June 28, 2008
my dad rocks.
so does my mom.
but they call me a slave driver. i don't understand why? i only had a list of 23 things for them to help with. and we (i mean they) made it through #14. i was pretty sure that anything beyond #15 was going to be a pipe dream, but hey - a girl can dream, right?
dan came down with the good old fashioned flu bug on Monday, coupled with a viral gastro enteritis and even today isn't back to 100%. he hasn't worked since Wednesday morning, and pancakes this morning was the first solid food he's had, unless you count saltine crackers or jello! then yesterday i didn't work a full day b/c i was getting the same yucky tummy feeling. i slept 3 1/2 hours and spent most of the rest of the day on the couch.
read about and see where we were in April. since then, we've just been whittling away at it. mostly because of excessive exhaustion on my part b/c of Tiger's growth spurts, but also due to the departure of various friends...
dan, earlier this month, insulating behind the tile backer, and the old window hole/new framing
dan, last weekend, on his way into the attic to install the evacuator fan and light in the shower
where we were with the shower last weekend, before mom and dad arrived
so while dan and i were either at work or sick, mom and dad did all this:
(the b's and c's were what They added to my initial list)
1. remove and store screen door off back entry and remove entry door trim
2. move mud room contents to garage/basement/living room
3. remove and store insulation from mud room
4. remove old siding from mud room and bathroom
5. build new stud wall in mud room (the bathroom already has a stud wall)
6. hang new siding (4x8 sheets are pre-primed in the garage)
here dad is holding a trim piece that says "DAVE HEERES I WAS HERE 6/25/08" but you probably can't read that...
-6b. painted new siding and trim
-6c. caulked edges where the new siding meets the brickwork
-6d. installed "shoe molding" trim around perimeter of siding
7. install new window (glass block), including install of durock inside frame
8. hang new door (we already bought it and it's the same size but a different orientation), use existing lockset.
-8b. rehung old screen door
9. insulate mud room, using insulation from #3
-9b. used extra siding from exterior on interior of mud room
-9c. painted, caulked
10. hang durock in shower
11. build cubbie in shower above knobs using thin durock
12. finesse the floor - pour a skim-coat of concrete to make the water flow Towards the drain
13. tape/mud durock seams
14. build threshold into shower
And they cleaned the Garage. and washed the bike. and did a Bunch of laundry, dishes, and nurse-maiding.
#15 was to lay the floor tile in the shower, and we didn't get there because the concrete was (and is still) drying/curing. we thought finessing the floor might entail sanding down around the drain, but instead of knocking Down the high spots, dad brought Up the low spots. maybe, just Maybe, later today i can lay that floor tile and then grout it monday. and seriously, we thought getting to #11 would be phenomenal.
and here's the top of the cubbies and the header where we've left Some brick exposed, and the other side of the shower entrance where you can see the old porch ceiling, and the faucet knobs, a mop bucket spigot and the threshold.
beautiful isn't it?
so how to thank them? i hardly know where to begin.
your host for this episode : carrie; 10:16 AM | Comments (0)
May 21, 2008
first firing a success!
i took some pics of the process but by the time the pizzas started coming out of the oven i was Done taking photos. i made 31 personal pan sized crusts, stretched them once, and waited til people started showing up. then i stretched about half of them again - to accomplish a thinner but larger round, and let people start assembling their toppings.
the first two to see the fire were bare, except for some oil and garlic powder. they went So Fast, both cooking And disappearing! and then it was time to assemble and the fun began. mine was the 1st in, dan's was the last of the first go-round, then people started going for 2nds. after making a few for neighbors too, we have 3 crusts left. 3. of 31.
your host for this episode : carrie; 07:16 AM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2008
so close we can taste it!
while i've been busy with work the last couple of weeks, dan has been using every spare moment to work on the oven. saturday, which was forecast to be rainy, cold, and gray, saw him on the patio at least 12 hours. the sun was out most of the day, and only a couple of times did a threatening rain cloud go over... but never spilled a drop of rain. who-hoo!! the curing is complete, the dome is insulated, the shed around it is complete [except for shingling the roof and putting the front wall on (it got dark, ok?), and the someday job of stucco-ing or putting brick or tile on the walls], and cooking begins tomorrow! first guinea pigs are the folks from our house church. i get to start the fire around 4 in the afternoon. ingredients are assembled. dough is started (see recipe of 20 april). mouths are watering.
here's a photo journal from the last two weeks:
the artist surveying his work.
your host for this episode : carrie; 08:32 AM | Comments (4)
May 04, 2008
Head In The Oven
I spent the last week with my head in the oven... no literally, my head was in the oven quite a bit the last two weeks.
here are some photos of the last 2 weeks progress:
The dome has been done for a week now, this past week was spent working on the vent and the doorway arch. This week we focus on insulation, and enclosure, and the chimney (yes it will be taller than the 2 foot section in the photo).
Today was the first of a series of 7 curing fires... so we are on schedule for a full firing next week some time! We got so caught up in the excitement of the brief newspaper fire, and the fact that 98% of all the smoke went up the chimney (hurray!) that we neglected to take pictures of the flames licking the inside of the dome. Hopefully we will get some cool fire photos as we go through the curing fires this week.
your host for this episode : dan; 04:45 PM | Comments (1)
April 20, 2008
The End Is Near...
