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Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Wordy Wednesday {Up on the Roof!}

We had a bad storm with high winds, lightning and rain come through yesterday evening. We were also without power for over two hours. Upon checking for storm damage, Dan discovered some shingles were sheared off a ridge of our roof.

So, he was up on the roof early this morning fixing the shingles (using new ones).

Monday, June 27, 2016

Weekly Recap #25


{June 20 through June 26, 2016}

General

  • I managed to get out of the doldrums in the latter portion of the week. It was a relief to feel more like myself. However, I did crash a little Saturday. Fortunately, I recovered by dinnertime. Usually, when I crash, I am down and out for the rest of the day and not doing great the following day.
  • I am pleased as punch with the new ceiling fan Dan put up in my room (studio).

Quilting; Crafts

  • I picked up the Gypsy Wife Quilt in the latter portion of the week. I cut fabrics for the Old Maid's Puzzle block {Section 2). I need to document the difficulties I have and this block is one of the extremes.
DIY Cat Playground

  • We finally put together some tree limbs we managed to get for free from a ranch where the land suffered damages from storms in the area. Abby Gail has already gained confidence on this "gym" and needs no encouragement on climbing the thing. However, we need to cut a branch (on the left in picture) that is in her way when she wants to get on the horizontal branch that is between the two support structures. We also have to get some longer screws as it is temporarily attached together with a bunch of zip ties at the moment. I would love to find two more nice branches to add to the support structures.

When you’re a kid, they tell you it’s all… Grow up, get a job, get married, get a house, have a kid, and that’s it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It’s so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better.

~ Elton Pope [Doctor Who: Love & Monsters episode] ~

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Wordy Wednesday {The Barn Continued}

The Beginning
Continued I
Continued II
Continued III
Still Standing
Still Standing II

  • June 11-12, 2016: The porch roof

Note: I forgot to take a picture of the finished roof which was completed late on the 12th. You can see the completed porch roof in the next set of pictures.

  • June 18-19, 2016: Painting

Note: We also painted the interior with one coat of primer.

The plan is to put on the roof of the main structure the weekend after The Fourth which is July 9 and 10.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Dan: Paint Splatter Accident


You should have seen the man before he wiped off his lips and glasses. You can't see it well in this picture; but, he had paint splattered all over his beard along with his left ear and even behind the ear! By the way, he was messing with a spray paint gun when the accident happened.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Weekly Recap #23 and #24


{June 6 through June 12, 2016}
{June 13 through June 19, 2016}

General

  • I struggled most of these two weeks with one week being pretty much shot. I was very sick for awhile with IBS and Diverticulitis. And, then I got severely depressed. I ended up reading and watching TV. I got sucked into a series called Gravity Falls while I was sick and depressed. I am not going to say much more other than to say not much got accomplished.
Gardening; Yardwork

  • We did some canning. We made two jars of pickled green beans (pictured on the left) one evening. We also pickled the rest of the cucumbers from the garden another evening. I tried a cider vinegar recipe this time around and we have yet to try them. I am hoping they turned out well. By the way, I have used up all our pint jars.
  • I finished mowing our huge yard. I did this work in sections. I worked on the front, the sides and around the barn (shed) and finally the immediate back yard. Dan does a itty bitty section out front that I am not confident in mowing. I ended up doing most of the mowing in the mornings instead of the evenings.
Kitchen (New Recipes)

  • It is not often I try new recipes; but, I am making an effort to come up with new dinners to have that are both delicious and gluten free. Dan and I made two this past weekend.
  • I tried a new recipe, Salisbury Steak, this past Saturday that was absolutely delicious! We made mashed red potatoes and had some of our pickled green beans for a side. Note: I like my "steak" on top of the 'taters. Dan likes his on the side with some beer.
  • We also tried making some Baked Chicken and Black Bean Taquitos. These were delicious too! A thousand times better than the store bought gluten free kind. However, they are time consuming to make! So, this is a good recipe to make in advance. I'd make them for dinner and freeze the rest. We had thirteen left over and I froze all but three (going to have some for lunch soon). If these turned out great, I will be a very happy camper because I prefer these over the store bought kind.

DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

  • The porch roof is now up and it looks wonderful. The roof work was so much slower mainly due to the fact that I am a coward (afraid of heights). Dan did the vast majority of that work by himself while I kept him company when I could.

