up up and away...(photo heavy)

On Tuesday the trusses were delivered. Some of the builders spent part of the day putting them together, while the other builders worked on putting up the blocks for the boys' rooms on the second story.


On Wednesday the crane arrived with a shipment of drywall and plywood (etc.), and before he left, he lifted up the scissor trusses and set them on the walls...I held my breath the whole time.


It amazes me that we human-types have built machines that are capable of lifting such incredibly heavy, awkward things with such precision. It's hard not to marvel at the skill of the machine builders, and of the machine operators. Some of these guys make it look really, really easy.
And there it is, the full bundle of scissor trusses on the roof... can you believe it? The subfloor is on the second level, and during the day yesterday the plumber came and did all the rough in so that we can go about getting the floor poured really soon on the main. The septic fellas came Wed. and Thurs. and got the whole septic system put in...

Here's what it looked like this morning when I left. You can now see where the octagon windows will be on the second story, and the way the roof line changes from the front living area to the back where the boys' rooms are on the second story. Oh, and yeah, we've been sick this week so we haven't finished wrapping the garage. (That would be the royal 'we'...I've been sicker than a dog. Slept through most of this progress, except when I lifted my head to take pictures or talk to the builders about one thing or another).

Now to get caught up on school work!

:)
Lisa

more progress and some climbing monkeys...

The floor joists are going in...and the house is going up.

Here are the 3 main lights of my life up on the wall, in a spot they'll not get to ever be again. The big opening on the left will be the french doors to our deck, and where they are is where the roof will go up and also down over the deck.

The view from up here is wonderful. Here we are in our loft. :)
Things are coming, step by step. I'm so grateful that we get to witness all the progress of this, our new home.

Happy trails,
Lisa

Another quick post between classes

What can this man be doing?

Has he gone mad with tractor power?

No...

just that it's time for the Great Outhouse Migration of 2008!


We've moved camp down close to the garage, and will need to have the spiffy biffy closer to our new digs. DH spent the day on Saturday digging a new trench and moving this honey over.


In all honesty, this was a pretty tense process. That little building is HEAVY.


The photos of this are a little bit patchy, but here's the basic progress...



Somehow, through DH's muscle and my - ahem - direction, we managed to tip it off of it's base. Note the stool holding the house up as we tried to position the forks of the tractor to facilitate tipping the outhouse on to them. The boys were rather worried that the stool would fall in!



Just for the record - I've read about outhouse tipping as a prank, in novels, etc., from older times. Having now been part of a very deliberate outhouse tipping, all I can say is that it would take a very determined tipper and a very, very unfortunate tippee. I can't imagine doing this as a prank. The person inside the outhouse would most certainly hear the person on the outside grunting and groaning. Hmmm....I guess those sounds could be mistaken for a bear, in the right circumstances...

I didn't draw a full breath while this thing was on the forks. Every bump and rock was a major obstacle, and DH pulled in all his cosmic driving favours in order to get this driven the 70 or so feet to it's new resting place. My.


Our oldest filmed the journey, something that will certainly go into the family archive.


The in-between phase, of which we have no pictures, is of us moving the foundation (made of 4 X 4's and huge lag bolts) to the new area. This part ended up being accomplished by tipping the foundation so that one end rested on the truck bed...and I carried the other end while DH drove the truck (again slowly and carefully) to the new spot. We got it unloaded and placed there (reasonably levelled), then unloaded the outhouse and wiggled it onto it's new resting place.


Voila! Here it is, in the woods at the back of the land, closer to our new camp.



DH said that the slight bit that it's off - level is going to bother him, but honestly, after moving that thing, the last thing I'm worried about is it tipping over in the wind!


Yesterday was spent trenching the newly levelled driveway in order to run the electrical, the cable and the internet connection all through underground from the pole to the house, then to the garage.


The electrician is there again today working with DH to get the wiring into the garage.

The house is completed to the top of the 1st story, minus the concrete pour (which should happen on Wednesday).