Yesterday was spent working more on the brick oven... from the time I went to bed friday night, until about 4:30 when friends from out of town came over for dinner... Pizza, a trial run for the dough recipe that we will likely be using once the oven is complete (watch for the recipe on line soon).
I didn't sleep much trying to figure out how to make the transition from the dome to the doorway arch, and how to make the doorway arch, since I had put the jam bricks on a 45 instead of 90... too many angles....
Here are some photos of the progress.
The end is near...
your host for this episode : dan; 11:28 AM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2008
House Work
So we've been working on the house the last couple weeks, but haven't updated you all on our progress. We've been double hitting, actually too. Two Saturdays ago, on the 5th, the dog Nacoma went back to Wick and Kristen, and the rest of the day, Dan worked on the oven while I whittled away at the bathroom by the kitchen. We were all of 15 feet apart - if that even - and could talk through the open window.
I started by taking down the plastic that we'd hung over the window and drywall when we moved in. See, the paint was already peeling 2 years ago and we knew it was going to be some time before we could get to this project. We figure that the tub was an addition in/around the 1950s when the lady of the house couldn't climb stairs anymore. There was an existing 1/2 bath there, with a window onto the back porch, a 4x12ish space fully within the square footprint of the house. So, in the 50s we figure they knocked out this window, poked a hole in the concrete porch slab for a drain to be run to the basement through the canning room, and enclosed the whole area, with a wall to separate the new mud room from the now-larger bath. The ceiling, however, over the tub was right at about 6'4" and for my 6' husband this made showering there a bit of a challenge, I'm sure you can imagine. And also increased the amount of moisture coming into contact with the drywall. Thus the plastic.
So I took down the plastic, the shower curtain, the fixtures and then started hacking at the drywall itself. I started with a utility knife, but found that just banging it with a hammer and then using a wonder-bar (that magical little flat crow bar deal-eo) was much more effective, not to mention fun. Once the drywall was out around and above, I removed the stinky old, smelly old, musty insulation and put it in a big garbage bag to await the enclosure of the oven. :) Recycled has a pretty good R-factor if you ask me. We're going to try to go up to the old porch ceiling in the new shower enclosure, and tile it floor to ceiling, wrapping the header with tile too. The space is approximately 4.5 feet by 5, so it's a rather large shower space, but for a husband who often finds himself in poison ivy during his work day, I'm happy to provide a roomy shower just inside the back door for him to hose off before coming into the rest of the house. And it'll be great for washing the someday dog and the someday children, right?
Late Saturday, still the 5th, I got out the sledge hammer and started smacking the tub itself. Took me quite some time to get a whole beat along the top edge of the tub, and swinging a sledge has a tendency to make a novice tired quickly, and so I gave up. We ate, I showered (to get the sticky, smelly, musty bits of insulation out of my hair especially), and we went to bed. We took Sunday off, as is our custom, as a day of rest. We sat on the patio in the lovely, long-missed sun, grilled lunch, and read together (different books, but next to each other). It was Monday night when we (mostly Dan) finished sledging the tub to tiny bits and carried it outside to await a trip to the scrap yard. We got more than 40 bucks for a 4' tub! But then spent most of it getting rid of the drywall and other stuff at the dump. Anyway, at least the tub didn't get land-filled.
The 11th was my birthday and my parents came down for a visit and we put them to work. Dad and Dan finished the demo and wrote a shopping list and Mom had a coupon about to expire for 10% off your whole purchase at the Home Dot so, even though we're weeks from ready for them, we went and purchased the tile and backerboard. We're going with Subway tile, like we have upstairs, but in white instead of bone. Home Dot stocks these, and if we need to buy 3 more tiles, we can buy 3 more tiles. I had a thought to leave the brick exposed but we've decided no to do that because a) it wouldn't "fit" the style of the house and b) if you slip in the shower and fall against that wall, you'd have some pretty serious road rash. Among other things at the Home Dot, we also bought water faucets for outside, so now we'll have hot and cold water right at the bar sink on the patio. Our plan was to just run a hose from the outside spigot to the sink; it's only about 8 feet. But then, having the tub out and that wall exposed, we decided to just go with it or we'd regret it later, and so we did. Now we have hot and cold water faucets outside. It turned out to be an expensive birthday but it was nice to spend it with family.
Mom and Dad took us out for dinner Friday and then bought things for dinner Saturday and we invited Dan's parents over too, and surrogate siblings Dave and Nettie, and we had birthday dinner Again! Just yesterday we finished those leftovers!
Dan keeps slowly plugging away on the oven, a "chain" at a time. Each brick takes a few minutes to prep and set before you can move on to the next one. He had a lot of foresight to spend a few evenings in winter cutting the bricks all in half, so this has really sped up the process of prepping and setting. We are now at the point where the dome is meeting the arched doorway. The online forum he's part of doesn't have the details on how to make those two rounded and arched parts come together, so there has been a lot of head scratching lately. He's out there already this morning in fact, but I thought it was time to bring you all up to speed.
your host for this episode : carrie; 08:07 AM | Comments (1)
March 16, 2008
March Madness
No, we are not becoming NCAA basket ball fans, we have enough madness in March without trying to keep track of collegiate sports.
