Hand Hewn Living

Well Spring is finally here. Although it seems like it was just a few weeks ago since I posted, I know it's been far to long. We are almost right around the corner to Summer now. While it's still been heating up some days pretty good, it's still staying nice at the house on the weekends. Lots has been taking place there too. Chase has been working extra hard with the help of his dad and mine on different projects on the house to get some things wrapped up. The cabinets are finally pretty much in, we still have a few to do..but the big parts are there. Chase's dad chinked our first wall, and I can't tell ya how exciting that was! We have water again, and the electric works in the kitchen! Soon we'll even have power to the fridge, thanks to our good buddy Tyler. Chase and my dad tore down all the old siding and the new cedar siding is all but up! I've been somewhat of help there...although my lack of reading a tape is still in need of improvement. The rest of the house is almost competely exposed too! Thanks to a good buddy Bob, who came and helped chase tear off the front of the house one day...its in a rough state currently covered in plaster. We fixed up the chimney some, and I once again got a taste of why I'm not cut out to be a mason everyday. I did manage to lift 6 gallon buckets of mud up a floor (with lots of ump from Doodle below) and climb scaffold (which I'm not a fan of). Chase's dad, Doodle, sprayed off the whole back porch and the thing looks brand new. With that and the cedar siding that Chase and my Dad and Doodle (and me) have put up, the house is starting to look like a done up house from the outside. I think the curious neighbors who drive the farm road behind the house may finally think were doing something (if only they knew). We took last weekend off to have a much needed break, and do run up massanutten mnt in a race, then spend the day with friends, but this long weekend coming up we'll be back at it and hopefully getting a good chunk of things worked out. Who knows maybe will even have power to put some cold drinks in the fridge and grill dinner on the porch Monday evening...maybe wishful thinking but I like the idea. So I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. Thanks for listening to my ramble and being part of the mess of a journey. All of yall's words of encouragement and support really do mean the world to us. I'm humbled by all the amazing people we have in our life.

Here we go again...it's just been non stop cabinet fixing...really that's about all the pictues are below, some of the amaxing work that chase and his dad have done yet again with stones, and then a few of all the hard work electrically they done...and do you see that wire lathe going up in logs?! That means it's almost chinkin' time folks! (Well one one tiny section that is) Anyway. A lot of sanding, priming, panting, glazing, and panting...I've been sanding and glazing...and I've gotta say I have one hard working man whose done all the rest. Picking out cabinet pulls took a Century..and that's just the beginning I know. I'm loving how the chicken wire and glaze turned out...I just can't wait to see what else we come up with for this kitchen.

We're beyond ready for the weather to warm up...were D.O.N.E. with carhartts and propane heaters.

So cabinets...they are so close to being in and I can't wait to see all the pieces of winter fall together. I can't wait...and until next time.