Thursday, April 30, 2009

Happy National Scrapbook Month!!!

I love when it is National Scrapbook Month... that means Margaritas while cropping. I can't wait to scrapbook all weekend... I predict lots of pages being done! Better yet, I took a personal day on Monday, so I get to spend the day with my kids! Whoo hoo!

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday! Happy birthday, Mom! I know you are having a blast in the Bahamas and I can't wait to see all the pictures! Enjoy!

I am having a huge sale at Scrapbooking's Inn, in honor of National Scrapbook Day! All kits are 30% off Saturday only! Go shop!

Tonight, I am grateful for...
National Scrapbook month
Margaritas
Children pretending to be pirates
Watching Bryce dance while brushing his teeth
Lunch out tomorrow
Scrappin with Terry and Amy K. on Saturday
Beautiful pics to scrap
log homes
sleeping well
my health
my mom
my sister
my sister watching the kids this weekend

Sunday, April 26, 2009

The Way I Am

The Way I Am
By: Ingrid Michaelson

If you were falling, then I would catch you
You need a light, I'd find a match
Cuz I love the way you say good morning
And you take me the way I am

If you are chilly, here take my sweater
Your head is aching; I'll make it better
Cuz I love the way you call me baby
And you take me the way I am

I'd buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair
Sew on patches to all you tear
Cuz I love you more than I could ever promise
And you take me the way I am
You take me the way I am
You take me the way I am

This is this week's song at Scrapping the Music... can't wait to create this layout about Brian and I. I love all the lyrics and can't wait to use them all. They fit us very appropriately.

Brian, I love how you take me the way I am... and I will always take you the way you are (even laundry all over the floor, which you know drives me nuts...) :)

I am grateful for us... "cus I love you more than I could ever promise!"

Sunday's progress

Let there be logs? This is the view from the morning, showing the progress from last night's subfloor. We finished cutting the outside edge off the subfloor to make it flush with the wall. We temporarily covered the stairway so that noone falls.Time to begin...
Tyler and Jesse worked on putting the baseplate down. Thanks for all your help today. You were a keystone in getting done as much as we did!
Todd made an appearance and wanted to take over supervising the site. Who comes to a construction site wearing flip flops? Just wondering... just joking Todd! He didn't do a very good job, because he didn't catch our mistake. We were told to put all the baseplates on wrong... so after we had them all in glued and nailed... we had to rip them all up and switch them around... we had them placed so that the D would face in instead of out... grrr... Goooooosfraaaaba!
Baseplates done... Brian is getting the first load of logs...
Here they come... can you feel the excitement?
Tada!!!! I just love them! Rough cut with the chain saw.
One of the Lions came to give us a wreath that his wife made us for our house. It turns out that he was Jesse's teacher. Small world! It is a gorgeous wreath made out of pine cones and blueberries.
Here is what you do between each set of logs... put glue and tacky strip down.
Jason and Brian laying the second log.
Beautiful
I love how it hangs over the edge.
View from the driveway.
Jason and Shelby helped us the entire day.
Carrying the log himself... showoff!
Tonight I am grateful...
to see logs going up
framing being done
catching mistakes before they are too late
Help from Jesse, Tyler, Jason, Shelby and Dad C.
finishing the logs this week and next weekend
being able to laugh at the mistakes that were made (right Jesse?)
to have more help next weekend
to sleep well
wake up well rested
to be stronger
to be a little more tan
new sunglasses
drinking between 10-12 bottles of water
hydration
delicious food
adorable children (Clara wouldn't give me a hug until I took a shower... too cute)
Jenn and Randy for allowing the children to sleep over and stay with them all weekend.
John and Daphney (our new neighbors, who are wonderful)

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Saturday's progress

Subfloor is complete... first set of logs go up tomorrow!!!It has been a long, wonderful day. We had beautiful weather which made my freckles start to come out. I can say that we have and will be putting our sweat equitiy into this house. She She and I were using the nail guns, while the men cut, glued and hammered the pieces into place.
Above is a picture of John working with Brian.
Close up of the nail guns we were using.
Pappy and I were supervising at this moment!
Pappy came up to help us when we thought we had a problem with putting the flooring down crooked. Turns out one of the guys the other day put one of the floor joists in wrong and it threw us off. It took a good 3 hours for us to figure out that it wasn't the subfloor and that it was the floor joists.
Jeremy was a huge help today. I joked and told him he was trying to be a Maguiver like Brian does. He rigged up a belt as well as a bridge to the hill, so we didn't have to climb up and down on ladders. First, before the bridge he had to try jumping. It scared me to death.

Pappy helping Brian figure out what to do about the crooked flooring.

Here is Brian taking a 2 minute break after realizing that it wasn't the subfloor, which he started ripping up... that it was the floor joists. He tried to calm himself with "Goosfraba!!!" but it didn't work.

She She and I putting the holes/nails in the floor.

We refused to leave until the subfloor was done.
Brian, his dad and I were there until 9pm finishing the floor. We are ready for 9am when we start laying logs.
Tonight I am grateful for...
a beautiful porch (aka subfloor)
all the help today from everyone in all aspects (food helpers, volunteers, child watchers, etc.)
my camera to document this time
beautiful weather
freckles
getting tan
staying hydrated
everyone who plans on helping tomorrow
falling asleep easily

Friday, April 24, 2009

More subfloor

End of Friday night... We are a 1/4 of the way with the subfloor. We will be finishing the subfloor and placing the 1st row of logs on tomorrow. We only have a few men helping tomorrow. We have more who can help on Sunday.

I took on the job of using the massive nail gun and nailing the subfloor to the beams. It was awesome. I can't wait to do more tomorrow.

Above they are putting a chalk line down the center of the house.

I am learning how to load the gun with nails.

Follow the dots... easy enough!

What we got done...

Love is... watching a sunset while sitting on your house with your favorite person in the world.
Tonight I am grateful for...
sunsets
Brian
courage to help build the house
courage to climb up and down the ladder to get on the house
Cheryl
Diane
subflooring
to get more done tomorrow than we expect
dancing
beautiful post to hold up the steps (it is one of our trees from the property- cut to be the beam... it is a rustic cut and still has the bark on parts of it.. it is beautiful!)
12250+ steps today (I am not done walking yet tonight)

Sub floor

Here is what's happening today...Rudy is cutting lumber...
Dad C., Jesse and Randy are working on the subfloor.

The windows were delivered today.

Brian working on the subfloor...

Inspection of the subfloor went well today. We have beautiful weather. It is going to be a spectacular party this weekend!
Today I am grateful for...
Brian
men who are helping us today
people who are helping us this weekend
sunshine
being able to take them lunch
seeing progress
hoagies (lunch)
patience

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Made to Love You

I was made to love You
I was made to find You
I was made just for You
Made to adore You
I was made to love
And be loved by You

The dream's alive with my eyes opened wide
Back in the ring
You've got me swinging for the grand prize
Anything I would give up for You
Everything, I'd give it all away

The above are lyrics from "Made to Love" by Toby Mac. It is this week's challenge song at Scrapping the Music's Blog. I plan to create another layout based on the lyrics that are listed above. It will be a layout about Brian and I. I truly believe we were made to love one another. We have always had an instant bond that reaches far beyond anything that I could have ever imagined. We truly are connected by our souls. Funny thing, my sister in law blogged about this today.

Once I finish this layout, I will be sure to post it. I wish for all of you to have what Brian and I share with each other.

Brian, I am grateful to have you... love you, adore you and I would give everything away to be with you!

Today is the Day

Today is the day that the house was delivered. It has arrived... it is off the truck and placed on the property in different staging areas.
This morning, Brian called and asked me to stop by the property... I did, however, it took me longer than normal because I turned at Bergie's and forgot to go straight... so I had to turn around. Then when I got to the stop sign at school, I decided to go to McDonald's even though there was breakfast at school. Why do I tell you this? If I didn't choose to do all these things this morning, I wouldn't have witnessed my house drive by... while sitting in the drive through... I saw my house go by on the truck. I got to drive up Polk Valley Rd. behind it... with tears in my eyes of course! I thought I was going to miss that monumental moment today since I didn't take the day off. I didn't... I got to experience it! I love how fate can make things happen.
Here is a picture of our logs. They are giant Lincoln Logs. I guess Brian should read how to put the house together, huh!

The kids made a giant slide at the property.


The kids in the forklift.
Another picture of happiness. Can you see the checking that has occurred? Checking is splitting of the log that occurs naturally as the log dries. That is how you can tell if it is a true log home or log sided home.


Tonight I am grateful for...
fate
McDonald's
Brian asking me to come to the property this morning
witnessing my house drive by
tears of happiness
Non-Amish house raising party (it is not too late to join in the fun- just give us a call or email)
everyone who is helping us
strength and endurance of the men and women helping
Jenn for watching our kids during the day
Amy for watching the kids overnight
Mom C. for cooking
perseverance
Brian (the person who is making this happen)
men who are helping build
being able to be at the property tonight
sleep to get ready for one of the most exciting weekends... we have been planning this house, longer than we planned our wedding

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Scrapping the Music Challenge #82

Scrapping the Music Challenge #82
Made to Love- Toby Mac

This song is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I have so many ideas to scrapbook using the lyrics to this song... here is the 1st. My son absolutely adores his Pop Pop. They are 2 of a kind. Bryce for Halloween dressed up like his Pop Pop as a race car driver, it was really cute. He was wearing a Lightning McQueen racing suit. Here they are at the Pocono Nascar Experience this past summer. He loved watching his Pop Pop race around the track.

I used a lot of distressing on this layout with ink and an edge distresser. The Tim Holtz Gear masks are my favorite!
Thanks for looking at my layout and stopping by my blog.
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