Now we get the joy of smoothing ruffled feathers. 
July 29, 2010
Mr. Grumpy Pants
Yesterday one of our neighbors stopped by to let us know that other neighbors are miffed that we put a 2nd story on part of the house, thereby blocking their view. - a view that wasn't there to begin with, but would still have been blocked if we just did the one story with new roof. They are also positive that we paid off building and safety to make it happen since we weren't required to get signatures from the neighbors. Hello! Not part of an HOA for that very reason. I want to place pink flamingos in my front yard if I want to. How about a troop of garden gnomes?
July 2, 2010
Mr. Cool's new school
After much prayer, discussions, prayer, consideration, prayer, thinking, and more prayer we are sending Mr. Cool to a new charter school that will be opening in the Fall.
He will have the opportunity to learn Arabic and Latin on top of all the other fun subjects that poor students are subjected to these days.
We are impressed with the principal's philosophy of education, the teachers, campus, and wow even the catering company that will be doing the school lunch program.
He will have the opportunity to learn Arabic and Latin on top of all the other fun subjects that poor students are subjected to these days.
We are impressed with the principal's philosophy of education, the teachers, campus, and wow even the catering company that will be doing the school lunch program.
How do you Study?
We were asked to submit a picture of our normal school day. Since that visual is such a bore we couldn't resist staging a 'normal' day.
So what is going on now?
The school year wrapped up quite nicely.
Mr. Cool gave his final presentation for speech class in his first tie.
The Lovely Daughter gave a presentation in history class on Abigail Adams.
The Lovely Daughter went off to her very first SUMMER CAMP! Her first opportunity to learn...... gambling? I couldn't resist.
Mr. Cool gave his final presentation for speech class in his first tie.
The Lovely Daughter gave a presentation in history class on Abigail Adams.
Advancement Night went well. Another year down. Next...? and yes, Mr. Cool has gone through a recent growth spurt. 5'10"
The Lovely Daughter went off to her very first SUMMER CAMP! Her first opportunity to learn...... gambling? I couldn't resist.
May 4, 2010
Yet another update....
The house is coming along. Next week we will be receiving our 2nd set of lumber to begin the work on the rafters and 2nd story that will be going over the garage and kitchen.
The giant parallams went in with a small crane. What we figured would take about 2 hours only took about 30 minutes. 
The Lovely Daughter's Birthday was in March. Grandpa made her a storage unit for her American Girl Dolls.
February 8, 2010
Our life of camping
Many have stated how difficult it must be for us to be living in the situation that we have currently been placed. When I think about it - all I can really say is that God gives you the grace to live in any situation that He places you. While I have never thought of myself as super prissy and requiring all the amenities that life can often afford us I do know that certain things I had taken for granted. While we are in one sense camping our amenities haven't ceased to exsist, they just aren't as readily at my fingertips.
The Kitchen.
Well rather than being in my kitchen with a roof and four walls I do have a 'kitchen' of sorts with 2 walls and part of a roof. There is no ice hole where the milk gets stored or daily shopping trips to get the items needed for only one meal, nor even a pitiful ice chest.
I have.......
1.) a refrigerator with more room, unbelievably even to me, than I know what to do with.
2.) a kitchen sink that is hooked up to a hose - just don't drink the water straight it is quite gross
2a.) a water purifier not hooked up to a hose that makes water much tastier when wanting to quench the thirst...that and My Gentleman brings home water too.
3.) a water heater to heat water for washing dishes and other cleaning necessities
4.) a dishwasher
5.) a BBQ that is getting more use than it ever did before the fire.
6.) cooking abilities via an electric skillet that does way more than I ever gave them credit for; and a crockpot which I never really bothered to enjoy before hand either.
7.) a microwave for all the defrosting and explosive heating I can possibly imagine or carry out.
The only item that some would say limits me greatly is an oven for baking - something I shouldn't do very often anyway since rarely anything baked is good for you.
The Bathroom
While the bathroom does present challenges. We used to have 3 and now we have 1/2 of a 1/2 of a bathroom. The portable toilet isn't so bad since it came to us reallllllly clean and the only ones who use it is our family. It gets cleaned on a weekly basis by the company we rent it from and I have since purchased stock (or should) in Pine-Sol which I often bathe it in too. I don't think a 'Port-a-potty' has ever smelled so piney fresh before coming to our home.
The shower situation is a bit more of a challenge - but only for the time planning part. The membership to our local YMCA has been a wonderful blessing. The showers are nice and hardly used (at least in the ladies side). There are also the benefits of having family in town. ...on some days we just go over there. Tom takes his every morning at work since the company has a gym on site.
The Laundry
I can say 'Thank the Lord for family and friends' in a new light. There are multiple people who have been gracious to give us opportunity to use their laundry. Yes, it is inconvenient to pack all the laundry into the back of the truck and haul it over to people's homes but their gracious and willing hearts makes grumbling very convicting. There is also a very nice laundrymat not toooo far from us that has the biggest washers I have ever seen. 8 loads of wash in 1. Can I buy one of those when the house gets done? All my washing, that would take allllll day on Monday to sort, wash, dry, fold, and put away gets finished in an hour and 30 minutes. I may just do that every so often when the house is done.
The Kitchen.
Well rather than being in my kitchen with a roof and four walls I do have a 'kitchen' of sorts with 2 walls and part of a roof. There is no ice hole where the milk gets stored or daily shopping trips to get the items needed for only one meal, nor even a pitiful ice chest.
