Closer to the dream.

It is Monday on Tuesday. Right? Yesterday we celebrated Memorial Day by going furniture shopping. Somewhat successfully. Will keep you in suspense until delivery.
So - today we hit the ground running. The first working day of this week. Painters are here. Brick layer is here. Uncle Jay is here setting the new posts on the front porch. They look great. Electrician has been here and will be back. Lighting will be delivered this morning. And the floor men should be here in an hour. Getting it done.

Sunday we trekked over to celebrate Tucker's 6th birthday! His birth story is good. I won't go into great detail. Suffice it to say that the doctors and nurses at Northport Women's Pavilion are the best. He was born gray and not breathing. No one panicked. He pinked up quickly once they got his breathing jump started. And now he is 6. And a terrific kid. And smart. And talented. And, yes, I am just a little biased.

The big 6.

Tucker the terrific.

T-bone always has plenty of wind.

*****

Friday pics. 

Jed, the concrete man, was on the backhoe getting rid of old concrete and excess dirt. There really is no black spot on the wall. Don't know quite how that shadow got in the picture. It may have been a fly on the camera lens. 

Pretty fun stuff to watch.

*****

There's plenty to do today. My list includes:

1. Going to Lowe's to purchase something to keep furniture from scratching floors.

2. Looking at rugs

3. Pick out two new light fixtures

4. Help stuff envelopes at church

Whew. Glad I have written it down. That always makes me more accountable. 

Make your own list today. You will feel so good to scratch off as you accomplish. 

Be sweet. 

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Yesterday Dad Skyped me while Mom was at the doctor to inform me of what was going on. Mom had experienced some chest and jaw pains early in the morning. Sister, Marsha, had spent the day with her and Dad waiting for the doctor to call back. Sister, Mimi, was there nearly as long. Dad was unaware until the last minute that Mom wasn't feeling good.
I stayed on Skype with Dad and Mimi until Marsha and Mom were home from the doctor. The cardiologist. To say Dad was relieved when Mom walked in the front door would be an injustice to the emotion. He reached for her. She came to him. They shared a long kiss. I captured the very next moment...

Evening at Camp Reeves.

We are hunkered down between kitchen/bedroom/bathroom. Feels like a long camping trip. I just thought we were finished with the dust. In comes the power thingy to scrape up the thin set (glue) from the tile that Uncle Jay and Mr. Macho popped up. It isn't as easy as that - it doesn't just pop up. I simply don't know the right term for jerking it off the floor.
Anyways...Uncle Jay and Son in Town tag-teamed the thin set. It is mostly gone - by the back door.
S-i-T said he will come over tomorrow afternoon for some more fun and tackle the thin set by the front door.
The dust this time is not the fine dust of the sheet rock days. This dust is gritty. And dirty. And - once again - everywhere.
After eating supper Mr. Macho and I went on a murderous rampage and killed dozens. Of flies. They have invaded in biblical proportions. We're talking the plague here. Unfortunately we did not get them all. They are among my mortal enemies. I do not like the fly.

Uncle Jay jack-hammers the thin set.

Son-in-Town applies a little sweat equity. Thanks. 

New concrete pad. Pretty soon there will be a door that will open onto that pad. 

Side view of the soon-to-be screened porch. Thanks to Duke, our brick layer, it is looking pretty fabulous. 

Back view of porch.

The other side is a hot mess. 

Winston. The neighborhood cat with dual citizenship. He was ready to high tail it if I got any closer. Winston has a twin that is pretty friendly. Winston, on the other hand, is not. 

Side door off the new hall - complete with new concrete pad. Thanks Jed. He is our concrete man. 

The Shady Lounge. Concrete men, framers, roofers, sheet rockers, painters, and trusty side kicks frequent this lunch spot. As evidenced by the multitude of cigarette butts that litter the ground. 

Uncle Jay said he might be finished the inside by Friday. Hot diggity dog. 

*****

I am wishing you a peaceful Memorial Day. If I am not mistaken, one story has Memorial Day's origin here in my own town. After the Civil War some ladies decorated graves of both Union and Rebel soldiers alike in the cemetery. I think it was first called Decoration Day. 

I thankfully send a shout out to military personnel that work hard to do their duty. Past and present. Thank you from the center of my heart. 

I pause to remember all who have given the ultimate sacrifice. 

These snaps were taken in March, 2011. 

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Profound. 

