give the people what they want

By "the people" I mean the people who read this blog.

By "the people who read this blog" I mean my parents. And mom says they like to see pictures.

Since Sunday night we've been trying to get a room ready for David, who will live with us until he gets married (end of September). I think he'll be glad it's no longer pink! Sunday night we moved all the wood and a loveseat out of this room. You can ask Ken, Bill, or my parents... moving the boxes of wood floor is no little task and there are still many, many boxes left. Joe also took out a bookshelf that was attached to the wall.

David's room Sunday

Monday night was my birthday (I hope to post soon about that on my normal blog), but we primed the walls in this little room.

Tuesday night we painted it our favorite green (Sweet Annie by Olympic), which I can't get to look the same in the pictures. (I tried to find a better picture online and ran across this blogger with not only the same layout as me, but the same problem in it photographing weird - she said "Really, it looks much less like pea soup in person!") Joe also spent some time cleaning some blinds to put up in there as well as spot cleaning the floor. David will come Wednesday or Thursday, and we should have the room at least mostly ready for him! The bathroom will have to remain a work in progress.

David's room right now

My life right now...

I'm not dead.

My mom called two days ago and then emailed again yesterday to confirm that I'm not dead... at least I know one person misses this blog when I don't post! She also requested pictures, so here goes:

spare bedroom
guest bedroom
kitchen

As you can see, we haven't really unpacked! There's a lot to say, but not much time right now. So you will have to settle for brief factual updates and hold your breath for the hilarious anecdotes.

Monday after work I spent over an hour on the phone with Verizon trying to figure out why our internet didn't work. Joe fell asleep during this time. Next we grabbed dinner and returned Bill's truck (THANK YOU! He let us borrow it all weekend!!!). Then we went to the house and cleaned. Unfortunately, Joe and I were fairly out of it, and it was around 9:00pm when we started. We quickly realized that we forgot our ice chest (to move the contents of our fridge / freezer). So we got most of the cleaning done and made another trip back to the new house. After unloading everything and showering, it ended up being past 2am when we got to bed - we did start late, but it sure took a lot longer than expected (I think it's always like that).

Tuesday I think everything caught up with Joe and I. We both felt very tired and sick (probably because of all the dust). I've stayed stopped up all week, but Tuesday was the worst - because of all the drainage, my throat hurt a lot and I felt nauseous (yes, I know you really wanted to know that). We ended up sleeping until almost 11:30am and decided to take the rest of the day off from house-related work (as well as paycheck-related work). We really needed that break. In the afternoon, a Verizon guy spent a couple of hours fixing the internet connection.

Wednesday we were back at work. Wednesday night was our church small group meeting, so we didn't get much unpacking done.

Thursday night we helped move some stuff from the church building and then stayed at home. We tried to hook up the washer and dryer because we are out of clothes. The dryer vent is so close to the dryer that we need to buy another short connector, so that didn't get hooked up. The tube that connects the hot water to the washing machine was left on by the previous owners, and we soon discovered why - it wouldn't come off! Joe sprayed WD40 and later CLR on it to try to loosen the corrosion, but the hose wouldn't budge. He finally decided to leave it on and just connect the other end to our washing machine, but found out that it leaks significantly, so that's not a good option. It's looking like the whole spout might need to be replaced. So Joe and I are thinking about having a date at Harvey Washbangers tonight - anyone ever been there? I just gave away four laundry bags because I thought we'd never use them again!

You can probably tell we've already had some adventures in our new home. Hopefully I will have time to write more soon.

moved!

Sunday was a long day! Here's about how it went:

(all day: my parents worked on the wood floors, especially in the kitchen-of-many-angles)

5:30am: Joe hits the snooze button
5:45am: Kathryn insists they get up
5:46am - 8:30am: Joe and Kathryn pack as much as they can
8:30am - ~11:15am: We loaded up one trailer, two trucks, and three cars with stuff to take to the new house. (During this time Kathryn and Heather were mostly continuing to pack, but also loaded some.) We're grateful to our helpers, Nathan, Heather, Michael, Joey and Brian! Also thanks to Danny for letting us borrow the trailer and driving it to the new place!
11:15am - 12:15pm: We unload everything we brought over. Thanks Christine for coming to help, too!
12:30pm - 1:30pm: A much needed break and lunch at J.Cody's.
1:30pm - 3:40pm: Another round of loading up a truck and two cars. Thanks Nathan and Heather for staying to help - I know we wore you out!
3:40pm - 4:00pm: Joe and Kathryn talk about what to do next, drink water, and admire the floors.
4:00pm - 5:45pm: Joe and Kathryn get another round of boxes (I know - how much can there be?)
5:45pm - 6:10pm: J & K wash off at least a little of their well-earned stink.
6:30pm - 7:45pm: J & K go to their church's service and see the newly-renovated building we rent. (My parents started the drive back to Dallas at this time.)
7:45pm - 10:00pm: Many people helped us move out the last of our stuff and move in the stove and fridge! Thanks to Ben, Thad, Scot, Aaron, B-Rock, Ross, and Michael S. (Don't let the deceptive number of links to blogs fool you - these guys are strong and worked hard!) Thanks also to Staci for helping me. We finished packing the kitchen - she's not only a high quality AND quantity packer, she was also very encouraging and spoke wise words when I was at the end of my rope. Ross, I know you know it, but I'll say it anyway - you're one blessed dude.
10:00pm: K picks up Sonic for dinner (we're strictly gourmet).
10:30pm - 11:15pm: J & K set a record for eating a meal from Sonic the slowest ever (we were tired).
11:15pm - 12:15am: J & K get the last few boxes in the cars and then unload them at their new home. They get ready to spend their first night in their new home.
12:15am: Sleep! Finally, sleep! Thank you Thad & Ross for putting together our bed (earlier in the evening) - that was a great idea!