    We also painted most of the barn this past weekend. We were very fortunate that a co-worker had a much bigger paint sprayer than ours. Now that I have used one of these tools, I am wanting one of our own. I think it's worth the cost. We still need to paint our house and shutters. It makes the work go a lot smoother not to mention quicker!

    All that is left is touch up of the paint, finishing/staining the deck, and getting the roof on the main structure. I will post pictures of the barn soon.

Miscellaneous

  • I read The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society by Beth Pattillo. This book was a fairly quick and easily forgettable read. A few ladies within the community would get together to share their latest knitting project and discuss the assigned book to read. But, it turned out to be much more than that when the leader brought a rebellious teen into the group. It is considered to be Christian fiction. I would add "with a touch of clean romance". I gave it three stars on Goodreads.
  • I also read The Dog Who Saved Me by Susan Wilson. Another quick read but much better than the first (above). A K-9 cop "retired" and reluctantly returned back to his hometown as an "animal control officer" and avoided both his father (former alcoholic) and brother (a bad dude). This is fiction, romance, and animals I gave it four stars on Goodreads.

Some Links to Share


It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.

~ Confucius ~

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Wordy Wednesday (The Barn is Still Standing}

The Beginning
Continued I
Continued II
Continued III
More

I thought the title of this post was appropriate considering the major storm that came through last week.

I was surprised but pleased Dan snapped a picture of me....

using a mallet to pound in some studs to support the upper loft joists....

and using a monster sized framer nail gun to nail the supporting stud to its sister stud.

So, as you can see, I am trying to contribute in the building of the barn. The barn is coming along slowly but surely. The trusses for the porch roof are up. The plan is to get the porch roof on this coming weekend.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Weekly Recap #22


{May 30 through June 5, 2016}

General

  • This post is late. I almost did not write it up as I am hitting a wall and a bunch of don’t wannas. I am not sure if I want to even continue to blog. I have not even taken many pictures as I have lost the passion for it and life – struggling with chronic sickness can take a lot out of a body (and spirit).
Gardening; Yardwork; Weather

  • The weather has been really frightful with one storm pushing me on the verge of hiding in a closet because the winds were straight line and sheer. The power outage did not help either. Damages were minimal with one cucumber plant stake pushed over which is now barely surviving. Two clay plant pots destroyed. I heard that there were some substantial damages around town. So, in my humble opinion, we were lucky.
  • We harvested the green beans Sunday night and I plan to pickle them. (I like pickled carrots; so, I thought I would like pickled green beans.) I also harvested the rest of the cucumbers which will make one last batch of pickles. A couple of strawberry plants are trying to grow shoots and one died due to either a gopher or the excess amount of rain we received within the few weeks (4-1/4 inches last week alone). Dan asked if he could pull up a peanut plant or two to see how they’re coming along. I think both of us were surprised with what came up out of the ground!
  • The hummingbirds (three of them) are still hanging around. When they first started passing through, one of them look rather skinny and hung around. The weather this spring has been unseasonably cool and wet. I am wondering if both weather and the fact one may have been sick prevented them from moving on to where they usually go for the summer. Anyway, I am still putting out the hummingbird food for them (every two days) and the one that looked skinny and sickly is now thriving. I am also pleased to see them make an effort at being neighborly; but, it is so hard for them to share!
  • I started mowing Sunday morning. I only did the street side before it got too hot. I am planning to continue mowing late in the evenings as it needs to be done especially out front.
Quilting; Crafts

  • I made two more clipboard frames. So, I am not totally useless. Ha!
DIY Shed aka "The Barn"

  • Dan has made more progress on the barn. He took his time though because I got sick again Saturday and he claimed he wanted to be inside and tend to me. I was better Sunday and was able to do a few things. In spite of the weather and my being sick, progress is being made on the barn. The porch frame and trusses are up. The plan is to put the roof on the porch this coming weekend.
Some Links to Share

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

~ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring ~

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Wordy Wednesday {The Barn as it Stands Now}

The Beginning
Continued I
Continued II
Continued III

Dan has been working on the porch. I have tried to help; but, have been feeling rather useless of late. The Texas heat is getting to me; but, I am beginning to recognize the signs and go inside to cool off a bit. I think that I will gradually get acclimated to the heat. I am so used to doing my yard work chores in the early mornings or late evening when it is not so hot. We don't have that kind of luxury (to work only in the mornings or late evenings) when we are pushing to get the barn built sooner rather than later.