Renovations Continue

Two weekends ago, D's parents came back to our acreage for the second weekend in a row to help with renovations. The kitchen floor was the main obstacle to overcome. Justin and D's Dad worked the most on the floor. Below is Dad measuring one of the laminate squares to fit the puzzle together. We are now greatly enjoying the finished floor! Another task was stacking the washer and dryer. They line the wall where the new garage walk-in door enters the house. Mom and I spent our time staining the pantry and shelves of the pantry Justin built over the summer. With the help of a neighbor, Justin moved the pantry into the house last weekend. The shelves have dried and are ready to go in! I put the last coat of varnish on the doors tonight. Looking into the laundry/pantry room from the kitchen.

Home Renovation Party

D's parents came Saturday to help with home renovations. At one point, I thought of the tv show on HGTV "In Over My Head" and I was hoping for that crew to pull into the driveway and take over and finish all these projects! For starters, the place where the new door comes into the house from the new attached garage, needed some work. We found that the old pantry was a built in, so new sheetrock needed to be installed. Sheetrock installed ready for mudding. First layer of mud on. Next project involved freeing 3 pocket doors that former owners had put linoleum up so far that the doors couldn't be used. My dad cut away the current linoleum and subfloor to find more...linoleum. Isn't she pretty?

Mom and Dad work to free the current linoleum in the entryway. And removal of linoleum in the kitchen.

I spread a solution to work up the adheasive and backing of the old linoleum to prepare the subfloor for new flooring.

In addition, Dad and Justin worked on taking out an outlet and installing a new one in a different location in the kitchen. Dad also installed a new outlet for the dryer as it will be moving locations. Justin also worked on a new dryer duct from the house to the outside of the garage. Stay tuned as the renovations continue!

Cedar Meets Ruger

My parents were watching my brother's dog, Ruger, this weekend so he got to come along for the home renovation party. He met Cedar for the first time. They got to be pretty good buds. It was a hot day to be a dog though-poor guys!

The Girls

On Monday, I enjoyed riding with Justin and a couple of his co-workers to a nearby town. They had a training and I went to visit "the girls", my close college friends who I haven't seen in a LONG time. We enjoyed chatting and catching up and I got to meet 2 new little ones! Thanks for the fun day, girls! Steph with her kiddos below. Jen with her son.

Cedar at 6 Months

Our little Cedar isn't so little anymore. He's a growin' guy! He continues to add such joy to our lives as he does the funniest things and gives so much love through his tail wags and tender eyes. He's been a great addition to the family. The sight we often see as we pull into the driveway...a faithful pup ready to greet us.
Keeping watch over the territory.

Always a cutie.

Enjoying his pool.

Sharing D's birthday with her.

Garden Bounty

It's been a beautiful summer. The farmer that farms the land around our acreage put in soybeans this year. There's a beauty about farmland and we're lucky to see it grow and change right outside our door. Here's the latest shot of our garden. It has truly exploded. Today I froze my third batch of green beans. We've enjoyed sweet corn and peas too. Tonight we added tomatoes and green peppers to our homemade pizza, straight from the garden. The cool temps this morning allowed time to weed the strawberries a bit. Cedar thinks he should "help" in the garden too. He doesn't fully understand "no" when it comes to his entrance into the garden. Below is a look at our miniature pumpkins. We've quickly learned that they will need a larger area to spread out next year! I'm hopeful we'll harvest several of them come fall.

Me with some of our produce on my birthday last week. Remember a post back in April or May when I showed a picture of the first flower emerging from the dirt? Well, here's the flower garden I dug last fall. It still needs work, but I'm pleased with the outcome for this summer.

Lake Cabin Fun

We enjoyed spending the 4th weekend at the Lake Cabin with Justin's family. A highlight for me was visiting the Crooked Willow shop with Linda.Howard with baby Ty.
Justin's sister, Alyssa with son, Ty.

We took Cedar with for his first long road trip. He got to experience the water for the first time!

Cedar made a lot of friends. The cabin next door had lots of kids that loved Cedar. They also had a dog, Amber, that became friends with Cedar. The kids asked Justin when we were coming back to the lake next and if we'd bring Cedar with!

Cedar also had fun with Ty. Cedar's one enemy at the lake was "cousin" Jak. Jak was not impressed with Cedar! Cedar played so hard at the lake, he slept almost the entire way home!

Deck

Justin's parents came to town a few weeks ago to help with building a deck. Justin and his dad worked hard and now we're enjoying the finished product. Cedar had to "help" too!

Garage Progress

The garage has progressed significantly since last post. It's actually further along than the pictures below as it now has all of its siding on as well. D's brother, Darin came to help with the electrical work. We are thankful for his handiwork! We now await the garage doors and the cut in to the house. I think the project will be done before the snow flies! (knock on wood)

Darin and Justin discussing the project.

Darin consulting the internet on his phone to double check his work on the 3-way switch.