Friday, December 30, 2011

Catching Up on Remodel Pics

Lest we should forget, here are the remaining photos to document our remodel adventure.  


 For a while our house was perky pink! (insulation board).  The front of the house looks mostly the same....


 ...the back however looks quite different!




 The new master bedroom in process.




The old bedroom area is morphing into a new family room.



 Our macho construction workers...


Notice the manly watermelon hard hat.



Nathanael and Mom were often a team - Thanks Nathanael!  Christian was another fabulous worker.


Setting  doors is one of the new skills we acquired.




 Lincoln spent hours doing various things inside and out.  He wired our house for speakers, (which is proving to be an awesome feature) phone and internet 
 
We took up the sod in the spring and rolled it up and kept it watered.  Four months later we rolled out basically nothing but brown roots.  The nursery guy said it would never work but by fall, voila we had grass!



Christian, Randy and Nathanael.




 Nathanael and Mom working on something - one of many.


Allysha was the queen of sanding and puttying.


 Mom is the lone worker....





Randy's turn...



Getting ready to paint.... Thanks Jarred for loaning us the paint sprayer.  It was definitely the way to go.




 Interesting piano bench!  The oak floor was stored in the living room waiting to be installed.


Making room for FHE.







 Cameron taking up tack strip.

  

 Lane is working on those pesky stairs.  The provided a challenge.


Jose putting together the family room floor.


 The master bedroom became the perfect carpentry zone.  It was ideal for cutting etc. until we had to lay the carpet.  It was a bit sad to loose the convenience of an inside sawing center.



Things are coming together!  The floor turned out beautifully.




Cabinets were finally installed and the fridge came back inside (it was out in the back yard) after months of doing without it.  Celebration!!! Our neighbors were kind enough to lend us a small camping fridge which we kept in the basement for milk. 


 We were able to put together the master bedroom before the main rooms.  It was luxurious to have our bedroom back after months of living in the basement. 
 

  We finally had the last topcoat put on the floor.  Time to move in the furniture.

 

The master bath is beginning to take shape.  We still need to tile the tub surround and shower but that will wait until spring and warmer weather.  Next summer's project will be finishing the basement and maybe building the deck.  There's still a few streams to ford but hey, we've come a long way baby!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Christmas at the Hall House


Really this snow was in Oct. but it fits the Christmas ambiance so we'll include it here.  We are waiting and wishing and hoping that snow will arrive in time for Santa's sleigh.

 

You better watch out, you better not pout because Santa has a lot of people to supply goods for and he just might run out of stuff for you if you don't behave.


Those white guys are at it again.  They show up every Christmas!


This is the first year they seem to have acquired musical talent.


They've been riding the camels for years however.  The wise men must have been bumped.


 Stockings hung all in a row.


This year we have added one more fireplace.   The chimney is sadly fake so Santa will still have to use the original one. 


A favorite tree ornament.


Santa's practicing his cheer routine.


Merry Christmas from the few remaining Halls at home (obviously wishing you Christmas cheer).

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Invasion of the white guys.....

 Yes, that is my fridge he is raiding!  Always hungry as usual.  Doesn't he fit nicely with the decor!

 Malachi is not sure what this is - "Haven't seen that one before!"


We haven't started using the guillotine just quite yet.  It's a birthday cake for Graham - one of Stephanie's many creations.  Christian in hidden somewhere underneath all that white. 

Thanksgiving BB game...


I'm a little late in posting this - considering the current holiday is not Thanksgiving.  For years we have had a traditional, friendly, slightly competitive family BB game on Thanksgiving morning.  Usually we play in our driveway with some energetic music in the background but our hoop became a casualty of large construction vehicles during our remodel so this year we went to the church.  Notice who was not in the pic - someone had to stay home and tend the turkey.   

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Christian is going to......


what a surprise - Brazil!  He will be leaving the end of Mar. for Sao Paulo, Brazil.  I should have a picture of him opening his call but I don't!  It's on video - maybe I'll figure out how to post a clip.  We had most of the family over for pizza (Steph was in Hawaii) and then the big moment arrived.  For some reason I didn't expect Brazil!  It's fast becoming our family's second country.  Christian will be our 6th Brazilian missionary - Randy, Lorien, Bethany, Natalie and Kevin, Kimberly's husband. 

Time to move on past Steve Jobs....

Not that I don't find the guy interesting but he's been the front-line post a bit too long. 

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

What's Important....


I was surprised by the death of Steve Jobs.  I didn't know he was ill and though I wondered if something was amiss when he stepped down from Apple I didn't expect he would be exiting life quite so soon. I was inspired by reading the eulogy given by his sister at his funeral.   It moved me to want to live life more fully and with more love.  His last words were priceless and somehow fit the man.

"Before embarking, he’d looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life’s partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them.  
Steve’s final words were:
OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW."
Bethany reminded me of another set of beautiful last words by Gerard Manley Hopkins, a 19th century poet priest who wrote beautiful sonnets of devoted love for the Lord and also struggled with the despair and doubt of depression.   
"He refused to give way to his depression, however, and his last words as he lay dying of typhoid fever on June 8, 1889, were, "I am happy, so happy."   Source