We started the month engaging in Snow Sports with Mom and Dad Heeres.
3 feet or more of base on nice groomed trails, good and cold so things didn't get too sloppy (read as high of 9 degrees F, and lows around -19).
Seven days later almost all of the snow was gone (at least in Grand Rapids) and a nice frost was about all that remained of the bitter cold of a week earlier.
And it was time to get back to the long neglected Brick Oven.
One day closer to baking our bread in a traditional wood fired oven...
Next weekend we get to celebrate with my Sister and her family the finalization of the adoption of their third daughter.
Maybe we can get a little more work on the oven snuck in there before it gets to April.
your host for this episode : dan; 08:52 PM | Comments (2)
February 26, 2008
Meanwhile...
I have been keeping busy while Carrie is away, slaving away cleaning the house, shoveling the mounds of snow... ok so that's not entirely true. Ok so it's not true at all. But I have been keeping busy.
First I finished the broom closet... ok so it still needs a little touch-up painting, but other than that it is done.
Last tuesday night I left for Da UP for a while. First was 3 days of seminars, not nearly so bad as it sounds, most of them were interesting, at least to me.
After the conference, and all the joys of staying at the casino (one of the most depressing places I can think of, but that is a different rant for a different post) I headed over to South Range to see our friends Matt and Vicky.
Matt and I went down to the Mine site to get some things, they had a little bit of snow about 3 feet on the roof of the mobile home.
This fall I heard that the ski resort at the porcupine mountains had added back-country style skiing, accessed by Snow Cat. I have wanted to ride in a Snow Cat for a long time, and while I did get a short ride in one on our honeymoon, it wasn't really a good thing (seeing as it was being used for and ambulance, because Carrie was hurt. As a side note, any of you out there getting married a small piece of advice, don't try new sports on your honeymoon). In any case, they have Snow Cat skiing, I want to go Snow Cat skiing, it was a perfect match.
Fortunately it was my friend Matt that I can blame for my taste in skiing, un-groomed runs through glades, and he also has wanted to ride in a Snow Cat, so it didn't take much convincing to get him to go with me.
The snow conditions were perfect, the mountain was uncrowded, the sky was crystal clear, and the views were amazing. The pictures do not do it justice.
On Sunday we went tromping around the woods behind the house in snowshoes, clearing branches to make a path so that vicky could go XC Skiing back there.
In all it was a great weekend, but I did really miss sharing it.
The drive home was not too bad, I managed to get an e-audio book from the library downloaded to my phone to listen to on the drive home. A 10 hour drive alone is much better when your mind is being occupied, in fact I was a little disappointed that my drive was done before my book.
This week I am afraid it is just work, and cleaning the house so that It will be clean when Carrie gets home... but I may find time to sneak out and kill a wabbit...
your host for this episode : dan; 05:59 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2008
Cramped Quarters
We spent the weekend (friday and saturday) working more on our broom closet project.
Friday was spent priming the doors, etc and building the boxes for the file cabinet drawers, and then Saturday started the fun of beginning the install... First we had to add the outlets in the back wall, so that we can house the computer network stuff in there, and then the fun of trying to get square pegs in a rhombus shaped hole ensued...
That space behind the door is really small if you are crouched in there all day long! believe me. And getting things square in an old house is REALLY frustrating too.
Finally at about 11 PM we called it quits for the night! here's where we left off.
Next for the fun of building the REST of the cabinet frames and then hanging the doors. I can hardly wait!
Oh wait, my back is telling me that I better wait before I jam myself in that tight space again...
your host for this episode : dan; 10:18 AM | Comments (1)
January 15, 2008
look what i did!
i got a Lot done today, including the removal of the christmas tree And emptying and removal of the trim pieces from that space where the new cabinet goes. And i caulked the seams of the doors and drawer front so they'll look nicer once they're painted. here'a a couple pics.
that second one's a close up of the top step where the trim went. notice the Cliff on the edge of the linoleum. the trim was put on right after the subfloor - before the underlayment and the present flooring. and nailed in place with two 3" nails on each stud. Rahr!! I'm wonderwoman. i only broke one piece of three - and it's not going back up!
and this is the floor i so badly want to keep. it's cushioned, y'all. cushioned linoleum. when i first saw the house i thought it was carpet. in the kitchen. too bad the redo takes out a wall.
your host for this episode : carrie; 04:15 PM | Comments (1)
January 12, 2008
the kitchen project continues...
captains log. 10:54pm. the fronts are Done. for real? did we really? paint goes on tuesday.
your host for this episode : carrie; 10:54 PM | Comments (0)
the kitchen project begins...
and where else to begin but with the cabinet behind the basement stairs? this, my friends, we call "the Trial Run".
this is where it goes, and the chaos it replaces:
this is what it will look like:
this is where we're at now:
oh, yeah, and the saw is Unplugged when dan is sticking his finger in there lining up the dado blade and fence to cut the rabbits... the pile of sticks you see is a pile of door/drawer frames with dados cut in them. learn something new every day. vocabulary. bah.
so, whaddya think?
