More work...

Thursday they finally fixed the phone, and sent my internet kit. Friday I cleaned most of the kitchen cabinets and lined them. Yesterday I dusted and placed the first load of living room furniture, and moved the boxes to their appropriate rooms...to make way for the next loads...lol.  Here's a few views...the couch/futon will go in front of the picture window and the tv and antique dry sinks will go along the back wall.

I also discovered that most of my closet is dry wall, and not too conducive to installing closet systems or rods the few studs are in the wrong places for what I needed.  So I hung one 'rod' (a leftover 1x1...hahaha) and today Bubba and I went shopping and I got a portable closet and with a touch of ingenuity, added an extra rod (old mop handle..hehehe) using the sidebars.

I also closed my eyes and treated myself to a housewarming gift to myself. Since the cabinets, cooktop, and sink are white, and the other appliances are black, I got sink mats, a drainer and a wash tub in black and a new black coffee pot (with a clock so I can program coffee to be waiting on me!).

Keep forgetting the bolts to put Bubba's bed frame together...but I did fix it yesterday...one of the support boards had broken, but I replaced it with some of the leftover wood from the carport.  He has an old futon mattress that he lays on when he wants to rest, and Bob's old office chair to rock in and watch the cars go by.

So slowly but surely we are getting there. Tomorrow I hope to run some of our clothes down, and a load of the breakables.  Then we shall see...Tuesday afternoon we get television, and either Tuesday or Wednesday they should have a UHaul for us. That should help with the furniture that is left.  I guess we will be sleeping there by Tuesday, or there will be no TV...lolol. 

I'll keep updating as I can!  

Getting closer...

Quick update...too tired for much.  The roadblocks keep coming, but I refuse to give in. Last night my brakes went out again....this time a brake line.  Then had to go to the lawyer's office to sign some papers and get the process of probating Bob's will started.  Even after a late start I got most of the rugs moved and the grill, and some odds and ends. I am nearly finished cleaning up the new house (still have the kitchen cabinets and Bubba's closet and all the windows...and there are A LOT of windows-19). I have moved all but the dining room rug and started on the small stuff and the outside furniture, etc.

Tomorrow we have to go to Grenada and see Social Security, and Medicaid...ick! More red tape and bureaucracy, sigh. Then more moving...Sunday one of my 'car guys' is coming to help me with some of the heavy stuff, which is really nice of him!  The neighbors have been helping me carry things in, which is also very nice.

Here are some pics to catch everyone up...more to follow!

here's the carport...somewhat cleaned up...lol  some building supplies and trash and garage sale stuff to re-arrange, but getting there...

Before pics in my bedroom...what a way to treat hardwood floors...sigh

 then after six scrubbings, scrapings, and my surrender

so, I decided rugs would cover most of it...and then the queen sized bed and dressers would cover the rest

another view....

then my studio....the floors in here turned out much better!

the kitchen with two views and the dining room....

Gonna work on Bubba's room late tomorrow, and then the kitchen, so I can start moving more stuff in on Saturday and Sunday.

Quick update...

Kind of short on time....I have more nails to pull from usable lumber....and some cleaning up to do. Plus a ton of stuff here at home to do as well.  Here are a few new pics...the trim is going up today, on windows, floors and door-less openings.  Also, Eric plans to make the cabinet doors today. He has to leave on Tuesday...but it should be liveable by then. 

The doors are up...

and here are the floors....

As the house turns...

It’s hard to believe Bob has almost been gone 2 months...maybe because we miss him so much?  It has been hard on Bibba, but once we started praying for a hug from Jesus, his face lights up when we do. Once he told me how pretty He was, and kissed the air as tho’ on someone’s cheek
I refuse to speculate or question what he sees.  I am just truly thankful that he gets peace from it, as do I.

As the house comes together, I hope that Bob can see how great it looks, and approves of the changes I made in it.  With just the two of us, I shuffled around a few of the rooms, and changed a bit of the floor plan.  I am getting so excited!!  There is a bit of a problem with the deed and probating the will....but praying hard that it is straightened out soon!  God has brought us this far, and I believe He will bring us the rest of the way.

And now for pictures....


First, a quick shot of the tree I talked about last time....and the continued thought to ponder....when there was no stump there for it to be from when it stood in the road....why is there one now???

A shot of the kitchen from the dining room...it is a dusty blue, with dark gray-blue ceramic tile on the countertop that Eric created...they have blue and a rusty color running thru' them...with a marbled look.  The cabinets are white, as are the sink and stovetop, and the dishwasher, wall-oven/microwave combo and the frig are black.

this is my studio/office...it is huge, has two more windows than you can see....again it is painted the dusty blue, and after they are sanded will have hardwood floors.

Next is the bathroom which is a pale grey green....as is my bedroom and the living room/family room....the bath and laundry room, which is also green, have a marbled looking vinyl flooring....grey/greens and browns. 

one shot of the kitchen, beside the sink....