I have.......
1.) a refrigerator with more room, unbelievably even to me, than I know what to do with.
2.) a kitchen sink that is hooked up to a hose - just don't drink the water straight it is quite gross
2a.) a water purifier not hooked up to a hose that makes water much tastier when wanting to quench the thirst...that and My Gentleman brings home water too.
3.) a water heater to heat water for washing dishes and other cleaning necessities
4.) a dishwasher
5.) a BBQ that is getting more use than it ever did before the fire.
6.) cooking abilities via an electric skillet that does way more than I ever gave them credit for; and a crockpot which I never really bothered to enjoy before hand either.
7.) a microwave for all the defrosting and explosive heating I can possibly imagine or carry out.
The only item that some would say limits me greatly is an oven for baking - something I shouldn't do very often anyway since rarely anything baked is good for you.
The Bathroom
While the bathroom does present challenges. We used to have 3 and now we have 1/2 of a 1/2 of a bathroom. The portable toilet isn't so bad since it came to us reallllllly clean and the only ones who use it is our family. It gets cleaned on a weekly basis by the company we rent it from and I have since purchased stock (or should) in Pine-Sol which I often bathe it in too. I don't think a 'Port-a-potty' has ever smelled so piney fresh before coming to our home.
The shower situation is a bit more of a challenge - but only for the time planning part. The membership to our local YMCA has been a wonderful blessing. The showers are nice and hardly used (at least in the ladies side). There are also the benefits of having family in town. ...on some days we just go over there. Tom takes his every morning at work since the company has a gym on site.
The Laundry
I can say 'Thank the Lord for family and friends' in a new light. There are multiple people who have been gracious to give us opportunity to use their laundry. Yes, it is inconvenient to pack all the laundry into the back of the truck and haul it over to people's homes but their gracious and willing hearts makes grumbling very convicting. There is also a very nice laundrymat not toooo far from us that has the biggest washers I have ever seen. 8 loads of wash in 1. Can I buy one of those when the house gets done? All my washing, that would take allllll day on Monday to sort, wash, dry, fold, and put away gets finished in an hour and 30 minutes. I may just do that every so often when the house is done.
updating the updates
I know that posts haven't been frequent and pictures of the progress even less, but lack of consistent internet at the property, the locating of the transfer card for the camera, and just LIFE should be pretty good excuses right?
January
The month of January saw the delay in getting the concrete poured for the foundation. First we had to find someone to do it. You would think with lots of unemployed people we could at least find someone 'unemployed in Greenland who couldn't even buy brandy' to do it. There were those who just didn't want to, those who never called you back, and those who thought to use our job as an opportunity to make up for all the lost months of not working. The Lord wanted us to wait, and to pray, and to wait...and then have dinner with the Feins before giving us our concrete guy.
The project was to start the beginning of January. God wanted it to rain, rain, RAIN so the job was put off till the middle of January. The footings were re-trenched. Then it rained some more.
1st inspection for approval to bury pipe and methane lines. - No Go.
2nd inspection - different guy - No Go for different reason.
3rd inspection - 1st & 2nd guys together - OK to bury lines. Argument over the size of the footings and the inspectors playing hardball rather than believing that the engineer knows what he is doing. A call by our engineer to the inspector to stop playing around with us.
4th inspection to approve the pouring of concrete - inspector ready to walk away all because of methane lines again - until the Lord knew my breaking point and allowed me to fall apart in frustration - 'and the Lord moved in the heart of the inspector' - job approved to pour concrete February 4th! Happy Birthday Mr. Cool!
Today, Feb 8th the concrete guys came to remove the forms, pick up the left overs and trash, and get the final payment.
Wood list is being put together this week. We hope to have the list submitted to different companies this weekend and maybe start building end of next week. We'll just have to wait and see if our timing is the same as the Lord's. Pray that our hearts remain thankful even if it isn't.
January
The month of January saw the delay in getting the concrete poured for the foundation. First we had to find someone to do it. You would think with lots of unemployed people we could at least find someone 'unemployed in Greenland who couldn't even buy brandy' to do it. There were those who just didn't want to, those who never called you back, and those who thought to use our job as an opportunity to make up for all the lost months of not working. The Lord wanted us to wait, and to pray, and to wait...and then have dinner with the Feins before giving us our concrete guy.
The project was to start the beginning of January. God wanted it to rain, rain, RAIN so the job was put off till the middle of January. The footings were re-trenched. Then it rained some more.
1st inspection for approval to bury pipe and methane lines. - No Go.
2nd inspection - different guy - No Go for different reason.
3rd inspection - 1st & 2nd guys together - OK to bury lines. Argument over the size of the footings and the inspectors playing hardball rather than believing that the engineer knows what he is doing. A call by our engineer to the inspector to stop playing around with us.
4th inspection to approve the pouring of concrete - inspector ready to walk away all because of methane lines again - until the Lord knew my breaking point and allowed me to fall apart in frustration - 'and the Lord moved in the heart of the inspector' - job approved to pour concrete February 4th! Happy Birthday Mr. Cool!
Today, Feb 8th the concrete guys came to remove the forms, pick up the left overs and trash, and get the final payment.Wood list is being put together this week. We hope to have the list submitted to different companies this weekend and maybe start building end of next week. We'll just have to wait and see if our timing is the same as the Lord's. Pray that our hearts remain thankful even if it isn't.
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