Here's how it all looks right now, as of last evening, before we went to the pool for a swim, soak and shower. That can and should become a welcome little weekly ritual! Currently DH is still showering in Nelson at the aquatic centre, and I'm showering at the gym at the college. Yeah. Hot water. Indoors. Yeah.

It sure doesn't take much to make us happy these days...

And if your partner ever asks you if you think you should buy a tractor, just say 'heck yeah'. Ours has been a tremendously good investment so far.

:)

Lisa

A quick check in...

I'm at Selkirk College! Doing a quick post before my laptop battery runs out...

This was the state of the house this morning when I left, they're almost up to the floor for the second story, hooray!

I'm in the large foyer of the school - affectionately called 'the pit', where there is free wifi. I wish you could hear, but someone just sat down at the piano and started playing the most beautiful, chopin-like piece. College is grand.

The boys are adjusting to their new school with such an amazing resilience and joy. We're very happy for them, as they make new friends.
Here they are, on their first day....

Can you sense Oldest's, "aw, Mom, aren't I a little too old for this posing thing?"

:)

Cheers to you, wherever you are.

Lisa

Quick progress post while I'm near a computer....

On Saturday we had the towing company pick everything up....


And Sunday morning they brought it to us and put it down at our new place.
Here's the garage, now at the point DH and his Dad and brother got it to in order for us to live in it...it's a long story. We'll not be living in it now, as they've started the construction of the house!

Look at that - so easy, a child can do it (hah!). This is how high they got the first floor built yesterday (up from the foundation). Now they put the scaffolding inside and get ready to build higher...
Those are our front windows where we will look out from our living and dining rooms. I can hardly wait.

:)

Until next time,

Lisa

See you soon

We'll be going off line shortly while we get our new place set up, and during the nitty gritty of our move. I hope to be checking in with you all again in early September!

All the best to you until then,

Lisa

Progress...

Dh's brother and Dad have been at our land for the last week, putting this bad boy together. Wow! Can you believe they did this in one week?

We're busy packing here, we'll move next weekend.

Things I have learned from packing:

I am old enough to have a formidable number of National Geographics. They hurt a lot when you stub your toe on them.

Keeping a Lego container in every room is a VERY good idea. That way any wayward pieces do actually end up back with all the other Lego.

All those twist ties in the bottom of the garbage bag drawer are mighty handy for wrapping up computer cords, lamp cords, etc., etc.

Every time you think you've packed all the books, there are more books. Books individually are light. Many books together are heavy. Really, really heavy.

For everything I keep, there is something that I don't.

Stuff is just stuff, but some of it really matters. Stuff that matters is worth keeping.

:)
Lisa

Something I meant to post

A reflection in the hub of our new truck...noticed while exiting the outhouse one morning:

I just LOVE distorted images.

:)

Lisa

Sleep? What's that?

Omy. I haven't had a night like this in a long, long time.

Can't seem to get my brain to shut off. Keep trying to lie down, but -

yeah.

So, I took some photos along the way, thinking I would show you all the process for this, but it's done.

There are a couple of modifications I'd like to make...mostly to do with the order of construction.

Once again I took the webbing strap and big clip for the shoulder strap from the previous bag (what does that make? 5 bags now that I've used that strap?), and took the zipper out of it for this one.

I had a small clasp and some webbing here that I'd removed from some previous bag or backpack that came in handy holding the flap side down.

I have a hunch that I put the zipper in so that it would be more convenient for someone who is left-handed (uh, I'm not). The pockets on the inside are not as detailed as usual...there need to be more pencil slots in there (once again, an order of construction problem. I stitched through all the layers with the zipper side pocket and front open pocket before stitching the inside pocket to the lining. Big mistake).

The size is good, though, and I like the way it feels on. It holds all my gear with a little room left over for my camera, as well.

This one is certainly worth making again, better though.

Maybe this time when I lie down sleep will find me...

Yawn.

L

It's a good thing that I love this puppy...

...because apparently it loves me. A lot. Remember this bag? He ate it.