Arlington Cemetery. The photograph does not do justice to the emotion this place invokes. 

Sister, Amanda, and I - doing homage to our Dad who served in the Army Air Corp in WWII and was stationed for a while on Okinawa. Thanks Dad. 

****

Peace. 

Oh happy day!

Monday brought new coats of paint. The handy, dandy painter-men, Billy, Carlos, and Josh, worked like trojans and got most of the first coat of paint applied to all but a small section of the new den and the laundry room. How can I say this without sounding hooky? I have seen this in my mind's eye for a very long time. Now it is starting to morph into that vision. Like "beam me up Scottie" - only this is a house and not a person. Slowly it is starting to beam into my reality. Sheer happiness.
Matt, my main plumber-guy, did a bang up job getting my water heater set and re-installing my washer and dryer! I am in washing heaven. Got four loads done yesterday. What a luxury! Absence does make the heart grow fonder.

***

Mr. Macho and I had our dance lesson last night. The tango is hard. It will be a satisfying dance if we ever catch on. I continue to looove the fox trot. We need some more practice. Lots of it, too.

***

Billy rollin' it out.

Last shot of outside sporting the old paint colors. 

One wall complete with first coat. Notice how nice the beam looks with the paint vs. stain?

New den with partial first coat of paint. Bathroom on left. Bedroom on right. 

Looking into old den. We have to get bookshelves and piano out before next week when the floors will be installed. 

Grey paint in new bathroom. 

Love. Self explanatory. 

And so goes another day in the land of construction. Goals for the day: 

1. Pick out a front door

2. Make it to the bank

3. Drop shirt and skirt off at the dry cleaner

4. Buy new light bulbs for the new can lights

5. Whatever

****

La tee dah! Let's get this party started. 

Sweet Pea weekend and a new week.

The weekend was fun. Saturday morning Mr. Macho and I had a leisure breakfast. Coffee on the "veranda" (new patio). I whipped up a pimento cheese type spread and off we went to meet up with our fellow dancers. We joined three other couples and ate a smart lunch. Then we were off to the retirement community to entertain the residents with our dancing skills. One more of our gentleman dance friends met us at the retirement center.
The other three couples each showcased a dance. We just joined in when there was a generic group dance. Songs were played and we tried to engage some of the ladies in dancing with us. Some did. Some didn't. We did some fun line dancing and, I am happy to report, some of the residents were very good Electric Sliders! Everyone enjoyed the afternoon. Mr. Macho caught up with two ladies that he knew every since he was a kid. They were delighted to visit with us - especially him. Our dancing was not primo. But, who cares? They delighted. We glowed with the fun of it and from catching up with the sweet acquaintances. They thanked us all profusely and invited us to come back and visit any time. We will most assuredly do this again.
****

Saturday night and we sashayed over to Sweet Pea's house to babysit and wash clothes. She was good and fun. She is a smart girl. Loves the books. 

Mr. Macho - "Granddaddy" to Sweet Pea - listens attentively as Sweet Pea reads to him. 

Sweet Pea with all her friends lined up and ready for bed. Minnie, Mickey, Elmo, Momo (the monkey), bunny, and Pooh is somewhere in the mix, too. We kissed them all good night and put them in the bed. After we kissed Sweet Pea and put her in the bed she talked to them for 10 minutes before she got quiet and fell off to sleep. 

***

Sunday after church we had a nice visit over breakfast with our friends, the Wrights. They are such a fun couple. They have bought a house in North Carolina and invited us to come up and vacation with them. We would love to - only after this construction project. Hope the invite stays valid for a while. 

Sunday afternoon we attended our church's International Food Festival. A little wind and short rain cooled things nicely. Sweet Pea and her Dad joined us for food and fun. There were beads thrown to the crowd by reps from the "Cajun" booth. Sweet Pea had a terrific time with the beads. 

Putting them on. Taking them off. Over. And over.

Sweet Pea was amazed with the little girl blowing bubbles. Will have to remember to get a supply of bubble stuff. Usually keep it in stock. Here at the house.

***

Sad note this morning. My Dad's only sister, Aunt Eleanor, is declining rapidly. 

