Projects Projects

There are always projects going on here but a couple of mine have been sitting way too long and I have finally gotten one done, this one happens to be a Christmas present for one of the grand daughters:) This playhouse was more difficult than I thought it would be but it was a learning experience and were I to make another I would do it so much differently. But alas 'she' will like it I am sure as she will not notice the oops that Grandma made. I made this from a photo only, had no pattern thus made my own way. Oftentimes my own way is through the back door, around the block and back again. David put the frame together with PVC pipe and it can be easily disassembled. The walls and roof I made out of Thrift Store sheets (remember getting these Mary)? The ruffle is a bed skirt.
There is a window on one end

And a door with a welcome sign on one side. No peeking Abigail, not until Christmas.
And then my friend is going on a cruise in December and wondered if I could make her a few 'frocks'. Jan and I had a blast, spent way too much time in the fabric shop and in the end Jan realized that it may almost always be less expensive and less hassle (it takes forever to choose the just right fabric when there are so many - or not enough choices) to just go buy what you want. But alas, I love to sew and sew I did. This was an easy project really, so damned easy that I may make one for myself one of these days. It is on it's way to you Jan, let me know if we need to size it before I start the next one.
And the biggest project of them all. This is one that I only have to give my opinions on...at the moment. My turn for real work will come with the interior. Our addition/storm shelter. This has been the most interesting project because we are trying something that neither of us are used to and is still a bit alternative I think for most. We are not 'stick' building nor are we using block for the basement. We are pouring not only the basement walls but the second floor walls as well. We extensively priced using block for the basement and then stick building the upper against using poured walls...it was a no brainier for us. This way is less expensive to not only build but in the end will be cheaper to heat and to cool and a lot less work for David to 'put up'. Once the walls are poured and the roof is on you are pretty much done with the 'frame'. No insulation to wrestle with, no walls to nail together and heave up etc etc etc. It is air tight and very cheap to heat and to cool. Oh it will be wonderful. Besides that we have met two of the coolest people yet. Onward...
David started the project by digging out the basement. And yes damn it I had to move lots of my plants from my back garden in order to make way for the new addition. He says I may in fact have to move more to enable him to get the bob cat in some damn place or another to pour some sand or something. I am at the moment ignoring him on this one.
So, by chance we ran into Frank at a garage sale. His sale was in a pole shed that he had sprayed insulation on the walls. David was talking with him about the insulation and then asked Frank if he knew of anyone that did poured walls. Well I'll be darned....Frank has done poured walls and owned his own construction company before the economy went to poop. He also knew the guy who is in the form business, the forms that you put up in which to pour the cement. Frank and Dan Yokum (form guy) came over to talk with us about the idea of pured walls for the basement. Not only did we decide to pour the basement walls but the uppers as well after this get together.
Here are Dave and Frank constructing the footings
And on another day pouring the footings.
The forms for the basement wall on their way up. These forms are much like Lego's in that you just put them together like you do Lego's. Of course you cut out where you want windows and doors but it is just that easy! Once they are up re-bar needs to be put in to ready for the cement etc.


And then there is Dan Yokum. Dan is one of the coolest people you could meet. He is an old 60's hippie type of guy...self acclaimed in fact. He has been in the construction business for 40 years and has lived all over but came back to his roots here some years back. He began by building log homes and has since stopped doing that and is now doing these only. Dan was on the front end of poured houses coming to be. In the beginning in fact he traveled all over the states teaching others how to do the process. He also invented some danged thing or another to make the 'leveling' process easy. Dan is also an artist, a blacksmith, a woodworker and an all around cool guy. Can you tell that I am enamored with this fella! (enamored..that is a word yes?)
Here are Dan and Frank installing the re-bar and look oh look who the 'go-fer' is down below. It was too danged funny watching David being the one that is bossed around as opposed to him bossing you and I Kelly!


The basement walls are put together and are ready to pour. And to the right is one of my gardens. The one that I am having to slowly dismantle...I wonder if Dan has a way to get around that? I think I will ask:)

It was wet the day the cement truck came. Heck it has not been dry hardly a day around here. Anyway they parked the pumper truck quite a long way away, used the boom and walla pumped the cement without getting the truck stuck in the clay.


The cement going into the walls and David is tapping on the sides in order to encourage the cement to settle.

This fella had, in my opinion, the most boring job of the process. He watched the cement come out of the truck into the pumper...oooooooo huh? I suspect it is a necessary job for some reason or another. I fed him a sandwich and a cookie to brake the boredom.
Dan aiming the boom and Frank smoothing the cement out
The master eyeing it up to assure that the walls are absolutely straight.
This week the boys (Frank and David) are putting the floor on the second floor and putting up the forms for the upper walls. Be ready...more boring posts to follow!

Up And Down The River

After a tiring day of eating and shopping our way through the state fair Thursday, here is Jan's blog entry if you are so inclined- alongthesideroads.blogspot.com - (I cannot eat and take pictures at the same time so no photos from me) we spent the next couple of days on the river.
Yesterday we put on 80 miles going down river from Red Wing to Wabasha and today we went up river to Prescott Wisconsin. The river is a great place.
There were eagles, lots of eagles, and you know how I am about eagles......





And parties
And barges pushing up river
And goats
Yes goats doing acrobats to reach the perfect leaves
And Jan's favorite shack, the one that she would like Mikey to purchase for her...wanna guess Mikey's response?
And more parties
With entire families if not entire neighborhoods
And bridges and paddle boats
And sailboats
Yup the river is a wonderful place on which to spend the afternoon with good friends.

Today was our grand daughter Abigail Rose's second birthday. Happy birthday to you Abs.

A Relaxing Weekend And Stuff

Last weekend was grandma time weekend. Lenny had fantasy football drafts-three, count em three- in one weekend and Kel was hoping to go out one night. I very happily came to help. It really was just the best time for me. I was able to run around with Julia. After visiting Great Grandpa Bob she asked, "I buy ice cream cone now?" I shit you not....that is word for word. And when we drove by a school with swings she asked, "I go to park now?" So guess what, first we hit the DQ and then off to the park.

And while Julia ran with her mom and dad I spent time with Shelby! Shelby is smiling away at her grandma and she actually laughs a bit. She is growing fast.

So these football drafts...what a process they are! I so do not understand what in the hell they do or how they do it but it looked like fun!

Ahhhhh, Julia learning at an early age how it all works. I wonder if Len will laugh at her when she asks him questions about the process like he laughed hysterically at me:)

This little lady can do heals like no other her age I am sure....well wait maybe Suri Cruise! She has always been a shoe freak and man can she ever walk in her momma's heals!

She went swimming with her folks at her best friend's pool Sunday and passed out after she got home...cute as can be.



Yesterday we came to RedWing for our summer vacation. Mikey and Jan are here camping and we have joined them. Yesterday David and I adopted a new little peanut who just happened to be in a foster home right around the corner from here. He was a stray who was taken to the pound and was one day from being euthanized when the SAFE Sanctuary folks rescued him. He is 2 at best guess and was advertised as being Wiener/King Charles mix. He has an overbite that makes me think there may be a little Pekingese in him but he does not shed and has the lap dog attitude like Peeko. Here he is in the car on his way to his new home.
And good ole accepting Peeko shared his pillow with Roscoe during the ride.
Settled in at the camper
His name was Arthur and was given to him by his foster family. We decided to change it and he is now and forever will be Roscoe. Certainly no replacement for Tackla but he seems to be a good little boy...just needs a little work is all. Jess, remember how Jack used to run....well this guy reminds me of those days. It's the chain gang until her learns to stay put:)

Your Brain After Chemo

Below is a blog that I just became aware of. It is authored by the person who co-wrote the book that I was interviewed for.
After my chemo, and to this day, I suffer from 'chemo brain' but prior to listening to a web-cast put on my these two folks I was sure that I was losing my mind. My oncologist (who I adore and trust) felt as most oncs do....'there really is no such thing as chemo brain you are just getting older' etc. While David and I listened to this web-cast I bawled my eyes out because someone was acknowledging my problem.
Anyway, blah blah blah.....I think I have posted all of this before but just wanted to share Idelle's blog as some of you may know others who could benefit from it.


http://yourbrainafterchemo.blogspot.com

PS, as those that are close to me will attest-my fog has not lifted and I am almost 3 years out from my last Herceptin treatment. Ah well.....David takes care of me. Dear David, you are so not allowed to ever develop Alzheimer's or our kids will be stuck with us LOL.