Yep.

I guess he missed me.

My sister was wise to point out that it could have been worse, the laptop could have been in it at the time....

It's brought about another bag design brainstorm - here's the 'nuts and bolts' page in my journal along with all the things that I find myself carrying these days (wallet, sketchbook, phone - I've finally joined modern society -keys, MP3 player, and, well, poop bags). If you can see the drawing, the one I've decided on is the picture I drew in the middle of the page - inspired by the 'comb over' bag shape, but smaller in scale. I need to make it to fit these things... not nearly as big as the actual 'comb over' bag (which is designed for carrying a laptop, etc.).

I think this one will have final dimensions of around 10"w X 9"h X 3 1/2" deep. I've figured out where all the pockets will go, and drawn the main pattern piece on vellum, getting ready to cut things out. Now I just have to figure out which order the pieces go together in....

:)
Lisa

Our last while at the new place

We've been down at the land off and on over the past while...the pics above are from the hike that we took down the trail behind our new place. If you'd like to browse through the pictures and descriptions, you can do so here.



We've been watching the foundations being poured for our garage, as well as the first few rows of blocks on our house. Apparently they are starting the back fill today, and bringing in the loads of gravel in for the driveway and the fill needed for the main floor (I think). If you'd like to see more of that, you can look here. It's the spot that has all the pictures of our place so far...




Yesterday was Oldest's birthday. Oi! My Oldest is 11! We had lots of great cousin cuddles and friend time, got to go to the movie and have some friends sleep over. Pancakes for breakfast this morning....life is good.

Thought you might enjoy a parting shot of my two young men in their wedding guest finery. We got to see some dear friends begin their lives together this weekend past, and it was a very special thing to be a part of.

Happy summer,

Lisa

While I've been packing

I've run across all these little projects that I kept thinking I'd get around to. I guess I should be happy that I have so much time to pack, as this has given me the opportunity to go through all those deep, dark corners in the house - you know the ones I mean, we all have 'em.

One of the things on my list has been this dress from the Burda Style website...don'tcha just love good quality, free downloadable patterns? I'll be back... there are at least two more garments I want to make from here....

As you can JUST see in the background, I'm working an an area filled with boxes , empty shelves and piles of disassembled stuff. It was sanity saving to sit down and put together this little dress. Sorry not to have too many progress photos, but I stayed up late, the light was bad for photo taking, the audiobook was good, and - well- I just kinda got caught up in the process!


Here's me, in a photo taken by youngest, doing my best Twiggy.


Hooray for summer sewing, hooray for summer.


Now back to house cleaning...we show again in the morning and I've got a loooong workday ahead of me to get to that point!

Back to the boxes, the basement, the washcloths...

:)
Happy sewing,

Lisa

Music Fest Weekend

Some of you may know that this is Music Festival weekend here in Nakusp.

The Festival grounds are quite close to our house, at the end of our block, actually (we're the second house from the corner). For 3 days out of each summer we are utterly surrounded by campers. And I mean completely. This is the high school field behind our house (there are no campers on the upper lawns, as that would wreck the underground sprinkler system). The campground 100ft away is also filled to capacity, as are most driveways, backyards and fields right nearby.

The boys have taken an interesting approach to our proximity and have had an iced tea stand two years in a row now. I love the spot that they set up at, it's within a block of our house and I can easily see them from my kitchen window. This year they not only have iced tea, but homebaked cookies and cool ties. (Cool ties are a tie that you soak in water for 15 minutes, the crystals inside absorb the water, and they help you evaporate off your body heat - we've been a sweat shop *heh* making things for their booth). Here they are between rushes:

And here they are, amazed at their own ability to earn...

Pretty nifty.


And, because I'm a silly dog owner, head-over-heels for my puppy, is a puppy photo.

All hot dogs should have a cool floor to lie on...

:)
Lisa

My summer reading

I've been reading 'Eat Pray Love', by Elizabeth Gilbert. Not quite finished yet, but ran across a passage I had to share. It seems very significant to me, well stated and pertinent to my life (and perhaps it would be to others who periodically struggle against depression).