your host for this episode : carrie; 11:06 AM | Comments (1)
December 11, 2007
druid bushes...
we've wavered back and forth over the years over the use of "christmas trees" and whether or not to put one in our home. one of my colleagues said to me today, regarding decorations that are put up around our office: "if anybody asks you why we have these decorations up, you can just tell them that we put them up as a symbol of Christ. the lights are His light, the red bows signify His blood, and the evergreen boughs represent the life ever lasting." except that the evergreens were, ahem, Fake.
that's all pretty cheesy if you ask me, but well we have a tree in our house this year. we also have a fireplace but we're not expecting a fat man to drop down it!
but we do believe in the coming of Christ, that He was born into this world as a child, that He suffered for our sakes. not only did He suffer death on a cross but He also suffered a lifetime of separation from the one He loved most - the rest of the God-head, the Father and the Spirit.
and just as first Christians accepted the use of the druid's bush, and joined "Christmas" to their pagan practices, maybe it is apt that we use lights to adorn our houses in this season of short days as a reminder of how Christ came - and still comes - into a dark place and lets His light shine.
light is coming friends, and isn't it glorious?
[it's a con-color (?-sp) tree - never heard of it before]
your host for this episode : carrie; 04:58 PM | Comments (4)
December 02, 2007
The Magic Chef
So we have this super cool Magic Chef stove
but it is missing a chrome vent cover, and now the oven knob is not working properly all the time. I have figured out what the problem is, but I can't tell you.
I don't know what the parts are called... the thingy that turns the thing is stripped out so that when you turn the thing the thingy doesn't turn the thing.
I can't find a model # on it to save my life, and I have looked everywhere, with the exception of flipping the thing upside-down.
It makes it a pain to find parts if you can't find a model #.
We are not even sure how old it is. At first we assumed that it must be the original, but having found pictures of 1920's stoves on line, it is not :(
It appears to be from about 1950ish...
In any case, just wanted to rant, and put this out on the web on the off chance that someone out there knows something about these things...
your host for this episode : dan; 05:05 PM | Comments (4)
November 08, 2007
by the way...
We're not still on vacation, but we Have been too busy finishing details in the bathroom and on the patio and Starting a house painting (just the trim) project to get pictures up.
Vaca was fab. Of course. How can one not be rejeuvenated by God's Wild Creation and tumbling cascades of water? Especially when that one has dry feet?
The patio has all the sand swept in all the cracks and maybe we'll have a chance to compact it before Christmas - but I'm not holding my breath! The bathroom now has a functioning toilet again, a functioning sink again, and the shower tile (corners) are caulked - we were able to shower there last night and brush our teeth in the sink this morning - Hooray!!! Now "all" that's left is changing the lights, installing the new outlets in their cubbies, the medicine cab, and the trim. But it's functional.
Because Saturday was moderately warm (there was frost on the roof at 8am, but by 2pm it was about 50. Warm enough to work outside with longsleeves on), and our windows are in bad need of painting, Buddy Dave came over and helped us prep for that project. We'll probably hire the actual painting done, but wanted to fill the cracks, replace the missing trim pieces, and get a layer of primer on there before much more weather happens and damages the wood further.
Stay tuned for pictures. I promise.
oh, and my test monday: all clear. no pictures of that.
your host for this episode : carrie; 07:41 AM | Comments (1)
October 23, 2007
the patio is Done!
well, almost.
The last brick went into place at 10pm last Monday night, after just about 4 quick hours of work with the help of our friend Massi. It would surely have taken twice that without the extra hands and know-how. Here's some pics of the final night. Now we just have to wait for a couple of days dry enough to dry out the sand we have to sweep across the top to secure them all in place.
I would like you to notice that there are holes in 8 of the 10 fingers on my gloves.
your host for this episode : carrie; 07:27 PM | Comments (1)
October 07, 2007
Patio
So anyone who has looked at this site in the last few months has wondered “what happened to Dan and Carrie?” No we have not fallen off the face of the earth, been abducted by aliens, marooned on a deserted island, lost in the desert, or off on some amazing adventure. No, we have been in the back yard, or the remains of the back yard…
We got this hair-brained idea this spring to build a patio in the back yard, and then it turned into building the backyard into a patio. Yes we decided to pave the entire back yard… no more mowing for me! Ok, only the front yard, and side hill to be mowed in the future.
Well the Patio quickly became an outdoor kitchen, complete with a built in BBQ and a Brick oven, a sink and a cook top.
Funny how things get out of hand quickly.
Well, we got a good start on things, and then we made a mistake… we tried to have a life. We tried to still hang out with friends, to go do fun things on the weekends, and build this outdoor kitchen. Let me tell anyone who thinks that this is possible that it is NOT.
It started with building the base and stand for the brick oven, which will be the last part of the project to get completed. Massi came over and lent his experience at blocksetting the morning of Erik and Heather's wedding.
For more information on Brick Ovens check out this site.
First we had days and days of digging. Removing the grass (weeds) “top soil” (black sand) hauling all of it away. Hauling lots of extra dirt (sand) away to any place that we could find to take it. Funny how that works, I know that someday in the future I will want dirt, and then we will have to pay someone for it. But now I was trying to give it away.
