The Bahn doah is done! ayah.

Barn is kinda done...doors anyways- and it looks awesome opossom!  I love it & our neighbor, Tucker, came over to say "hey" & tell us just how much he liked the door color!

I got the front door almost done, 1 more coat of blue to go (this color takes 3 good top coats), and front columns 1 fresh coat of white primer/paint...the difference a coat of paint can make!



July 2010 before I will admit, the green foliage adds to this pic- can't wait to see that "after" photo..!




Getting there....!  (Frannie is modeling for us....she likes the door too!)

As promised, pics of the ladies "free ranging" they got brave today and cruised around the backyard a bit!  They provided Jeff & Wayne with some entertainment while working I think!  They are scratching around, seaching under the fall leaves & having a blast, we both feel happy they have a better life than being trapped in their run...so far so good... (we have 6, one was roaming & the other laying when I snapped this shot...)



Soap Box...

Scott & I found this quick blurb about the new mortgage rules interesting....
(click to listen): (its only 3 min) ...Morning Edition (NPR), New Mortgage Rules

One extreme to the other...first we'll give you all kinds of money for a property that doesn't have "real value", for no risk on your behalf, & THEN we'll make it virtually impossible for you to buy a home because you can't save enough money due to the expense of inflating prices in every aspect of your life... Really, how many people can save 40-45,000 for a 20% down payment?  If you're poor, they'll help you w/ government programs, which is great, and an incentive .... but what about the "middle class" work hard, get screwed.

I didn't personally think making it any harder to acquire a mortgage would be possible....I was wrong.  How does this help the market/economy improve?
As they say with everything, moderation.

Getting off my soap box now.

A dedication to Sarah....

My sister Sarah surprised us with a fabulous gift a few weeks ago!  She presented it to me a most confusing fashion however...."We bought you a gift, but as I was getting ready to come see you I had the realization , I'm not sure you need it at all!"   My thought, at that point was there is nothing we cannot use/need....what in the world could it be...?!

I opened the gift and immediately began squealing, as few things actually make me do!  It was this fabulous envelope shaped mailbox!  Which I actually had been eyeing and daydreaming about in Pottery Barn catalog!  Now, Sarah's hesitation was correct, as she recalled we had installed a mailbox at the road, which was required by our mail delivery person, as I believe they are slowly changing over all homes as sold to roadside delivery (too bad, something so charming about a walking post person)...but I had also loved the look of having a box on the house, and found it nice if someone needed to leave us something or vice versa ....so had been eyeing this type of thing as a long off desire to put one back on the house....

YAY!  Great gift Sarah (& Sam)! We love it!  After much deliberation between Randy, Scott & I about just "where" the mailbox should live...we finally all concluded...."Randy, could you hold it there one more time, so I can walk out to the road and look at it"- lol!





Please feel free to deposit checks and gifts of any type in this box.....lol!

I was also inspired by Sarah & Sam's house number sign...I have been admiring it for quite some time now, and decided to attempt to craft one ourselves.  Sam's Dad made theirs, and I thought we could give it a whirl too.... we bought some fairly inexpensive numbers at the hardware store that are projected, and mounted them to a piece of wood that we might have found at Pete's shop :) after sealing it w/ some spar varnish Scott had hanging around from his fly fishing rod making "stuff"....

I think it was a success, (I have to admit, I came with the idea & sealed the wood....Scott was responsible for the rest!), I think it has a Craftsman kind of look, which I'm a huge fan of...

"Randy, can you move it up one more clapboard and over an inch, then let me walk out to the road & see if that looks better...." (what the neighbors must think of us...really!?)

Ta da.....

Mailbox & "64"... (don't look at the horrible trim paint!  It's next on the list after the barn!)



 A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost.  ~Marion C. Garretty

The barn gets a facelift!

The barn began its transformation today....after a couple days of pressure washing, scraping and sanding I believe the doors and trim were ready for primer and some color....taking advantage of the warm mid day temps, I hurriedly got some painting done.  We are anxious to have at least the front of the barn done, to compliment the rest of the almost complete siding! :)  We are also being rushed by the non-paint comprehending folks at the lending institution which we are attempting to refinance with! (don't let me get into it please for all our sanity!)

I used an interesting product I read a bit about for a primer, seemed to have many excellent reviews...like anything good, not cheap...but hopefully long lasting! XIM Peel Bond, the stuff looks and goes on like paste, and is clear...a bizarre animal...but seemed to set up well & quickly which was key w/ temps....I got it mostly for the barn door, but there are some other areas we'll put it to use on...


The barn to start...July 2010



Starting today...actually 1 coat of primer is on door, but because its clear, you cannot see it....

 Scott, the barn, not my butt is what I asked you to take a picture of!

 I know it looks turquoise, (which ironically matches the chicken coop!) but when complete (2-3 more coats) it will be dark navy blue, California Paint's "C2 Moby Dick"...note the trim is painted around the doors now, and the left side corner board...tomorrow calls for mid 40's again...painting here I come!

A washing we will do!

I am currently drying my second load of laundry!  We FINALLY got our dryer vented today! EVERY appliance now works in the house! YAY! The electrician is completely done!  What an awesome thing for all of us to celebrate!

Here's Frannie trying to help! (I did ask her what she was going to help with this morning...while we were discussing the day.) First, she helped with excavation as she dug a hole while tied up outside...then she helped with laundry!



My Nana is really good at laundry, I think it's in the genes!  First you have to sort it.....(& chew it!)




This time I'm just looking for the ice cube you gave me to play with...I put it in here SOMEWHERE?!



& proof that a $1.20 new toy & a big sister can keep me busy for AGES!

6 new residents!

BIG NEWS TODAY!  We have 6 new residents...The chickens arrived at 64 High Street! (pics to come tomorrow!)
 The coop came along on Doug's trailer (thank you!) & our ever faithful friend Randy (God bless you! So glad you work for beer & food!) helped get the ladies over here-safely! (Taylor too, thanks for your muscles!)
Wayne & Jeff arrived back from lunch just in time to give us a hand with landing it at its destination spot in the back yard.
After a bit of talking it over, we decided the gals are going to become free range now and not be kept in their "run".  We realize death may come to them by natural causes, but we both really enjoy seeing them cruise around the yard.  We placed their coop so we can see it out the kitchen window and it is quite fun to look out and see the girls!  This could change as we begin landscaping etc...but for now-enjoy your freedom gals!

We should all send our sympathies, as our rooster, Mr.Annoying Pants (as Madelyn had named him) has left for chicken heaven.  He was just a bit too noisy & rowdy for the High St neighborhood....
Scott is really getting out numbered now ME + 2 FEMALE DOGS + 6 HENS vs. 1 SCOTT! poor thing!

Sadie, hanging out with Lady Madonna, so cool to have a bird dog, that knows not to eat the other pets!

Freak OUT!

Okay, so this might have been the identical image of me the last 4 days...after I wiped that as my father called it, "the black stuff off your forehead" (that'd be mascara Dad from hysterically crying!)

Our lending appraisal came in ridiculously low, $50K less than our "real estate assessment"...and there seems to be a huge discrepancy between what is a bedroom, and what is NOT a bedroom, and how many we have...in the appraisal's opinion. 
I am sure we will get past this, but till then, I look a lot like the crazy above on a regular basis....God give Scott strength!

Came across many interesting articles about this issue in today's current market:
One of the articles