Sheetrock Progression

I know, you are probably wondering - "How much can a person really write about sheetrock?" Well, pictures just don't do it justice folks, so I must share the details! I am sure you have lost sleep since the last post.

All of the sheetrock has been hung. This means ceilings and walls -- in the upstairs portion of the addition. Mr. Fixit will be working on the basement as a project during the winter or maybe a year from now's months. So, we are just concentrating on the upstairs at this point.

I thought I would share a pic to help you see how it looks like when the seams are taped. This is just the beginning stage. Soon, they will become virtually invisible. It really is almost like magic!

The guys showed up at 6:30 a.m. this morning, and ya know - it is not even really that light at that hour? I was just returning from a run, and already had guests. They wore these special stilt things to reach the ceiling and the tops of the walls. I thought that would be really fun to try! Nope, they did not leave them here, so I guess I will just have to wonder how fun it would be!

Behind the Sheetrock Scene

The ceiling is up I tell you! Well, I know that everyone knows that ceilings are up -- but the ceiling in our addition has been installed. I snapped a photo to show how cool it really looks. There are holes cut out for lights -- which is quite important. A special router tool helps make perfect holes.

Putting the ceiling up is quite the engineering feat. This special contraption (and I am not sure what the name of this machine is) holds the sheetrock pieces flat against the trusses, while the installers screw it into place. A piece of sheetrock is quite heavy. I am not sure of the actual weight, but I can't life one myself! A piece is about 16 foot long!

The walls are going to be installed tomorrow. Then the seams will be taped and mudded. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? All it all, Mr. Fixit believes that they will be paintable by the end of the week. Now that really is exciting news!

3 - 2 - 1 Sheetrock

The electrician stopped by once more today to tidy up a few things before the walls are applied tomorrow. You know, things like a doorbell, fire alarms and a few more light wires. I was told by Mr. Fixit that, "We are ready!"

Sheetrock should appear tomorrow, and, of course, the installers should appear too. The weather looks promising - not too hot for an August day.

I don't have pictures to show the progress that was made today, because the guys definitely burned all of daylight to get the addition ready for tomorrow's guests. So, you will have to patiently wait for photos of progress =)

Meanwhile, I must leave you all to begin dreaming about paint colors for the soon-to-be new walls!

Hay Season

Saturday it was the swather. Sunday was a day to dry in the sun. And today --- yes, today was the day for raking and baling! The summer sun and spring rain had done its magic to create some bountiful bales!

As we arrived home this evening, the farmers were hard at work raking and baling. Even our heifers could not help but explore this curious process next to their pasture.

The forecast calls for rain tonight and tomorrow, so it is a good thing that all is baled. In several days, the bales will be hauled and stacked in a hay shed -- ready for winter feeding. The smell of freshly baled hay is mesmerizing. So heavenly and relaxing!

Peek in the Pantry

Continuing on the same kitchen/bedroom trend from yesterday's post - I thought it was only fitting to show a photo of the pantry. The pantry may not be the typical, standard kitchen variety, but it sure does the trick in small spaces!

The pantry contains canned soups (great to have on hand for quick recipe creations), pasta, sauces, broth, veggies, rice, granola bars, bread crumbs, dried mixes, potatoes, crackers and a few other things that are likely buried at this point!

This is where the inspiration for dinner begins - from a well stocked pantry. Who knows what dinner could be tomorrow night?

The Kitchen & Bedroom

During a fantastic evening with two great friends (and dinner guests), the discussion moved to our current house set-up. Mind you, it is a bit unusual, but it is also only temporary. My friend Beth encouraged me to take some photos of the current set-up, because, well - it is very unique!

So, here is a post dedicated to the kitchen and bedroom! Both rooms share the same room, actually. Walls do not separate them, so if you want to grab a bite from the fridge - no problem! Love the smell of coffee? Great, because you will be able to smell it - right from your bed, as it is programmed to brew in the morning!

Here is a photo of the kitchen and the bedroom. You can see the edge of the bed, and the two dressers along the wall. See how close in proximity they are to each other?

The other photo shows the resourcefulness of dressers. I have all of my canisters, rice, spaghetti, etc. at easy access. The utensils also make lovely dresser decor too! I pulled open the first drawer to give you a peek at the cookie sheets. The extra storage space is quite lovely!

Again, this is only temporary. So enjoy the temporary peek at our bedroom kitchen combo!

Deck to Closet

This is the deck -- well, it once was a deck. Actually, it was a deck last week, but now it is being transformed into a closet. The closet/deck received a plywood floor, and is currently getting sheetrock mud on the new walls. It is quite the process I tell you! Add a layer, let it dry, and then sand it down the next day. Repeat. Multiple times more. Repeat.

Anyway, Mr. Fixit closed off this mini deck and replaced it with a closet instead. The closet will be for the master bedroom, which right now, is in an open room where the pool table used to hang out. Don't worry - the pool table is now in the basement. It is carefully holding all the wedding gifts that can not be filed away yet, due to the various construction projects.

Back to the closet! The closet is being constructed for several reasons. The first -- we need a closet for the bedroom. Second -- bats were taking up residence in the exposed rafters, and we decided that even though bats may be an interesting talking point, we really did not want them sharing our house. So, their little rafter roosting place has been closed for business. I am currently brainstorming how my clothes will fit into the new closet space - and I think they will like their new location quite nicely!