Then I removed the existing sidewalk and steps, hauled them away. The existing steps were only two feet wide, which proved a challenge to carry anything up them without going sideways. We built new steps (four feet wide), and at the same time poured the hearth stand for the brick oven.
It was about a month ago that we decided that the stump from that cursed plant called a mulberry tree, or more accurately, bush, needed to go. So I called my friend Aaron, who has a cool toy.
We ripped the hill up pretty good getting the stump out, but it is gone! Loaded into my little itty-bitty truck and taken to the yard waste dump. The next day was John and Faith's wedding, and in the afternoon we put the hill back together with Rolland's help and planted a DWARF apricot tree.
The next week we had the stone dust delivered, then the real fun could begin.
Holly and Massi came over and we stayed up late leveling and compacting the stone dust. That Saturday I borrowed my friend Dave’s big truck to buy the remaining brick. Most of our brick we got used from a guy on Craig’s List (www.craigslist.org).
That afternoon we laid almost a quarter of the total brick.
A few days later our friend Heather came over and helped us in the evening and we reached the halfway point! Can't say we're excited that Erik's job makes him travel during the week, but we were sure glad for Heather's help.
Unfortunatley that is where it remains. Hopefully it will be done soon, and then we can start on the oven! Or the bathroom. . .
your host for this episode : dan; 10:40 AM | Comments (4)
July 06, 2007
back in GR...
Just up from a short nap and packing for the lake! We'll leave shortly for a day or two in the woods/ at the lake, but I wanted you to know that we made it back... Fully safe if not entirely sound. Everything came through with the exception of Rana's bags, which are (surprise surprise) still in Tel Aviv.
By the way if you're ever in Jaffa, do us a favor and don't go to the Aladdin restaurant in the old city on the beachfront. Everyone we encountered there was RACIST, particularly against the Palestinian that was with us.
But they're a democracy after all, aren't they? My eye...
your host for this episode : carrie; 02:21 PM | Comments (1)
March 14, 2007
On the use of violence...
No, this isn't an "anti-war" post, at least not in the popular sense.
Last night we had house church, like we do every Tuesday evening. During our meeting we were interrupted by the sound of yelling in the street. When we looked outside there were probably 30 people in the street around two guys who were pushing each other around, nothing too serious, or at least it didn't seem so, there was no punching and it didn't appear that anyone was injured. We could not understand anything that was being said, or yelled rather, because of the cacophony. The crowd dispersed as quickly as it had formed and we went back to our meeting.
We prayed for the guys who were fighting, that God's peace and love would invade their life, and our neighborhood, and that we could be a force for good in the neighborhood. We were talking about Romans chapter 3, "all the world guilty / justification by faith." We talked about how, while it may seem from an initial reading that this passage is about who is "in" and who is "out", that the underlying theme is that "there is no distinction."
A comment was made that the guys in the street don't need "personal salvation" they need the "way of life" that Jesus offers. Brilliant! But what does that mean? What does that look like, and how can we facilitate that?
Should we run into the middle of the street fight and say "guys! there is a better way to live!"? Do we hand out tracts door to door and tell people that "Jesus is the answer"? Do we put up clever signs in our yard that say things like "those who live by the sword, die by the sword"? All of which have crossed my mind, but none of which seems like a good idea. I really don't want to be a martyr for stupidity.
How do we live out the way of Jesus in our neighborhood so that the "way of life" that Jesus offers is known, and attractive to the guys fighting in the street? Not to sound cliche or cheesy, but, what would Jesus do? Would Jesus hide in the house and call the police every time there was an altercation in the street? Somehow I doubt it. I know what I would do if I were Jesus... I would strike them all blind, and then preach to them and save their butts whether they wanted to be saved or not! But I am not Jesus, clearly, and I know that is not what Jesus would do. The problem is I don't really know what he would do.
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*************************!!!!Parental Advisory: If you are a parent, stop reading!!!!************************
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So we all went home, feeling good about the fact that we knew that Jesus came to offer a better way of life, and the street fight was barely even in our mind. But we weren't the guys in the street. I think it is safe to say that they had not forgotten the fight, nor had they been moved by the power of love last night. I think it is safe to say that they were more influenced by the power of hate. The power of violence.
At 2am I woke up to a unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar sound. The street fight was back. This time a little further down the block, and a little bigger. I called the police because it seemed like it was escalating, not breaking up. I had no more than hung up with the 911 operator when two shots were fired. I immediately called back, and officers were there within a minute or so. But, of course by this time most of the crowd had dispersed, some in cars headed every direction, but the majority on foot disappearing between the houses and down the side streets.
How does one live out the way of Jesus in a neighborhood where people use violence as a means of communication? Is that really the only thing that they understand? Is that the only way to make a statement around here?
If you can't trust the police (which I am told it the sentiment in the community) and you can't trust each other, who can you trust? The GLOCK stuck in your pants? Doesn't sound like a great option to me.
I don't know what the answer is, but I know what it isn't. Leaving. Bad situations do not improve when the good people leave. I believe that "white flight" (or any color flight for that matter) has moral implications. Ignoring a problem, or leaving it behind, does not make it go away.
