In Which Anne is Useful

Hurrah!   I made myself useful up at The Log House yesterday!    Let's be frank:  there's not much I can do to be helpful, except sweep up sawdust and make proclamations.  So when The Hubs gives me a job I can actually accomplish, it's momentous.

Said Husband had to go un-stick the snowmobile from the sugarbush, where it had gotten mired in the deep and softening snow, and set me up with some polyurethane in the dining room.  Never having polyurethaned anything before, I am pretty pleased with the fact that I didn't even screw it up a little.  Because, to be honest, it was a distinct possibility.  

During:

After:

I think it warms up that wainscoting nicely, eh?

Let's just step around the corner and see what we can see...

Well, hellooooo  lovely lights!   Fancy meeting you here!   

You know -- even though I know that we have so much work left to do before we move into The Log House, it's finish details like these lights that just make my day.  It makes it feel that much closer to reality.  

Here's something else The Nonchalant Husband demonstrated -- as an afterthought -- yesterday: 

I am so inordinately happy about this, I feel a bit shy to admit the amount of squealing that took place.   This is the main floor bathroom, the one directly across from the guest bedroom. So it will be convenient for you when you visit.  You ARE coming to visit, aren't you?

So much progress!  And for once, I actually contributed more than squeals of delight.  Aw, yeah.

Forget the chocolates

Happy Valentine's Day to meeeeee:

Happy Valentine's Day toooo meeeeeee:

Happy Valentine's Day toooo  Aeyonnnnnnne.......

Happy Valentine's Day to Me!

Who needs baubles?  I have a working and beautiful kitchen sink!  

(and an almost-ready dishwasher!)

Thank you, Husband.

The Kitchen Sink

My husband has divided affections.  Yes, it's true.  What?  No, our marriage is intact -- I'm talking about a sink.  Sheesh.

The Hubs found an old enameled cast iron sink and has been rehabbing it for the kitchen.  He loves it.

It was chipped and worn and rusty and a little grody, to be frank.

how old is that thing?

after it was washed, before it was re-enameled

after it was re-enameled along the rim

TA-DA!  Installed today!

Wanna know a secret?  I kinda love it too.  It's old... in our new house.

Our Day In Logs

The facing of the chimney exterior is ALMOST done --  all but a little corner, so I'm holding off on my TA-DA!  pictures until the whole shebang is done, and the scaffolding down.  

In the meantime, the rain today nixed The Hubs' work plans, so I bundled us all off to The Lake to get wee bits done on The Log House.

What makes me nearly as happy as progress on The House?  Children reading. 

We put on some outlet and switch covers in the downstairs bathroom:

Before

During

After.

Then Bob hooked up the sink in the upstairs bathroom:

We made a written list of the rest of the outlet/switch covers we need and I made a mental note of the remaining tasks that need to be done before we can move in (installation of kitchen cabinets & countertops, flooring over the entire first floor, exterior and interior doors, railing on the balcony, caulking in the bathrooms, wainscoting in the dining room, building that half wall between the dining and living rooms....  oh me oh my!)

But today, I'm grateful for the little things that were accomplished that bring us that small amount closer to done.

And that Bob didn't die while doing this:

My kind of fireworks

We had our annual Fourth of July celebration yesterday.... so, it was actually a 3rd of July picnic, but whatever.

The best thing about the day?  Well, aside from this:

Aunt Chrissy and The Girl relaxing on the dock

and this:

Flag fruit kebabs.  

and this:

Bob and The Troll  Aunt Chrissy in the ladderball tourney

and this:

The Hubs, Cousin Steve and the newest member of the extended family, little BabyA

and this:

Cousins and friends enjoying the day together

Was this:

A working bathroom sink.

That's as good as fireworks for me!


(And yes, Bob worked on our house the same day as our family 'do.  He's good like that.)

Bathroom progress

... which sounds like the post title of a parenting toddlers blog or something....

But here at At Home In Logs, it means:

Floor and tub/shower in; linen closet with a little framing; medicine cabinet actually installed (not just set in place); and ceiling and vanity lights wired and working!   The downstairs bathroom has certainly benefited from these several rainy days.  But, caulking, trim work, etc. will have to wait, now that we have a few sunny days in the forecast.  YOU may enjoy these blue-sky days in the mid 70s, but *I* prefer those nasty rainy days now that we have inside work to do on the house.   Because it results in PROOOOOOGRESSSSSS!!!  

*ahem*

All Primed Up... and Somewhere to "Go"

All that sanding and sanding paid off!  We spent the whole day up at Our Log House and primed, primed, PRIMED those walls and ceiling.  No, not ceilings.  Remember that the spare bedroom and dining room have log and board ceilings!   Plus, FIL Jim primed the downstairs bathroom yesterday.  He had a few spare minutes and rather than sit idle....  *shakes head*

And THIS time, by "we" I include myself!   {Yes, yes.... stop chuckling and imagining all sorts of catastrophes.}

So....  Bob and I and the kids, plus my mother, my Aunt Pam (who DROVE UP FROM SKANEATELES TO HELP PAINT THIS WEEKEND!!!), & FIL Jim spent the day knocking out some major tasks at the ol' loggy home.  (Johnny also gave us his Saturday morning, but more on that later.)   Pam actually came up yesterday, and we spent several hours in the afternoon finishing up the sanding and vacuuming, so that today we could get right to the priming.  Except that we still had to wipe down several of the walls first thing.   But THEN we got right to the priming!

MamaCathie primes spare bedroom closet

... and the hall ceiling

Aunt Pam does the hard part

In fact, we gave Pam ALL the hard parts.  Nice, eh?

Even the babies got in on the action!   With no major incidents, I might add.  They were enthusiastic and every bit as skilled as I was.   Ahem.

And The Hubs, when he was done with his morning project, took over some of the trickier bits:

And, of course, FIL Jim:

And all of that is so very VERY EXCITING that I can hardly stand it.... but the icing on the cake?  The piece de resistance?  The *muah*?

Plumbing.

Bob, etc. have been working all week to hook up the gray water and fresh water...

And the project that Bob, Jim and Johnny were finishing up this morning?

Bye-bye pee-pee:  the conclusion.   

And I used it.  

Yes-siree-bob!  I am now the proud owner of a functioning potty!  I'm not sure how to express my joy without sounding insincere and sarcastic....     because I'm really THAT excited about it!

I'm moving in.   Just try to stop me.