In The Soft Glow of a Work Light

I guess Tim was pretty proud of the painting he did around the front door this afternoon. It was in the "spot light" when I got home from work tonight.

Three Years of Marriage

This little guy in our front yard is my one year anniversary present to Tim. It is the first new tree we planted on the farm. And while the maples we planted a year later have slowly failed this lively little pin-oak keeps growing like a weed.

I think it's a good sign :)

We Have Lights, Kind Of

Tim got this set of posts completely painted.

5 more to go.

He also got the light fixtures in. However, since we don't have the switches wired yet we can't turn them on.

However, that should be done by Christmas along with the electrical boxes, and we can string tons of lights.

Who Needs Lighting When You Have Bright Yellow Paint?

Friday the pantry looks like this...

By Monday it's almost looking good enough for the fine china. One more coat of the yellow to go and a couple of coats of cream on the outside is all it needs.

Thanks for all your help mom, you're the best!

A Little Color on the Porch

Tim did a test drive of a couple of the colors last night.

She's a Priming Machine Folks

My sister just rode 5 miles on a bike to prime my porch ceilings while I, unfortunately, have to go make the money to purchase the gallons of primer she is working her way through.
Why else does she rock? She brought me the rest of my birthday present that finally arrived (the first part was dark chocolate from Germany).

The book is titled, "Historic Preservation" by Norman Tyler. It's "An introduction to its history, principle, and practice" as the book cover says. I will be taking to work with me tonight to read over break.

The books starts off with a great quote,

"Therefore, when we build, let us think that we build for ever. Let it not be for present delight, nor for present use alone; let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for, and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, "See! this our fathers did for us." for, indeed, the greatest glory of a building is not in its stones or in its gold. Its glory is in its Age." -John Ruskin

Kitchen Porch Primed

Action shot:
Tim caulking the kitchen porch. My sister and mom came Saturday and finished priming the porch while Tim and I were bumming around at Osage's Fall festival. Yes, I'm starting to have guilt.

Porch Painting Starts

Tim got the last of the trim up.

Unfortunately when we finished the roof we did not leave enough room to match the trim on the other porch. I know it's going to bother me, but two years after starting this project it's just good to see the end in sight.

My sister and mother-in-law were over yesterday (I of course had to work) and got some priming done.

Work on the Porches Continues

Siding is going up on the porch boxes. While it doesn't seem to be quite as sucky of a job as putting in the corner shower enclosures it's a pretty miserable job.

My dad put it best when Tim was complaining about how un-straight the boards were, "You wouldn't want them too straight, they wouldn't match the house then."
The siding is up around the front door.

Just a couple of coats of paint and a quick visit from the electrician is all that's needed here.

The ceiling is up on the kitchen porch too.

And yes, I will be painting both porch ceilings the traditional sky blue to confuse the local bumble bees.

Front Porch Ceiling Progress

The ceiling is up on the front porch.

We just used beaded plywood and large cove molding from your local big box store.
Tim is now working on putting up molding and the missing trim around the front door.

Won't be long until we'll have the warm glow of porch lights to welcome us home at night.

Something's Going to Happen!

Tim's dad and brother are showing up tonight to help him put the ceilings in the porches (I have to work of course). We've borrowed an air nailer and stapler from a friend so progress should be swift. Expect pictures soon!

Laboring on the Trim

It was my weekend to work, but yesterday before leaving I got a little more woodwork put up in the mudroom. All the chairs in the photo I inherited from my step-father. The two cream ones I'm going to clean up and leave in the mudroom. I think the others are in pretty bad shape so I think I'll use them on the porch to hold plants or something like that.

I'm pretty much done with this room until we get the extra baseboard pieces made.
Tim got the first coat of paint on the trim feet that go in the kitchen.
He also got the first coat on all of the headers and the final coat on the side trim pieces. Where just days away from having the kitchen doorways and windows completely trimmed out.

And then of course it's on to the dreaded 500 million pieces of beadboard.