While part of me longs to be cynical to say, let them all kill each other and then we won't have any more problems, the rest of me aches that our world, our city, our neighborhood is so broken that violence sounds like a good option to these kids. Where is the hope? there must be some hope, some glimmer of redemption. There must be a better way. I believe that Jesus is the better way, some how, some way...
You may say (especially if you are a parent who ignored the advisory) that I should be concerned for my own safety, and the safety of my family, but I think that would be a cop-out. In my experience, and from observing life and reading the Word I know that the best way, the way of Jesus, is almost never the easy way, or the safe way, and I am more concerned with quality than quantity.
your host for this episode : dan; 02:43 AM | Comments (2)
March 04, 2007
Colorado Blues???
Sometimes sitting in the study, looking out the back window at our lonesome pine, we can forget that we're in the middle of the city.
But then we hear the bus at the stop in front of our house announcing in its mechanical monotone: "Route 2. Kalamazoo. Kentwood City Hall." and we're brought back to reality. Not that we are complaining, in fact it is a beautiful thing.
With a tree like this in our backyard, a fresh coat of snow and such a Colorado-blue sky, it sure doesn't feel like March in Michigan!
God is good.
your host for this episode : carrie; 03:13 PM | Comments (1)
February 11, 2007
Little brown bats...
Um... we had a bat in our basement on New Year's Eve. My friend Nancy and I discovered it, quite contentedly snuggled down in the bottom of an empty trash can on the stairs. We quietly turned around and went back up the stairs and closed the door and asked Dan to take care of it. He put the little guy outside, along with the can, and let him fly away. Bear in mind that New Year's Eve was about 50 degrees, so it wasn't so cold as to kill him immediately, and we figured he'd just find a new place to hang out until Spring.
Fastforward 7 weeks to today. He's back. In exactly the same spot as we found him before! Here's a couple of pics.
Our friends Matt and Vicky, of Adventure Mining Company fame, told us to put him in a tupperware in the fridge, with holes poked in the top for ventilation, and to feed him water every week or so. But, well, no. Sorry guys. We have too many people in and out of the house poking around in the fridge, and we don't want to have to pay the therapy bills for that!
Dan has moved him now to the unused flue of the chimney, where the old furnace used to vent. It's way too cold outside for him, he would surely freeze to death if we put him out there or even moved him to the garage. And bats are our friends... I mean, they eat mosquitoes after all!
your host for this episode : carrie; 12:28 PM | Comments (3)
January 29, 2007
Kitchen Design Competition
Why do we pay attention to designers? I mean, seriously, what do they have that we don't? Ideas? I sure hope not. I am convinced that the only thing that they have that you and I do not have is name recognition.
So with that in mind I offer you
"the dan and carrie show: kitchen design competition."
For anyone who has been to our house, you know that our kitchen, while quite large, is very poorly laid out, and the countertops are painfully low. We have been doing some head scratching about what we can do to make the space more functional, but could use a little help.
Now, what, you may ask, is the prize for the winning designer? Name recognition! What better prize could you want? After all, isn't that what the "big name" designers have that you don't? Yes, you too can be famous! We will post your name all over our #1 website, and before you know it you will be fielding phone calls from all the home improvemnt/remodel shows on cable TV.
So, here is the skinny:
The rules are:
the stove and the sink stays, not in the same places, but they stay.
Dimensions are as follows:
Stove: 3' W x 2.5' D
Sink: 4' W x 2' D
Ready - GO!
your host for this episode : dan; 08:45 PM | Comments (0)
January 01, 2007
New Traditions
We celebrated the passing of the last year and the coming of the new last night. Old friends and new gathered at 1057 to share fondue, fire, and memories. The voices of 9 adults and 6 kids filled our house with conversation, stories, and laughter. My friend Nancy had an idea to bring candles and go around the room, giving everyone a chance to say what they're thankful for, or what their prayer for the new year might be. The candles then burned through the evening and as they melted together on the plate, so also our thankfulness and prayers melted together and found their way heavenward as well. I think this is a tradition that we will carry forward for years to come. Another friend brought a chalice, purchased from a silversmith on a recent vacation to Mexico, with an idea to bring the ritual of communion back into everyday living. We passed around a loaf of bread and then the cup of wine and remembered Christ's body broken for us and his blood shed for us. We remembered our Lord together as we shared the simplest of foods, found in one form or another around the world.
your host for this episode : carrie; 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2006
Owned by a House...
Being a "home owner" is great, as long as you don't want to do anything else. You may remember from a previous blog that shortly after buying our house a friend asked how I liked being a home owner. I said that we really owned a mortgage, not a house yet. His reply was "you can't think of it that way, think of it like this, the bank owns the house and the house onws you." All that being said, we are - for the most part - enjoying the time in our house. We have been quite busy doing things to it, which is part of the reason we have not updated our blog in a long time.
So here is a summary of what we’ve been up to lately.