Two oops pics....where when Eric went to start the laminate flooring (which is in the kitchen, dining room, living room and Bubba's room), in the living room, he stepped right thru' the sub flooring...time out to patch the hole and put in new plywood.

And the other oops....no way is Bubba's room gonna have the frig in it....problem was it was too wide for the the door. With some removal of pieces-parts and some squeaky maneuvering.....it found it's home in the kitchen...lol.

I skipped the ‘in between photos, tho’ I did take them....but I was more excited to show you where it is now...and cannot wait to take pics today to show you how much further it has come since last week!!  Eric is truly a hard worker and we are blessed to have him!!

Hopefully more this evening, or tomorrow....bye for now!

...weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

I have been sitting and pondering a lot lately, kind of dreading this update to my blog.  I wonder sometimes about the meanings of random things and occurences.that everyone has in their lives. About a week and a half ago, Bob came home in amazement at what he had seen...there was a whole tree, standing at the edge of the road, but on the pavement...it was cut clean at the bottom, yet stood tall and straight.  He took me to see it, and over the days that followed, I called it Bob’s tree.  No source of life, dying inside, but it stayed there until today.  Now it is gone, not lying beside the road, just gone.  Does it mean anything?  Is there significance to it’s being there, or now being gone?  Many would say why would anyone bother to wonder about it in the first place, and perhaps I would not, if I had not seen today, as both a beginning and an end.

Bob passed away February 28th, and today I brought home his ashes.  For now, they rest in the china cabinet, near the table where we always had coffee in the mornings...sometimes alone, and often with a dear friend or two. There is where we gathered after it was over, and in the days to follow.  These last few months, since he came off the road, due to his health, we spent many hours at that table watching tv and talking.  For some reason, never going in to the big screen tv, but watching on an older set...wrestling, Nascar races, and NCIS seemed to be on the most.

He left so much behind, but his biggest treasures were Bubba and I, and the house he was ‘building’ for us.  He knew it was his final gift to us, even tho’ I did not want to face it.  He left his ready smile for his friends, and his salute to all truckers we passed; he left a loving heart, that embraced his grandchildren, and a special part of it for our newest, Sadie Noel.  He got to meet her for a little a week before he left us, and the joy that brought him was contagious, as you can see in the previous post.

He left friends from online, from one side of the country to the other, and scattered around the globe.  He loved to chat with them, and over the years was able to meet quite a few.  Those memories he treasured.  Perhaps, a bit more, because that was where we met...a chance meeting in an AOL chatroom, became twelve years of deep and abiding love.  I met my best friend that day, and found as well, the simple love of a child; I gained a second family, that merged with the one I had, as tho’ it had always been.  So many hearts are saddened at the loss, yet we find comfort in each other across the miles.

How many words I want to say, but they are caught in my heart, and I find it hard to bring them forth.  So I will borrow back a poem, I wrote for a dear friend, after her loss.  They seem fitting and say, at least to me, what I know he would say to me, if he could.

      IF I COULD ANSWER YOU

I hear you.....your entreaties for me to stay;
I feel your tears, as you stroke my cheek,
they drop, unheeded, on my hands.
I hear you.....as you pray for me to wake;
I feel your heart, breaking , beating against mine,
as you lie against me one last time.
I hear you.....as you speak of the past joys;
I feel your pain, tanigible, as it fills the room,
it pulsates around us as a living thing.
I hear you.....even when you are silent ;
I feel you, wandering alone, lost in memories,
as I fear you will be lost without me.

I would speak......and tell you that I must go;
and you would know that I cry also, inside,
where no one can tell, over having to leave you.
I would speak.....and tell you that I would stay;
and you would know that I meant in your heart,
where only you will know that I am still with you.
I would speak.....and tell you that I will remember;
and you would know that I will never forget,
though we are separated by death.
I would speak.....and tell you that we will join;
and you would know that we will be together,
forever, in a better place, when it is time.

I wish.....that we had been able to say good-bye;
you wish that we never had to say good-bye....
farewell, to you.....you loved me fully.
I wish......that I could tell you that I love you;
you wish that I would never stop loving you.....
farewell, to you....you taught me much.
I wish.....that I could spare you the agony of loss;
you wish that i was not lost in painful agony....
farewell, to you......you brought me joy.
I wish.....that we had had more time to spend;
you wish that you had spent more time.....
farewell, to you......you will see me soon.

                         ~susan

He truly taught me the meaing of love, and I will miss him.

Life finally moves on....

I feel like I have been holding my breath for almost a month. During the demo, Bob seemed to come down with the flu (the one they were calling "the flu that was not the flu", for some reason). He was finally so miserable that he went to the doctor and got shots and antibiotics and cough syrup, etc. We got the loan to fix things up and called my son-in-law to come and help, thinking we would be there to help him.  The day after he got here, this is what we got:

After 3 weeks of numerous visits back and forth to her office, one visit to the cardiologist, and a visit to the urologist (who is planning to do another biopsy on March 1st), we ended up with Bob taking another trip in the ambulance to the ER.  He spent from last Sunday until last night in the hospital, and we both know it is time to stop and smell the roses and enjoy each day as it comes.  So some of the house will slow down, and the enjoyment of family and life will take the front seat.