Quoted from page 260:
"I keep remembering one of my Guru's teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't, you will leak away your innate contentment. It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."

There you go.

Lisa

Something I found...

I little gift taped to the wall from my youngest geologist.

Parenthood can be sooo sweet.

L

House progress

We spent part of the weekend and this week at our new land. You can see that the new (to us) camper got pressed into service right away!



It was certainly much more comfortable than sleeping in the tent.




On Monday we got a chance to see them pour the foundation for our house... so exciting!



Those poor fellas are working out in the sweltering heat. They had to work really fast because things were drying so quickly. Oldest and I watched this happen from the shade of the camper, as it was almost impossible for us to stand in the sun for more than a few minutes at a time.






Here's the finished pour:




Probably not all that exciting for you non-family members. Really. It's okay, I understand. I probably wouldn't read about someone else's cement pour...





For those of you are still reading...



We're building with ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms). Very cool, very much like giant Lego.






The fella doing the work said that it's as much fun as Lego for big boys...with rebar...but you don't get to choose your colours, they only make the blocks in white - BUT the kits are REALLY BIG!




The day after they poured the foundation they came back and set up two rows of blocks. Once the two rows are in AND the forms are built for the garage foundation, the cement truck will return and pour into these forms - then we'll be able to put the floor in. And the walls should go up quite quickly from there.




Can you believe it? It's begun in earnest, now.


Whew.

Lisa
:)

Now you see it, now you don't

We spent some time in the hospital waiting area this morning....







We waited...

and waited.....

and waited.....

and waited....

and when finally they had time for us...

Check it out! New X-rays, CLEAR X-rays... and one very, very happy boy.


We spent the afternoon at the beach, swimming, fully submerged as often as possible to celebrate.


Summer officially starts today for this young man.

:)

Lisa

A tremendous honour

While I was not looking, Debra awarded me which reminds me how thankful I really am for this online network of wonderful people I've met through blogging. I don't know if I'll ever get the chance to meet Debra in person (she's in Texas and I'm in B.C.), but if I ever do, she'll get a big, big (Texas-sized) hug. If I could give the award back to her, I would. Her work is tremendous, it makes me think...it makes me drool...and most of all, it's a feast for the senses. I really would love to reach right through my monitor and touch what she's working on...maybe someday we'll have feel-o-vision for us fibre nuts.

Who to share this honour with? She's already passed it on to a couple of lovelies that I'd have had on my list...

Here are some inspirational blogs that I read as they are posted:

Rhiannon (over at Toast and Cupcakes). Rhiannon is a lovely, tremendously talented clothing designer who is busy, busy, busy. I've got a couple of her creations in my closet (all the way from Australia) and love reading about her life when she has time to post. I find her work very inspiring.

Bethany (over at Bitter Betty Industries). Bethany is always cooking up something new, whether it's wonderful vintage-styled clothing, cooking, gardening, or puppy rearing. I never know what I'll find with one of her posts, but I always know it'll have style.

Jared (over at Brooklyn Tweed) never fails to amaze me with his knitting, his spinning and his wonderful photography. Drool.

Samantha (over at Diary of a Mad FabriHolic) is always doing something involving her family, her work, her volunteer work, her knitting or her quilting. She combines colours in wonderful ways and has tremendous enthusiasm for crafting. I always open her posts to see what's going on.

Sue (over at Sue Bleiweiss) is always making new surfaces for us fibre junkies to ooh and aah at. I was lucky enough to take a class on multi-media surfaces from her last year (some of you longtime readers might remember) which opened my eyes to all kinds of new possibilities for fibre art and fibre art surfaces. I'm a huge fan of her journals, which she has made into an art form unto themselves.

Now, these are only a few of my daily reads. These are some of the wonderful people that keep my creative juices flowing, even when I can't express my fibre-lust in my own life - I get to live vicariously through theirs...