The New Roof, July
The first major project on the house was the roof tear-off and re-shingle. We hired it done mostly because of the slope of the roof and the hill that the house sits on. Neither of us liked the idea of coaxing friends into climbing on the roof, especially when I wouldn’t even go up there! My knees get shaky just thinking about it... and then came the question of where to put the dumpster for the THREE LAYERS of shingles that would be coming off. Usually it would sit in a side yard or driveway, but none of what we have is even close to flat, so that was not an option. The company we hired pulled a permit and a dumpster sat in the street for 4 days while they filled it with the brown, green, and black shingles that were on the roof over the course of its 80+ year life span. The original layer was 1ft squares as opposed to the 1x3 ft sheets that they come in now. Our yard was quite a mess for a few days, and we’re still finding the odd piece of shingle in the grass every now and then, but for the most part Alliance Roofing did a fabulous job.
mélange of shingles at the front corner, and start of day two
end of day two - front yard spic and span, and half done with the back roof
last section to go, and the dumpster filling up
Furnace demo and replacement, September/October
The second major house project began in September with the destruction of Ye Olde Octopus that took up a full one-third of the basement. Our friend Erik works for a commercial HVAC service company and his grandpa has a company that does residential heating as well as plumbing projects, and they’ve talked about him taking over the business. His grandpa agreed to help him work through quoting our project and answer his questions start to finish, and we agreed to be patient as he worked evenings and Saturdays.
Dan and Erik set to work demolishing the old furnace on a Saturday morning in late September and after six hours with a sledge hammer the octopus was dead and the boys were two tired puppies. Erik worked evenings and weekends for the next few weeks and fired up the new furnace in late October. Unfortunately, it wasn’t completely hooked up until the second day AFTER it started snowing, so for 2 very long days our house was very cold. We both worked long days and went out for dinner! But when it was turned on, it warmed the house up quick, and quietly, and now we have a much larger basement, and when summer comes, central AC too!
Wiring, October
In conjunction with the furnace / AC project we also did some wiring, adding a new circuit in the basement so that there is more than one plug, putting a sub-panel in the garage to replace the really scary bare wires that hung overhead going out to the garage, and installing a heater/light/fan in the upstairs bath. But these aren’t really things you take pictures of. We were lucky enough to find a small gap next to the sewer stand pipe, which went all the way from the basement to the attic and threaded the new wires through that small gap. We now have 4 outlets in each of the upstairs bedrooms, instead of the 4 ½ that we had previously on the whole level.
Removal of a messy messy mulberry tree, November
Our friend Paul helped us one Saturday morning to cut down an overgrown, out-of-control mulberry bush. It took two loads in our little pickup and one with our other friend Dave’s big pickup truck to get all the brush and sticks and stumps to the city compost dump, and now we have a bigger backyard. Or maybe it just seems that way. A 15 x 30 foot backyard needs all the help it can get!
That very same day we raked up our leaves and delivered them to the dump also. Who knew that such a small yard could acquire so many leaves?! But then, we do have 3 very beautiful maple trees.
Plaster work and Painting, December
We finished the painting in the back bedroom and now have a squatter, ah hem, I mean someone staying with us (hi John!!) who’s working at the Y and going to Community College in downtown.
Insulating, December
Through the two new attic accesses that Dan created and trimmed out in the back of two closets, and through the back of the medicine cabinet (ie - door to Narnia), we blew 80 bails of insulation into the attic and now that new super-efficient furnace runs even less. But again, this is not something one generally takes pictures of.
Others
A new overhead light in the living room. Keyless entry keypad for the overhead garage door. New faucets on the kitchen sink, one for filtered water and one with a sprayer head. More things you just don’t take pictures of.
So there, now, if you’ve made it through all of that, you’re up to speed on the goings on at 1057 Fuller Ave SE. Hope you’ve enjoyed the show. Come back and see us again soon!
your host for this episode : dan; 07:53 AM | Comments (1)
August 05, 2006
first fruits
Just a salad's worth of tomatoes and one lonely cucumber and pepper, but was it ever tasty :) Lots of others await just a bit more sunshine and rain before they'll be ready.
your host for this episode : carrie; 11:11 AM | Comments (0)
July 31, 2006
Another color in the garden!
So my friend Diane really likes salsa, right? And pizza sauce, and anything marinara. But do you think she likes raw tomatoes? NO! At least she's promised to invite me along when her mom teaches her (and her sisters) how to can. And you better believe that there's gonna be tomatoes to can. From marinara to pizza sauce to salsa to tomato jelly... or maybe not. We'll see.
I got home from work today and Dan said to me, "There's a new color in the garden today!" And it's not red. It's orange. Apparently, I'm learning, tomatoes go from green to yellow to orange and THEN to red. Well, at least I hope red is the next color. I haven't bought any tomotoes in more than two weeks because I thought we were that close.
Tomatoes above - the first blush of color on the cherry tomatoes, the first husky gold, and the cherry gold plant from Danielle, below peppers and the monster cucumber that has more than doubled since saturday morning.
basil - green and red (the combo makes for a yumm yumm pesto!)
your host for this episode : carrie; 06:58 PM | Comments (6)
July 29, 2006
Carrie, Carrie, quite contrary... How does your garden grow?
Check out my tomatoes! This is the first year I've planted a garden, and I think I really really overdid it on the tomato end of things! I have 22 plants between roma, cherry, and 3 heirloom plants from Danielle. She gave me a Husky Gold, a Green Zebra, and a Golden Cherry plant. We also have a plant from one of Dan's coworkers that supposedly produces tomatoes the size of small chick peas (garbanzo beans/ poichiche/ humms/ etc) in clusters that resemble grapes. Dan thinks they'll be awesome for drying and tossing on salads... yummy!