Our son-in-law has been here for a few weeks, and has shouldered all of the demo, electrical, plumbing, etc. Bob was able to go over plans and ideas with him, and help purchase most of the supplies so far.  A fast trip to Atlanta two days before the trip to the ER, reaped lots of gently-used cabinets, an over under oven and a dishwasher (Craig's list), plus a frig (from my son's store...a Sears 'scratch and dent/refurbished/discontinued' warehouse).  Nice haul and it cost less than just the frig would have cost here; tho' the frig has a couple of dings in the one side, once it is in place no one will ever know. :)

The best part of the trip was that Grandpa Bob got to see our granddaughter...Sadie Noel...and I think they are in love...lol!  I am envious, but I will get my turn!

Lots of pics to choose from, but here are a few I have selected to show you a part of the road to where we are now...

this was our 'warm room' in between working in the cold...we could huddle around the heater and take a break, as time went on, there was a bit more huddling than working. But we did get some work done...

a few boxes moved...

wallpaper down, rugs rolled up...

to TOTALLY steal a good line...while we tore out the cabinets, we found where the previous owners stashed their pot. (I know....groan)

my cabinets have arrived!!

the pile of old stuff is growing! time for some trips to the dump...

Eric and I got the frig inside, after a rough time getting it off the truck..

our new shower, just delivered


















and now inside!

the tank-less hot water heater...hopefully will get not only a tax credit, but will save money :)

the tub is in, next comes the urinal for Bubba...

Bob taking a rest (where the wall is gone between the kitchen and dining room...so much more open now) after see what has been done and  Bubba with my son-in-law at the back...while he crawled out from under the house for a quick break from working on the plumbing.

Well....that gets us a bit caught up.  A lot has been done, but there is more to do.  What an adventure!  Bob has taken his meds and is in bed, and it is time for me to go as well.

I hope you are enjoying watching things change...we are!

Demo....days one and two (sort of)

A post or two ago, I showed you a photo of our Christmas present....the house:

Here are more before pics...as promised earlier...

Bob surveying his new kingdom....
the side yard...can't wait to fill the bird bath...I will be able to see it from my studio :)

the back of the house...

This ugly shed will go, and be replaced by one we already have, and the tree to the right will come down, as it has alot of storm damage.

It essentially has two bedrooms,












(small   8x8)



















(large)
a laundry room which is 1/3rd filled with a water heater,

 one bath,

(Where the closet is, we will be putting a large shower...will leave the tub/shower combo, and be putting in a new larger toilet, and in a small alcove behind the tub a urinal for Bubba.  We will be moving the vanity back into another closet to open the bathroom up a bit.)

a kitchen, which is getting a complete overhaul...new cabinets, cooktop, wall oven, more counter space, an island where the doorway is, because the wall will be gone and the old bedroom will be our dining room,

a dining room, which will be Bubba's room

a family room/den

a living room with 3 single windows, and one double...perfect for a studio :)

with a 5 1/2' x 9' foyer

When we get done, it will still have two bedrooms...one (Bubba's)will change to where the dining room used to be...one bath (and maybe a 1/2 bath), a combo office/studio for me with storage in the old formal living room, a laundry room without a hot water heater (going to go tankless), a kitchen/dining area combo by losing the old bedroom, and a combo office (Bob's) and family room, and a foyer with a door into my office (decorated of course with my artwork).

While my son-in-law was visiting, and crawling around under and over and inside the new house to check out it's condition, he and Bob took over some plastic bags to put some loose wallpaper in. Bob accidentally slammed the door when he left that afternoon, when they came back to the trailer to discuss renovations.. When they went back the next day, the slamming door must have loosened the ceiling tiles, because all of the ones that were asbestos tile, had fallen into the garbage bags.  What a miracle for Bob and I, because it was one less thing to do, after the signing.

look, mom....no more asbestos

His heart attack has kept us from any serious work, for a week or so, tho' he did mow the lawn the other day, and I cleared away some vines choking "my" trees, and trimmed the limbs that were too close to the house and windows.  We had dealt with the broken sheet-rock in the kitchen, and put the rest in bags.

Yesterday and today, we worked on what will be a combo office (Bob's) and family room, and took down all the molding and paneling so we could get to the next level to do the rewiring of the house.  I carried out all the bags of tile, and the removed wood and paneling to stack in the carport.  Later we will load it in the trailer and take it to the dump.

Bob untangling heavy extension cords for the temporary service while we renovate....

the start of the pile...all the asbestos first....

some of the kitchen bags

and we found some of the cabinets easy to move...

under the paneling was particle board, which Bob will use a dremel  on, to cut chanels for the wiring...after we

pull all the old wiring, and hopefully sell the copper in it for some money....there should be quite a bit of it.

Tomorrow we rest, and then back at it on Tuesday!  Will try for more pics then.  Night all!