P.S. Let me know if I forgot someone who came and helped - I was quite sleep-deprived.

very quick update

I just wanted to update those of you who've been praying for us...

We had boxes come from all over today (including ComChurch Grapevine?!?), and are covered on that front. We also had several volunteers to help us move in the morning! If you'd still like to join us, fun starts at our old place (near CS post office) at 8:30 am!

Thanks - back to packing for me!

one down, several to go

Really fast - I don't have time to write much...

We moved the bathroom (except a few essentials) last night, so we've got one room down. We did more packing yesterday. My parents also came in last night, and they'll be working on the floors while we pack / move.

Congrats to Drew and Brock who were awarded their PhD's yesterday! It was great to see Drew and Jenny a little last night.

Remember, there'll be a moving party Sunday morning from the old house to the new starting at 8:30 am - be there or be square!

Packing!

We worked on the house yesterday afternoon and will go back over tonight (if you're bored, give us a call - we've got a cure for that). I'm off work today and tomorrow, and Joe has part of each day off. We're packing at the old house right now. I keep looking around and thinking "there's just not that much to pack" but I know there has to be because we probably have more than we did when we moved here, and that was a lot of boxes!

We've got one coat of paint everywhere, but haven't cut in some of the rooms. Most of the rooms will need a second coat, but some of that will wait. David came over yesterday and worked on putting in the floors with Joe. Heather also came by and helped pull staples and nails out of the floor. No pictures - it doesn't look like much has changed, even though we've been working hard. I haven't shared all the paint colors, but they look off in the pictures.

WE'RE MOVING BOXES AND BIG STUFF SUNDAY MORNING, AND CURRENTLY HAVE NO HELPERS, so if you read this and can help, please let us know you're planning on coming. Thanks!

we're off like a herd of turtles

That's what Joe's mom says sometimes, and I think this is an appropriate usage.

Things are going slow, but Joe and I both have the afternoon off work today and I think David (who will be staying with us) may come and help. Last night I got some of the walls painted in the master bedroom, and the color will take a little adjusting to. I picked out one color and then Joe thought it should be darker, so we got it changed. I think I'll like it much better once the furniture is in place.

It's hard to know when to stop on the new house and get packed... hopefully we'll figure out a good balance.

Special thanks to Brock who is letting us use some of his tools to put in the floor at our own pace.

We're both very exhausted! We just have to make it through this next week, then we can take it easier.

Moving Week

Give me four sentences to complain a bit, and then I'll move on. From using a roller (perhaps incorrectly) I have bruises (and new calluses) on my hands where the fingers join - they hurt a LOT. We have nothing packed and we need to be completely moved a week from now. It didn't make sense to start packing four weeks out while we were still in the option period, but we've been working on the house (or things for the house) since then. I'm exhausted physically and mentally and all our clothes are dirty. (I only had one sentence left, so I had to squeeze those together.)

I'll talk with my boss at work today and hopefully get off a good chunk of this week. If I can get half a day off today then I'll go to our old home and get some laundry done, start packing, and perhaps take a nap.

One thing I wrote about yesterday - we didn't get the bedroom wall color up, only more in the living / dining area. So no new pictures yet.

On a more positive note, we did start laying some of the floor Sunday! We've got around a third of the living room done. When you step in the front door, you step on our new floor! We had hoped to get a lot more done (originally, we had hoped to do most of the house), but I'm glad we got the structural problems taken care of now instead of when they became a huge problem in a few years. It's also very good that we've learned how to do the floors so that we can continue on our own.

One more good thing: we seem to be doing pretty well budget-wise on the home repairs. We've still got a lot to buy, but I think we'll be able to get all the basics done.

Thanks to my family (Mom, Dad, Uncle Carl) who worked hard all weekend to give us a good home! I can't believe I've neglected this, but I think we've used four different people's trucks and someone's trailer already. Thanks Joey, Aaron, Bill, Brock, and Daniel! It's because of you our home has all of its sheetrock, subfloor, refrigerator, wood floors and some furniture to sit on.