Once my peppers catch up, we're going to have salsa coming out our ears... too bad I didn't plant any cilantro! PLEASE, if you're in the area, feel free to come over and take some of these off my hands in a couple of weeks when they start ripening!
The first tomatoes: Romas & Sweet 100s
The first peppers, a pinch of mint
the first cucumber, and the whole shebang
your host for this episode : carrie; 09:39 PM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2006
House Pics
Long overdue, here are some pictures of our remodelling...
the big bedroom in process.
We had quite a time with this one. The last person to paint this room neglected the primer, and painted latex paint over oil based, so the paint had flaked off in places. We scraped and scraped, then sponge washed it and vacuumed everything clean before trying to lay the primer on thick. Unfortunately, as soon as the roller touched that old latex paint, it rolled right off the wall onto the roller. Yuck. 6 days and way too many hours of spraying and scraping later we were able to try again with the primer. And on the 7th day we rested. These pics were taken about day 4.
the big bedroom completed!
the upstairs hallway.
This is where mom spent a whole day on a step ladder with a razor scraper getting the wallpaper paste off the walls. Then we talked to the paint people and they told us DIF, hot water and a big sponge. We were finished and priming within a few hours.
The stroller in this picture belongs to Josiah, who is staying with us (along with his parents) for a few weeks until their next big adventure.
the upstairs bathroom.
This room was once home to many many cracks in the plaster, painstakingly repaired by Dan with his new Nascar Dremel tool, plaster, and a couple cans of spray on crack filler. Unless you know where they were, you cannot find them now. No pictures of the vanity, b/c it's nothing special... but we'll get a pic of the medicine cabinet "door to Narnia", aka attic access.
your host for this episode : carrie; 06:18 PM | Comments (1)
May 22, 2006
House Party
We have set a date for our house party, realizing that things will forever be in one state or another of unfinished here. Join us for a relaxed afternoon as we celebrate God's provision:
Sunday afternoon, 11 June 2006, 1:00 - 5:00. We'll have some light snacks and lots of lemonade and sweet tea, and we'll also have the grill lit if you'd like to BYOB (bring your own burger/brat/bbq). Then at 6:00, we'll be going to worship at Mars Hill Bible Church. You're more than welcome to join us there, too!
Addy is 1057 Fuller Ave SE, GR 49506 - I'm sure you can find it!
your host for this episode : carrie; 06:54 AM | Comments (3)
April 17, 2006
Ladders...
Anybody got some? Or some yard tools? Or a heavy duty breathing mask rated for asbestos?
God has blessed us immensely in this house. In spite of the fact that the garage door and the kitchen sink drain BOTH broke the day after we moved in, we feel so blessed. Maybe b/c the cost of repairs for both of those combined was less than $50 bucks, or maybe b/c there are unknown species of flowers starting to break through the dirt, or maybe b/c the trees that line the street have all begun to pop into leaf, or maybe b/c we're down to only 4 boxes left to unpack for the kitchen, or maybe b/c we've made it through every room in the house vacuuming, washing walls, and cleaning windows. Whatever it is, we're feeling more and more at home.
your host for this episode : carrie; 05:48 PM | Comments (0)
April 07, 2006
Thoughts on Home Ownership
It's official, we're homeowners! Well, okay, we signed a bunch of papers and now the bank owns a new house anyway :) Planning to move tomorrow, unless it's pouring down rain, which might postpone things a wee bit. We'd love it if you wanted to help. We're hoping to get started around 9 from the apartment on Broadway, and just need help hauling boxes up and down.
Our friend Dave offered some great perspective on this new experience:
"You can't think of it as the bank owning the house and you owning the mortgage... You must think of it as YOU owning the house, and the mortgage owning you." HA!
your host for this episode : carrie; 07:52 AM | Comments (6)
March 08, 2006
Home Inspections
Had the home inspection done last night, and with the exception of attic access and the standard CYA clauses, the inspector was generally impressed with our new house. Our little 81-year old looks great for her age, praise God! We are so thankful to Him for the provision of it.
We locked in the mortgage rate yesterday, because it went up 1/8% from the day before and is expected to continue to rise. Looks like closing will be on the 6th of April, the last day for the locked rate.
your host for this episode : carrie; 06:55 AM | Comments (0)
March 04, 2006
The House on Fuller and Fisk
Hi all, Sorry that we haven't been in touch much lately, but we've been house hunting. Here's some pics of the house that we just made an offer on yesterday. Just heard back that they countered by $1000, and we're waiting for the paperwork. We offered more than their asking price and asked them to include some of the furniture… most of the stuff pictured was in our offer, including the stove and enamel-on-steel sink, the dining room set and china cabinet, the desk in the "den", a bed, two night stands, a dressing table, oh and the green chair AND the phonograph in the living room. Of course we have to still wait for the inspections, etc, but the first two BIG steps are behind us: offer and counteroffer. You can also go to www.grar.com website and lookup this house by searching on Fuller Ave and going to house #1057.
your host for this episode : carrie; 04:33 PM | Comments (0)