Cider and Drywall

We interrupted the drywall project to do cider.

We picked 35 bushels of apples in an hour on top of the hill.

Megan has her own style of bagging apples.

Emily sampled every variety.

More pairs of hands and many apples to choose from meant this was a lot more fun than usual.

Things have been so busy, I wanted to skip it this year. 

I'm glad that no one agreed with me.

Kenton took this full bag the long way down.

At Sam Beachy and Sons

Down the chute

Washed

Chopped 

Almost ready to press

Filling the 110 jugs

Everybody likes to help.

And then there's that other project

Jamison is old enough to be a big help.

Ever since we remodeled the kitchen I've tended to think of other projects as minor.  

Remodeling in This Old House will probably never be minor.

Nothing is square, studs are rarely where you expect, wiring is a mystery...

in short, anyone involved voluntarily is pretty special.

Cindy and Carolyn are special.

They came on purpose to help

And brought lunch.

Cindy came back twice!

And brought supper!

And showed off the skills she learned from the "Abraham Lincoln Internet School of Drywall."

Do NOT be deceived.

This wall almost brought several of us to tears.

It had 2 upright studs about every 4 feet.

It had horizontal studs randomly placed.  

It was so frustrating!  The studs would be found and marked...and disappear 3 feet down the wall only to appear at different levels...and the process would start again after 4 more feet.  

There were a lot of holes pounded in that wall trying to find randomly placed horizontal studs.

Dad had the fun job of turning this bedroom closet into a hallway closet.  

It only involved cutting through 4 or 5 layers of boards.

The drywall is done.

The plaster is close to done.

The rest...well, it is harvest time for the Farmer in the Dell.

Mom and Dad left for home this morning.

They couldn't take anymore of our fun.  

Of course, if we wait long enough maybe they'll come back and finish the project. 

Remodeling

We keep switching bedrooms at our house.  

Prior to each previous "last" child we had a plan. 

We moved people and things worked...until the next one came along.

(Is it a bad sign when all the bedrooms we've remodeled since we moved here have had at least 3 different colors?)

BUT this is it - the LAST move.

UNTIL THEY START MOVING OUT!

I have dibs on the first available room for my sewing stuff!

The biggest room will be getting the three boys.

Megan has her own space.

The little girls share a bigger room.

And Kenton and I are squashed into a smaller room, which only works because we are pretty much only there to sleep.

My parents came to help.

(I appreciate ALL their hard work on our behalf!)

This part of the house has no studs, only back to back boards.  The men decided it was easiest to stud over the existing wallboard, add electrical and insulation, and sheetrock over that.  The ceiling needed to come down because there wasn't much insulation to prevent the heat from escaping through the attic.

The upstairs is a bit goofy.  There are 3 hallways.  Thankfully, my parents agreed that the last two hallways should be completed now as well!  Woohoo!  This means the upstairs will be mostly done.  

This hallway led to a window.  I appreciated the light, but we really need storage more than light.  This hallway will become a closet!   Woohoo, again!  

Some of this still has the old lathe and plaster...nasty job!

This will be SO NICE to have done.

Especially since 4 kids are sharing a room with bunk beds, a double bed, 3 dressers, and a bookshelf.  Mom and Dad are sleeping in Carl and Martha's camper.

If you decide this is a good time to stop by, we're going to put you to work.  :)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MOM AND DAD!

Hey!  Good news, mom!  I found a bunch of pictures of you and dad. 

Wasn't this at Uncle Bob and Auntie Sandy's wedding?  

Not too shabby!

Unfortunately...

it was all downhill from there.

Let's face it, after this we all needed some therapy.

It was probably all dad's fault!

We don't have all those crazy Finn jokes for nothing.

I will admit there were a few normal moments.

But not too many!

Thanks for all your help!

We certainly owe you a lot!

You might be a little off...

but at least we know where the credit is due.

Happy Anniversary to two of the best!

We love you!