operation learning a new trade

Well, it is the end of the month.  It has been right at two months since we purchased the Broadwell house.  I think we are getting a lot done for a family that has so much going on.  What do you think?  Saturday we decided to take the day off and go shopping for some much needed building supplies.  After about 4 hours in the local Menard's store, the children were rearing to come home and we were too!  Will try to leave them home the next time.  LOL  Monday we go there after school and had time to do one wall of osb and insulation board and seal it up.  I will admit that it is not my favorite thing to do, climbing a ladder but you do what you have to do to help out and Monday just included climbing the ladder.  I am alright as long as I don't look down!  Haha! David put in some rebar in the bedroom addition so the block could be laid there on Thursday.  After that he started on the log splitter and Jonathan started putting the foosball table back together.  We thought it might be good to have it over at the Broadwell house since we are not home much to play it anymore.  It will give the children something else to do while they are on breaks.  Tuesday we went right in time for David to get there.  The girls pulled nails for a little while, 486 to be exact.  I told them I would pay them a penny a nail so I know that is how many they pulled.  Jonathan and I carried 20 more block to the back of the house so there would be enough to finish that place on Thursday.  Then he set up for block laying and mixed the mortar.  David taught me how to put the mortar on and lay the block.  I am not too good at laying block, I keep setting it down too hard and squishing the mortar out so I just stuck with the mortar laying.  We had a system going and were able to get the same amount of block laid in half the time as when I don't help.  So I guess I will be helping with that from here on out!  So am I sore?  LOL  Every muscle that can hurt, does.  :-)  Oh well, it is all part of the plan!  Unitl next time...

foosball time

laying mortar

garage door!  LOL

putting up osb

drilling in rebar



 

operation whatever I have to do

Ha, what a funny title to the post today.  It is true though, it is whatever I have to do to help with the house so David can get the block laid.  Yesterday it was put up a wall of osb board and insulation board with Jonathan!  Talk about exciting times with the wind blowing so hard it was quite a trick.  But, we succeeded and there was a sweet smile on my husband's face when he arrived.  So worth it!  While we did that, the girls swept up debris from inside the house where we tore the windows out and all the nails from pulling walls and they boxed it up for David to dispose of.  It began to rain about half an hour after we got done so I let the children watch a DVD while I cleaned up the shed a bit.  David got there and could not work due to all the rain so he took the truck back to Menards and picked up a load of osb, pink board and mortar while I cooked dinner in the camper.  It made for a little bit of a relaxing evening!  We also walked around the house and discussed where we wouldput windows.  Going shopping on Saturday!


sealing insulation board

cutting osb

back done by Jonathan and I

all cleaned up

movie time

operation exercise

We spent the day at the house yesterday getting as much done as we could before the cold weather gets here on Friday.  The girls and I cleaned the basement floor up so that we can pull the wire and pipes out and powerwash it.  It can then be painted.  I think that is going to be my next job!  Yeah!  LOL  Jonathan got everything ready and had the mortar mixed when David got there so he could lay another row of block.  To our surprise, the tent we put up over the block was still there so that was a blessing.  Stay tuned for tomorrow and see if it holds up through the rain and wind we are suppose to get tonight.  Anyway, we cleaned up the yard and burned the burn pile.  We also learned how to start briquets without lighter fluid.  Then there was that deer that keeps following us around.  It had clothes on yesterday!  Today we had to go over just for a couple of hours and wait for the wood stove to be delivered.  It got there pretty early and they carried it to the basement, all 350 pounds of it!  The girls brought their school work with them so they could do that while Jonathan and I each carried almost 4,000 pounds of concrete block and put it in the holes where it goes.  WOW!  I think I may be feeling that a tad bit!   Tomorrow will be our last day this week to work there.  Menard's is having 11% off everything in the store so we will be doing some shopping for needed items.

second row of block

wood stove has arrived

in place

bedroom addition

briquets light with fire

dressed deer

operation block layer

We went over to the house this morning really early thinking that the wood stove would be delivered today.  The truck left the dock without it.  Will try that one again on Wednedsay.  It stormed pretty bad for a couple of hours so we stayed inside and pulled nails while the boys took down one more wall and then pulled electric wire out and electric boxes off.  When the rain let up we went out and made a make shift tent for David to work under while he does brick just in case it should rain again before he gets it done.  I hope the thing stays up!  LOL  We also put up some orange safety fence around the hole in the front.  Makes me feel a little bit safer.  Dinner consisted of chili and cheese on a big pile of fritos.  MMMMMM.....  Guess anything taste great when you are working hard and it is what you have. We needed a hose to start laying the block and the one we had did not reach.  What better way than to just poke a hole in one side and run it out the other.  Interesting!  Also a photo of the steps David built yesterday for them to get the wood stove in. 

tent we built to work under

laying the first block

mixing mortor

hose in...

