and Zoe loved having more people to hang with.  Kale liked just sitting on the floor of the bounce houses feeling the movement.

Below are a few pictures of the fun.

 

Jamie makes stocking caps for a child's charity group.

Zoe inside the tent we built with her birthday present - a tent making kit



Henry found this tent in our closet and thought it was his present.
He got lots of play time in it and then found his real present
 - more Thomas trains and tracks.

 



Somewhere in there is Henry headed up to
 the top of the slide.

 

Kale

Henry moves at the speed of sound so no close-ups!

Brynn

And, LAST BUT NOT LEAST - Spaghetti and birthday cupcakes with "FIRE"