Outside work is done!

The first round of fellas have completed their outside work on the family room:

If you look at my earlier post, you will get the before and after effect. This is before the guttering was put up — that turned out nice too.  They did a good job with the siding — you’d never know that there was ever a breezeway originally attaching the two buildings.

The flagstone patio (not shown) is a bit worse for wear, but it needs reset anyway — we didn’t know what we were doing at the time.

Not sure how my hollyhocks or Joe Pye fared being tromped on and such, but I saved hollyhock seed and have a Joe in the front that I need to move to the back anyway. Besides…I’ve been toying with the idea of putting a smallish spirea bush in the corner there…

Spring should be interesting…

And here is what happened to my kitchen window:

The vaulted roof line just clipped it, but according to the contractor, he will come up with something creative to handle a pass through type of thing

Anyway — now it is the plumber’s turn to install the radiant floor heating — I am really curious as to how that will be accomplished.

Went to the carpet place today to get a very rough estimate, go over the wood laminate selection I made earlier — I think I am staying with it — and also to look at DuraCeramic tile for the entryway and laundry/bathroom. I still hate shopping, but so far all the salespeople have been helpful and not at all pushy.

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NP: FlashForward, but I am not paying close attention. I think V will be taking the place of that. And of course there is Fringe — I’ve been missing my weekly dose of Walter.

Where’s Sophie? On the couch where she can lick the TV tray. Ew. Leave it, Sophie!!

While my blog was sleeping…

…things were happening outside!!!

Yep, the breezeway, aka the airlock, was torn off a week ago and this is a picture of the concrete footing that were poured earlier this week. Yippie!

You would not believe the mud dabber wasp nests underneath the aluminum siding. It was a wasp condo!

All reconnected again! This took one day. The fellas must have worked themselves into a frazzle.

It is sooo weird to look out my kitchen window into the family room instead of seeing the corner of the family room and the driveway. And the kitchen itself sounds different. More solid sounding, or something.

This is all so very exciting…tomorrow either they will be working outside to get that back in shape or they will be inside, building the laundry/bathroom.

Did I mention I was excited?! Whee!

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NP: Everybody Hates Chris — because the news was preempted by some sport something…

Where’s Sophie? On the back of the couch — on neighborhood watch. As far as I can tell, she has been perfectly fine with all the banging, hammering, sawing going on. She didn’t pay any attention to it over the noon hour when I was home — no reaction at all. I sure hope that’s the way she is when I am gone. Not sure how she will react when the kitchen window is removed…

Totally like watching: Stargate Universe. Sort of a Lost on Battlestar Gallactica… catching it on hulu.

Screamed like a girl…

…during Fringe tonight.

Sophie jumped up to see if I was OK.

First time I ever saw her worried about me.

Um…wow…

This must have been a surprise…

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Still on a semi-hiatus.

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NP: Evening weather report. Rain coming.

Where’s Sophie? In her crate, the sleepy head

Mood-o-meter: Tired

New favorite show on the telly: Leverage

Lest you believe

…I had a perfect day yesterday — I managed to spill part of a root beer float and then sat on it whilst getting in my car.

The indignity of it all.

However my ice cream cone — that I did not drop a bit of whatsoever — was mighty tasty.
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AND THEN — went to a Starlight Radio concert in B-town. It was at a nature preserve. Did I think for one minute that it was an OUTDOOR venue and LAWN CHAIRS might be nice to sit on?

Oh no.

So I stood during the concert-where-everyone-else-was-seated, hoping that I didn’t put the musicians off any…

…until DH went back home, grabbed the chairs, and came back — an eighteen mile round trip.
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Today however was putt-putting right along — really busy at work and the time went fairly fast. Got home after work and told Soph we were going for an uptown walkie, when I saw the answering machine blinking.

“This is so-and-so. We need to schedule your house appraisal.”

Now doesn’t this look nice?

I knew this was coming — we are refinancing our house with the idea of getting it paid for before we <insert hysterical laughter> retire.

I was hoping for just one of those “drive by” kind of appraisals — silliness sometimes reigns in my head — but I guess it should be done properly.

So how in the world am I suppose to get this place put together for a decent first impression? We always have the “lived in look” downstairs, which doesn’t bother me much — but the upstairs! Egads! It’s basically storage and stuff strewn about — not the two bedroom area it should be.

…and the basement. That has to be DH’s realm…

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Did I mention that we are also getting ready to go on vacation?

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NP: The tv weatherman, two fans and the air conditioner

What’s Soph doing? Pushing around her food cube. You should see her — she could do quite well in soccer.

Mood-o-meter: exasperated

It is a bit warmish out…

…so instead of a walkie, Sopher and I are playing a game.

It doesn’t have a name. I wouldn’t call it “fetch” exactly. It’s more of an “exchange.”

To play this game you need several destuffed stuffed animals with holes in them. Take two of the bigger formerly stuffed stuffed animals and shove in smaller stuffless animals.

You now have  two stuffed animals that are full of formerly stuffed animals.

Throw one of the now-stuffed (formerly unstuffed stuffed) animals for Sophie to catch. Whilst she is catching it, hold out the other newly stuffed animal out for her see — shaking it vigorously, but not so’s to make the small destuffed animals to come out.

Sophie then abandons the first animal — which she has had time to destuff — and is attracted to the second fully stuffed animal.

Throw it! She will chase it!

Then go get the first unstuffed stuffed then destuffed animal and restuff it.

Repeat.

Now isn’t that fun?

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NP: The local weathercast.

On the telly tonight: Lark Rise To Candle…was it “ford?”

Dinner tonight: BBQ, carrots, coleslaw.

Mood-o-meter: A bit excited. I may have found a new source for Cook family genealogy info from a relative in Massachusetts! Also a bit down: DH will be working late tonight.

Up on the housetop: The finale

…ta da!

…and it’s ready for its close up, Mr. DeMille:

There you have it.

So one project done. Next: the family room.

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NP: House, the air conditioner, the fan

Mood-o-meter: Been a rough day. Bleah.

Chimney, Day 3

The latest:

Looks like we have two mini-stacks on top:

On a sad note: Couldn’t bear to take a picture, but Joe Pye has been obliterated, stomped on, and smashed.

Anyway — the chimney should be all done on Monday.
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NP: Nothing. Must be Friday night. But will Hulu Burn Notice later…

Up on the housetop…

…there’s no chimney.

What a difference five years can make!

2004 – it hurts my eyes to look at that brick porch:

2009 – uh, minus chimney:

More pictures later!

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NP: Lark Rising to Candleford and the fan. Hey! That’s Jackie from Doctor Who!!

Where’s Sophie? Sacked out on the floor…odd.

I know…

…it often seem like I just arrived on this planet…

I’ve recently discovered Cameo apples — and are they ever good.

Just sayin’….

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NP: The news, the fan, the air conditioner.

Mood-o-meter: I hate “power surges”.

How’s about that dog?: Started training Soph to weave between my legs. Since she has a good grasp of “wait” she is no longer bolting after the Cheerio and messing me up.

Hulu tonight: Burn Notice!!!!!