...hose out!

steps on back of house

operation osb board

We all got to the house about 4 yesterday.  We borrowed a friends child again and he and Jonathan helped David rake rock in the basement floor.  Oh my what fun that was!  LOL  They also lowered some block down into the hole so David would have it accessible to start laying block.  The girls and I cleaned up the rest of the kitchen floor and pulled nails again.  Today was incredible.  The guys got the whole side of the house sheeted and foam board put up.  Of course I forgot to get the tape to tape it so I am praying that it will not rain until we get it done tomorrow after church.  Yikes!  David got all his strait lines set up for block so he is ready to go on that.  I spent the afternoon going for tools and picking up the log splitter for the wood stove. Then there was this deer.  It kept appearing.  Someone gave it to David the other day and Jireh found it.  She litterly carried the thing all over with her today. Sometimes it was a buck and sometimes she would take the antlers off and it was a doe.  By the end of the day, she was carring just the head around. It was so funny!  All in all, it was a very productive day!  Monday we will try to get the small walls on the back of the house done while the weather is so beautiful.

trying to get the boards moved for the next load

working?????

the wall comes down

osb board going up

lots of nail to pull

insulation board going on

the deer

YIKES!  It is behind me.

operation swollen ankle :-)

Just thought I would update you on the ankle.  It is not broken, just a bad sprain.  Interesting how the swelling that was centrally located has now gone to all over the foot and toes as well as up my leg.  It is now turning black also even up my toes.  Interesting!  Kind of gross too!  LOL  Oh well, this too shall pass.

operation footing pour

Got the footings all poured.  Exciting!  Next will come the block. The girls and I pulled nails for about three hours while Jonathan got the rebar wired together and the other rebar cut to length for his dad to set it.  Then came the cement truck for the pour.  How exciting to watch that thing crank out the cement.  I was watching so closely that I neglected to see a whole and stepped into it.  Hummm....that was interesting. You will see a photo of that one below. 

master bedroom addition

pouring the living room footing

footing for dining room

ouch

operation full dumpster

The dumpster is finally full.  We still have one room to finish gutting about half way and then the roof but we will put that in the next dumpster.  This one will  be rolled off this week.  David said someone dug the metal bathtub out of the dumpster and took it.  Interesting!  This week has been just gutting still and pulling nails.  The girls will start pulling nails today while Jonathan finishes up the rebar so David can pour footings this afternoon.  Then it will hopefully start to take shape in a big way and we can get the addition on and under roof.  We got a call this week also from a friend that is a tree trimmer that he had an Ash tree he was going to cut down if we wanted the wood so we spent the bigger part of Wednesday loading/unloading wood for the new wood stove.

finishing rebar

smashing down trash

entryway gutted

picking up a load of wood

beginning of wood pile

operation fall weather

Or should I say winter weather today!  It was 24 degrees when I got up this morning.  There was a heavy frost on the van and the wind was blowing really hard.  Still had to go to the new house and get some work done.  We basically froze all day if we stopped working even for a moment.  David did freeze all day moving dirt with the skid steer.  Quite breezy.  He did get some rock put in the forms and ready for the rebar to be put in next.  Then we will be able to pour the footings and start the block.  The kids and I did a little more gutting inside.  We also got the whole pile of wood burned.  We needed the heat to stand by once in a while so we could stay warm.  It was ravoli and home made yeast rolls for lunch with apple pie cooked in the dutch oven.  The weather is suppose to be in the 60's next week.  Hopefully we will get a lot done before it gets too cold.  Some friends dropped in and pulled nails for a little while and then ate hot dogs and marshmellows with us. 

burn pile almost gone

back of the house

front addition

operation "trade kids" day

We set out to the house this morning to work all day.  One of Jonathan's friends was going to help us today so when he got there we decided it would be a great idea for the girls to go home with him mom and sister so we could really try to get a lot done and not have to keep up with the girls. So we traded kids for the day. They do work but they play as much as possible too and I find myself going to "find" them quite often.  It worked like a charm, they had a great day and we got an incredible amount of work done.  The boys and I worked very hard all day with a couple of "tree climbing" breaks for them.  We got the rest of all the rooms done that were started along with the main bathroom and most of the bedroom ceiling.  We got the whole place cleaned up outside where we had thrown all the wood.  Then when Dad got there they poured some concrete and took the bathtub out.  Then the kitchen was torn out by Dad while the boys finished up on the bathroom.  I think it was an incredible day for all of us.  The girls arrived home about 7:30 and it was time to come home.  We will all sleep good tonight!

stomping down the roll off container

main bathroom

kitchen

footings in front

pouring post for footings

pouring concrete

fried chicken over the open fire

home grown green beans with potatoes and butter

peach cobbler to top it off