And Then There Were Five

This coming April little Abigail Rose will join the ranks of big sister-hood. Ry and Jen are expecting our 5th grandbaby! Exciting stuff. Will he/she be a boy or a girl, have his/her big sister's gorgeous red hair and blue eyes and wonderfully thoughtful facial expressions....whatever the case number five will be just as loved as the four preceding him/her:)



Our young buck, that runs with momma and her two fawns , seems to be growing larger antlers. How oh how am I going to keep these critters that seem to live in our acreage out of my garden!


Ya know, I remember that someone said last year, "What are you guys going to do when you have everything done"? HA...just like my garden is a work in progress so is our home and grounds! We will never be 'done' and that is OK because we love futzing with the place and as long as we are able to get away to do the things we want to do we enjoy being busy at home.

Introducing the latest project....we are putting an addition on. It all began with the need to have some sort of storm shelter since we have no basement. And then I have been wanting a place to leave my sewing machine up other than in the oh so small living room...AND THEN there is the problem with growing families finding it not so easy to sleep in a small bedroom with their kids. So in typical Dave and Bobbi fashion this morphed from a storm shelter to a bedroom and bath in the basement addition as well as an addition onto our existing dining room of about 18x15. For those that know how our house sits, we are considering making the new section our living room and the old living room our dinning room. That way we will have a larger living room that opens up into the kitchen and I could leave my sewing machine sitting out in the more out of the way area of the dinning room. And yes we are doing it on our own. Here is David digging away (picture taken with my cell phone and not a great photo)

And this is the dug out area. Looks huge doesn't it. I had a whole shitload of plants to move which led to designing new garden plots for them...ahhh the unexpected pleasures of adding on...
We may in fact have the basement poured this next week. Pictures as we progress.

Learning To Share And Other Things Last Week

While in Nicollet last week at the Leonard campground we had a chance to get the cousins together for the first time...thanks Kel and Len for inviting them out! Since we no longer live 'down there' it is much more difficult for us to spend time with visiting family and Len and Kel have always been great about helping us out with that.

I was making desert for our supper and asked the girls to help tear up angle food cake. After washing their hands they dug in happily. A few bites went in the mouth but most went in the bowl. After looking at this picture again it appears that Dezbah may be sticking her tongue out at Julia. Our little spit fire could be doing just that :) They did have fun helping and I had fun having their help.
Learning to share. The girls actually played together quite well spending quite a few hours outside-in the sandbox with Gampa


Climbing the ropes with help and daddy looking on in the background...is that concern I see on his face?
This is the best. The two girls running across the field chasing Peeko. In fact, they tired Peeko out. He would stop for a bit and Julia would say, "Come on Peeko, Peeko come on".
Who was going to go down the slide first was another sharing experience...
And then there was the sharing of Gampa. That may have been the most difficult! Yup a good Gampa he is, just ask the girls. It really was a good time and fun to see the girls playing together.
I couldn't resist a picture of our matching feet. After a long day outside Julia's feet were just as dirty as Gamma's were.
Not only did they wear Peeko out but I fell asleep while 'watching' Shelby!

And then on another day Len and Kel 'got out of our hair' leaving us alone with both girls. I stayed in the house with Shelby (and stayed awake)


While Gampa spent the entire day with Julia. Here they are in the sandbox. Julia had just spotted me and is saying hi to Gamma.
Saying cheese for the camera
And on yet another day Len and Kel invited Great Grandma Lois and Great Auntie Kelly out for breakfast so that we could spend time with them. A very nice picture of Lois and Shelby.
Even though it was a busy week it was also relaxing and oh so enjoyable.