Lots of news and excitement!!!

Friday was an interesting day, to say the least....first off, one of the contractors employees shot a nail into his finger with the nail gun.....ouch!

OUCH!!! and if that wasn't enough excitement....my husband's size 14's went through the ceiling in the kitchen......I LOVE HOME RENOVATIONS!!!!!!

The day did improve for almost all of us; the guy with the nail gun incident; not so much. He went home. The crew worked on Saturday morning and today the shingles are going on. NO MORE water damage!!! The roof will be be finished today. (I almost hate to say that--I'll re-phrase that, it should be done today!)

On Saturday afternoon, my husband and I headed over to LaCrosse to meet up with our friends for some rest and relaxation. The destination you ask........

What a place this is!

Here is the first group of our friends on the iron cat walk to the Dam Bar!...Yes, that is the MISSISSIPPI River below. The roof that is leaning......yes, that is part of the Dam Bar....

Here are some of my girlfriends walking the gang plank...check out the 55 gallon drums that are used as a raft to hold up the cat walk...Hey...that was part of the adventure! One of those places that you simply can't describe to anyone; you have to be there!

Yes...we had a great time!!! A lot of laughs....We stayed for a couple of beers and then headed to some friends for a barbecue and then onto the motel for swimming and some more laughs. Isn't that what friends are for? When we left on Sunday morning; the home construction was a distant memory.....ah, I think we can do this! My husband and I are so blessed to have the best friends in the world!

Friday's Notes

Here is the post of the rug so far. It looks like I might win this bet. It is another rainy day; thus no project on the house. The next process is to tear off my existing roof to tie in the new rafters. That is a project that definitely can't be done in the rain! This is a true test of patience and endurance. Go figure...the forecast is for sunny skies Saturday and Sunday! Monday and Tuesday, you got it! MORE RAIN!!! Have a great week end!

The Race is ON!!!

The race is on! Check the progress outside on the addition. This is looking from the "kitchen",

through the bathroom, into the bedroom.

A view from the bedroom. Check out the balcony. Won't that be a great spot to sit and relax? Will I ever be able to sit and relax? Gosh, I hope so! This is almost too much for us "old" people!!

This bottom view is the other side of the balcony, off the kitchen.

The next photo is from the bedroom, looking into the new addition to the existing kitchen.

Looks like the contractor is racing ahead of me. The progress on my rug isn't keeping pace with the addition. But, I am only able to work on this a few hours in the evening. Who are you betting on to win this race?

The celebration is over....and a new week begins.....

So much has happened since my last post. On Thursday, the best birthday gift was the electric company buried the line. Check out this photo of one of the linemen "spiking" the pole to dis-connect the service from the pole to underground.

The photo below is the new landscaping! Ah, finally putting something back together! It was my gift from my husband. What a guy! LOVE it!

Here is a couple of shots of my favorite two little people. This is baby Jax after two (2) pieces of birthday cake. He looks a little wound up, don't you think?


Below is Nolan....he is enjoying a piece of birthday cake! White cake with white icing...it just doesn't get any better than that, does it?

Since my little quilt is complete; I've started another sanity project. This time, it is a rug hooking project, Tillie's Garden. My husband bought this last year for my birthday and I started it this year on my birthday. Tillie was my grandmother's name; which for me was part of the appeal of this project. I think a little wager would be fun....this time, I have a bet with my contractor as to who fill finish first...him with my addition or me with the rug. Who are you betting on?

Happy Birthday

Today marks the beginning of a week end long celebration! It is my birthday!!!

My husband says my birthday is as big as the state fair. Not so!! But it is fun to have parades and fire works around my birthday!

Doesn't this cake look yummy? Candles pushed into peanut butter cups that are buried in the icing! YUM!! Looks like something good to me. Chocolate is pretty high on my list.

Why don't you help me celebrate my birthday? In honor of my special day, I've decided to give you a special on the web site, www.joinedatthehip.com Any pattern that says Happy Birthday will be reduced by 50%. (hint...there are two listed....one is under the Button Up series and the other one is under the Hanging on a Star series) All you need to do is to purchase one of these two patterns, place it in your cart and check out between today and Sunday. The shopping cart will not show the sale price; but, since all orders are processed manually, I will change it to reflect the sale price when the credit card transaction is processed. Come on and join the celebration with me and pick up some great savings too!

Nifty Little Quilt

I finished the little quilt that I was working on....check out the photo below. This is entirely pieced and the finished blocks are 5 1/2". I purchased the kit and pattern through the mail; as I wanted to sew something that would be challenging; but, not create a new design. Just sew, no pressure, something to occupy my mind during the construction/de-construction. This pattern engaged my mind and it was exactly the kind of project that I needed. Isn't it great? LOVE it...and it will hang in my new kitchen. (Yes, I have faith; I will have a new kitchen!!) The colors are a dirty yellow green and navy. The navy really reads as a black, which is exactly what I wanted. Next time you need a good get away; it may just be as close as your sewing machine!

Hello all!

Yes, I know, it has been a while since my last post. You may think I've been slacking; not so! I've been busy creating a new Hanging on a Star, HOS #47- Summertime Welcome. I think it is going to look great on my front door for the month of July! The web site will be updated later today with the pattern and kit for sale; so, be sure and grab this fun, easy sew project!

I'll share a couple of the re-model photos. Not much is happening on the home front right now. Waiting for the electric service to be buried; and the power company is now in control of that. No rafters can be put up until the over head power is moved, and that means no roof. There was a bad rain storm event last week; and you guessed it, water damage. The insurance adjuster paid us a visit and was kind enough to leave us a hefty check for damages! The room that was water damaged was my office; argh once again. Only this time, the floor is a total loss; the dry wall and insulation has to be removed! As the saying goes, "When it rains, it pours!" I know there are brighter days ahead and I am going to keep looking for those.

A view from the kitchen and stairway to the outside and to the downstairs family room

The kitchen and the area for the sliding glass door.

This is going to be the master bathroom...you can see the window!

The side wall in the master bedroom.

Check out the rafters....my contractor and his crew carried those heavy things into the back yard!!! This is a very large opening in the master bedroom....it is large enough to get the rafters through; and then it will be framed in for a sliding glass door.