You can all pray that God blesses our move and that things go smoothly in preparing the new house and packing. I know we could use help, but I'm not sure exactly how. Here are some things that you might could help with: (1) preparing the new kitchen - cabinets need washed off and liners put on the shelves; (2) finding boxes - I usually get boxes from local stores b/c I think it's a waste to buy boxes when people are throwing so many away; (3) helping move us - right now we're thinking we'll do most of the moving this coming Sunday morning. We'll also be painting some and installing the wood floors. If you'd like to stop by to see the progress, it's a lot safer for little kids now - we've cleared out all the construction mess. Give us a call or email if you'd like to come over and see it or help.

floors, subfloors, and the great depths

Well, yesterday (Saturday) did not go at all as planned! The good news first: I had time (with help from Joe, Michael, and late at night April) to paint more on the bedrooms. All were primed, but now the ceiling in two are painted and the walls in two are painted. The one with both the ceiling and walls painted is my favorite so far. (The colors don't look the same in the pictures, you'll just have to come see it!)

Now the less-good news: We planned to replace a couple pieces of plywood (I think this is technically subfloor, though there are diagonal pieces - 2 x 6's? - under it) that were rotting and gave a little when you stepped on them. When we got to one of those pieces, the floor under that still gave if you just looked at it funny. So my uncle went under the house. This part of the house is very old pier and beam. There is probably between 12 and 14 inches between the flooring and the dirt. You can't crawl under the house, you must squirm on your belly. God bless my uncle and mom for getting under there.

my Uncle Carl sawing old plywood (plus lots of dust)

I'll just some of the highlights of things that they needed to stop and fix to prevent problems later. That area that gave way was about four foot of the ends of many boards that were not supported underneath. This was also the area we planned to put my huge piano, so we're really glad this problem was found. There were some weird water line problems, some of which we fixed. There's a water pipe that has a fairly strong electrical charge to it (Uncle Carl had fun discovering that); there was a water line that was clamped off with pliers or something that is bound to eventually leak; there was a outdoor faucet (water hose hookup) that only has hot water going to it; finally, there was a water line for the fridge coming up in the pantry floor (we knew about this and planned to change it ahead of time). Towards the end of the day they found another support issue. I'm shaky on what exactly is wrong between the two living area sections, but I know it was originally not level and when fixing that, they found some problem. My parents and uncle were pretty much dealing with all these issues while I was like "ooo - A nail hole! I can fix that!"

The short story is that we didn't nail down any wood yesterday, but I did get a picture of a little laid out in the dining area. It's 3/4" thick solid cherry birch - very nice!
There has been tons of dust (from the texture and drywall) and sawdust in the air, and despite them wearing masks, my dad and Joe have gotten somewhat sick because of it. My mom and uncle went over to get started on the house early this morning (only woke me up to get keys), and my dad and Joe are in a antihistamine-induced sleep. So you have them to thank for me having time to update! I guess I'll head over there soon and get painting... master bedroom walls are next, and I'm excited to see the color on the walls!

Ending on another positive note, we had a fabulous lunch! April, Valerie, Krista and Heather made delicious turkey pot pies, brownies, watermelon and lemonade for our lunch. It was very tasty, and a welcome departure from eating out. Thank you ladies so much for cooking for us! We get to look forward to eating it again today.

Firsts

A couple of firsts I forgot to mention...
(I should be asleep already, so these are faster than typical long-winded Kathryn had hoped)

First "Miss Kathryn, I'm sorry. I broke your window." How wonderful it is to be able to say that it's okay! If we had a landlord, I would surely be stressing out over how to fix it back to at least as good as it was, but now it's mine (ours) and I don't need to worry about protecting someone else's property! Logically, it would seem like it would work the other way around, but this is a fun surprise emotion.

First "Kathryn walks up to the house past 10pm (when we've been gone for an hour and a half) and finds the door WIDE OPEN." This was NOT a happy feeling. We're still not sure how it got that way, but everything inside (lots of power tools and some furniture) was where we left it. No one was in the house. But it was a scary moment!

Okay, goodnight!

How would you spend your birthday?

Cleaning, painting, and buying plywood? That's how my mom spent her birthday today! My parents got in last night (Thursday), and I took off work today to work harder than if I had gone to work. We got more painting done (though there's still a lot left) and starting cleaning the area to get ready to put the floors down tomorrow.

Today the handyman was supposed to finish the last few things he had, but didn't show. I called around 3:00, and he said that he had forgotten he told someone else he would work on their place today. So my mom finished the last of the texturing for him and he'll have to finish the work in the kitchen after the floors are in.

I still need to finish painting the edges in the living room, so I'm waiting until that's done to post a picture. We started a second coat, and that also makes it look a lot better.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for working hard and helping us get this done! Happy Birthday, Mom!