A More Accurate Update, with Pictures

For the one or two folks who might still be following this blog have forgotten to take me off their blog rolls and accidentally read this, I thought I'd give a quick update. Especially after I just finished reading the last update and realized that it's now completely obsolete.

Anyway, in the end, we could not save the 94 year old farm house. We tried. We really did. But it was so full of rotten boards and the floors were covered in asbestos (under the linoleum). Mark pulled it apart board by board until he got it low enough, then he torched it. It was sad to watch that old house burn. We saved all the old windows and doors, though, and enough of the original lumber to have a farm table built. And some timbers to use as a mantle in the new house. It will be nice to have touches of the old in the new.

Finally, after several stops and starts and changes of direction, we started on what will one day be our new house. Mark says we should be in there by Christmas. I think Mark is delusional.

We're still here in our tiny little mobile home enjoying the togetherness. Lots and lots of togetherness. We're still finding it to be enough. Lia is playing soccer, we're busy with church and friends, and I'm running again. I even found room for my Bosch so I can bake regularly. Life goes on. That said, I can not WAIT to be in my new house, and the closer it gets, the harder the wait!

Here are a few pics of the progress. The first ones, of the demolition were taken in June. The last one was taken day before yesterday. You can't tell much, and I hesitate to even post these, knowing that you all don't have the end picture in your minds like I do. But oh well, it will be what it will be in the end, and I'll share those pictures then!

Mark and what's left of the burning house.

Nothing left but the front steps and a pile of rubble. If this picture were larger, you could really see the singed leaves on the trees!

Sam, supervising.

Mark, Sam, and Big Buddy, watching it burn and quite pleased with their work. Sam is just really enjoying this little piece of equipment! Like Father, like son.

Fast forward three months... all but two windows are in, and the first outside wall goes up.

Another week, another wall and a half.




Tuesday of this week. Upstairs window in, front walls finished, beam for porch/second gable in place.

Now, you have to picture this with a shiny silver roof, stained cedar batten board shutters, and big second gable covering the large front porch, complete with porch swing. Imagination, people. Imagination and vision.

There's so much more I could post about, how we decided to do what we're doing, all the changes in house plans, how shifting the location of one closet changed everything. But that's what happens when you don't blog for months. You can't include every detail in a recap. So, I'll leave it at this with a promise hope to blog more from now on out. We'll not hold our breath...

Blessings,
Em