Me and My Hunny

This is John and Me taken November 23, 2007, the day after I got back to Alaska from my Big Adventure. He is the love of my life, and I don't know how I would have gotten this far without him!! Thank you John!John is in San Diego right now, until Sunday, at a Social Studies Teacher conference. He took our camera, so I will post pictures from his trip when he returns.

Conrad's visit to Michigan

I am sorry, but no one gets away from 'the blogging' hehehe........I'm so happy that my favorite guys(all three of them) got to visit one another, it makes my heart very happy!!!!!! I really wish I couldve been there too, but I'm so glad I got to spend time with all of them in the three weeks I went East and West......

Organic

Conrad and Tina spent two weeks doing some character building in their home they are currently renting. The place is very adorable, with barn wood on the wall and ceiling and new slate tiling in the bathroom tub surround. Alot of the materials Conrad was able to bring home as extra from job sites. It is a very cozy, modest place, but with a lot of character, as you would imagine......notice the barnwood in the background of mantle.

Finished Trellis

We finished the trellis today, November 19, 2007 at around 5:00. It was just starting to get dark. We broke down the site, and loaded up all the tools and went home. Then we went out to Conrad and Tina's back yard and loaded some old oak taken apart from wine barrels to provide Tina and kids with enough heating wood while Conrad is in Michigan.

We all just finished a nice meal of bean pasta soup and are sitting in the living room in front of a good fire watching "Rattatouli"........

The Simpson's in California

Here's a picture of the whole gang.

November 18, 2007

Little Muffin Simpson

This is lil' Aisha, with her best friend blink. Aisha is 5 years old and stinkin' cute!

California

I made it to California on November 14, after a long journey in the air, stopping in Georgia, then LA, then finally Oakland. I have been working with Conrad on his latest job site, building a trellis.

Today, November 17th, we went to the bookstudy at 10:00 and then decided to go to a congregation football game.

Here are some pictures so far of my time in CA. It took me a while to download and get this post going, so I will take some pictures and post them of the family tomorrow. Forgive me, but at least this is something:)

Apartment Kitchen November 6

We discovered that the floor under the refridgerator was rotted thru and so Jim cut out the joist and made a box on which to install a new subfloor. We had enough scrap plywood to get it done the same day Jim got the porch done. I cleaned the kitchen thoroughly while he was working on the floor. A job well done. By dark, Jim and I took the old porch and tossed it on the fire, sat down under the starry sky and enjoyed the beauty of the fire and the wonder of the stars above us....the first time spent enjoying the fire since we started.

Another brick in the wall-Basement Nov 5th

Critters had chewed a hole in the drain coming into the basement from the apartment! So Dad worked on pipe replacements and bricking in the holes in the walls.

Basement November 4th

I don't think the basement has been this empty for the whole 40 some years Mom and Dad had lived here. To me, this was a huge step toward leaving this place.

Shed Cleanup

The Shed cleanup was remarkable. Since the mower tracter had been stolen a week and a half before my arrival, so Dad wanted to keep the shed standing incase an insurance rep needed to view it.
We hope to salvage the slated windows in the front..these were recycled from our original kitchen here at the house. Jim may install them at his place in Jackson, not sure where, maybe in his shop.

Mudroom

In the mudroom we had to try to locate the "funky" mildew smell, and we finally attributed it to the closet. Old flooring got replaced. I painted the ceiling with white ceiling paint to add brightness and freshness, and it looks great! This weekend we will lay some indoor/outdoor carpet and complete the room with baseboard trim.

Chicken Coop demolition

I have to admit it was enjoyable to demolish this structure, but at the same time being in the chicken coop brought back memory upon memory. .... Being scared to death of collecting eggs; the hens might peck my eyes out...that's what happened on "The Birds"........Or terrified of feeding the roosters for the same reason, chasing me down and pecking my eyes out! Grey Baby, our favorite....Scot up in the cherry tree with the her, feeding her cherries.....dad, chopping the heads off of the chickens.....whatever small creature from the woods that came to the coop at night and made off with the chickens one by one....even after we put big rocks in front of the coop door......and now, it's gone.

The House

On November 3rd, Saturday, we welcomed Michelle and her friend Linda from Jackson. It was so good to see Michelle, we shared tears and huggs aplenty. She is my sister and a cherished member of our family! Thank you Linda for all your kind support.......more proof of a global brotherhood.

The girls came to 6105, and for 6 or more hours they cleaned through mouse droppings and mold, tears and the pain of letting go, and in the end the house glistened as it has not glistened in a long time. Thank you for all your hard work!

Our Progress

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