http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BOu7tyN2x0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my iPhone
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Soon all the dust & dirt particles will tremble before Tom's feet
Check out this video on YouTube:
A boy's first chainsaw
Sent from my iPhone Tom saw me chain sawing a bunch of trees after the big windstorm, and thought that was a pretty cool tool. I couldn't resist getting him one of his own.
Now he doesn't have to borrow mom's swiffer
Sent from my iPhone Tom's favorite toy recently has been the swifter. He "cleans" all the floors in the house. Needless to say, his toy broom & dustpan were a big hit. Thanks S, J, S, & J!
Merry Christmas!
Wow! We celebrated Christmas with all of the Scheer cousins, Grandpa Gordon, and uncle Scott this year. Chris & Pat hosted a total of 16 adults and 8 kids - crowded & crazy, but so fun! Thanks everyone for making the long trek out to Utah, and helping to make this year so merry and memorable!
Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Reclaimed lumber
I found a guy who tears down old barns and sells reclaimed lumber as a hobby. These are my 2x6 and 4x6 beams that I'll make a mantel our of. I think I'll leave them as-is for an old-rustic look.
Soon...
The firebox is filled with rubble & gravel, and topped with high-strength concrete. It's time to cure concrete again, but we might have fire in time for Christmas.
It fits!
Brandon helped me maneuver the 300lb hearthstone into place last night. I should have given myself a little room to play with, but it ended up fitting nice and tight.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Excellent.... (tenting of fingers)
Quickrete makes a countertop mix - I highly recommend it. I unmolded my hearthstone today and it turned out pretty darn well. I'm definitely doing concrete counters in the future. It's already fairly strong too - I accidentally let it drop/flip back onto the saw horses and it didn't crack, though it did crack all my sawhorses.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Now the clock ticks
Sent from my iPhone I need to wait 7-10 days for it to cure a bit before I install. Thanks for your help Brandon! I guess while I wait I can work on repairing my fence after the windstorm, build a mantel, and get carpet & baseboards lined up...
Thursday, December 1, 2011
East canyon winds
Sent from my iPhone Howled all night and snapped phone poles in Davis County. Here's one of several overturned trucks on my commute thus morning.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Where do I begin
To catch up... Grandpa Kamstra died two & a half weeks ago. He was the last grandparent I had - though I was blessed to have all 4 of my grandparents until my late 20's. I'm surprised at how strange and lonely it feels to not have any of them around anymore. I miss all of them terribly, and think of them nearly every day.
My folks came up from Phoenix for Thanksgiving and we had a ball. Gordon & Scott came over from Denver too. Chris made great turkey & stuffing, and the rest of us made awesome side dishes including scratch-made rolls from Wiz. My Dad took some great photos with his camera. Because the files are so large, I'm only uploading a couple (I want to go to bed soon).
While Mom & Dad were here, I had to capitalize on good weather and clean up leaves a few times. Fortunately, my new (used) gas vac made short work of the job. Tommy was also a huge help, stuffing his little bucket full of leaves too.
Now that the Holiday is over, I'm back to work on the basement laying block & brick for the first time. I've been studying, reading, and watching all the videos I can. I think I've got a good handle on the process, but there's no doubt this is truly an art that must be practiced. I hope any real masons reading my blog will be kind (Harry Stone...).
We went to the hotels on Saturday to see the decorations and have a great meal in the Coffee Shop. Tommy had a ball.
Tommy found a new stuffed puppy to love. I think we'll be getting a dog for Christmas (but after we enjoy our family from out of town; a house full of company is a bad time to break-in a new dog)...
And at the end of a big-party weekend, Tommy crashed.
I can't find a solid hearth-stone that I'm willing to pay for, and so have decided to cast my first concrete slab to cap the hearth you see here. If the planets align, I'll be ready to cast that this weekend. Stay tuned.
My new ceramic gas-logs arrived tonight too. After weeks of promising Tommy we'd put a fire in the fireplace, we installed the upstairs log quick before bed. My camera phone didn't do it justice - it's a super-nice fire, and Tommy approved.
Lastly, we found out yesterday that we're expecting another son in April! We're kind of reeling, but are so excited thinking about having 2 sons running around the house. Please pray that everything goes smoothly, and thanks everybody for reading our blog!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
This is tonight
Sent from my iPhone The walls are patched, sanded, textured, primed, and painted. Can-lights are added, switches relocated, framing and insulation replaced, conduit & wiring installed for TV, and a gas line run. All the outlets and switches are replaced with tamper (child) proof outlets that match which is a pain, but makes a big difference. It doesn't sound like we've done much, but my aching bones would tell you otherwise. I also bought a batch of tumbled bricks to build the fireplace next week - more to follow. I think I'll hang some art for Katie and try to get to bed on time tonight.
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