The Patio is Poured !

They were true to their word, bright and early, the sun peeking down on them, the work began...the cement truck was ready to go and pouring began...






Even the truck driver was smiling and happy this morning...this was truck number one, they had two trucks ready to bring the cement, 20 minutes apart..those boys were really working up a sweat...


Rusty amused me with all the hand signals he kept giving the driver...I was a fast learner...LOL...

Rusty is a great friend, and true to his word....


The second truck came mighty close to the edge of the roof..I really held my breath, but he was a great driver...


The guys kept smoothing it, and working so hard...


My poor blackberry patch...I had worried so much about them all being broken off and ruined...

CHECK THIS OUT....THEY STRADDLED MY BLACKBERRY PATCH !!! They were totally unaware of it, but the Good Lord answered my prayers...


I have had to go down and look several times today....and laugh....at myself for being a worry wart...He had it all under control....

They kept smoothing and smoothing and smearing and smearing...


Thanks to these two, the porch looks so beautiful, and so smooth...what hard workers they are...



I can't wait for it to dry and cure...I can see hummingbird feeders, and birdhouses galore....I can't wait to sit on my patio and drink sweet tea with my mint in it...
So much to be thankful for today......

The Second Journey Begins......

Today the work began on the second house. This will be come a rental. Since we lost 116 homes in town when we had the firestorm, it is needed, and some family will really enjoy this one, I believe. My favorite part of the house is the huge deck in the back. I am anxious to see it take shape.


The fence in front of the house was taken down....we will change the entry way for cars to come in later.


The ditch has been dug for the plumbing to begin.....

The water line is being dug across four lots....we did not think it would be this far...we set the house where we were told the lines would run...then they could not find them....



Hombre was being very good today...we put a roll of hay in so he would keep himself busy and decide not to try to help push the tractor...LOL....he tries to push ours...


Getting closer to the house...then the pipe was laid down and covered over.....


The Lord blessed us...there were only three big rocks in the way of progress....and they were easily moved out of the way....

The wild flowers bloomed happily around the house....





I love Texas Pinks.......

I love to see these houses transform....need to do lots of work yet on this one...the stove pipe will be pulled out of the roof...we have decided to have a gas line put in and use it for heat for winter time. Siding will need to be ordered later on to go around the sides...a dark metal...probably brown .....I have already bought a lovely glass top cook stove to go in the kitchen. The bedrooms will be a challenge...the full size beds are built in...I will leave one, they are double stacked, and remove one (top bunk) in the second bedroom...will probably end up renting it furnished...depends .....so much to do, so little time....exciting !

Patio Getting Done

4-1-2011

Finally, the patio is being worked on, the crew has really been working hard this morning. I am so excited to see it coming to pass....
My new renter is working for the contractor, so it works out perfectly. Two houses down for him to work this week....and Kimmy gets calls to fix him ice tea...LOL



Making for form....





Smoothing it out....


Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring....
Cutting rebar....

Time Goes So Slowly

3-22-2011

It is like waiting in a Hospital....wait, have a conference, wait some more. We are still waiting for one more bid on the cement slab for the patio at the Western House. We have made some progress. The front of the house now has cactus planted in front of it, and Saturday, we hauled in a load of shredded compost to put around them. We have planted a blackberry patch along the fence, and it has been composted. They are thornless blackberries, Apache Variety. They are doing quite well.
We finally had the sewer tap put in this week at the Second House.

There was a very large chunk of rock as they finished up....we don't know what will lie ahead, we have all the pipe bought and ready to go, now to get the pipeline dug out...that is still ahead of us.
Of course, Hombre the Longhorn oversees every project...LOL....he is so nosy. He watches every move. He is so beautiful and continues to grow his horns out.

Maybe more can be done next month....we just have to wait and see. I am anxious to see the house redone and a happy family living in it.

Slowly It Comes Together......

Time seems to be standing still.....I thought the patio would be done by now, but we continue to wait for the work to begin....Soil was brought in and they packed it up to give a good run off for the rain. We are also watering it down, as when they do the foundation and pour the cement, it will be ready. The patio will go all the way across the back....



I finally got my Star put up on the house...that took three months...either too cold and freezing, then we could not get it loose from the fence, but finally.....it is where it belongs...and the cactus have been planted ......




I know spring is finally here...my plum tree is bursting with blossoms...



and the flowers are blooming...

I have to learn to have patience. It is hard to do....we have not begun to work on the second house either...after we moved it in, to where we were told the sewer and water lines would run, they now say they are unsure which direction they are in...I am just bewildered by them....who is the keep of the city maps ? Seems NO ONE !!

Christmas 2010 at the New House

Well, what an exciting week this has been. The kids all came in to see the new house, and the grands, and the great grands. We laughed, cried, played, ate, you name it. I even tried Sushi for the first time...I can leave it...LOL....but it was different. Daughter Karen treated us all to a special drink...Mimosa...that I did like quite well. But these are the pictures that will live on in our memories....
The beds were all ready with the quilts that I love...This is Nanny's old bed...


This is the favorite bed everyone wants to sleep on...it has an old feather tick mattress on it, and it as soft as a cloud...


This is what I call the Middle bed...it is queen size...

This is a twin...ready for the kids to sleep in...but we had another memory...Three little monkeys, jumping on the bed, they jumped so high, they hit each other's head...and Lacy ended up with a black eye for Christmas...





Even Tiffany's old baby cradle came out of storage to hold two new little ones..



The wood stove worked great...both of them kept the house nice and warm..Benny got up early and made sure of that...


We had a small western tree on the table...boots, horses, and all...and loved the table Karen made years ago...she really laughed when she saw it...Joel had his eyes open so wide, I had to laugh...."Is that the table ?" Yes, that was the one he sat at when he was little...




It took Benny and I ALL DAY to put this chair together..I told him to buy the floor model, it was already done..LOL...Never again

!

I love my stained glass piece over my sink...and my bottles of vinegars with herbs and oils...


The sectional was covered with my old quilts...very comfy....




I love this garage sale article I found for $5...a huge circle covered with colored pieces of carpet...love it on the wall....



We had such a wonderful time...so many blessings in my life...


The giggle girls...LOL

Joel and baby daughter, Haylen.....and sweet baby Trey, Krystal's and JT's baby...



and we can't forget the smallest baby of all...LADY....Jordan and Lacy's puppy..


Well, this is the story of the new house...we are still working on it..the washer is ready, but we have to put a vent in for the dryer yet...




So here we are, with the greatest blessings of life, the great grands..Our Christmas was very Merry....