Years ago, mostly before the storm (I despise using the name "Katrina" so you will notice that I will say "the storm" referring to that storm) on my way to or from the visiting my parents on the coast, I would often stop to visit Aunt Eleanor. Almost there and I would call to ask if she wanted a Wendy burger. She would - and could I please bring a chocolate frosty? We would sit in her little kitchen and eat and tell the truth. She loved it. I loved it. We would talk about every member of the family we could think of. Dissect why they did what they did. Good family gossip. Oh I do love Aunt Eleanor. Before her husband died, lots of years ago, she lived in a big old antebellum home. When they were much younger an itinerant painter stopped and painted a portrait of their house. An acquaintance passed their house, saw the painter, ran into her husband, and told him, "I see you are having your house painted!" Well, Uncle Jimmy was livid as they had decided not to spend money on that right now. It was a big laugh when he got home and found that she had a house portrait for $50!! She told that story so well. Aunt Eleanor tells a good story. I like to think that I get my pleasure of telling stories from her. 

Heaven will be a more interesting place when she gets there. The stories will be better. 

***

Early this morning plumber and painters arrived. The house is trading the smell of stinky sheetrock for the smell of freshly primed walls. I have a bathroom door in the back house. Already. My floor man has called and should arrive around 1:30 p.m. 

The little rain did not stop the painters from washing down the exterior surfaces. Good. 

The beat goes on. 

Woof.

I am one tired chica! The price of progress. Sheet rockers are gone. That part of the job is done. Copious amounts of dust have been sanded and swept from the house today. More dust has taken its place. Uncle Jay and his brother, Uncle Bo, cut and removed old carpet from the old den. They removed tile by the back door. Uncle Jay also laid some tile in my laundry. I swept, ran the shop vac, dusted, and mopped. Twice. Uncle Bo's painter men will be here bright and early Monday morning. Plumbers should be here, too. Uncle Jay will be back and work his magic. This project will really start to look like somethin' next week.

Here are some pics from today...

Shot from the kitchen this is the old den. Carpet out. Ugly paneling out. Ready for paint.

Tile in laundry. Water heat, washer, and dryer will sit there next week. 

Kitchen/dining area with extra furniture. We have eaten at the bar this week. 

New den with sheet rock and stippling. 

Bricks for steps. 

Pic taken from the shop pad. 

I think next Friday's pictures will look very different. 

****

Ah. The weekend. No workers here. 

Hope yours is peaceful, too. 

The worst part.

I believe we are living through the worst part of our construction project this week. For one thing, Uncle Jay's trusty side kick, Russell, had an accident in the work truck last week. His injuries were not life threatening, thank heavens. He is still recovering and that has been tough on Uncle Jay. He was extremely worried about Russell the day of the accident and he continues to be most concerned with his complete recovery.

For another thing, it is sheet rock week. Hanging. Mudding. Tomorrow = sanding. Dust upon dust. It will take a year to get all the dust out the house. I fight the urge to clean it up now, knowing that tomorrow it will get worse. 

Next week. Clean up. New paint. Floor man will come measure. Laundry room will be functional. It will be better. 

Today I met Uncle Jay at the building supply store and picked out a new front door. I went with my second choice for half the price of my first choice. I will be very happy with it. I then proceeded to the cabinet shop and made all the small decisions on the cabinets. Done. And done. 

Here are some new snaps. It may not seem like very much progress. But it is. Truly it is. 

Uncle Jay installed some door knobs late yesterday. Mr. Macho wanted to run the AC last night. And he did. We now have such nice insulation that the unit didn't run for very long and the house was cool all night long. 

Messiness is a necessary evil right now. We will survive this. And it will be great.

Looking from the corner of the new bedroom into the den. Walls are totally mudded. The rockers are supposed to come back this afternoon to stipple the ceilings. 

View of the old den. It really feels larger without the old paneling. 

Our pathway to the bedrooms. Trying to avoid bringing too much dust and mud into the old bedrooms. 

*****

Daughter texted me this morning that Super Carrot pulled up on the toy box at school today. Isn't she clever?! Of course she is. 

The plans for the upcoming weekend promise to be busy. Dancing at a retirement home with our dance class on Saturday. Mr. Macho will probably spectate. The rest of us will do some fun line dances. There is a really neat waltz line dance that I like. 

Sunday is our food fest at church. One of my home-girls asked me to make some dessert. I was hoping to escape the food preparation. Oh well. I'll figure something out. 

And so goes another day in the life. 

I'm making some reubens for supper. One of Mr. Macho's favorites. Just us and the dust.  

Got to run. The rockers are back. Goodbye quiet moment.