Yours,
humbly,

Lisa

We're away

In our new (to us, anyway) camper trailer for a couple days. See you soon!

Lisa

There's no school like the OLD school...

As my DH pulled up with the truck, Oldest said, "cool, we got a retro truck!"

Little does he know how NOT retro, but just plain OLDSCHOOL this whole set up is...yup, a beautiful '76 Skylark camper and 80's vintage GMC. Guess where the boys are sleeping tonight? I just took out a flashlight to them, in case they need to come in during the night.

The truck has been dubbed 'Rootbeer', and the boys want to name the camper 'Cappuccino' - I mentioned that we don't have to name all our vehicles after beverages, but was voted out. Sigh. Who am I to argue?

We'll take it down to the land tomorrow, and set up a rather deluxe (well, more so than the van, anyway) domicile so that the boys and I can spend more time down there without having to tent. And this way we'll have an easier way to cook meals and store food.

Life is good.

Lisa

Bad. Bad Blogger. Bad. Sit. Stay. Good Girl!

We've been up to lots of shenanegans over the past 10 days, but somehow I've not been able to get it together to sit down here and log them.

The boys and I spent part of last weekend down at our land, clearing sticks and watching DH get the site ready for the foundation pouring fellas...who apparently got there last night and started their work! Whee! The house is begun!

And now I can better appreciate the basic necessities of life, and just how hard it has been for DH living without them all these months while we waited for this part of the project to begin.


Here is the much celebrated outhouse (in situ), and functioning power pole. Life is good, and a bit more convenient.









We played hard, and worked hard. I 've spent a LOT of my time working on communicating with this guy:

(who would be easier to see if Blogger would stop over-rotating my pictures!!)

We're all pretty lucky that he's such a smart dog (or maybe I'm just close to his intelligence level), and that he's quite laid back. He's just starting to get a little 'adolescent' minded, making things rather interesting.


He's still very affectionate, which can be a lot to handle at 67kilos!

Not far from our new house site in Crescent Valley is an antique shop called 'Rosetown Antiques and Collectibles'. Originally sucked in at the idea of antique sewing machines (because I need more...really... - ahem), and got talking with the owner. It turns out that she is an avid sewer and fibre artist - we had a LOT in common, and she was very friendly and welcoming.
I had a look at some of her machines, her vintage clothing (gulp! - beautiful dresses from the 40's...close to my size...DANGER), and a little shoebox of patterns. This lovely Simplicity pattern had to come home with me! Sadly not all the pattern pieces are in it, but that's okay. I was thinking I might like to frame the envelope and instructions...

Yep, I think I can see myself dropping in to see Rose from time to time to see what other lovelies she has in stock.


And, in preparation for moving, I gave away the rest of my fish and took apart my 200L tank. It's really strange to have it sitting there, empty. Yesterday the power went off for a while and I found myself looking over at the tank to see if the power was back on yet - silly, as the tank was completely empty and dry, not plugged into anything anymore. Old habits really are hard to break.

It was a little bit of a sentimental time, dismantling things, as that tank has been up and running (in one capacity or another) here in our living room for the last 8+ years. Some of the fish we gave away were 5+ years old.


What you can't quite see in this picture is all the boxes that are around the living room right now. There are many open boxes in varying states of organization. It drives me a little bonkers to have things taken apart like this - I guess a little piece of me is compulsive, after all. I just want to put it AWAY. So that I can VACUUM. Then everything will be TIDY. Hrm. The things a girl learns about herself when not expecting it.

BTW...I've done some sewing, but have no pictures to show for it. I couldn't sleep in the wee hours of the morning last week and made the boys 8 pair of pajama bottoms...4 pair each. And a pair for myself. Oh, and I finished knitting a pair of socks. Oh, and submitted another assignment for the course I'm (still) working on.
Plus cooking, cleaning, walking with the dogs, playing with my boys...

Whew. I'm glad I wrote that down. Maybe the days aren't just slipping away on me after all!

Cheers,

Lisa