Christmas Gifts

Josie is here

Another task completed!

Kurt has been working on little finishing touches- today he completed a display shelf in the large niche that was once an opening into the livingrooom.
Here is the livingroom side of the opening- at the beginning of construction this spring.

mid-construction.....

and today (the window opening is covered over)

And here is the kitchen side of that wall...

as construction was beginning.....

And today- the old opening is filled in with a mirror and some custom fit shelves....

and the happy carpenter- with another job done!

It's a winter wonderland over here today

Turkey with crab apple stuffing anyone?

Our wild turkey flock finally discovered our loaded crabapple tree outside the kitchen window.  In one day they have nearly picked it clean.  Their technique is to send four birds into the tree to shake down the fruit.

Then the rest of the flock gobbles up the crabapples from the ground.   

My flamigos take it all in stride.

Good bye Fall

Saturday was a beautiful day here.  I took some farewell pictures of my 2010 garden.  And just in time too because we got our first winter snow on Sunday.
Here was one last bouquet from the garden....not bad for Nov. 20th.

Here is our garden all tucked under a bed of maple leaves.  (with a few remaining green kale plants)

Notice the snow on the hills across the river...

Our house is all tucked in too....

Our remodel is turning out to surpass our expectations for a warm house.  Even at 15 degrees today we had to damp down the wood stove to keep from being too hot!

One more view of the snowy hills across the lake...

Another Job done

Another job done!  The opening to the kitchen is framed and trimmed!!!

Inside Update



Another project has been completed- the ceiling of our extreme makeover!

Here is the shiny new ceiling paneling....and the light fixture that Kurt made!




Here is the other end of the new ceiling and the other new light fixture.



Here is Kurt himself- taking a well deserved lie-down



And another view.  We LOVE our new space-- Next we need to decide where to hang pictures.



EXTREME MAKEOVER- Inside Edition

Over the last 6 months Kurt has nearly completed an EXTREME MAKEOVER of our livingroom.  Here is the INSIDE story......

First a picture of where he started.  One big room with 2 posts and a step down in the middle, mis-matched and untrimmed windows, several ceiling heights, wood stove in middle of the wall, difficult and cramped furniture spacing.

First task....support the roof with more posts....

 open up side of house, insert beam, jack up beam to the ceiling...

Next, rip down drywall, pull up half the floor, dig out soil underneath and lay new joists and insulate.....

Put down new sub-floor.  Yay- it is all one level....

Now, rewire the whole room and add a dropped ceiling

Next, tackle the two exterior walls-- take out windows, door and fireplace.  Repair or replace all the studs, frame in new window openings.....

Next, install new windows, insulate the walls, hang new sheetrock, tape the seams, spray on texture and paint.....

Then, the only thing Kurt didn't do himself...we hired professionals to lay and finish the tamarack flooring........

Now- we are partially moved in.  Look! the windows and baseboards are trimmed!

Two last jobs to go.  One is underway- Kurt is putting more tamarack boards on half the ceiling. 
The other is buiilding a half-wall and permanent steps at the opening to the kitchen. 
I will let this picture of my last picking of flowers hold a place for those final projects....

Here is the first picture of the new ceiling going in......On Sunday