remodel: phase one complete

Life this summer looks a little different for us. We are remodeling our 100-year-old farm house and making some necessary changes. The foundation in the South end was settling (actually not the original foundation, but the secondary put in during the 50s). We were having issues like doors not closing, huge cracks in the walls, leaks, etc., so we decided to pull that end of the house off and rebuild fresh. We wanted to preserve the heritage so I will do a post on the history of the house at a later date.

We are roughing it in the main house (no running water), while using a bathroom and kitchenette off the shop. Midnight bathroom runs are interesting - we keep the flashlight and umbrella by the door. No air conditioning has actually been really wonderful. The doors and windows are wide open with the breeze blowing through the house. We adjust to leaks in the office over the computer, and light coming through the cracks everywhere now that the aluminum siding is gone. It is an adventure. The kids are loving every minute.

Before:

North side (front) of house. 

west side

east side

back (south/east)

south side with a cute Frederick

The kids before the remodel.

Remodel Begins:

Down it comes. Jeremy in the excavator.

Frederick helping tear off siding.

Half-and-half.

The girls on the front porch. I love the vintage look of this.

No siding on the old house. (East side).

South side. Jamison crew in the trenches.

West side. 

grilled quesadilla

I am learning to be creative with the grill now that I am without a kitchen, and the gas has not been connected to my canning stove. So, alas, I am using the grill. Tonight I made grilled quesadillas with grilled chicken, onions, peppers, mozzarella cheese, and soft taco shells. I added fresh cilantro from my garden - which really made the flavors pop. Yum.

prairie princess

I was able to do a photoshoot for some friends this past weekend, and the little girls looked so darling in their little white dresses. The weather was perfect - sunny and warm - and we met at a nature reserve, so the sounds of the birds and the wind in the trees were so peaceful. Some of the photos looked like they walked right out of Victorian England and the freshness of the gardens within. Of course it makes it fun when your subjects are so adorable. Here are a few of my favorites of the little girls.

drive for the 100

Each month I have been featuring different ministries and people who are serving the Lord in various ways. This month I want to take a new twist to this and allow people to spotlight ministries that are close to their hearts. For the entire month of June, people can email me or post a comment below describing a ministry or person that inspires others to follow after Christ. Jeremy and I will choose one of the submitted ministries and donate $100.00 to their mission. I will do a special blog post at the end of the month with the stories and a special feature on the one we choose. I think this will be a very exciting way to become aware of how so many people live sacrificially for the Lord.

Here are the guidelines:
1) The person must be a Christian and/or the ministry must be Christian-based.
2) Submit a paragraph explaining how you know the person/ministry and how they are changing lives.
3) Include a way to donate to them. (address, Paypal, church, etc.)

new work

Summer time is upon us and at our house that means work is in full gear. And one thing I greatly admire about my husband is that he is an incredibly hard worker. He really embodies that verse in Colossians where it says to work at whatever you do with all your heart - like you are working for the Lord, not for men....it is the Lord you are serving. Sometimes I take for granted that he is a hard worker, and the Lord shows me again how rare a trait it is, and encourages me to appreciate what a great husband I have. (He really is pretty awesome).

His latest adventure is in asbestos abatement. (He saw a market for this line of work with the current green movement, but we still have our other two businesses keeping us busy as well.)  He and nephew Blake started an abatement-demolition company last year and they are now in full swing. They suit up and remove asbestos from buildings and homes, then many of the buildings get demolished, which they also do. This line of work doesn't really allow for the family to help, but the kids do get to ride along for site inspections and errands. I also get to rummage for vintage or antique items - and architectural salvage items. Very fun!

All the gray siding is asbestos. Blake on right suited up.

After asbestos removed.

And it's gone! There was less than a foot between buildings.

what attic?

I was so excited today to start our remodel that I began pulling the aluminum siding off and setting it aside to take to the scrap yard. I was making good time too, until I was almost to the top and came across a window. Mind you, we have lived in this house for nearly 8 years, and my husbands family has known the people who lived here before us even longer...so you would think I would know about a window.  We have this cellar off the back of the house and it was always cool because it sets lower than ground level. I never thought about the low ceiling or that the roof was in line with our porch....that has at least a 13' wall.

My diligent work and the found window.

When I peeked in the window I found an attic. Not much of an attic, but I was still very surprised and the attic was just the beginning of my surprises this afternoon. This is what I found:

Does this look enticing or what?  

Yes, I decided to climb through the window and find out what was in our unkown attic. It was probably 3 feet tall and covered with 1900's insulation - wood chips. No wonder old homes burnt like kindling when they caught fire! Elauna was my helper on the ground, and she would collect my "treasures" as I dropped them out the window.  I had been told that there used to be an old general store at our location, and much of what I found would be from at turn-of-the-century store as some of the items were for bulk or merchants.

Some of my treasures.

My helper with more of our finds.

Amazing colors and preservation.  Love this piece!!! 

From Cinci - old bucket tin.

This tin is from around 1900. One on Ebay selling for $325. I think I'll keep mine!

Love this paper sign. The colors are like new. Wow!

Native Purity maple syrup. Found several without labels - this one OK.

Found two. I will try to salvage. Very old Piqua Milling Co paper bag.

Apricots

Seal Rock Apricots

It is a good thing I have a roast on for dinner because I'm going back outside to work more on the siding. At least now this distraction is past and I can move on.....until this old house throws another curve my way and I get to salvage some more. How exciting!!!

learning to smile

My little Claire is such a sweetie, but shy towards strangers. She normally would stare at them without smiling and people tend to think she is grumpy. This past week she really learned how to smile when we asked, and then she learned that she got a lot of attention when she smiled. Her smile is a cute almost grimace, and her eyes disappear just like her Daddy's when he smiles.

Here are some pictures of her smiling goodness: