house update 1 Nov 2009

this is the hole that was planned in the beginning and so it's being "refined" to Vicki's plans. some board thing here, she's got a automatic drip system that is in place. AND a drain .....Yes, the tree is in....but need to make more pictures.
this cement post was tooooooo big for Vicki and so it was cut some and then jack hammered and well, got to the point that Vicki wanted it to plant the tree in.....
Even Vicki used this jack hammer.....WHAT A WOMAN.
No easy job I tell you..and the noise in this round room...hoooooooooo boy. I asked Vicki if there was something that I could go and get at Menards..............the large hardwear store in Birlington, Iowa, that's about 1/2 hour from here. yep, I got a list and went happily there this day. yeah.
Here on our front porch is only ONE PALLET of wood that somehow got DUMPED instead of laid down right...oh well again..............but Clark's wife was making grooves on the wood to be ready to lay the floor down. Now I've got all that wood organized so we can use the "pattern" pieces to have 3 different sizes.
Because I bought this GORGIOUS LOG BED that Dave Hardle's son made for $450.00 (yep, it's in my basement gonna sand some more and varnish before taking to new house)...it's 6 feet tall, 7 feet wide, 8 feet long.......................Vicki had to bump out the bedroom wall and add some to make my bedroom so it could be more then a BED INSIDE the room. ha. so this is the treatment. It's been painted lately, but didn't take a pic. yet of that lovely moss green. Do you see the skylight above the bed? ahhhhhhhhhh, someday stars at night above our heads.
These are the three windows that look out from our bedroom. ahhhhhhh, lovely Pella windows. Their factory is near here....good buy on the windows that move lovely and open. yep, bot screens, but won't put those on till we move in.
My stove was being set to where we wanted it, now I have cabinets and need to take pictures of that, and tomorrow I'll do that....okay? well, we'll see how long it takes to put on blog with so much else going on in my life as well. oh well....this is wellllllllllllll....
Mike Bolen and Clark's son Joseph. interesting how the "orbs" in here show up. seems it's the dust in the air? maybe?
living room is now the place for cutting and sawing and what a mess, but no can create without chaos.

the beautiful sewing room all drywalled in.....yep, what you see above is the barnwood ceiling that will be rustic as well.....I love the mix of it all.
Clarks' son using the hardwood floor nailer that Mike Bolen sent for. WAYYYYYYYYY COOL.
yep, a pile of angles that would drive most other folks NUTS...but not Clark (Kent) Peterson. What a blessing to have him and his family come into our lives at this time. He loves putting in this floor. Remember when I wrote of the 5 pallets of cherry wood that I got delivered to Jack's storage place down the road from me? Well we got one pallet and Clark said it needed to be tonge and groved....and and that is what we're doing with these pieces. yep, a challenge, but after I went to get a DADO blade kit (whew, expensive, but worth it to the max)....then this went much faster. This room shown here is done, then they've also done my sewing room also. I LOVE THE LOOK OF RUSTICNESS. to me, perfect. I went to see a friends "perfect cherrywood floor" and it was very beautiful, but this floor I'm getting is wayyyyyyyyy more gorgious to me. On Monday, we'll be working on the kitchen.
Clark has laid floors like this before and knew just what he was doing. yep yep....and said that after we sand it down some and put on 2-3 coats of polypaint, it will be more then marvelous. I love all the different colors of Cherry wood, and where I got these palets of wood was from the Amish folks that make LOTS of furniture in Shipshawana, Indiana. these were cut as perfect as could be done for those maticulous crafsmen.

globblins blowing HARD.

here is the small latch that came with the skylight.
a close up of this hinge. aluminum framing....small hinge....this is not all that heavy and I can see the flaw in this design. I wanted to have a open and shut skylight and this is how it came....We thinking it a wise thing to be able to open and shut the skylight as we had that choice when ordering our roof kit.

On Friday, we worked at the house and all was well when we left. I went into Keokuk an met with some appointments. Then it started raining and storming like crazy and even my poor Hanna went through a puddle and I had to call a tow truck and have her towed home. She's still not started. BUMMERS. We didn't find out about the skylight blowing off till Halloween night when Tomasi went up there to check on things @ 6 p.m..................found the skylight on the ground. came home and called me and it was too late for me to go and see. sad............took pictures this morning 1 Nov 2009.

Summer 2008 Tomasi and I playing music

This one here, Tomasi and I were at Vern Kai'eakamanu's fairwell concert in June 2009. This was before we knew that Tomasi had cancer. Vern plays the uke and banjo and Tomasi and Vern would get together often, not often enough I can say that. Betty (a haole like me) and I would just love it when they would play music together. Wonderful family. We miss them lots.
this was the harp I had in 2008 at that same little "fair" in 2008...fun fun.
A real fun guitarest joined us for a few tunes as well....love doing music. He was a missionary on the "flats" and has gone to his home already. We find soooooooooo many friends here in Nauvoo and more come every year. 2008
I must have been explaining a song. ha. funny face. I now put my dulcimer on a table as it's a wide dulcimer? not really, I just look better playing it on a little T.V. wooden tray I got from Walmart. ha. 2008

Okay, folks, here are some pictures that our good friends took while they were here in Nauvoo in 2008. There was a little "fair" in the courtyard and we were playing music and having fun. He sent me these via email. yeah, I was able to put in my blog. oh my sooooooooooooo much to learn. eh?

music and dance at the MAYO

yeah, I know, this looks pretty WILD, but this was a couple that have won national compititions in dancing and the others were dancing later. a beautiful japanese girl with a latino guy. this dance troop did a toe taping show. yes, this is the MAYO clinic at the lunch hour.

ahhhhhhhh, I loved these Japanese girls, they work here and also perform. Our family used to have one of these little tiny blow into it keyboard. Well they had a lovely way of playing this thing. classical music and the little blow keyboard would take the lead and it sounded fantastic.

On Wednesday night after I came home by taxi, this BLUEGRASS BAND was playing in the lobby/restruant where I stayed. talk about cheering me up!! yep.

This was my lucky day.....Yesterday, 7 lap dulcimer players and 3 guitarest's played in the Cafeteria.....and I stayed the whole hour. (while Tomasi slept).............. marvelous, but they are very sweet and soft. I sat close. they have these little stands for their music. yep, more soft when they have them on their laps then on the little table I play my dulicmer on. I loved their choice of music. all over 50 and all so serious when playing.

Today he beat me in Scrabble.

he beat me in Scrabble today and walked 4 times. wow, what a difference a day makes. He'll get more tubes taken out tomorrow. yeah.

when Tomasi first came out.

Well now, He was pretty groggy, but I asked him if he wanted me to take his picture. He said, "okay" and nodded his head. I have other pictures, but these will do for now. this was taken on Thursday 8 Oct. 2009.

sooooooooooooo many tubes.

lastest House photos.

Dave Hardle gave us a "recipe" for the mix for the chinking. yep, pioneers did also use cement chinking when it was available to them. this mix has a color to it. this is Clark's wife and daughter, Hanna and Vicki is doing the mixing. Look up closely at the logs behind them. yep, beautiful. When we're at the right time and ALL the chinking done, then I'll spray a clear varnish on all of it and the color will REALLY come out. beautiful old logs that I wish they could talk and tell me their ancient story of where they grew up and when they were made into a log house in Pennsavania in 1750.
and did I say that I love this family? I wonder why my camera has "orbes" in it? I see them as I look at my blog site. Maybe my lens needs cleaning? somebody tell me.
this youngest boy, Jans, is only 9 and what a joy to be around as well. He's in charge of picking up after his dad and brother....sometimes he does it....I see him through the windows playing pretend games as my boys used to do.
I am amazed on what our new worker CLARK (Kent) Peterson can do in one day. he put in the whole messanien floor and it's all done......now to get STAIRS up to this place. ha.
This is Clark's 14 year old lovely daughter, Hannah. what a jewel. This family came in to work at my house, the Dad his hired, she wanted to "work with the mud" and became a ACE chinker.
this is the 14 year old son, he's a great helper to the max. This family homeschools their children as the dad, Clark, was working all over the country building MALLS, that are not being in the building now a days. This family has just moved to Hamilton, Illinois, a town 15 min away from Nauvoo.
this is Clark Peterson. I've nicknamed him Clark Kent (this was Superman's hidden person) Clark here can do anything. He's hooked up the electric power to the house, done insulation, very fast in sheet work, sooooooooooo self motovated...and when working with his kids, he's so kind to them and teaches as he goes along. His wife came also and helped chink the inside of the house....I LOVE THIS FAMILY.
This is Clark and his son, Joseph, putting up the drywall around the windows. awesome. no easy task and I know it, but they made it seem easy.