Institutional Grey

Now it feels like we're getting somewhere! The primer went on tonight and I am bursting at the seams to take the next step and get real color on the walls. *Giggle* I just noticed that the pile of plastic near the hearth makes it look like the shop vac is spewing smoke! :0) Anyway, I just took a few "perspective" shots.

Glory be! Today the 2 barriers in the hallway came down! For almost a month, we've lived with a plastic curtain and then a sheet further down. It made cooling efficiency a real bear.

Andy particularly likes this view. Standing in the depths of the hallway and being able to see all the way to the hearth!

I really like these 2 recessed lights on dimmers that light the passage out of the hallway into the living area. It's where we think the traffic pattern will be... We're getting there! Thanks to Mom and Larry for stopping by with Jimmy Johns tonight so we could push through with the priming. The latter part of this week will be a real push to get the flooring in so we can empty the POD before pickup Monday or Tuesday!

Hello From Chaos

Heat, humidity, and a bit of frustration 'round here today. The recessed lights are in, but there are some wiring issues that have Andy stumped. He spent almost the entire day in and out of the oppressive attic. I am so proud of his work ethic and drive, but sometimes I worry about him needing to take a break. The kids' behavior today had us both about to the breaking point, even with an offer to take them to the park for a picnic. Tonight, a storm moved through right as I put supper on the grill. It was a multitude of downpours, tons of lightning, and thunder galore. We ate our supper at the card table in the garage watching the light show. Back to mudding and sanding tomorrow... Maybe I'll post more pics when we get some color on the walls...

Baseball Ends on a High Note

Today was the Rookie League tournament. The team really showed their stuff! We were 2 members down, but the defense was the best it's been all season! Joel got to play 1st base the entire game, and he did a super job. His quick catches and sense to stay near the bag allowed him several outs. He even caught a pop fly again today. We are so proud of him! The coach treated the team to Dairy Queen after the game and each boy received a cool trophy. We got word today about a fall league and he is definitely pumped about that. Way to go Joel-bean!

Will It End?!?

Today--more of the same...joint compound and more joint compound! I'm really getting sick of this part. Tonight, we did chalk lines and mapped out the cabinet/island layout on the subfloor. We also mapped out/marked the placement of the recessed lights and ceiling fans. Getting those installed (at least the boxes and casings) is on the agenda tomorrow, as well as another round of ceiling painting with the "spew paint everywhere" sprayer. Then the parade...a fun diversion--weather permitting. Monday should be spent sanding and HOPEFULLY I can start priming the walls Tuesday. Whew!

Lengthy Stage

Andy broke through to the garage today and got the pantry door installed. Our pantry will run most of the width of the garage. A little unorthodox, but it will be roomier than our old one and won't take up our newly opened kitchen space.

I feel like I've been taping/mudding drywall forever! It's definitely the longest haul in the process so far. Tape--mud--add corners--mud--dry--sand. Repeat until you have carpel tunnel! I think we'll be very happy and surprised if we can start priming by Monday, especially with a ball game Saturday and the Fishers Freedom Festival Parade Sunday.

This is going to be our "unique" corner. We have to creatively drywall this and had to add a tiny half-wall (didn't we just destroy all of those???) to allow for some electrical. It will end up being a useful entry/mudroom-type area though.

Today, I pushed myself pretty hard because a blessing from above came knocking on our door around 10:30. One of Joel's 1st grade classmates lives just down the road and we are friends with the family; 3 of the 4 kids I've had in school. Mrs. R showed up and kidnapped J and H for the day. Later, she called and said, "How about a sleepover?" Ummm......YEAH! So Andy and I had uninterrupted work time this evening. I know, it still doesn't look like much has changed, but we barely stopped for supper. Here's hoping this stage is almost over, Joel has a great bball game tomorrow, the kids are tucked in all snug and blissful, and we all get some good sleep! :0)

Almost Time for Color

Just a couple more pieces of drywall, a once-over with more tape/mud, and we'll be ready to paint. We're deciding exactly how to navigate the area where the front coat closet was. It should be dealt with tonight. Yesterday, I ran out of the joint compound, so I'll have to work on it tonight after we re-supply. The fun part of tonight's excursion will be picking up the paint for the kitchen/front room, livingroom, and hallway. I guess we can start calling it the "great room"! Today, I plan to start spraying paint on the ceiling (not looking forward to it...). After we FINALLY paint, then we can get on with the flooring--yeah!

Baseball and Flooding

Last night was Joel's final regular season game and he did great. Here, he just made contact for a decent hit--made it on base. He's really getting proficient at switch-hitting. The highlight of his game was a super pop fly catch at third base, which he played all night. The opposing team's coach told him, "Now that's baseball!" as he gave him a high-five. We're hoping they offer a fall baseball league. Joel's really taken to it and his skills are developing well. We should've put him on a National League Rookie team, but he didn't have experience, so we signed him up for American League. Now we know! Andy said he'll probably go ahead and coach next year. I think he'd be terrific!

After an night full of thunderstorms, we woke up to this flooding in our neighborhood. It's the worst we've seen it since we've lived here. Our lilacs are sure getting drowned! We saw a ladder and a tire floating past the kids' play fort here in our backyard ditch.

This is the front area of our neighbor's yard. Driveway is under water.

This is the view from where our street intersects with the main neighborhood access. The ladder and tire ended up out there past that mailbox and had to be rescued so it wouldn't stay in the middle of the street. Also discovered was the kids' telescope from their fort in the backyard!

This is looking the opposite way to the other cul-de-sac, which is completely flooded. I just checked outside again and the water seems to be rising as I record this!